The buy was a bust (longish)

[tomatocity]

I can hear ya brother on being patient. Yes you can get plates and insurance on a salvage title but I poored a ton of money into it and decided to sell it for whatever reason I would have trouble selling it at an auction, out of state or internationally. The value would be lessened by the salvage title. If the frame was replaced properly there would not have been a problem. A DMV inspector has to witness the change, research both titles, and issue / install an inspector sticker issued by CA DMV. Think of it this way. You buy a truck and after the deal is done you register it. DMV notices the frame VIN is different. They research the frame VIN and find it has been reported as stolen. They will take your truck until you can prove it to be a legal purchase. You might be liable for the storage charges during that time. The worst case scenario is you can lose everything and they don't help you recover your losses. You are the person who moved the vehicle between states not the seller. Now you will have to deal with the other state to recover your losses. This can be a huge deal or it can be simple. if you are aware of the different VIN's you can do the research ahead of time and work with both states, counties, and persons involved. Nebraska registers their vehicles at the County Treasurer office. California as a business probaly registers more vehicles than all of Nebraska and many of the smaller states. DMV is a huge business for California. I loved calling NE DMV and talking to a very nice people. This is not happening in CA. Make an appointment, showup, wait in line, and hope you completed the documents properly. Ove rhte years I have registered three vehicles (1976 Blazer, 1962 Impala SS, 1995 Camaro Z28 convertible) from Nevada and they went well but everything was matching with proper documentation.
Sorry for the long reply but it still bothers me but I will get over it. OK I am over it.

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

I'm not really familiar with a "salvage title." If you plan on keepin it for the next 20 years as you said, as long as it is titled with plates and insurance what's the big deal? Or can you not get plates and inurance with a salvage title? Sorry 'bout your purchase going sour, I've walked away from a few "deals" and I'm glad I did. Trucks are just like women, if you're patient, you'll find a good one

[67ChevyRedneck]

Wow, OK note to self, NEVER move to Cali. Kinda funny, but here in SC, there are NO inspections, (I could take the cats off my Z-71 if I wanted, I'm not, but I could) and when it comes to registering a vehicle all you need is a clear title. Never heard of anyone having their vehicle taken away 'cause frame/cab didn't match. If you got pulled over and cab/title don't match, you got some explainin to do. I had an 86 toyota that had a bad (rusted out) frame and I put a good southern frame under it. Just kept the title to the cab. Never even thought twice about it. Sold the truck too for a nice profit.

[smokekiki]

Here in Pa we need a yearly inspection.I have never had anyone check the numbers.How many "original" big block 4x4 suburbans are there?It was an original bigblock 2wd suburban that had a twisted frame,and a 4x4 suburban without a body.Nobody asked anything when I titled it.Now back to the topic at hand.Keep looking,You will find one.Let everyone You know that You are looking for one.Somebodys Gramppa might have one that has been in the garage it's whole life!

[nu2-72]

Mo. has inspections and the numbers thing also.
I go to several Corvette auctions and there was a beautiful 72 LT1 at one of them Myself along with several dozen others were ready to bid when the Announcer stated that if a title search was done, a salvage title would be found. 99% of the bidders walked away. A dealer will not touch it even if for resale. If a wheel fell off 4 years down the road, it has a salvage title and they are responsible. They will not take a salvage title for trade.
So, the smart folks somewhere came up with "rebuilders". Not salvage but so close that I cannot tell the difference. And then there are people with tools and talent that can do miricles. I do not want someones wreck but have had vehicles in wrecks that were fixed. Just depends on the amount and location of the damage.
Keep looking. Check the Paper for that "old truck in barn" thing. May happen.

[chickenwing]

If he wanted a long bed it would happen quick! There are tons of em around!

[4x4Poet]

Originally Posted by tomatocity

...Many people think CA is rust free. CA has snow, deserts, salt water and lots of it, and valleys. There are trucks in teh San Joaquin valley (Modesto, Stockton, Lodi, Turlock, etc) that you can see the ground when you get in them and that is a valley truck. Think of what a northern CA Bay Area truck can be like or a Lake Tahoe truck. CA has the highest and lowest elevation points in the continental US and no we don't have all the weather condition as other states do but we have our share. Don't take CA granted as being rust free...

I know. I'm from Sacramento, but most of the Valley's classic cars and 2wd trucks rarely go up in the snow. Farm and rural trucks are an exception to the general rule since they get in the mud. Still, it is the best area in the nation save rich peoples garages. And rich people don't sell their investments cheap. Of course, I sometimes forget that these trucks aren't getting any younger, so they're getting more difficult to find in unmolested or unrestored condidtion.

...If I find a good clean truck in Sacramento will be because I stumbled across it and the hawks had not already swooped down on the innocent seller with cash in hand. In our area alone we proably have 20+ people making a living at buying and selling these trucks....

This explains it. I didn't know that there are lots of guys buying up the unrestored trucks cheap from, perhaps unaware, owners. When I bought my burb, I had found it in the classifieds and bought it for the asking price. In fact, my dad didn't get to look at it until several days after the ad began.

I hope you have similar fortune. Sounds like you have the patience to not allow yourself to get ripped off by the "profiteers." I think the poster above made a good suggestion to check the lesser classified, like the free classifieds. Many older or lower income folks will try to save money using the cheaper classifieds to avoid the Bee's high fees. Maybe you'll find a one owner truck, as I did. What?!! It could still happen.

[Tim240Z]

I see them all the time it seems down in SoCal. I never really pay too much attention as I am not looking for one, but if you want I can keep my eyes peeled......

[Already Gone]

This was a very intetesting thread and again I say I always learn something everytime I open up this board. All the talk about about frame VIN's matching the cab VIN got me thnking about my truck. On the frame where is the VIN located? I'm always under my truck for something so I'd like to check it out and make sure it matches my cab VIN.