Salvage Titles?

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Daddypine

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2018
Posts
8
Hi,
I am in the uk and searching the internet in the USA for a 28 to 32 ft rv that wish to purchase, possibly keep in the states for a couple of years, then ship back to the uk.

Having found one we like around four years old, the dealer states it has a Salvage title and points out basically why it has, and shows the repaired damage.

I am prepared to book a flight and go check this vehicle out first but, does anyone have experience of:-

1/ Buying, trying to insure and getting tags for a vehicle with this kind of title?

2/ Any implications as far as shipping it home to the uk (apart from the stigma that goes with it should we ever try to sell it)

3/ or any other things that may arise that I may have overlooked.

Thank you in advance,

Paul.
 
Tough one to give a definitive answer, especially since in the US titles and tags are iissued by individual states and each has their own laws regarding them.

There are plenty of scare-messages on the internet about difficulties with salvage titles, but near all are anecdotal and second-hand info at best.  I see message claiming you cannot insure them or difficulties with passing vehicle inspections (which most states do NOT have anymore). There probably is a grain of truth behind those, i.e. somebody had that problem at some time, but it seems doubtful that it is widespread. Insurers don't even see or use titles - they ask for the VIN and maybe registration info. State inspections probably check for a valid title, but most are simply verifying exhaust emissions and proper lights.


Yes, some buyers are afraid of them, either because of potentially unknown damage or potential paperwork problems.If you know why the salvage title was issued and are competent to inspect the vehicle, that should not be a concern.

I would beware of a vehicle that was salvaged after flooding (water damage). It's very difficult to determine if all the damage has been found and corrected, especially if it was sal****er. A risky proposition, in my opinion.
 
I started to reply, but Gary said what I was going to say. I checked the California requirements but, as Gary said, each state has their own rules/procedures. Unlike the UK, we don't have a single DVLA; Think of them as separate DVLA's in each state that are all independent of each other, and the rules/laws are created by the respective state. For a specific state, you could google DMV (Dept Of Motor Vehicles) and the name of the state, but in some states it's called something different (e.g. in Ohio it's called Bureau of Motor Vehicles). California does have a process for re-titling a "junk" (their words) vehicle after showing proof of repair, but it's not clear if that would still show as "Salvage" on the title. 

An unknown is what happens when/if you ship back to the UK. A friend who tried to ship a junk Alpha Romeo to a buyer in Denmark found that he couldn't export without a title, which he didn't have. You'd obviously have the Salvage title, which would show proof of ownership, and hopefully that would suffice for export purposes. I don't know if the US salvage title would be an issue when you try to register with DVLA, or if they'd even look at it. An email to them might clear that up.

When it comes time to ship to the UK, we have several articles in our forum Library written by UK-based members who have done that. Click the Library button above and select the Visitors to the USA section.
 
My only word of caution is, RV Dealers (salespeople) in the States have a reputation of not being the most honest.  Personally I would not spend the $$ to come and look at only one RV, that has a Salvage title.  Make sure it is one of a few that you look at.  And for me, there are 'RV inspectors' That you certainly could hire to give you a professional opinion of a particular RV prior to travel to the States.
 
I second Spencer's suggestion to look at other RVs while you're here. Many times I've cautioned Brits coming here to buy an RV - "Don't buy the first RV you fall in love with". Similarly, "leave your wallet/cash/cheque book behind when you go RV shopping".
 
Just curious - what is the damage that the dealer says has been repaired?
 
Sorry Tom, not getting notifications when people answer my posts for some reason and I'm fairly sure it's switched on.

The damage is roof damage from the hurricane in Florida (allegedly) here's a link to the vehicle:-

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-Forest-River-Forester-2861DS-Class-C-Gas-RV-Motorhome-28/264266699063

Just looks rather a small amount of damage to warrant writing it off to be honest.

Thank you for all the advise everyone, maybe time for a rethink.

Cheers, Paul.
 
You got a lot of good info, essentially whatever
The damaged item was on that RV the price to fix
It would be more than what the RV is worth.
Plus the price is high on a "junk" rv.
 
With water intrusion, I'd forget this one. No way to really know what damage has been done that will show up later.
 
In the USA, we treat large Ebay purchases with extreme caution.  It looks decent for sure, I guess if you were serious, I would still recommend that you have a professional RV inspector inspect it prior to a visit.  It would be a great investment.  My other concern, the buyer makes mention he drove it back to his Dealership?  and he is posting this as a Private Sale.  Sounds fishy to me. 

