How much (less) should I pay for a car that was a repairable write off?

cannedhams on 01/09/2013 - 22:19

Im looking at a 2011 Suzuki Swift, low ks and quite low price but it was a repairable write off after being rear-ended, which is obviously reflected in the price to some extent. The seller has been totally upfront and honest about the history of the car.

The door gaps are consistent, the chassis is fine, I am satisfied that the car has been repaired appropriately and well HOWEVER I realise that if I need to get rid of the car down the road then obviously people are going to have questions about it, and this will probably reduce the price if I need to sell it on.

How much less do you think you should pay for a previously RWO car, regardless even if it has been repaired perfectly?

Automotive

Comments

  • k on 01/09/2013 - 22:56
    +2

    Run away, run far far away!

    Don't buy it, you won't be able to resell it like the current owner.

    If you want a cheap Swift, go look at the government auctions - Pickles, Manheim etc.

    Next time, search before you post a thread. It has been answered many times before:

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/60933
    http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2075093

    • cannedhams on 01/09/2013 - 23:05

      Sorry. Thanks though.

  • donga100 on 01/09/2013 - 22:58

    Is it black by any chance? I saw one at Pickles a couple of months ago that was auctioned as a repairable write off. It had been flooded up to window level and was still damp/muddy inside. Would have looked good after being cleaned and dried out.

    To answer your question though, I think about 25% less than market value. If you are planning on keeping the car for a long time (10 years+) this could be good value for money and probably wouldn't make much difference to resale. If you are selling in the next 3-5 years it would make it harder to find a confident buyer.

    • cannedhams on 01/09/2013 - 23:07

      Not black. Thanks for the guidance though. I reckon he would have paid $3-$4k at auction and maybe 2-3k in repairs. The way Im thinking after reading your post is that the price will probably need to be closer to 8k than 9.

    • Shonky on 02/09/2013 - 08:00

      Sorry. Double post.

    • Shonky on 02/09/2013 - 08:01

      Water above about the sills should be a stat write off.

      • donga100 on 02/09/2013 - 09:02

        I certainly wasn't going to buy it but the engine still started.

        • Shonky on 02/09/2013 - 09:12

          That would be a stat write off in Queensland at least and should be the same for all of Australia:

          quote:
          Water damage criteria
          Where the internal cabin of a vehicle is inundated with any water
          (fresh, salt and/or brackish water) such that the internal cabin water
          level rises above the level of the inner door sill for any period the
          vehicle is to be classifi ed as a SWO.

          from:
          http://www.carsafe.com.au/images/stories/pdfs/2011_reports/N…

    • [Deactivated] on 02/09/2013 - 08:24

      Dont buy this if you are thinking its a quick buck - you will be burned. Buy it if you plan to drive it for the next 7 plus years because you wont feel so bad when its your turn to sell it.
      Check if Suzuki will still cover it under warranty. I bought a Lancer and Mitsi still covered it for the full 5 years. But I know Mazda doesn't cover RWOs. Do not pay more than 50% of current value as the car will be worth nothing in a few years. I paid 6500 for the Lancer (2yr old,18000km), a good one was worth 13000, the seller was asking 10500. I nearly choked when my wife said offer him 5000. But I did offer him 5000 and the next day he rang me and we settled at 6500.

  • Shonky on 02/09/2013 - 09:10

    .

  • conan2000 on 02/09/2013 - 20:27

    Also, be aware that if you need to borrow money a lot of finance companies won't touch repairable write-offs. Meaning you will have limited options and may end up paying more in the long run with a loan.

  • altomic on 04/09/2013 - 19:05

    make sure you check on insurance. they can be touchy on insuring RW-O's

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