Rebuilt title trailer

Hello everybody! I am new around here and hope I am posting in the correct place. I live in a travel trailer 95% of the year out on a jobsite with no shade or shelter for the trailer. 10 years of Texas' hot summers, cold winters and terrible wind and storms is all my 2007 Spree by KZ can take. I'm looking at new/newer trailers and want to go for a nicer trailer this time because in around 2 years I will no longer be living on a jobsite and want a nice trailer. I have found a 2016 Crossroads Sunset Trail Grand Reserve 32RL but it has a rebuilt title due to it being a theft recovery. However, this trailer has everything I could ever want in a bumper pull trailer. NADA value with clean title ranges from 27,000-32,000. How much does this rebuilt title affect the value? Thanks in advance for any insight/advice you can offer.

That's anybody's guess.  Some buyers won't touch a rig with a rebuilt or salvage title, while others could care less. That essentially means the effect of the title is either 100% depreciation or zero, depending on the buyer.  Somewhere in there are those who say they won't ever buy a salvage/rebuilt title but in fact are willing to forget their scruples if the price is right. An extra 10%? Maybe even 15-20%? Hard to say...

Personally, I would just take some extra care to determine if all the repairs are well done. If so, I would have no reservations about buying it if I intended to keep it several years.  However, if I was figuring to trade again soon, I might pass it up altogether simply because other buyers might be reluctant.

I think the difference in attitude depends on the individual's mechanical skills. Those who are weak in them fear anything that hints of a potential problem, while those comfortable with repairing things know that "good as new' is quite possible and are concerned only that the repairs were properly done.

I would compare the price they are asking to similar models that don't have the title issue. like Gary said check to make sure everything was done correctly and not just a quick flip for the seller or dealer.


also make sure your insurance company won't have any issues insuring it

You say theft recovery, that is a broad statement. Was the damage just cosmetic from items being stolen or was it wrecked, stripped and dumped? For that new of a trailer to be totaled I think there is more to the story. You need to get all the information, maybe even contact the repair facility that did the repairs and see what repairs were performed. It is really hard to put a value on the trailer without all the information.

A theft recovery may not have had any damage at all.

kdbgoat said:

A theft recovery may not have had any damage at all.

Click to expand...

I would think that if it had a rebuild title, there must have been some damage otherwise the owner would have just got it back. I Googled it and came back with this:

A "rebuilt title" is placed upon a rebuilt or reconstructed vehicle that previously was a salvage vehicle but has now been repaired and restored to operation. These vehicles are often severely damaged before they are rebuilt, and refurbished parts are typically used during reconstruction.

Yep, I kinda agree with what you posted, but rebuilt/salvage titles vary from state to state. A long ago friend bought a stolen/recovered vehicle that had a salvage title. The car had been missing for close to a year. The original owner's insurance company replaced the car for them. The thief had driven the car about 500 miles, then hid it in his grandfather's barn. The grandfather was pretty feeble at the time, and never knew the car was there. Neither did anyone else until the grandfather died. Other than being dirty, there was nothing wrong with the car.

I own a 16' Jayco that I bought from auction with a salvage title. Paid 11k and the original receipt was left inside and the guy just paid 42k for it. Its an awesome TT and an awesome deal. I will use it 10 yrs and if I get my 11k back I'm perfectly fine. I bought two TTs from auction with salvage title, and flipped the first one I bought because of small size etc. When I bough the one I flipped it said "fresh water damage" but when I got it I couldn't find a thing wrong with it anywhere, and flipped it in a week (without having to get it inspected and retitled, I passed that to the next guy to deal with.)

I also drove to the auction to inspect one I had my eye one and talked to the people there and they said in most cases that they never really get a straight specific type of problem from the insurance company when they drop the campers off, so they have to find some sort of damage and name it that for auction. They called the damage on one I looked at as having "biological" damage. The guy showed me where a mouse ripped up some toilet paper and that was the best description he could think of to call it.

I say Yes, to a salvage title, I took alot of pictures of mine prior to the repairs I did so down the road I have the whole story to pass along. 

The truth about this camper may be as kdbgoat and Jayco state, or it could be a complete rebuild, or it could be anywhere in between.  As Gary said, it is NOT a clean title, and not worth as much as the same camper with a clean title.  It is up to you to determine where on this spectrum this camper lies, and what level of risk you are willing to take at  what price.

Personally, I would not be afraid of it, but I would go over it with a fine tooth comb and expect a good discount.  The Library has several Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) checklists that could be helpful.

I would think that if it had a rebuild title, there must have been some damage otherwise the owner would have just got it back.

Click to expand...

Not necessarily.  It may just be a procedural thing because of the time factor. Once the insurer pays the owner for the total loss due to theft, the insurer becomes the legal owner of the vehicle title. In many states that means they file a form with the DMV stating something to the effect of "total loss, right & title transferred". If the vehicle is later recovered, they either have to sell it with the "junkyard" (scrapped vehicle) title or get a new title issued.  Once the vehicle has been "scrapped" (as far as the records are concerned), the state will typically do this via a replacement title labeled something like "Salvage" or "Rebuilt". Terminology varies by state, as do the procedures for handling this sort of situation. 

Typically the insurer just auctions off the recovered vehicle and lets somebody else assume the responsibility for determining the condition of the vehicle and either repairing & re-selling it or scrapping it for parts. The new title says "Rebuilt" or similar regardless of whether there was zero damage or a major repair. The special title flagging is strictly a caveat emptor warning for the buyer.

My dad operated an auto body shop and my brother was an insurance adjuster. They were always on the look-out for recovered thefts because they often needed only minor repairs or sometimes just a good detailing, yet they sold below wholesale prices. The insurer would often accept any reasonable offer to get the vehicle off their books quickly.

I purchased a salvaged 3/4 ton Dodge about 8 years ago.  I am the second owner since the repairs. I did my research and felt it was a solid deal and was a good running truck.  I still run it, and it will probably be the best purchase I ever make.  A comparable truck at the time would have gone for 12-15k.  I purchased it for 5.5k.

Personally I would take a lot of time and look hard at the trailer, but wouldn't consider spending more then roughly 1/4 the value were it not salvaged.  Likely less then that. There are just too many hidden things with a trailer, and fixing them can be a lot of work and money.