Guardrail

I just got word from my insurance company that my Jayco 23FB is a total loss from a hail storm it went through. The front is really to only side that took a beating. The sides have a few dings here and there. My insurance is offering $14K and I can buy it back with a salvage title. I'm not sure what the salvage buy back is (they will call me Monday).

Is it worth buying the trailer back or take the money and get a new one?

Has anyone had any experience with salvage titles?

There isn't anything wrong with the trailer, it just has a bunch of dings in it.

kurt eric

Hey Guardrail,
Sorry to hear of your frustrations, I haven't had any dealings with this type of situation. Think about it to yourself, what did you pay for it, how long have you had it/used it, it may be a blessing in disguise? Do you feel the $14k they want to give you is worth it? One of my faults is wanting to see some pictures of the trailer, I'm curious sorry.

12valve@heart

How old is the trailer?

I don't know about KS or trailers but here in OK, in some cases have the option to take the settlement w/o them changing the title to salvage. One of my trucks was totaled and we negotiated a payoff from them and I kept the truck and my dad rebuilt it. No salvage title involved. Something to check into.

renopker

I wouldn't worry about the salvage title to buy new skin is about 1k and its not hard to do heres one I built and will skin as soon as the weather gets wormer https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...=186683&page=3 scroll down any other info you might need let me know.

RickG

If the insurance company settles you will have to get a salvage title . After it is repaired and inspected you can get a rebuilt salvage title . http://www.ksrevenue.org/faqs-dmvtandr.htm#salvage

rattlerbob5.9

Guardrail if the trailer is still good other than the cosmetic dents and you have been and still are happy with it TAKE THE MONEY AND GO CAMPING . In a case like this if you end up with a salvage title (which you may not) the only problem you will have (but remember you are getting payed well and upfront for this) is a possible reduced value in the future should you decide to sell the camper and yes some people will not buy one with a salvage title. First thing for you to do is take pictures and document the damage,keep all the paper work from the insurance and then if/when you decide to sell you can show the damage was cosmetic and not water or structure .
I have bought + sold many vehicles with a salvage title and currently own some in fact if the price is right and it is a nice camper i might even have an interest in yours.
The fact is in a case like this the salvage title is only a different color piece of paper and if you keep the camper a long time it will make little/no difference on your resale.
I have seen many vehicles come through the auction rolled with the roof crushed down to the seats and a clean title and others with a few scratches and a salvage title which one do i buy yes the salvage in this case.
You should be able to buy this unit back from the insurance co for pennies on the dollar and so now your total investment will be very low on this unit and you will most likely come out way ahead even if it gets a salvage title.
My current winter beater is a 99 ford ranger which i am proud to say has a SALVAGE title i have driven it for 4 years and plan to get 4 more out of it the best part is my total investment in it is $2350 and 1 full days work yes it still has a couple of dents in it so what it saves my cummins trucks from the winter salted roads .
One thing you will need to check if it does get branded salvage is it may need to be inspected before you can license it. let me know if you have more questions.

Guardrail

I guess I'll call the DMV on Monday and see if it's a PITA to license a salvage vehicle. The dents are not too bad. You have to get real close to the trailer to see them. If I keep it, I will not repair it.

I still owe a money on it, but the insurance company is going to give me $3000 less than what I paid for it new (well over what I owe). That's not bad for 3 years of use.

Jeff in TD

Depending upon the state, you may be required to report to the DMV when a vehicle you own has been totalled. They probably also have a specific definition of what constitutes "totalled".

Depending upon what they offer it to you for, if it is otherwise in good shape it might be worth doing. As suggested above, I'd photo the damage and the repairs, but even doing that expect a salvage title to reduce the number of buyers who might be interested, and what they would be willing to pay.

Maybe, though, the price will be low enough that you can camp your money's worth out of it in a few years, and you could consider whatever you get for it after that as pure bonus...

rattlerbob5.9

It usually is not a big deal to do just a simple inspection . If you call the DMV make sure you ask about a camper trailer and not a vehicle as the form and procedure could be different i would not even worry about it until you find out where you end up with the insurance co . If they want to make it a salvage title they first need to obtain it from you or the bank if they hold it in your state also your current plates will be good until renewal so you have lots of time . With the relatively small amount of damage you have described they would not even give it a salvage title here.

Oilguy

I just bought a salvage RV with only a small dent on the drivers side front... It took 2 hours to straighten and I replaced the cover on the water heater.... It is only a 19' Wilderness Bumper pull but for $2000 >> I thought it was a great deal...
I just had to take it to an RV store and get it inspected and get a greensheet (cost $1 - Literally!) and then paid the taxes and got it licensed with no trouble at all... I just got the title back in the mail and it just listed it as "damaged" and I documented all the repairs so it shouldn't be too hard to sell when I get around to it....

C Schomer

Maybe you should buy it back if you really like it. My brother collected ins. after about 3 hailstorms on his Jayco TT and it paid for the whole unit. He spent a few 100 for plastic stuff and got the top sprayed with Linex. Craig

Busboy

The trailer is registered to you right now, just tell your insurance company that you want to "cash settle" the claim. The trailer does not need to be written off and you do not need to re-register it as it is already registered. Take the money and go camping.

tinkerin-w-stuf

I didn't see anyone mention above about your ability to re-insure the vehicle. With the salvage title, your insurance company may not re-insure it. So if you have an accident that becomes a total loss in the future, like the thing is smashed to bits and unusable, then you will be out of a trailer or further compensation. Just something to consider. If you still get a few years out of it and you aren't making payments/interest on it anymore then you could still be ahead.