Reconstructed title surprise

[Wyle E Coyote]

I have come to posses a 78 280Z that looks like a rust free survivor car and had a great story of being found in a barn about 7 years ago, where it sat for about 20 years. But the story has some holes in it, because when the title arrived, it was branded with a remanufactured mark from Oregon from a few years ago. I was simply trying to help a friend sell her car, and now it's taking up space at my place and the title is in my name now. I'd love to keep it, because I've had a little crush on this thing ever since I first drove it. But it's totally unpractical for me, especially in this stage of my life. So, since I'm unfamiliar with the Z car values and prices, I'm looking for some advice on how to get the most value from the car. But I'm in no way looking to shaft anyone. I just want to get her a good return because she could use the money to catch up on some bills. I'm not sure where to turn at this point. Would it be worth my while to get it inspected by a good shop to affirm what was repaired and if it was a quality job? Or should I just list it again on fleaBay, or maybe here?

 

PS: The huge, involved, back story was largely omitted for brevity purposes. But will be included in the listing for clarity and accuracy.

[siteunseen]

It looks to me like it may be a flood/water damaged car, all the interior's rusted bits and pieces.  The lines all look straight on the pictures you've posted but it's had a color change and newish interior carpet and seats.

We have a few members from everywhere you might get to look it over, wherever it's located or take it to an Import shop that is familiar with the older Zs and have them look it over.  

In my quick view I'd say $3,000, around or about.  Good luck whatever you do.

[Reptoid Overlords]

The head looks to be a bit cleaner than the rest of the engine, perhaps its new/rebuilt? And did they all have that gauge on the oil pressure sending unit?

[siteunseen]

I've never seen a gauge on the sending unit, maybe the interior one flaked out?  

What happened with e-bay, didn't reach the reserve?

Couldn't find anything from e-bay but did see these.  Father son project, divorce, helping her sale the car...

http://hotclassiccarsdeals.com/datsun/206005-datsun-nissan-280-280z-z-car-1978-barn-find-easy-restoration.html

http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/datsun/299879-datsun-nissan-280-280z-z-car-1978-barn-find-easy-restoration.html

Edited June 1, 2017 by siteunseen

[esmit208]

I'm confused, why didn't she go through the title transfer herself? It is a simple process. I would get the title in her name as a first step or buy it from her and then resale it as your vehicle. In its current condition depending on how it really runs 3.5K seems about right. Any knowledgeable Z enthusiast will know where to look for the standard cancer spots on these cars. Anyone who is truly interested will want to have a close inspection of it so be prepared. If it has been water saturated it will be obvious so the offering price will be lowered accordingly. These cars are approaching 50 years of age and most of them depending on care need work, some more extensive than others. Good luck.

 

[Zed Head]

9 hours ago, Wyle E Coyote said:

I have come to posses a 78 280Z that looks like a rust free survivor car and had a great story of being found in a barn about 7 years ago, where it sat for about 20 years. But the story has some holes in it, because when the title arrived, it was branded with a remanufactured mark from Oregon from a few years ago.

PS: The huge, involved, back story was largely omitted for brevity purposes. But will be included in the listing for clarity and accuracy.

Need at least some of that backstory.  And as far as I can find Oregon doesn't use "remanufactured" on their titles.  Maybe "rebuilt"?  "Reconstructed"? Not sure.  But, anyway, all it means is that at the time of damage, the insurance company "totaled" the car.  Could be as simple as the paint job cost more than the car was worth.

Not a huge deal if the backstory is known.  1978 is not a collector year, at this point in time.  If you don't know the backstory then a future buyer's imaginatin can go crazy.  Maybe it's a Hurricane Katrina car...

http://oregondriverslicense.org/titles/salvage-title.html

Edit - more official sources - https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/docs/vehicle/trsalvage.pdf

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/docs/vtrh/chapter_j.pdf

Edited June 1, 2017 by Zed Head

[David F]

not all "total loss" cars have salvage titles.   If you get paid off by the insurance company and buy the car back from them directly, your title remains unblemished.  But, Carfax (or similar) will report the car as a "total loss" vehicle.  That is how it works in TX anyway, I am sure other states may differ.

[Zed Head]

I posted the Oregon state links because the OP said this is an Oregon car - https://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/docs/vehicle/trsalvage.pdf

[Wyle E Coyote]

As far as the history of the car is concerned,  i'm not sure how it would really help the situation, but if you'd like I'll go through it as quickly and efficiently as I can.  But you might want to grab your favorite beverage and get comfortable in your seat. 

