Ask Oppo: Title Legality and Rebuilding

As many of you all know, my car was totaled out from hail damage. However, after buying it back, I’m not sure where to go from here. I was told it was going to be a total loss 3 weeks ago, but I was able to renew the registration last week. I’ve talked to a few people, who said on a car bought back from insurance that legally you’re expected to tell the state it’s salvaged, but there’s nothing forcing you to do so. So my question is, can I just keep going how it is and sell it with a clean title? I would obviously let the buyer know the situation but it would save me a lot of time and trouble if I could do that.

Hypothetically, of course.

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Also, if you’re an Illinois Oppo or have experience rebuilding a car that has hail damage or is over 9 years old in Illinois, please leave a comment!