Community Forums

TriMoot · 09-16-2020, 02:07 PM

1. How do you folks feel about "salvaged titles"?

There's a rig close to us and it's 'almost' everything we want but turns out it has a salvaged title due to a "minor" bump in the front.

I looked up the VIN info and sure enough it showed it had an "incident" in 2018.

02-01-2018 Incident Record Front End, Right Front

Thoughts?
Is there a way to get more info about the incident?
TIA

Bobby F · 09-16-2020, 02:25 PM

Two issues - actual damage, and resale value.

You can inspect and repair and end up with a great deal on a salvage vehicle. I've done it in the past.

But if resale is a consideration, your future buyers are going to be asking this same question.

HopsBrewster · 09-16-2020, 05:27 PM

It's a salvage title because the insurance company deemed the damage repair cost would exceed the value of the vehicle, or at least a major portion of value. If you can repair it cheaper yourself, it could be a reasonable investment. Watch for hidden damage.

The accident report should be public record but won't give damage specifics.

MoCoTom · 09-16-2020, 05:28 PM

I have to agree with Bobby. If you do your homework and feel confident that the issue that led to a salvage title was repaired correctly then resale will be the only downside. If you feel it is your forever MH then that would mitigate the resale concern.
Tom

Ray,IN · 09-16-2020, 08:21 PM

i also thought about a salvage titled MH. All was good until I spoke with my insurance company. They would only issue a liability policy, would not issue full coverage for any salvage title RV. The liability policy was kinda spendy so we forgot that line of thought and bought this one with a clean title.

Kodiakan · 09-17-2020, 02:36 AM

I would consider a coach with salvage title if it checked out, but I would expect it to be pretty deeply discounted. Otherwise I wouldn’t want the hassle nor the lost resale value.

TriMoot · 09-18-2020, 09:53 AM

Thanks everyone for your input....hmm, yeah, I hadn't thought about the insurance part...might have to look into that.

I called Cummins to check on the engine and it's a 425 HP and has no recalls, so that's good. I wonder if I call the manufacturer of the rig if they can tell me exactly what happened, or perhaps a Car Fax might work?

Still thinking about it.

texasrs · 09-18-2020, 10:13 AM

Pay attention to what Ray.IN said. You probably will NOT be able to buy insurance on the rig.

Ray

AnotherMike · 09-18-2020, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texasrs

Pay attention to what Ray.IN said. You probably will NOT be able to buy insurance on the rig.

Ray

When you contact your insurance company you will want to ask one more question... Ask if you can pay for an inspection by their people? And if it passes their inspection will it then be eligible for full coverage?

Mike

Bobby F · 09-18-2020, 10:46 AM

I've insured vehicles with salvage titles by purchasing Agreed Value coverage. Usually requires a 3rd-party appraisal.

dbircky · 09-18-2020, 10:55 AM

I've bought salvage titled vehicles and never had a question from the insurance company including one back that they totaled. The insurance on that one was less with the salvage title than before with a clean title. Maybe varies by insurance company?

AJMike · 09-18-2020, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TriMoot

1. How do you folks feel about "salvaged titles"?

I am curious as to how you find RVs with salvaged titles. Is there some source that lists them? Or can you get a listing from insurance companies? Or is it just a case of finding an RV on a lot or listed in the paper and then finding out that it has a salvaged title?

TriMoot · 09-18-2020, 11:11 AM

Gulp...did a car fax (EpicVin) lookup and here's some pics...the last two are how it looks now.

TriMoot · 09-18-2020, 11:57 AM

And here's another follow up:

I called my insurance company, Progressive (through USAA), and they said they can not insure it for full coverage. I also called a local insurance company and they said the same thing.

What's funny is, as I was typing this, the current owner said he has full coverage from Country Financial. Hmm...guess I could give them a call. I would imagine it's probably much higher...???

I guess it's getting to be too much of a headache, but dang...it's a nice looking rig, pushes most of our buttons, King Bed, side radiator, four slides, etc, etc, and the price is good, although we would probably ask 10K less, maybe even more.

I don't know...

*Update: After I posted this I called Country Financial and they confirmed that they WOULD NOT insure a salvage titled RV. So I told them the current owner has a full coverage policy with them, and she said, perhaps he 'thinks' he does, or he didn't divulge the salvaged title to them, but you'd think as soon as the underwriters do their due diligence, they'd find the salvaged title.

At any rate, I think this is a dead end for us. Dang.....