Kia Cerato 2019 Sport - Repairable Write-Off OK to Buy?

LStinger01TheOG on 05/09/2021 - 14:16
Last edited 10/09/2021 - 19:14 by 1 other user

Was looking to buy a used car. Found one that looked decent (private seller) and got the car history report and PPSR certificate. Test drove it and it seems okay.

It says it is a repairable write-off with: I01A [ Impact | Passenger front | Heavy panel ]

It still has registration until the end of the year.

Is this considered fairly significant damage? I'm not sure if it is worth to put in an offer, usually this car would go for $19500-$22500, so I'm a bit concerned about the write-off condition. He is offering for $17000. Kia Cerato 2019 sport

Thanks

Edit: Cheers everyone for the feedback. Decided it was too much of a hassle and definitely not worth the price, ended up getting a similar model for a decent price elsewhere. Thanks again

Automotive Car Kia

Comments

  • bloom on 05/09/2021 - 14:21
    +2

    Just the passenger side, you’ll be ok 👍

    • Euphemistic on 05/09/2021 - 17:06
      +1

      Unless someone else drives you at times.

  • thatonethere on 05/09/2021 - 14:25
    +4

    Do a test run quote on insurance with vin etc and see how you go.

    • resisting the urge on 05/09/2021 - 22:32

      Beware. A lot of the value of a new Kia is wrapped up in its 7 year warranty.

      But things are getting this way as gov bodies are selling data they collect, literally wholesale. The highest bidders are the insurance companies, and Kia may even have an insurance company funding its warranty program behind the scenes.

      The Ts&Cs will make it clear on their website of course.

      Assuming they don't know, I'm not sure if warranty providers can check state records, as they do store a write-off event.

      Either way, you may need to repair it well enough for a dealer to not notice, too. Though I doubt they will care much.

      • Brian McGee on 06/09/2021 - 10:41
        +1

        I have worked at dealerships and seen remarks on the manufacturer websites saying cars are written off. Not up to the dealer 'not to notice'. There are big red lines saying 'WARRANTY EXPIRED - WRITE OFF' or some other combination.

        • resisting the urge on 08/09/2021 - 11:35

          Interesting.

          And I guess its up to the dealer to notice the car is flagged as out of warranty 'on the system' before doing the work. In the event they manage to do the work anyway, they will try to bill both the owner and the importer, (if somehow they can).

          Totally not surprised that importers link directly to the state registration systems to check for write-off status and void warranties. Indeed it will be no co-incidence that (with repairable and statutory write-off so common these days), that our state overlords accept graft and corrupt hand-outs from industry where it helps them reduce warranty costs, and the amount of after-market servicing they need to support with parts, let alone sell replacement cars. After all the ACCC is the body to care about the consumers, and by definition it can only act after regulation and 'competition' combine to impact the consumer, eg. well after Horse and rider have bolted.

          • Brian McGee on 08/09/2021 - 12:30

            @resisting the urge: What about the fact that the dealer/importer/OEM sells you a product in a complete state with all systems working and warrants that product for 3/5/7 years from production faults. Then it gets smashed up so much that 1/4 of the car needs replaced, or gets drenched up to its waistline moulds in flood waters, is the manufacturer then on the hook for electrical problems, body knocks, failed modules, rust intrusion, etc? How are they to guarantee the quality of repairs and replacement parts, and that they will not affect other systems/subsystems due to incompatibility?
            And before you ask, in a previous life (as a service advisor) I had been caught out by replacing something on a 4 year old Hyundai that was on the write off register. It was an incidental item, about $50 plus fitting 0.2hr, and I told the owner of their status and if they wanted the part that we had already fitted if he could pay just that cost and for our mistake we would wave the labour, which they accepted.
            You cannot bill the OEM for warranty on these vehicles, they will just reject the claim if they don't flatout stop the warranty clerk from entering the details in the first place.

            • resisting the urge on 08/09/2021 - 15:13

              @Brian McGee: Absolutely. No I'm in no way suggesting that the OEM be forced to cover anything that is damaged: Yet it is fair to say that the law is already written to protect both vendor, and consumer.

              I describe a different scenario where vendors artificially increase the number of cars written off, by working with the authorities and insurers to encourage the bar at which write-offs are made is constantly reduced. I've nothing against them co-ordinating with the authorities to automate the repair approvals, however the co-opting of the regulators and the potential for corruption is considerable when commercial access to public data is allowed more frequently and in relative secrecy.

