BajaNomad

Selling Wrecked SUV in La Paz?

joel - 3-27-2010 at 10:53 AM

I posted a few weeks ago about my saga with my lifted Suburban that was in an accident headed north from La Paz. Thanks to the Nomads who have offered help and advice!

It's been about three weeks and thanks to the help of the folks at Baja Bound, I've finally gotten a settlement offer and it's a relief. They've totaled the vehicle, because of the cost to fix it.

Now I can sell the vehicle if I want, which would recoup some of the money I've put into it -- it has a 6 inch lift, custom air bag suspension, over-size wheels, etc.

Does anyone have any experience with selling a wrecked vehicle in Baja. It's got California plates. I'd guess that it would be parted out, but someone who can do their own body work may want to buy it and fix it themselves.

Does anyone know if I need to do anything other than just sign-over the California title? I'm going to try to take care of all this in a few short hours in La Paz on Monday.



woody with a view - 3-27-2010 at 03:50 PM

so they paid (totaled) you for the vehicle and you get to keep it? i'd try to get it home and part it out. it's got to be worth a few thousand $'s in parts (interior, doors, rims/tires, engine parts, windows, etc...). or find someone there to buy it.

i'd guess you just tell calif dmv you sold it. get a receipt.

BAJA.DESERT.RAT - 3-27-2010 at 04:14 PM

Hola joel,

there is a mechanic here in los barriles that has just removed the whole rear end to a chevy pickup and completely dismanteled it. there is also a great body shop in san bartolo but i don't know if he has any experience with a lifted truck.

i don't know what your time schedule is but there are lots of people down here with trucks and things for the offroad races that are lifted and whatever they do with suspensions. you may have better luck looking around in cabo for this type of specialist. i would think you could have it fixed and then sell it in the states after it was repaired and recoup more money than just for parts. or, sell it to someone down here that travels back and forth so it doesn't have to be imported ?

if you decide to look around any further, if you give me all the info, i'll try and shop it and put it on different websites for you. you may need to have ALL the parts sent down to do the repairs though. there are people that are willing to bring things down and there are also shipping companies too that will do all the importation paperwork for you.

just a thought. sorry you've had such a difficul time with this. you've got to be frustrated as hell and i wish you well !

BIEN SALUD, DA RAT

Bajahowodd - 3-27-2010 at 04:58 PM

Just wondering if you are happy with your settlement. Only mention that because most of the time, the insurance company relies on salvage value to offset their loss. Did you have any discussion about settlement depending upon who kept the vehicle? From what it appears, there seems to be an abundance of salvageable parts. So, maybe woody is right in telling you to get it trucked back NOB.

joel - 3-27-2010 at 05:15 PM

Those are good points. Yes, there are a lot of salvageable parts. The tires and rims alone are almost $2,000 new, so probably worth $750. The car is great mechanical shape, at least what's not damaged I've looked into it shipping it back to Cali and it will be about $2,000, so not really worth it.

I had it insured for $13,000, which in hindsight was probably $2,000 low. They have offered me close to $13,000.

fishsticker - 3-27-2010 at 05:58 PM

What year is it, how many miles on the eng, What eng. and what are you asking for it?

woody with a view - 3-27-2010 at 06:08 PM

get a tow dolly and drag it back yourself.

bajabass - 3-27-2010 at 06:19 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob
get a tow dolly and drag it back yourself.
x2, part it out there, or haul it back here. They get stolen every day for parts here.

joel - 3-27-2010 at 06:28 PM

It's a 2001 Vortec 5300 (5.3L) V-8 all leather interior, special alarm with 1/4 mile transmitters, blah, blah, blah. I had tricked it out for Baja. It has 130k miles, virtually all highway miles. I bought it with 118k on it from the original owner who drove all over the west going to conventions. I had my mechanic go over it thoroughly before I bought it and then just had it gone over again about 3k miles ago.

I'm asking $2,000.


[Edited on 3-28-2010 by joel]

woody with a view - 3-27-2010 at 06:49 PM

bring it home and lets talk!

joel - 3-27-2010 at 09:59 PM

Here's a photo gallery of the vehicle, so you can see the damage.

They could not get the spare tire off b/c it was locked so they took the passenger front tire off and put it on the rear. There are 5 rims and 3 good tires (one is an unused spare and there is a 4th up in San Juanico, brand new.)

joel - 3-27-2010 at 11:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by joel
Here's a photo gallery of the vehicle, so you can see the damage.

They could not get the spare tire off b/c it was locked so they took the passenger front tire off and put it on the rear. There are 5 rims and 3 good tires (one is an unused spare and there is a 4th up in San Juanico, brand new.)


Woody, that's a good suggestion, but the hassle and cost of securing a dolly, driving a tow-capable vehicle down to La Paz and then hauling this thing back up to the states myself is too much for what I could make by doing it.

I'm now understanding the dis-advantages of having what seemed like the perfect deluxe Baja rig.

capt. mike - 3-28-2010 at 06:40 AM

i still don't get how you got a total, paid, and you still get to keep the carcass??

woody with a view - 3-28-2010 at 07:03 AM

i got 5 new tires. what size are your rims?

"16.16.16.16.16!!!!"

joel - 3-28-2010 at 07:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by woody in ob
i got 5 new tires. what size are your rims?

"16.16.16.16.16!!!!"


Not sure what size the rims are, but they are for 35/12.50R17 tires.