Redwood Credit Union Auto Loan: CARFAX, Salvage and Age Rules

Redwood Credit Union doesn't require a CARFAX or AutoCheck report for a car loan, at least not anywhere on its public pages. What it does publish is more useful than most lenders: credit-score rate tiers, a ban on financing salvage titles, and age and mileage limits for used cars. Its own documents disagree on how old a used car can be, from 10 to 20 years, so ask before you shop an older car. As of Oct. 20, 2026, used-car APRs start at 4.84% for 36 months with a 720+ score.

I read Redwood's auto loan page and rate tables (the rates load in your browser, so I rendered the page to see them), its Dealer Purchase Checklist, its refinance checklist and its RCU Auto Services page on Oct. 20, 2026. I didn't apply. Membership is mostly geographic, covering eight Northern California counties.

Who can borrow

You're eligible if you live, work or own a business in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Mendocino, Lake, San Francisco, Solano or Contra Costa county, if a family member already belongs, or if you work for one of its Select Employee Groups. The auto page says you become a member when the loan funds, so you don't need an account first.

Used-car rates as of Oct. 20, 2026

Redwood posts rates by credit score, which few lenders do. For used cars at 36, 60, 72 and 84 months:

• 720 and up: 4.84%, 5.39%, 5.69%, 6.19%
• 700-719: 5.29%, 6.34%, 6.74%, 7.14%
• 680-699: 6.09%, 6.59%, 6.79%, 7.29%
• 640-679: 7.19%, 7.79%, 7.99%, 8.89%
• 600-639: 8.74%, 10.49%, 10.69%, 13.04%
• Under 600: 10.74%, 13.99%, 14.44%, 15.19%

The minimum is $5,000 for 36 and 60 months, $10,000 for 72 and $20,000 for 84. New-car rates for 720+ start at 4.59%. My math on $20,000 over 60 months: about $381 a month and $2,860 in interest at 5.39%, versus about $437 a month and $6,205 at 11.19%, the average used-car rate in Experian's Q2 2026 report, which was still the latest when I checked. Even Redwood's 600-639 tier at 10.49% comes in below Experian's 13.93% near-prime average. Redwood scores and Experian's VantageScore bands aren't the same thing, so this is a rough comparison.

The age and mileage rules don't match

This is the part to get in writing. I found three versions:

• The note under the rate tables says used cars "may be 20 years old or newer" and can be financed up to 125% of KBB value.
• A disclosure on the same auto loan page says used cars 10 years old or newer can go to 125% of KBB, and cars 11-15 years old to 110%, depending on credit and condition.
• The Dealer Purchase Checklist (revised Dec. 2021) says the car must have been made in the last 15 years and have fewer than 150,000 miles, with a higher rate over 100,000 miles. The mileage is printed "150,0000," an obvious typo.

The refinance checklist (revised Feb. 2021) is stricter: made in the last 10 years, under 150,000 miles, higher rate over 100,000. So a 2009 car with 140,000 miles might pass one rule and fail another. If you're looking at anything older than 10 years or over 100,000 miles, ask a loan officer which rule they're using today before you put money down.

Titles, history reports and private sales

The dealer checklist says Redwood won't finance salvaged titles or non-operational vehicles, or off-road toys like ATVs, dirt bikes and jet skis. It doesn't mention rebuilt, lemon buyback or flood titles, so ask about those separately, and read our California salvage and rebuilt title rules first, since California brands those cars on the title. I didn't find any requirement for a history report, but loan-to-value is based on KBB, so a car whose history knocks its value down will get a smaller loan.

For private-party purchases, the auto page says Redwood sends funds to the branch nearest you. Most dealers it works with use CUDL, which lets you sign at the dealership. Outside CUDL you'll need a signed purchase agreement and proof of insurance. RCU Auto Services, Redwood's used-car lot in Santa Rosa, says it uses KBB and CARFAX to value trade-ins and lets you bring your own mechanic, which is a good sign.

Before you sign

• Pull a history report and run the VIN through NMVTIS before you commit to an older car. Sellers do hand over old or edited PDFs.
• Budget California sales tax and fees, which our California used car sales tax post covers.
• GAP Plus is optional and, per the disclosure, fully refundable if you cancel within 90 days.

For another Bay Area option, see our Patelco auto loan post.

CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller and has no tie to either company or to Redwood. As of late October 2026, single reports were about $5.50 for guests and $4.50 for members, and a two-report bundle was about $6.75, while retail is $39.99 to $44.99. Prices move, so trust the checkout page.

Sources

• Redwood CU: Auto loan (rates effective Oct. 20, 2026)
• Redwood CU: Dealer Purchase Checklist and Vehicle Refinance Checklist
• RCU Auto Services
• Experian: Average auto loan rates (Q2 2026)