              You'd be forgiven for thinking that increasing the price of parts to unsustainable levels (and/or reducing availability) was not enough. That this game to make it increasingly difficult for insurers and repairers to financially justify cover even relatively simple repairs.

              And all whilst the carbon cost of the average car (>20 tonnes) makes such behaviour exponentially more obscene. The industry needs to be making their cars easier to repair, and last longer- not forcing total replacement when small repairs are needed.

  • Ocker on 05/09/2021 - 14:27
    +14

    The stigma of being a repairable write-off will stick with the car for life, for example when you come to sell it.
    I would offer him $15,000 max. which is probably more than he bought it from the insurance company.

    • tonyjzx on 08/09/2021 - 02:11

      offer nothing and walk

      its a basic korean shitbox

      there's plenty of good, no issues no accident cars out the for the money

      why even gamble on this?

  • zuuutoootuuu on 05/09/2021 - 14:34
    +1

    has the VIV been done and reregistered or does it still need a VIV?

    If the VIV has been done already and it was a good repair (make sure you get it inspected), then take 20% off the lowest price is where it should be priced at. Don't forget the others without WOVR statues will be negotiable too.
    BTW, I've owned cars with WOVRs and if they didn't fall into the hands of some dodgy repair person, most of the time they will be fixed to a higher standard then a regular shop repair.

    • Stinger01TheOG on 05/09/2021 - 14:54

      Thanks for the reply. Can I view if the VIV has been done on the carhistory report or PPSR certificate? I assumed it would be okay as the vehicle has been registered but not sure. Will have to be inspected still tho.

      • zuuutoootuuu on 06/09/2021 - 14:15

        yes, it will have a date it was inspected on the ppsr report

  • brad1-8tsi on 05/09/2021 - 14:40
    +1

    My ex-wife's 2016 Cerato Sport was $18.5k driveway. Your price seems expensive for 2nd hand.

    • Stinger01TheOG on 05/09/2021 - 14:55
      +1

      I think its because COVID that used car prices have gone up as there is a shortage and long waits on new cars :(

    • cheesecactus on 06/09/2021 - 00:48
      +2

      Cars have got expensive lately.

      Driveaway price on Kias website starts from $25k.

  • mickyb80 on 05/09/2021 - 14:54

    Depending on the state - ain't write off's meant to be non-rebirthble now?
    Only good for parts? Otherwise, needs to be rebuilt/repaired and then be signed off with an engineers cert…?

    (I'm not sure what the deal is though)…

    • Mechz on 05/09/2021 - 15:55

      Financial write offs are fine.

  • Bafranz on 05/09/2021 - 14:55
    +12

    Walk away

  • Muzeeb on 05/09/2021 - 15:41

    Kia Cerato 2019 Sport

    Remind me. What makes these sporty?

    • pharkurnell on 05/09/2021 - 15:43
      +6

      The badge on the back…

  • Orico on 05/09/2021 - 15:47
    -2

    No. Just buy a corolla.

    You don't need any of the useless shit that a 2019 Kia comes with.

    Just in case I wasn't clear, DONT BUY IT!

  • USER DC on 05/09/2021 - 16:02
    +7

    Its a pain in the a** getting these in REGO, Furthermore these also cannot be registered in some states like NSW I think.

    I was going to buy a 2005 Ford Feista for like $2000 and ended up deciding the hassel of getting it registered is not worth it. The department requires too many document proofs etc. Seller cant guarantee you it is going to be registered later. (and if he is, then he is a absolute BS)

    Just buy a clean title car

  • pegaxs on 05/09/2021 - 16:48
    +6

    $17,000… tell him he needs to knock a 1 off that price to even be in the ball park. He is going to have a hard time selling it and will only end up selling it to someone stupid enough not to do a PPSR…

    It could be the best repair job in the world, but that car will wear that WOVR scar around for the rest of its life, and I can sure as hell tell you the next person who looks at buying it off you is going to burn you on price when they find out the WOVR status.

  • Bid Sniper on 05/09/2021 - 16:48

    Offer $7K

  • kma on 05/09/2021 - 16:51
    +1

    Car might be ok depending on how it was repaired but the price is certainly not right.