The story of the Washington state barn find came through the current owner, but that was what her husband at the time (currently an ex husband) told her. And we all know how some people aren't quite straight with their wives about such things. When it came up with an Oregon stamp on it, it threw a lot more shade onto the whole thing. Mainly because the guy is so shady.

He bankrupted my friend who was a successful midwife and naturopathic doctor with her own practice and over 20 employees. She had to close her practice and sell everything to try to settle the debts he rang up with her name attached. Then he skipped town and is living somewhere near Portland Oregon, as best we can determine. He's not paid a dime in child support for his kids and they've struggled for a while now. And he's reportedly a doctor of some sort himself. 

So he reportedly brought it home and started "fixing it up" as a father/son project. But when he left and started causing so much trouble for her and the kids, that they quickly fell out of love for it. It sat most of the year and sometime each summer, I would be called to come make it run again. And they'd drive it occasionally, then park it again when the weather turned. 

So when they did finally decide to sell it, they asked me for help.  The car with only the ignition key and drove it to my house. After giving it a tuneup it still wasn't responding well, but I cleaned it up and listed it on eBay anyway. Giving full disclosure to what I knew about the car and it's condition, including lots of pictures.  She had been out of town for most of the duration and didn't even get back to me with the "title" until two days after the close of the sale. She apparently had lost the physical title, so I told her to go down to DMV and get a duplicate replacement, sign and date that, and I would send it to the seller. What she came to me with was the paperwork that showed she transferred ownership to me, and now we were waiting two more weeks for the title to arrive. When it did, it has a reconstructed brand on it from Oregon. Obviously this caused the sale to fall through, because where it was headed they don't allow reconstructed cars to be legally titled and registered.  She had told me that the title was clean, but I guess to her, clean meant that she hadn't spilt any coffee on it or something. Needless to say, I was beyond upset about it. But I can only blame myself, since I hadn't physically looked at the title before I started on this adventure.

So now I sit here with the car that I wouldn't mind keeping, but it isn't practical for me right now. And I don't know what to do with it,  because I don't want to just give the car away. The woman could use some money.  So anything that's reasonable in cost or time that would maximize the value of the car, I'm interested in doing. So I came here looking for some information and/or advice as to what to do with the car. Because I had a hard enough time even determining what the value would accurately be before I listed it for sale in the first place.

 Personally, I like to see this car go to someone that would care for it and make something out of it, rather than part it out. I don't know Z cars that well, but this thing seems to be about is rust free incomplete as you could hope the find. For example; on the lower control arm near the exhaust pipe is a factory installed heat shield that not only is still there, but is still clearly the original body color of the car.  If I have time when I get home tonight, I'll put up a few more pictures of the car than I have.  I am dictating this to my phone, and all the pictures that I have are at home on the computer. 

[Zed Head]

6 minutes ago, Wyle E Coyote said:

 When it came up with an Oregon stamp on it, it threw a lot more shade onto the whole thing. Mainly because the guy is so shady...Then he skipped town and is living somewhere near Portland Oregon, as best we can determine.

What she came to me with was the paperwork that showed she transferred ownership to me, and now we were waiting two more weeks for the title to arrive. When it did, it has a reconstructed brand on it from Oregon.

 I am dictating this to my phone, and all the pictures that I have are at home on the computer. 

Firstly, the guy is not me.  Being near Portland Oregon, with a Z, I don't want any confusion there.

I don't see how she could "transfer ownership" to you without your consent, or your signing of papers.  And the "reconstructed" part would come from the form that she or whoever filled out, I believe.  Sounds kind of like the original guy wouldn't release interest, so she went another route.  Maybe unintentional, but kind of "sketchy".  The car has a scary background, somebody could come out of the woodwork and claim it.

Don't want to mess up your efforts but I can see how somebody might be nervous.  Does the title say "remanufactured" or "reconstructed"?  Still not clear there.  If I read the rules right, I think that she would have had to get a salvage title first, claiming it as an Abandoned Vehicle, then a reconstructed title.  http://www.odot.state.or.us/forms/dmv/229fill.pdf

Interesting story.  And you must have a nice phone to dictate all of that and get it in to text so clearly.

Could you post a picture of the title?  Might clear some things up.

[Mark Maras]

 Don't know if it still works but car owners used "clean up" their title in their Oregon car by changing the title to a Washington Car, then back into an Oregon car. The brand didn't follow the title back to Oregon.

[esmit208]

I've seen electrical problems on these cars that were less complicated. I would give her the keys and her "CLEAN TITLE" and go have a beer. That made me thirsty just reading it. It seems as if you are truly trying to help but this is bordering on some trouble you could probably do without.