Rebuilt Titles

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Debkay01

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Jan 20, 2013
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Hi! I'm new to this community, and this is my first post. Hope I posted in the right place!!
We are getting ready to by our first travel trailer, opting to buy a used one first to see how we will like it. I would like everyone's opinon on buying one with a rebuilt title. Thanks!
 
I don't know that I have heard of a "rebuilt" title. I have heard of "salvage" titles, and that is not something I would even consider, especially on an RV.

Salvage titles indicate that a vehicle was totalled out by the insurance company for some reason, and you will have very little history on what that event was.

There are many safer used purchases than that, especially for someone looking for their first experience.

Is your "rebuilt" title on a salvaged vehicle?
 
We haven't bought one yet. Have some that we are looking at that are not salvaged, and I ran acroos some that said rebuilt. I was leary of buying a rebuilt/salvaged title. Thanks!
 
It depends on what caused the unit to be totalled.  It doesn't take much.  Several years ago I bought a 1992 Cadillac that was totalled.  Car spun out and kissed a telephone pole right in the center of the rear bumper.  Veed the bumper and trunk, but was still driveable.  I was with a friend of mine when the owner drove it to the insurance company and they pronounced it totalled.  Friend picked it up a few weeks later at the insurance auction for $300.  I paid him to repair the trunk pan and install a new deck lid and bumper.  It was like a new car, but had a "branded" title.  Didn't mean a thing to me because I had me a nice Caddy.

But, if the trailer sat underwater, that would be a different story;)
 
you may have trouble trying to resale it even at a deep discount as it is preconceived as damage goods.
 
i was warned when looking to buy to watch out for units that were damaged by hurricane katrina and sandy. they were writen off by the insurance companies and relocated to unsuspecting areas for resale. check closely for water damage. you might be better off staying away from one with such a title. as stated the resale value will be far less when you try to resell it in the future
 
It all depends on the nature of the damage.  If you buy it cheap, enjoy it for a few years and sell it cheap, why not?  (assuming not submerged, etc).  On the metal skinned trailers, a hailstorm usually means a total loss.  Plenty of life left in the unit.
 
I read in one of the threads here (I think) about the 2009 flooding that occurred in TN. I say this b/c the pictures on the site that were posted in the TN newspaper, were of a RV dealership and their entire inventory was just about to the roofs in water. I believe one comment was 'all the RV windows were open at the time of the flood. I'm just curious what happened to all that inventory!? Buyer beware.
 
Welcome to the community!!

Last month we purchased our very first "new to us" MH ~ a 36' 1995 Dolphin 535 (one slide) with 38,000 miles.  It has a salvage title because while the previous owners had her in storage the roof leaked and the insurance company totaled it.  It was never flooded or submerged in water.  Our daughter-in-law works for Farmers Insurance as an adjuster and she said that when a vehicle (any type) has any type of water damage they are almost always totaled.  Neither our DIL or Farmers Insurance were involved with our MH purchased.  There is some visible water damage (mostly stains on the headliner) but nothing that can't be repaired.  My DH has redone the rear brakes and the generated needed a new starter but these repairs have nothing to do with the roof leak.  We've had her inspected without any issues (Texas has a rigorous inspection process) and titled and tagged.  We got a great deal on Dolly (our Dolphin) and plan to keep her for a long time so we're not worried about the resale value with a salvage title.

A "rebuilt title" is defined as "A title notation issued by an insurance company once a salvaged vehicle has been repaired and restored to operation."  Whatever damage has been done to the vehicle/RV has been repaired and the title is no longer a "salvage" title but a "rebuilt" title.  Also, check out this information ~ http://www.autos.com/car-buying/four-things-to-know-about-a-rebuilt-car-title.

Check the VIN with Carfax and see if there is any information regarding why it has a rebuilt title (damage, repairs done, etc.).

Good luck on your first MH purchase!
 
Over the years I've purchased 2 vehicles that had salvage titles.  One is our 2005 Tundra Limited, that we still drive daily and has been a trouble free vehicle for 4 years.  The other is my sons 96 Honda Civic that is also still driven daily and has also been a good reliable car with only a few minor issues over the years.  I think the keys to buying salvage is to know what you're buying; get an even better price than is being asked and to understand if you ever want to get rid of it you'll have to sell it to a private party.  Dealers will not take a salvage titled vehicle of any sort on a trade.  The liability and risk for them is to high.  For purchasing, you'll be in a strong position for negotiating the price so don't be afraid to offer what would seem like a ridiculous initial offer.  Asking $5000, offer $2500 cash right right up front and don't be afraid to show a wad of cash in hand.  To some sellers the sight of that cash and knowing it could be in their hand in a few moments gets things moving quickly to close a good deal.  You have to work a good deal because when you go to sell it, your potential buyer will now be in the strong position for negotiating.

This isn't the gospel by any means.  Just my humble opinion.
 
While I would agree that all salvage is not equal, I don't think it's fair to compare a salvage/rebuilt title travel trailer to an automobile or truck salvage. The type of damage that created the title issue is going to be far more specialized than a regular body shop will take on.

Carfax is of little value since they are a car and light truck service and do not offer any specialized vehicles in their database.

So back to the original question of "what is your opinion of buying ...our first travel trailer...with a rebuilt title" I still have to say it's very high risk for a newbie. Those with more experience and the skills to recover from the issues, maybe not so much. But each of us makes our own risk decisions and that's how it should be.  8)
 
Many good replies above.

