After an accident totals your vehicle, there are many reasons why you might choose to keep it, rather than turn it into the insurance company for a payout. If you are choosing to keep your totaled car, it is important that you know how to go about it in the right way. Regulations for keeping an insured, total loss vehicle vary from state to state, and occasionally, among cities and townships.

Continue reading to learn what you need to do if you want to keep your totaled vehicle.

Defining a “Total Loss” Vehicle

Although definitions vary from state to state, fundamentally, a vehicle with damages that cost more to repair than the current cash value of the vehicle. For instance, a car that is worth $2,000 but costs $3,500 to repair is deemed a “total loss” by insurance company standards.

Contact Your Insurance Provider

To properly retain ownership and possession of your total loss vehicle, you must first contact your insurance carrier. They can give you the detailed instructions, as well as alternatives, to your decision. In most cases, a car owner would accept the cash tendered by the insurance company. If you choose this option, you cannot keep possession of your vehicle. Instead, the vehicle will be collected by the insurance company and ultimately, auctioned off for its scrap value. If you reject this option, and wish to maintain possession of your totaled car, you must notify your insurance carrier at this point in time.

Warnings About Keeping a Totaled Car

Keeping your totaled vehicle means that you either wish to scrap it yourself for the parts, or you want to restore it back to its original glory for sentiment. Regardless of your intentions, it is important to understand that if your insurance carrier deems your car a total loss, the title to the vehicle will be changed to a salvage title. Furthermore, it can be quite a challenge to get a DMV to approve any repairs you want to make on a total loss car, and even more difficult getting approval to re-brand the title as “rebuilt.” Even after getting your car repaired, the DMV will not allow you to legally operate it until it passes a rigorous inspection.

Another major issue concerning total loss vehicles is insurance. Not only is it difficult getting approval over at the DMV, it is also hard to find an insurance company that will provide adequate coverage for a car that previously had a salvage title. Also, if you owe money on a car loan, or the vehicle was financed, you are not given the option to maintain possession because it is not legally yours to keep.

How to Learn More About Totaled Cars

Call 317-450-3721 to speak with our friendly Indianapolis junk car buyers about selling your totaled car, today! We are the reputable and reliable junk car removal company you are searching for! We have been in business for over 25 years and will give you best return for your junk vehicle or motorized commodity. We accept anything with a motor, regardless of age or condition. Just call 317-450-3721 to get started!