If you have bad credit and find a vehicle that has a rebuilt or salvage title, you should know that subprime lenders lenders that deal with bad credit probably arent going to finance it. Any car you want to buy with an auto loan typically needs to have a clean title. Salvage and rebuilt titles are title brands, and the vehicle you choose to finance usually cant have either.

Why Most Lenders Dont Finance Branded Title Vehicles

Salvage and rebuilt are just two of many types of branded titles, but theyre the most common. Salvage titles are issued when a car has extensive damage from an accident or natural disaster. Rebuilt titles sometimes called repaired or reconstructed are vehicles that were once listed as “salvage” that have been repaired.

In order to finance a car with a bad credit auto loan, the vehicle you choose usually must have a clean title. If theres a branded title of any kind attached to it, you cant finance it in most cases. This is because subprime lenders dont want you to drive an unreliable car, and want to make sure it doesnt break the bank due to unforeseen repairs.

When youre vehicle shopping, you may find used models that seem to run well and have a clean title, but its also possible they went through title washing. Title washing happens when a car with a branded title is taken to a state with lower title requirements and is issued a new un-branded title.

This is illegal, and isnt always easy to spot on the surface. However, you can avoid purchasing a vehicle thats been through title washing by having a certified mechanic thoroughly inspect it before you buy. They can look deeper into a car for potential issues.

Auto Credit Express Tip: Besides having a certified mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection, its important you view its vehicle history report as well. If anything doesnt match up, you have further confirmation that the car brand is fake and should look elsewhere.

Other Branded Titles to Watch Out For

Each state has different title brands and variations, so it can be confusing knowing what each means. Depending on where you live, you may come across all, or some, of these four other common title brands:

1. Flood Vehicles that experienced damaged from a flood.
2. Junk Also called crushed or scrap, the junk title brand means the car can only be sold for parts and scrap.
3. Lemon Lemon laws are different in each state. However, for a new vehicle to be listed as a lemon, it needs to have spent at least 30 days out of commission, or typically have had the same issue repaired multiple times without it being fixed.

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4. Fleet Technically not a title brand, fleet cars are common at auctions. Fleet vehicles either have high mileage, have been driven by multiple drivers, or both. These cars are usually previous rental, police, or government vehicles.

The Bottom Line

Its important that you check, and double check, for a branded title. Even if its listed as “clean,” unfortunately, there are unscrupulous private sellers and dealerships out there that try and title wash.

When youre ready to get a bad credit auto loan, Auto Credit Express is here to assist. We work with special finance dealers all across the country that have the special finance lenders needed to get a bad credit car loan.

Simply fill out our easy, fast, and free auto loan request form, and we’ll work to match you with a local dealership that can help!