One thing I have not seen mentioned is the fact that  you will not likely be able to get Physical Damage (Comprehensive and Collosion) insurance on the unit.  Depending on what you are looking to invest and how much risk you are willing to take with that investment.

Bottom line for me would be:
If you are handy with repairs,  That could be a way to cut your costs to get into camping and give it a try.  Just be prepared for the possiblility of "extra" repairs and costs due to unseen issues that may occur due to the original event.  If that event was a hail storm,  not like that bad.  IF it was a water loss,  it could get very extensive and expensive to open up and replace an entire wall or flooring system.

If you are not handy with repairs,  You may want to lessen the chance of excess repairs and stay away from a tainted title.  This will not guarantee no issues as some used units may get damage and not be insured so that the Salvage title issue never comes into play. BUT the damage is there hidden or not.

There is alot that goes into the decision of getting into the RV world.  And a lot more that goes into which unit to buy.

Best of Luck!!!
 
Insurance companies typically cooperate with Carfax, recording either the repairs or the reason for a total (at least for motorized vehicles). If you really like the rebuilt RV, pull a Carfax report and see what info they have. It may be comprehensive, or it may be zero, but its worth a shot.

My Dad owned and operated an auto repair shop and routinely rebuilt cars and trucks for his own use. Totaling a vehicle is a financial call for the insurer and has little to do with the seriousness of the damage. Damage can be costly but just cosmetic, or it can be really serious. If you can't tell the difference - or work with someone you trust who can - then you should probably avoid such vehicles.
 
I agree with Gary RV Roamer ~ I'd pull a Carfax.  There may not be any information on it regarding the MH you're looking at but you never know.

Regarding insurance ~ our insurance is with Texas Farm Bureau and they will not write comp and collision insurance on any MH/RV older than 15 years old regardless of title status.  We carry liability insurance, uninsured motorist and towing on Dolly.  Before any purchase I recommend getting an insurance quote from your agent and to find out their policy on insuring MHs.  Our agent always needs make, model, year, amount paid (estimate if not yet purchased) and VIN in order for her to give a quote.

Some vehicles/MHs are totaled after a theft or vandalism (when extensive damages is done by the punks/thugs doing the vandalizing). 
 
Let's be clear about the value of Carfax and recreational vehicles, based on my communication with them yesterday:

"Thank you for contacting CARFAX.

The CARFAX service only covers cars and light trucks. If the year, make, and model of the vehicle did not display on the CARFAX report, this means that it is a vehicle that is not covered by our service. CARFAX does not cover the following vehicles: motorcycles, recreational vehicles, 4-wheelers, ATVs, boats, trailers, commercial trucks, motor homes, campers, mobile homes, or semi-tractor trailers.

CARFAX does not actively collect data from sources pertaining to vehicles that we do not cover. On rare occasions, we will have random records in our database for non-covered vehicles. This is only due to the fact that some of our data sources provide these random records electronically and our systems will automatically sort and store these records because they are assigned to a valid 17 digit VIN.
"
 
Wow! Thanks for all the advice. I love this community already. I have learned alot. We are still looking !
 
That's strange.  When I bought my Pathfinder last April I pulled a Carfax on it and it showed every change that had been made since new.  It showed the original delivery, purchase, a New York State safety inspection, then the trade-in at a dealer.  It was rather telling for me as there were a few anomalies that made my purchase strange (the RV only had 2100 miles on the odometer).

skyking4ar2 said:
Let's be clear about the value of Carfax and recreational vehicles, based on my communication with them yesterday:

"Thank you for contacting CARFAX.

The CARFAX service only covers cars and light trucks. If the year, make, and model of the vehicle did not display on the CARFAX report, this means that it is a vehicle that is not covered by our service. CARFAX does not cover the following vehicles: motorcycles, recreational vehicles, 4-wheelers, ATVs, boats, trailers, commercial trucks, motor homes, campers, mobile homes, or semi-tractor trailers.

CARFAX does not actively collect data from sources pertaining to vehicles that we do not cover. On rare occasions, we will have random records in our database for non-covered vehicles. This is only due to the fact that some of our data sources provide these random records electronically and our systems will automatically sort and store these records because they are assigned to a valid 17 digit VIN.
"
Click to expand...
 
Odd statement from Carfax. Others have reported the same thing, yet I received an an in-depth report from them with 14 items logged.  Hardly seems like "random records"? That was in early 2009 - maybe they have changed their policies? Wonder what would happen if I requested another one.

For what its worth, my carfax report listed 5 items that only said that a claim had been processed under a "service plan" and no information as to what was repaired. The other 9 items were official status changes, e.g. title or registration issued, ownership changes, etc. Nothing really useful, except perhaps by the absence of an accident report.
 
It appears to me they covered this in their response......  If the data is reported, they will store it.  They just don't actively collect it for some vehicles.  All it takes is a VIN.
 
Thank You to all - Reading this has been very helpful to me as well....  I am looking to be a first time buyer for a trailer... Being a Widowed mom of 2 young boys I am leery and when I called a dealer to inquire about a listing they had  - she quickly wanted me to come see a trade in that they just received and was in my price range....  she mentioned I think accidentally that it was a trade in Salvage Title ???  hhhuummmm  I have been reading up and trying to educate myself and going to go with my gut and Pray I make some correct decisions... 

I want to make memories not Head aches ...

I had a Car back in my day - it was a starter car from a smaller car dealer  - Nice but didn't know it had a salvage title until I went to trade it in at a Toyota Dealer -  they did the trade in and maybe It was luck... 

thank you to all for all the wonderful advice and things to keep an eye out for.  Blessing to all
 
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