4x4_Welder
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Twin Falls, ID
The theme here seems to be do your homework, search the VIN and see what the damage actually was, go as hands on as you can with the vehicle to asses the repairs.
Branded titles- worth the risk?
- Thread starter Houndoc
- Start date
SnwMnkys
Registered User
- Location
- Orem, Utah
I would probably agree. But A friend of a friend who owns a wrecking yard said he had really good luck with flood vehicles. But he was careful to make sure they were fresh water floods. Another guy I talked to had really good luck with RVs that were flooded. Generally they are flooded from a water line break or storage tank.
UNSTUCK
But stuck more often.
I guess it all depends on how high the water got. Up to the floorboards would be fine I'm sure. Above the intake of the engine or the dash would be asking for heartache.
I had a 96 4runner that was branded flood damage out of Texas. Had it for about 8 years, the clock in the dash didn't work and you could see a little staining in the gauge cluster from water. Only flood related issue I ever had was I had to replace the heater blower motor about a month after I bought it. It did start rusting faster than others of the same age I think, but otherwise I was happy with it.
There's a reason almost any vehicle that's in a flood gets immediately totaled. Electrical issues can very easily end up being a major pain, salt water or not and may not manifest until years later.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
I think there are too many variables for anyone to say definitively "all branded titles are bad."
We bought my sister-in-law a Liberty that was totalled with a transmission failure. That's it. It's flawless. Perfect car for her after a new trans.
Sounds perfect right? We looked a 5 other branded title Libertys that were unacceptable to me after inspection. It took time and I spent 20 minutes laying on the ground and looking in wheel wells and under carpet in trucks and under the hood on each one. It was a pain and a time investment, but she got a great deal on a car she could pay cash for with a 4th grade teacher's salary.
If you can see the history with photos and the damages are minimal and repairs acceptable then they're a great choice, especially if you want a nicer car than your budget normally would allow and your plan is to keep your car for a while. (Notice those qualifiers).
You'll lose resale sure but you start with such a lower entry in some cases it's super acceptable, especially if keep a car for a long time. I've seen cars totalled for stuff so minor it's laughable (like a bumper that wasn't primed correctly and had paint come off, new bumper and paint and it was corrected), especially out of California. I have a friend who owns a major used dealership chain and he told me he's seen luxury cars totalled because of catalitic converter failures. Easy fix, easy documentation of what's been done. Theft recovery branded titles is a big source his income.
I have had a couple cars with branded titles and my current car had a very minor front end collision (no airbags or frame damage) and it sat for years in a insurance warehouse while they decided what to do with it. I had photos of the before and after along with during the repair (new oem front bumper and the bumper got factory paint). New battery and fuel flush and Bam I had a 7 year old car with only 29k miles for half blue book.
Do your research, expect photos, pay for an independent inspection if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, don't make emotional choices, and don't be afraid to walk away and then purchase with confidence expecting success.
We bought my sister-in-law a Liberty that was totalled with a transmission failure. That's it. It's flawless. Perfect car for her after a new trans.
Sounds perfect right? We looked a 5 other branded title Libertys that were unacceptable to me after inspection. It took time and I spent 20 minutes laying on the ground and looking in wheel wells and under carpet in trucks and under the hood on each one. It was a pain and a time investment, but she got a great deal on a car she could pay cash for with a 4th grade teacher's salary.
If you can see the history with photos and the damages are minimal and repairs acceptable then they're a great choice, especially if you want a nicer car than your budget normally would allow and your plan is to keep your car for a while. (Notice those qualifiers).
You'll lose resale sure but you start with such a lower entry in some cases it's super acceptable, especially if keep a car for a long time. I've seen cars totalled for stuff so minor it's laughable (like a bumper that wasn't primed correctly and had paint come off, new bumper and paint and it was corrected), especially out of California. I have a friend who owns a major used dealership chain and he told me he's seen luxury cars totalled because of catalitic converter failures. Easy fix, easy documentation of what's been done. Theft recovery branded titles is a big source his income.