AND,
I just Googled the phone#, it is an auto dealer in Idaho, but, well.. take a look for youself.  Here in the USA, most of us stay away from these types of places. 

https://www.facebook.com/mountainviewautosales/?hc_ref=ARQkWE7ahXT_EcEl6OUOOiIAq51R-pP7wFvT9ZLXfvFQ2Fb-geRM7ZV79-hHUtqFqHQ&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARBrf2gEYij7p3EnL8UrRNN6yVrSl4e6nBjChx_NW-NGiAEReZtYFopSPMzB_FlFEnySENDHk5ubtuMMEk1frN8qX_YSein-PSg55aLiDrwFXgyPU_kGvptuB_6It2xZ_Z1_IxO9moud-3snTiojcV9Btcbr9iL84lOAvcUVk_-VwmsAb8gTKnfke4ORmt2rjMCaZvuN0lZcIsWoTCl1smxXQ-ObYxNs5_VxOnf5lljd0sLVOzglpzis0gc2hT2C6KH_ZdGLy2TD04UBN3kZNLBa_l1Ca3rb7CZHpusWUGHYnKXOwceQOu7XK2BZ185TsZJ-nS8Goo4eGU1cod0vr5btvQ&__tn__=kC-R
 
I'm not one of those that's afraid to buy a motorhome on Ebay,  that is where I bought mine.    Drove 8 hours,  picked it up and drove it home.... :))  all good, ... (Anything that was wrong with it I'd rather fix myself anyway)
.
Salvage titles can mean everything from a Theft recovery to a Flood recovery to cosmetic damage exceeding the value of the vehicle .....sometimes you can get a great vehicle for 1/2 price,    But...  be careful with a Salvage Title vehicle, some countries will not allow a 'Special Construction',  'Salvage' or 'Reconstructed title' vehicle to be imported.

Some insurance companies will not write a policy on a salvage vehicle.
 
sightseers said:
I'm not one of those that's afraid to buy a motorhome on Ebay,  that is where I bought mine.    Drove 8 hours,  picked it up and drove it home.... :))  all good, ... (Anything that was wrong with it I'd rather fix myself anyway)
.
Salvage titles can mean everything from a Theft recovery to a Flood recovery to cosmetic damage exceeding the value of the vehicle .....sometimes you can get a great vehicle for 1/2 price,    But...  be careful with a Salvage Title vehicle, some countries will not allow a 'Special Construction',  'Salvage' or 'Reconstructed title' vehicle to be imported.

Some insurance companies will not write a policy on a salvage vehicle.

I agree sightseers.  I'll buy off Ebay, Craigslist, whatever.  Larger purchases exchange in safe locations, like a bank etc.  I have never had a problem.  Now, buying things like iPhones etc, thugs are ripping people off in the city all the time.  I do think if I was going to another country, I would try and stay within safer boundaries, even if it cost me a bit more.

And insurance, foreigner, salvage title...  I would guess you would pay a premium for that insurance policy.  Just a guess.

 
The key to any purchase like this is either you or a pro has to inspect carefully. And then evaluate the asking price vs repairs needed (if any). The salvage title itself is not a disqualifier for me.
 
Thank you all very much for the advise, I picked the bones out of it and decided it's not for me.

Which brand rv would you guys recommend to buy used, and how old would you go without buying a load of problems? it seems to me from looking for the last year that Thor have bought out a large part of the rv builders over there and most in my opinion, having visited the Tampa rv show for two years,  don't seem very good quality any more.

We don't have to have a "C" class as I have a truck licence (Max 7.5 tons GVW in uk without one) but at 65 years old, I want more space than our Mercedes Sprinter now, and at 70 years old, it gets harder to keep hold of the HGV (truck) licence, which you need for most "A" class in the uk, plus, my wife can drive up to 7.5 tons.

I am leaning towards looking for a private sale now, having read more on the forum, preferably from some old guy who bought it new and has no axe to grind apart from his wife thinks it's time to call it a day. (just like we'll be in a few years)

Oh, one final question please, should I maybe buy in Florida for sales tax purposes, which I guess I will have to pay on a private / used vehicle?

Many thanks for all the info.

Regards, Paul.
 
I'm not a fan of the Thor brands either - they focus heavily on attractive pricing rather than better quality. But that seems to be common these days - I think Rev Group (now owner of several major brands) is doing much the same.  Newmar and Tiffin seem to have somewhat higher standards, though neither is a shining star.

As for "How old?", discard your vehicle bias and think furnished houses instead. Age is not the key - it is condition. A well-kept 15-20 year old coach is still a good buy, while an abused 5 year old is quite possibly a money pit. Mechanically, if the engine and transmission are working well, they should be fine. Tires and batteries, though, age as well as wear and need a close look. The rest is house stuff, e.g. roof, appliances, plumbing & heating, and the cosmetic condition f furnishings and flooring.


Looking at the 28-32 ft range, I would lean toward a class A. 29-32 feet is too heavy for the chassis used in most Class C's (Ford E450), so I do not recommend that size except as a "super-C", i.e.a coach built on a medium truck chassis (Jayco Seneca, for example). Unfortunately, Class A's in that range are relatively rare and most are 34 or more.

Florida sales tax is less than some states but not zero either, so it's a substantial cost factor. The main reason to shop for an RV in Florida is the wide selection available at the many large dealers.
 
Hi, you may need to change several things if you import back here. We were told the electrical system would need changed, indicators must be yellow, braking systems may be different etc.

You will have to do a bit of research on these things. Our info was from 5 years ago.

Good luck...
 
[quote author=jackiemac]... you may need to change several things if you import back here.[/quote]

Quite right Jackie. We have a couple of articles in the Visitors To The USA section of our forum Library written by forum members who have done this.
 
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