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Old 04-09-2017, 10:34 PM   #1
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Branded Title

Ok... as a person looking to make his first purchase, I have a question. Is buying an RV with a "branded" title completely out of the question? I was looking at a 2014 Winnebago that was "totaled" due to an accident. It was subsequently repaired so my question is should I even consider purchasing it (after having the house and chassis inspected, of course)?
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Old 04-09-2017, 10:40 PM   #2
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Any type of vehicle with a Salvage title comes with a substantial loss of value.
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Old 04-09-2017, 10:43 PM   #3
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Uninsurable, cash only purchase, and no warranty.
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Old 04-09-2017, 10:53 PM   #4
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How much are they asking?

I've seen stories of brand new RV's on here that sounded like they were "Salvage" right out of the factory.

I think I'd consider it if it was in pretty good condition and knew exactly what caused it to become a salvage vehicle.
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Old 04-09-2017, 11:50 PM   #5
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A distinct downside to buying a branded title vehicle of any kind is the simple fact that you will want to sell it someday. That and the insurance issues make me turn away immediately from such a deal, regardless of the price. My two cents.
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Old 04-10-2017, 04:47 AM   #6
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I've purchased Salvage Title cars before. They can be a great deals, but you need to be aware of a few things. (Our old 2001 Civic was a Salvage that we bought when it was a year old.)

1) Why was it Salvaged - what were the damages, i.e. fire, flood, collision. etc. Look at the repairs.

2) Alignment and tracking. Have the front end alignment checked, get someone to drive the vehicle, follow behind it and make sure it tracks ok, no dog legging. (looks like its going down the road sideways)

3) You may need a special one time inspection in your home state in order to register it. Generally these are safety inspection that cover lights, brakes, wipers, etc.

4) Resale value will be way down, regardless of condition. Find a comparable normal title vehicle, get its resale value, then take 25-50% off of that for the value. That will be approximately the value of the Salvage vehicle.

5) If its new, you may not be able to get a factory warranty.

6) Check with your insurance, but generally, its no problem. NOTE - Collision and comprehensive may not be available, if it is, it will most likely be stated value, not replacement.
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Old 04-10-2017, 05:19 AM   #7
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Been a dealer since 1985 and I've repaired and sold literally thousands of salvage title cars and RV's.
Some of the replies here give me a chuckle.

Yes you can get insurance.

Ask for before-and-after pictures.
Given the shoddy construction of RV's from the factory, the repair will more than likely be the strongest part of the camper.

I would stay away from flood vehicles ( I don't buy 'em).

Most banks won't finance salvage/reconstructed titles, some credit unions will. So yes, it will probably be cash only unless you come up with financing of your own without a lien on the title.

In the end it will come down to the sale price and how much you are saving comparable to a clean title vehicle.

Remember this, a lot of vehicles with clean titles have be hammered in collisions, repaired by insurance companies and given back the owner.
Whether or not an insurance company totals a vehicle has nothing to do with how bad it was damaged.
Rather, how much the cost of repairs stacks up against the value of the vehicle.
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Old 04-10-2017, 05:36 AM   #8
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I have bought two vehicles back from our insurance company after kids had accidents. The vehicles were declared "total"s. By that, the cost of repair exceeded 50% of the value of the vehicle before the accident. Except not always the case. Our 2002 Saturn LW2 was totaled by a minor front end collision (daughter driving) with a dirt embankment because GM had stopped making parts, and front passenger side fog lamp was no longer available. Yes the vehicle sustained other damage, front valance, two headlight/turn signal assemblies, both fog lights and damaged grill and radiator. But the clincher was the fog light. I bought back, estimated value before the accident $6,700.00, salvage value $700. I bought back for $700, replaced the damaged parts for $1,100 and removed the drivers fog light so it looked right. BUT the value of the car after was established at 60% of the value of a comparable non-branded vehicle.

No problem getting insurance, full coverage including collision and comprehensive.

Fast forward two years. Son pulls out in front of truck traveling 50 mph, his fault, gets t-boned by F-150. No one hurt! Totaled both cars. My insurance paid off 60% of value minus deductible.

Anyway, our car had a branded title, but was no worse for wear because of it. BUT the value in the event of an accident was diminished, AND the resale value was diminished.