I have had a couple cars with branded titles and my current car had a very minor front end collision (no airbags or frame damage) and it sat for years in a insurance warehouse while they decided what to do with it. I had photos of the before and after along with during the repair (new oem front bumper and the bumper got factory paint). New battery and fuel flush and Bam I had a 7 year old car with only 29k miles for half blue book.
Do your research, expect photos, pay for an independent inspection if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, don't make emotional choices, and don't be afraid to walk away and then purchase with confidence expecting success.
A blown transmission won't total a vehicle. The only way vehicles get branded titles is if the insurance company pays out on them and they will total it if the repair is more than a certain value of the vehicle. Last I checked, no insurance company will pay out on mechanical issues unless it's related to an accident. You may have found a good deal, but whoever told you it was branded because of a bad tranny isn't telling you the whole truth.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
It most certainly will if it's caused by an accident where grandma high centered it driving over a median and cracked the pan open... 
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
In full disclosure I also had to replace a lower A arm that had the ball-joint cup bent so it wouldn't hold an alignment and ruined a tire after 3k miles. I imagine it was from that same incident.
- Location
- The Land Northward (Bountiful), Utah
What your describing is what most people think of primarily when the think of a "branded title" but that's actually just one scenario:
Let's get something straight.
Insurance companies don't brand titles. The department of motor vehicles does. A "branded title" can be numerous things.
It can indicate a vehicle was: stolen, totalled by insurance, rebuilt/restored, salvaged, marked for dismantling amongst other things: what is actually on the title is the "brand."
If you look at the top left of a title it will show you. Here's an example.
Just because an insurance company pays out on a vehicle doesn't necessarily always mean the title will become "salvage."
Doing a VIN check doesn't give you nearly the info that dealers and companies like Carfax would like you to believe: that's only the information that has been reported AND actually filed correctly.
For certain there is always more to the story than anyone tells you.
But auto rebuilders are in the business of making money. Many big name rebuilders lots work like this: they buy insurance buy outs (entire new dealer lots when floods or hail for example) have damaged a large portion of that inventory- the insurance writes off a whole group of cars and sells it as a package price to a rebuilder. Many times only a portion of the cars have full damage and some almost have none and the rebuilder is willing to take the risk or use the parts off the cars that are too damaged to fix the others.
They have huge insurance requirements compared to a standard used dealer and are often times required to pay a yearly bond payment past the normal 3% value of their inventory. They don't want to lose their insurance and won't risk selling cars that are damaged badly enough that they come back to bite them (if they are reputable).
Same as any big purchase, research first and don't buy from shady folks.
jeep-N-montero
Formerly black_ZJ
- Location
- Bountiful
Both of my Jeeps had a rebuilt title when I sold them, but both buyers were provided pictures of the damage and a detailed list of every part that was replaced with pictures showing the process. I know most branded title vehicles will not include such details, but never hurts to ask potential sellers.
Houndoc
Registered User
- Location
- Grantsville
Decided not to risk the branded title.
Went with a clean title 2016 Mazda CX-3 for my new daily driver. My wife will take over the Xterra and our Cummings gets to become a tow rig only.
Went with a clean title 2016 Mazda CX-3 for my new daily driver. My wife will take over the Xterra and our Cummings gets to become a tow rig only.
I purchased a salvage titled DC '99 Tacoma years ago and my experience was positive. I bought it knowing the frame was tweeked a bit, had it straightened by The Alignment Guys down here in AF (big cruiserheads), slapped on an OME suspension kit from CruiserOutfitters, got it aligned, and she was golden. Like all vehicles I own, it was sold in less than 6 months but one thing was clear.... I left money on the table when I listed it. I added up the lower cost of purchase, frame work, suspension, and wheels/tires, added a little on top - and it was sold cash in my hand in under an hour and my phone blew up the rest of the day. I then purchased the Land Cruiser that I regret selling the most.... as the world turns.