What year is it?  I'm not sure where the cut-off is now, but it used to be around 15 years old and you no longer need a title to get a GA tag.

It's been a while since I looked it up, but the GA DOT web site list all the critiria from getting a salvage title.  From what I hear they are not always picky . . . but they can be.  I know a couple of our members have recently gone though the process of getting GA salvage titles . . . but they were both just transfering a TN salvage title to GA salvage title.  That's more about the state collecting a fee than making sure the car was correctly repaired.

from GA dmv site:

If you are retaining the car, your insurance company will then apply for the salvage title in your name. Note that if you take this route, you will be required to rebuild or restore the vehicle (see below). Your insurer will require that you sign a Payment of a "Total Loss" Claim notice before they process the paperwork.

Before you can apply for a rebuilt-salvage title, you will be required to furnish photographs of the damaged vehicle before it was repaired. The vehicle will also have to pass a special inspection (see below). Keep any receipts for parts that you or your rebuilder buy for the car; you'll need to provide these with your application.

If the insurance company retains the title (and the vehicle), you will keep your license plate and surrender it at the tag office to be cancelled.

Only a licensed rebuilder may resurrect a salvage vehicle, so don't try to fix the car yourself. You must use a licensed rebuilder to be able to have the title's brand changed from "salvage" to "rebuilt." After that you may again register and drive the vehicle.
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I do not believe you can just fix it yourself and that be ok with GA. The rebuilding process has to go through all this documentation by that licensed rebuilder. Our GLI had to get inspected but it already had a 'Rebuilt' title not a salvage title, and the only reason why it had to be inspected was because the title was from a different state(TN). There is a checklist that the inspectors go through and check,Kyle still might have a copy of the GLI's; however, you cannot be in the area where they are inspecting the car, either the waiting room or outside.

Two rules that we noticed that didn't seemed to be inforced though they probably should have bee where: You are not supposed to drive the car there because it will not be inspected unless it is towed to the inspection center; and they say they are supposed to check the horn but not a single one went off the whole time we were there.

I looked it up and titles are required on '86 and newer vehicles.  That may or may not change . . . it used to move up a year every year.  For anything over 15 years old a title was optional.  If you keep it and just wait a few years, you might be able to just throw a tag on it and go.

Have you signed anything with the insurance company yet?  If you press them hard enough, they might go ahead and fix it.  Justin got hit in the rear in his Corrodo a couple of years back and the insurance company was going to total it.  They had the damage estimated at over $1000 more than they said the car was worth.  After he argued with them a couple of weeks and showed them that he couldn't replace it for what they were offering, the went ahead and had the car fixed.

I  Think the car is worth a $1k  and they offer 3k,  and that much repair  would easy be $5k.

Can you actually REPLACE it for 1K? The insurance companys use book value, but most of the time you can't actually buy a car for what their book says it's worth.  If you can replace it for 1K, take the money and run . . . or take the 2.7K and keep the car and look for one with a bad motor or tranny but a good title.  Use yours as a parts car to get it going.  Sell the leftover good parts on eBay and scrap the rest.

Did the person who ran into you have Ins ?
     My son got run over along time ago in his restored '66 bug.   The Ins. company total the car and paid him  more than a fair price. He turned around and bought the car back from the Ins. company for a token amount and we fixed the car ourselves and had money left over. He drove it another 5 years.
     Did the same thing with a '81 Volvo that my little Girl wiped out.  Her fault.  The Ins Co  paid me $11,000 for a car that was 4 years old and had 70 k  on the clock.   I bought it back for $450 and in turn sold to a salvage yard in Manchester Tn. for  $1,200. Not bad for a car that cost $15,500 new.
      Those Ins.Co do not want your torn up car. They don't to deal with trying to get rid of it.
      It seem to me that you are going through a lot of hassel for nothing.
      I guess the laws have changed.

Do you have the title in your hands ?   Is your Ins. company picking up the Tab ?   Why would the Ins company have your title.   A adjuster came by my shop and total the Volvo and my Ins.was going to mail me a check. I asked them if I could buy the car back. They said yes for X amount of money. They took that much money out of the check. I was happy, they were happy and the title never left my grubby little hand . End of story. I did the same thing with my Sons '66 Bug
        Like I said before, maybe things have changed now

See you in that Previa junkyard in the sky. You were a good van but that mean old insurance/body shop and salvage  lobby are taking you away.
    I took the money.   The Ins man has to tow the van from Lafayete to Acworth GA.    I offered to drive it there for another $200,  but was declined.
 My kids get to drive it until the tow truck comes.  
Any body want to sell me a bus?
SC