Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


Martin_NZ

130 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

#113332 14-Jan-2013 10:57
Send private message

Im looking at buying a used 2001 Nissan skyline in Auckland.

It is about 3000 cheaper than comparable models I have seen. It seems a very good price. I went for a test drive and it drove quite nice. Body was in good condition apart from a few cosmetic bumps and scratches which are to be expected given its a 12 year old car. Everything seemed to be in good working order

So next thing I did was to do a history check. It showed a private owner who had it for 5 years. Then AMI insurance owned it for 3 weeks, then a private owner for 11 days, then the current owner for last few months. Im not a mechanically minded person but this rang warning bells.

Would this indicate it has most likely been crashed and an insurance write off then repaired or could there be some other explanation. Is it necessarily a bad thing or should I give it a wide berth and move on.

If it had been badly damaged and repaired would an AA check pick this up.

Any advice appreciated.
Thanks.





M

Filter this topic showing only the reply marked as answer View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2
ubergeeknz
3344 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Vocus

  #744410 14-Jan-2013 11:00
Send private message

It has very likely been repaired after a (reasonably serious) crash.  The main reason an Insurance company would take ownership is if the car was "written off" (repairs more than insured value of car).

Then what happens is the cars are auctioned off, bought by panelbeaters and repaired.

I would take it to a panelbeater to check, an AA check is unlikely to tell you much, they are fairly cursory TBH and focused more on mechanicals.

If it's been repaired to a high standard, then maybe it's not a problem anyway.



Handsomedan
7281 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Subscriber

  #744419 14-Jan-2013 11:19
Send private message

Like you, I'd have alarm bells ringing...

Thorough check by a good pre-purchase inspection company or a really trustworthy panelbeater is a pre-requisite.




Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

 

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale 

 

 

 

*Gladly accepting donations...


K1000716
569 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #744427 14-Jan-2013 11:22
Send private message

Sometimes the amount of damage required for a car to be written off can be relatively minor. I've seen more than a few cars written off after frontal impacts due to the high cost of replacement parts (headlights, bumpers, guards, bonnets, grills, radiators etc). 

From memory the decision to write off a car is based on the % of the repairs compared to the insured value.

As ubergeeknz mentions, some form of pre-purchase inspection by a panelbeater is a must. A little money spent here might save you a great deal of headaches later. In saying this, the car would have had to be properly inspected before being allowed back on the road.

Good luck, hope it all goes well!

Lee








trig42
5809 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

  #744430 14-Jan-2013 11:25
Send private message

It's also possible it was stolen, the insurance company paid out, then it was recovered. AMI would have then sold it on (cheap). The 11 days owner would have bought it to onsell (on TradeMe probably). I'd say it's OK, but get the chassis checked.

The DWL license plates were probably issued in about 2006/07 (can't remember exactly, but I got a newlyregistered car about then with DGN plates) so it looks like it has been continuously registered since it came into NZ. I'd say it wasn't in a really bad accident as it probably would have been de-registered.

Our of interest, how many K's?/How much? I bought one last year (2001 2.5L) for 9,800 that had done 98,000kms.

Martin_NZ

130 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

  #744433 14-Jan-2013 11:30
Send private message

It was originally registered in NZ in 2007. Hes asking 8500 it has 98,000km

It is the 300GT not the 250GT.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/skyline/auction-552021626.htm








M

Martin_NZ

130 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

  #744435 14-Jan-2013 11:32
Send private message

Would AMI tell me if I rang them and asked?





M

Dingbatt
6754 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #744439 14-Jan-2013 11:37
Send private message

You also would want to check things like the status of the airbags. If it has been in an accident and the airbags have activated they can e expensive to replace. Same goes for the seatbelt pre-tensioners.Are the insurance company able to give you any info about their ownnership period?




