I found my car in a salvage yard...now what?

[Duckboy4]

Those of you who are on SN95 Nation on Facebook will recognize this post.
I tracked down my '94 with the help of local law enforcement. It had been in a wreck in 2013 and wound up here. Yard tells me there is no suspension, no engine, and no transmission. I might be able to convince the owner of the yard to sell it to me, but Illinois salvage title laws make putting cars like this back on the road very difficult. I am very nostalgic for it, however, and am willing to take the risk and repair it over a long period of time.
Have you ever found your car and brought it back from this bad of condition? Convince me not to! Or convince me to fix it!

 

[badass98svt]

Looks like it was a V6 with a pop up sunroof.
Don't do it.
Buy a white 94-95 GT for $4-$5k and have at it.

 

[Duckboy4]

Looks like it was a V6 with a pop up sunroof.
Don't do it.
Buy a white 94-95 GT for $4-$5k and have at it.

Believe me, I know this wouldn't be a good investment. I was just sort of hoping to hear others' success stories. That moon roof was in the car when I bought it. I would never have installed one, but when I owned the car, it was nice to have!

 

[badass98svt]

Don't mind me, I was just doing my best to talk you out of it haha

 

[ttocs]

They totaled that? Looks easily fixable unless I am missing something.

 

[Duckboy4]

They totaled that? Looks easily fixable unless I am missing something.

Yeah, gal I sold it to got in a fender bender in 2013, they totaled it and evidently it's been at this scrap yard ever since. I haven't visited it in person yet, but it has no engine, transmission, nor suspension. I don't know if it has a rear end or not.

 

[joemomma]

What kind of budget (and time) do you have? That's going to be fairly spendy to get road-worthy again. Plus, you'll always be dealing with diminished value from the salvage title. There are lots of SN95s still out there for good prices - they haven't gone stupid yet.

 

[Duckboy4]

What kind of budget (and time) do you have? That's going to be fairly spendy to get road-worthy again. Plus, you'll always be dealing with diminished value from the salvage title. There are lots of SN95s still out there for good prices - they haven't gone stupid yet.

Time and budget are as follows: Plenty of time, provided I can convince my wife. The money, as long as it's spread out over (again) time, is doable. We both are able bodied, have good jobs, and dumb enough to take something like that on. Oh, and I have a 14 year old son I can recruit. =^)
The salvage title definitely bothers me. I wish there were a good, legal path towards a normal title.

 

[RossA81]

Maybe just grab some parts off it to install on a different shell? I think you may end up disappointed in the long run when the car is not what is was, and you realize you aren't who you were when you had the car. If that makes sense.

Ross

 

[Duckboy4]

Maybe just grab some parts off it to install on a different shell? I think you may end up disappointed in the long run when the car is not what is was, and you realize you aren't who you were when you had the car. If that makes sense.

Ross

I totally get that. My intention is to go visit it and gather facts. Maybe have them lift up the front end and let me see what it looks like underneath (as long as I like what I see on top). *IF* I were to go through with this, I would merely be taking solace in the fact that I *know* it is my car, and not just another one.
It's interesting, what you said about not being who I was when I had it. You're the first person to mention that, and it definitely gives me something to think about. Thanks for keeping things real.

 

[RossA81]

A lot of times it's not the car, it's the times you had in it. The people you knew, the places you went. I had a Rio Red 95GT that I bought when I was 17... I wrecked it when I was 20. I missed it so bad. I used to dream about it at night. At 27 I bought an exact copy- Rio Red 95GT, same interior and everything. I had some fun with it- But I had moved on, grown up, it wasn't at all what I had made it about to be in my head. YMMV

Ross

 

[96blak54]

I scored a 98 gt with a busted engine. Car looked great, had a repainted fender....i thought i did good untill we pulled it up on a trailer. The entire rear underneath was ate up with rust and was no where near fixable. Car looked great all around and under the front end. I figured since the rear tires were flat, but the front end was good underneath, the rear shouldnt be to bad....dang was i wrong. Half the the car, the rear was sitting on the ground, not on the gravel drive like the front. Im not sure how long, but dang the rear was done.

 

[RAU03MACH]

there are times i find myself at the junk yards , there are some good deals out there

 

[Frank.JD.Perez]

Make it a racecar, buy a gt or cobra for the drivetrain and swap away

 

[gatorblue92]

A lot of times it's not the car, it's the times you had in it. The people you knew, the places you went. I had a Rio Red 95GT that I bought when I was 17... I wrecked it when I was 20. I missed it so bad. I used to dream about it at night. At 27 I bought an exact copy- Rio Red 95GT, same interior and everything. I had some fun with it- But I had moved on, grown up, it wasn't at all what I had made it about to be in my head. YMMV

Ross

This right here.... I've had my grandmother's 77 Mercedes 240D for longer than she did at this point and it's been in the family since new. There have been lots of times lately where I've considered letting it go as it doesn't feel the same when I'm driving it anymore.

 

[96blak54]

Keep the Mercedes. Its rear drive, solid steel, and classic. Would you believe the old 80's model Volvos are becoming high desire? My son has fell in love with the volvos which in turn has caused me to focus on them and to find one that isnt beat up or rusted out has a high price. What I thought was a beater car that could easily be sourced has turned out to be a cult following and these guys are buying up the nice ones and reselling priced high.

 

[Duckboy4]

I scored a 98 gt with a busted engine. Car looked great, had a repainted fender....i thought i did good untill we pulled it up on a trailer. The entire rear underneath was ate up with rust and was no where near fixable. Car looked great all around and under the front end. I figured since the rear tires were flat, but the front end was good underneath, the rear shouldnt be to bad....dang was i wrong. Half the the car, the rear was sitting on the ground, not on the gravel drive like the front. Im not sure how long, but dang the rear was done.

That is a very valid point and that is something I will definitely look at before I make a move. I have no idea how long my car has been sitting on its belly.

 

[96blak54]

Well if the car is ate up with rust underneath and not worth restoring, pull out what you can now and storage it back.

 

[Duckboy4]

Well if the car is ate up with rust underneath and not worth restoring, pull out what you can now and storage it back.

Definitely my intention. Or, I might even buy the whole car so I have plenty of time to pull parts inside a garage. Better value that way, and I'll get even more parts I can use for my son's red '95.

 

[Duckboy4]

Make it a racecar, buy a gt or cobra for the drivetrain and swap away

Meh...not much into racing. But I know it's def a thing in the Mustang world. =^)