Motor home is a different animal I know, but I would expect and require a 40% reduction in price over a comparable coach. Many people purchase a damaged vehicle, repair, and sell for 10% to 20% off, and people think they are getting deal because they don't know better.

When I was first in the market for a coach I queried Progressive and Nat'l General, and they both stated that they had no problem insuring a branded or salvaged vehicle, but one of them required an inspection and appraisal before they'd insure. Perfectly understandable.

I cannot speak to financing, because we went a different route.

Good luck in your search!
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Old 04-10-2017, 06:03 AM   #9
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Boogie has the BEST advice and knowledge of Salvage Vehicles.

I own and drive two cars which have salvage titles. My 2006 Saturn Vue was purchased for $7500 back in 2008 with 24,000 miles on the odo after it was restored by a mechanic I met on Craigslist who was selling it. At that time the same non-salvage title car was worth $15000. Never had any mechanical issues until many years later after normal use. That Vue now has over 117,000 miles and still going strong. It has the Honda V6 engine and Honda Auto Transmission. It makes a great Toad. The second one is a 1999 Saturn SW2 with 72,000 miles purchased in 2014 for $2500. I paid a little extra due to the super low mileage. That one needed rear wheel bearings as it was hit on the rear passenger side. The only thing that was done to it was they replaced the rear quarter panel and rear passenger door before selling it. I have had excellent service from both of these vehicles and won't loose much when I go to trade them in.

Needless to say each salvage vehicle needs to be looked at closely and title searched plus stay far far away from anything that had been flooded.

People telling you about insurance problems have no clue. I have had these cars registered in California, Alaska and now Florida.

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Old 04-10-2017, 06:22 AM   #10
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I owned a large bodyshop for 21 years and my employees repaired many salvage vehicles. The demand was high as they were repaired properly and I always showed pictures of before during and after the repair. They ranged from 911 Porsches to VWs to Chevys. I just sold a 13 Lincoln MKS that was in a flood at the dealership. It was a great car and it only got the carpets wet. They can make really great vehicles if you are confident of who sells them and how the repair was done. Many of my neighbors and my kids are still driving these vehicles. The insurance companies always look for the easiest and fastest way out of the claim. They do an analysis of the repair and the salvage value at auction to determine if they want to do a repair. When there is any doubt they go the totaled route. As long as the repair was fully disclosed to the buyer there should be no issues.
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Old 04-10-2017, 08:00 AM   #11
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Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Personally, I would walk away!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!
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Old 04-10-2017, 08:28 AM   #12
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Boogie gave sound advice, but as you can see, some folks simply aren't comfortable with that sort of repaired vehicle/house. That means at resale time that buyers will be fewer or expect to pay substantially reduced price.

An older coach with significant cosmetic damage can easily get "totaled" because the repair cost + salvage value exceeds the current market value. With the labor rates that most RV shops charge, it's not all that hard. That results in a declared "total loss" even though the rig may not be severely damaged. Heck, a full body paint job alone can run upwards of 16k, so a 10 year old coach that will require re-paint to restore is at risk of being totaled, yet may not be damaged badly at all. A shop or even a competent DIY person can often put one of these back in fine shape for a fraction of the insurance estimate.


Personally I would give such a vehicle every consideration, but I'm confident in my ability to evaluate the risk and to recognize adequate repairs. If you lack experience in RVs and skill in evaluating damage and repair work, it might be better to pass.
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Old 04-10-2017, 09:18 AM   #13
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Thanks! I have the before pictures and if the owner is to be believed, it sustained front end damage during the trip to deliver the coach to the owner. It's a depreciating asset so I'm not so much worried about resale if the price is low enough for MY purchase.
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Old 04-10-2017, 09:27 AM   #14
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Lots of good values available from repairing "totaled" vehicles, but check with your individual insurance carrier. Allstate in KY would not insure my Wife's VW Jetta if we did a buy back / repair process when it was "Totaled" by the 75% repair cost calculation.

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Originally Posted by Cuffemdude View Post
Thanks! I have the before pictures and if the owner is to be believed, it sustained front end damage during the trip to deliver the coach to the owner. It's a depreciating asset so I'm not so much worried about resale if the price is low enough for MY purchase.
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