“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996


 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
lxsw20
3552 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

  #744462 14-Jan-2013 12:15
Send private message

Airbag light not on? No big white deflated airbag in front of you protruding from the steering wheel? I'd say you're OK airbag wise :P

  #744465 14-Jan-2013 12:19
Send private message

Having worked for a motor vehicle insurer in a past life, I would say there is a fair chance that it was written off following an accident, was purchased via tender (the 11 day private owner you mention), repaired back to roadworthy standard and on-sold. A write-off doesn't necessarily mean that there was massive damage, just that the cost of repair at commercial rates exceeded the sum insured, so hard to answer your question about whether it's a bad thing or not.

Sometimes a vehicle is bought at tender by someone who say works as a panel beater or similar, repairs it at cost and then on-sells it for a profit. This could be what happened here.

Martin_NZ

130 posts

Master Geek

Trusted

  #744475 14-Jan-2013 12:38
Send private message

The airbag light only came on briefly along with the other usual dash lights when turning the car on. Once started the lights all went off.

I am in Christchurch can anyone recommend a reputable panelbeater who for a fee could inspect the car on my behalf in Auckland.









M

ubergeeknz
3344 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Vocus

  #744479 14-Jan-2013 12:46
Send private message

martinschcnz: The airbag light only came on briefly along with the other usual dash lights when turning the car on. Once started the lights all went off.

I am in Christchurch can anyone recommend a reputable panelbeater who for a fee could inspect the car on my behalf in Auckland.


I know Hauraki (fka Howarth) are excellent, I have had repairs done by them a few times now, and the jobs and their customer service have been to a very high standard.  Whether they could do what you're asking is another question, but worth asking.  They have branches around Auckland.

Hauraki Panel and Paint - Locations


Archer77
131 posts

Master Geek


  #744483 14-Jan-2013 12:53
Send private message

I don't think it would have been written off - if it was I would expect the MVR (registration) to have been cancelled, but the registration on the vehicle has been continuous while in New Zealand. Also the time frame doesn't fit with a write off. 11 days, which is 7-9 week days, seems very short time frame for a written off vehicle to be repaired, groomed, advertised and then sold.

I think it looks fairly likely it was stolen, AMI paid out and became the owner, then on-sold from there. 11 days ownership fits better with someone picking it up cheap from AMI/auction, replacing window and/or ignition and then selling.

  #744514 14-Jan-2013 13:41
Send private message

Archer77: I don't think it would have been written off - if it was I would expect the MVR (registration) to have been cancelled, but the registration on the vehicle has been continuous while in New Zealand. Also the time frame doesn't fit with a write off. 11 days, which is 7-9 week days, seems very short time frame for a written off vehicle to be repaired, groomed, advertised and then sold.

I think it looks fairly likely it was stolen, AMI paid out and became the owner, then on-sold from there. 11 days ownership fits better with someone picking it up cheap from AMI/auction, replacing window and/or ignition and then selling.


Yes actually you could be right. Good point about the registration.

jpoc
1043 posts

Uber Geek


  #744773 14-Jan-2013 21:15
Send private message

allan:
<snip>
A write-off doesn't necessarily mean that there was massive damage, just that the cost of repair at commercial rates exceeded the sum insured, so hard to answer your question about whether it's a bad thing or not.
<snip>


I think that your maths is wrong here. The equation is:

Cost of repair at full commercial rate > Insured value - Value of the damaged vehicle as it stands.

For example:

Suppose that the cost of repairs is $5,000 and the insured value is $10,000 and the damaged vehicle can be sold to a panel beater for $6,000.

The insurance company can pay $5,000 dollars to fix the car and carry a risk that the owner complains about the quality of the repair or they can hand over $10,000 and sell the damaged vehicle for $6,000 at a net cost to them of $4,000 and no comeback from a disgruntled owner.

Of course, in the case at hand, it does seem most likely that the vehicle as stolen and this equation does not apply but I think that is how things work with damaged vehicles.


hairy1
3332 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #744778 14-Jan-2013 21:24
Send private message

Have you asked the current owner of they can shed any light on AMI owning it?




My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.


 1 | 2
Filter this topic showing only the reply marked as answer View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.