Hey guys. I am new to the forum and joined because I'm hunting for my first Vette after 30 years of wanting to own one. In the process I ahve learned about salvage and rebuilt titles, but today I saw a '99 that has a Branded title. Anyone here had experiences with buying one of these?

Evidently it spent the first 5 years as a lease. After 22K miles, and 2 years, it was MANUFACTURER BUYBACK OR LEMON REPORTED. Now it is 17 years old with 70K miles. I would assume the problem(s) was resolved but...???

 

The lemon law was if you had a certain number of issues and brought it back to the Dealer x amount of times the Manufacturer would then buy it back ????

 

You can't I guess. Could only hope so 15 years after the fact. Carfax doesn't really offer enlightenment to if the problem was solved. The trans was replaced, but was that the problem or the only problem? Don't know. Guess I need to get know a mechanic. Anyway, I was curious if anyone has had any luck with a Branded title car or if it is not worth the risk? Thanks

 

For me, it wouldn't be worth the risk. There are way too many clean, no problem C5s for sale out there.

 

It is a high stakes craps shoot with the odds against you.

If you win you get what you paid for, but if you loose you will be deep in repair cost.
Some lenders, insurance companies and potential future buyers wont touch it.

On the other hand, If you plan on heavily modifying a c5 then it is a perfect candidate if the price is right.

 

Its a high risk and low reward.....take a pass.

 

In 2010 I returned a 2008 vehicle under the Lemon Law. One of the criteria was they had to make four failed attempts to repair the same problem and have it still unresolved. Another criteria is that it has to be out of service for 30 days during the first two years. Doesn't matter if it is dealer delays or parts availability problems, weekends or holidays, if the dealer has it tied up in their service dept. for thirty days you win. That being said it is very likely the problems was resolved. The vehicle still has diminished value due to the title stamp. After a complete check out I'd go for it if the price was right. (at least 35% below book)

 

What if the frame was welded together wrong. I can't think of many things that the dealer couldn't fix reasonably.

 

I would move on.

While it varies from state to state, Branded titles work very similar to salvage titles in their overall function. Unlike a salvage title however it's basically saying that the car had multiple attempts at repair and it either wasn't resolved or it was resolved in an unofficially unsatisfactory manner.

One issue you may run into will be your insurance will not fully cover the car, place it on a specialized policy, and/or may refused to pay out full value should you be in an accident with the car. You need to check with your carrier and find out exactly what they will insure and how they will insure it.

Another issue as mentioned above is that if you have to take out a loan or lien on the vehicle, most financial institutions will refuse to loan money on the car or not give a full amount because of how much of a liability it is. And if they do loan the full amount you'll get hit with an exceptionally high APR.

Indeed as somebody said above there are so many clean C5s on the market at the moment it doesn't make much sense to purchase a car with a salvage or branded title.

 

I would leave it to the pros, someone who knows what's up with repairs and costs.

In California, I don't know of any preferred driver policies that will insure a problem title. You would be stuck with companies that insure non good drivers, a different rate deal than most want. The problem is how do you control costs on a repair that started out as defective? Higher rates, to insure profit.

Also consider the reaction of the posters here, probably knowledgeable guys, When you go to sell the car later on, most people want nothing to do with it, and it probably will be less desirable later on with more use.

Anytime you want cold water thrown on an idea, I'm your guy.

 

Was it originally a California car? They have aggressive laws regarding lemons and a lot of branded cars come from CA because of it. If so, it could be something that has since been fixed but I'd want to see a history report on dealer service first to see why it was a buyback and go from there.

 

Don't buy a car with anything but a clean title. Everything else is really a crapshoot. C5's are already a fairly complicated car with certain aspects you need to look out for. You don't need or want additional burdens in your search for your first C5. Anything with other than a clean title can be extremely difficult to sell if the need arises. Start your C5 hunt by reading the stickies at the top of the page and then back to the forum for great member provided info and opinions, worth its weight in gold. Best wishes!

 

The dictionary says it all: a mark of disgrace or infamy. Besides, how are you going to remove the branded logo?

 

 

Just a quick look on KBB shows a good condition 99 with 77,000 miles should be about a $12,000 car. I would drive it, have a mechanic look at it and if all seems good offer $8-9,000 for it. Above that find a car with a clean title.

 

I might not even go to 8 or 9K for it, but that would need to be decided after you have more info about the car. Who knows, it might be a steal if you can buy it right.

Great advice above, ask your insurance co what a payout would be on that vehicle, so you know there is coverage to satisfy you if it's totaled.

In the past few years I've given strong consideration to a few salvage title cars. They were repaired and were seriously discounted cars. Fixed is fixed. The only big drawback is the resale is terrible. But that's why you get a discount on the front end. Just be careful and consider the resale down the road. If you think you could take a bath in it at the asking price, walk away.

 

Might also consider, a C5 even as a parts car to tear down, is worth considerable money.

 

I would rule out frame damage.

 

Knowing. The title is not clean I wouldn't pay over 7k for it. Too many good c5's available.