  • pharkurnell on 05/09/2021 - 16:54
    +5

    Also check to see if you can get insurance on it BEFORE you walk away

    • WT on 06/09/2021 - 10:08

      haha yea dont bother they wont insure it

  • Marioedd on 05/09/2021 - 17:25

    Should be 5-10k of market price to make it worthwhile for you.
    Also if he hid the fact it was a repairable write off from you would turn me off from going further

  • Daabido on 05/09/2021 - 18:19

    No.

  • elgrande on 05/09/2021 - 20:31

    What state is the car in, and what state are you in?

    • Bafranz on 05/09/2021 - 20:32
      +9

      The car is in a damaged state and OP is in a state of two minds..

    • Stinger01TheOG on 05/09/2021 - 22:15

      It has been repaired, to what standard of quality I'm not sure tho but from what I could see it looked good. From what I gathered here so far, it does not seem to be worth it…

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 05/09/2021 - 20:44
    +1

    I bought a repairable write-off about 13 years ago, it was a 12-month-old Honda then. I still have the car today because nobody wants to buy it from me. I did take it to the dealer for a trade-in but the first thing they ask is if the car is a repairable write-off. The rego is due in 3 weeks and whilst mechanically fine for a 14-year-old car, it is not my main car and I might just ask someone to take it to the wreckers for a few hundred bucks.

  • mogy1808 on 06/09/2021 - 08:38
    +1

    I had a repairable write off car (hail damage), I could only get 3rd party insurance.

  • Euphemistic on 06/09/2021 - 09:23

    Is it ok to buy? It’s registered so can be driven on the roads.
    Does it come with issues? If repaired properly, then as a vehicle should not have problems. Do you know it’s been repaired properly?
    Are there other issues? Yes, insurance may be an issue. On-selling will be an issue as others will be cautious about buying, just like you.
    What price? Cheap enough to discount all the other potential issues.

    Would I? Id only buy a repaired write off if it was a ‘special’ vehicle, not a run of the mill hatchback AND it was cheap enough AND the same ‘special’ vehicle in good order was unavailable or outside my price range.

  • OzHunterNSW on 06/09/2021 - 12:42
    +3

    STOP!!!!
    What are you saving? $2!

    If deemed a write-off, then it is.

    It means the entire sub-from could be bent.

    STOP…… don't be such a fool. You are not saving much, go and buy another GOOD vehicle.

    • Euphemistic on 06/09/2021 - 14:08

      It’s wasn’t deemed a write off. It was deemed repairable write off and for reasons we don’t know, the vehicle was listed as a reputable write off (probably more expensive to repair for the insurer, but could be because they had too many claims and this was borderline)

      It was listed as repairable because it was damaged in a way that could be repaired without compromising the structure.

      That it has been registered again indicates the repairs have been suitably done to pass the inspection.

      Totally agree that it isn’t worth as much as listed for.

  • balkandishlex on 07/09/2021 - 09:48
    +1

    I've got a repairable write-off. I had some issues with getting finance for it initially, but wound up with a loan from Plenti. My insurance hasn't been a problem. There was some confusion initially about whether I would need to get a VIV inspection for the car, prior to registering it (mine was crashed, repaired, inspected and then registered in QLD then shipped to Victoria), but I didn't.

    All I needed was a RWC and to have the car viewed at Vicroads (Vicroads counter staff came out to car park, checked that chassis and engine numbers lined up, no mechanical inspection) and I got rego straight away. Insurance companies don't seem to ask you if the car is WOVR, but I have been careful to disclose this regardless. My insurance company has said "we don't care, all we care about is; does it have any unrepaired damage" (Shannon's) (yes they're expensive but it's now modified and I wanted agreed value that was higher than others were offering)

    Having said that, the amount I bought it for was about 60% of the value of an identical car that wasn't WOVR. These cars, regardless of how the repair was actually undertaken, have a stigma about them, and that stays with the car for life, and has a corresponding effect on value. Particularly for a common car, a sizeable majority of people just flat out won't consider it at all.

    So; if you're keen on it, by all means pick it up, but I'd be pushing MUCH harder on price (like, maybe 12?) and doing so with the clear understanding that you're going to have a hassle on your hands if/when you decide to sell it.

    Also I would be getting insurance quotes prior.

    EDIT: I would also be calling Kia and confirming status of the warranty.

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