buying stolen and recovered vehicles

[mccallum Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mccallum]

was in negotiations with a dealer about a prado, and found out that it is a stolen and recovered vehicle (no paint, dint damage at all), and will have new registeration (whether this is directly related I don't know).

will buying this vehicle effect the original warrenty (and chance of buying factory extended) and what about insurance.

any thoughts, the price is very good, but not significantly cheap (12/2005 grande petrol 46K - no accessories)

I think the full set of keys are with the vehicle, what would it cost to get a full new set and locks. big $$$$

[damonat Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close damonat]

from memory full lock set, keys and module,
over $1500 genuine

[intens Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close intens]

Dont forget your re-sale will be out the window as it will be logged with the transport authorities, not many people want to buy a written off car even if there wasnt much to it, sometimes people think the worst

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Do all the numbers match up? (vin/engine etc)

People who steal cars generally don't treat them well... every chance it's been THRASHED!!!!

Mick

[jcas24 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close jcas24]

Dont forget your re-sale will be out the window as it will be logged with the transport authorities, not many people want to buy a written off car even if there wasnt much to it, sometimes people think the worst

Because its stolen doesn't necessarily mean it was written off, or even damaged for that matter. But do what Mick says and check all the numbers match. I would only buy a vehicle like this if it was at a considerable saving, though an auction house for example.

[rags Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rags]

We recently purchased a Rav4 through Pickles Auction for our daughter as her 1st car,this vehicle was a hail damaged [minor] vehicle that was considered a write off by the insurance co so therefore unregistration and listed on the repairable writeoff vehicles register[RWVR]. On registering the rav RTA mentioned something to the effect of 'that we could not trade this car through a dealer as the dealer would not be allowed to resell this car'.It may have had something to do with the fact that we made no repairs to the car so it was not removed it from the RWVR, just driven from auction to GET blueslip and then to RTA for rego on then on with the L s and off we go ,for approx $3000. So i assume that this prado has been removed from the RWVR for them to be able to sell this prado, you may want to confirm if it is on the RWVR.
hope this helps
Russell

[Bear Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bear]

jcas24 wrote:

Because its stolen doesn't necessarily mean it was written off, or even damaged for that matter. But do what Mick says and check all the numbers match. I would only buy a vehicle like this if it was at a considerable saving, though an auction house for example.

The transport dept records the stolen and recovered vehicle as a "repairable writeoff", even if it has suffered no damage. Stays permanently on its record. Not only that but, as i understand, it is lawful to wind back the odometer on "writeoffs" so the ks may not be genuine. I wouldn't risk it! They have no resale value.
On the other hand, as Russell found, hail damaged vehicles can be real bargains.

[plucker Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close plucker]

I think insurance companies dont like to insure vehicles that have been write offs also. You would have to check that also.

[rags Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rags]

It is correct that insurance companies will not insure the vehicle if the damaged is not fixed, but they will still insure the car for 3rd party property,which is what we did for our Rav4
Russell

[mccallum Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mccallum]

decided not to go ahead with it. but probably a good risk if somelse is looking and knows more about this than I do. It was a repairable writeoff but no damage, only on the list as had been missing for correct period

actually was a 12/2006 Grande 40,000km, (no accessories) $46k drive away. The dealer said he would quarantee there hasn't been damage to paint or pannels, and he check with toyota that it wouldn't effect warrenty. They wouldn't offer as good as an offer of Coles Catalogues. (obviously need to confirm)

Thanks for all you help

[JGD Member Find all posts View Profile Close JGD]

Check how long it was 'stolen' for - there is a good chance that if the owner still has all the original keys and there is no damage that it was misplaced by it's owner and reported stolen to the police and insurance company - then recovered 2 or 3 days later when the owner walked around the block and found their Prado locked and secured (this happens FAR more than anybody here would believe!).

It will still show up as being previously 'stolen' with the RTA/REVS etc - and I don't know if a change of registration details and ownership would change this.

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

If you live in Perth and you have your car stolen from a beachside parking area, as happened to my brother, your car is very likely not far away at all! It is a known racket in Perth where people sit in the dunes above popular beaches and watch beach goers with binoculars. They see people bury their car keys -as my brother did (went surfing) - and then simply come and take your car keys. This happens a lot in Perth we found out. His car was found no more than 5 mins walk away a few streets back from the beach in the carpark of a largish block of flats. Minus the stereo and a few other bits. If we'd known this we could have found it very easily, and possibly confronted the scum who did it!

Buying a previously stolen vehicle. My 2 cents. Only for the right price, which would be reasonably below the current market prices. Likely thrashed, as previously said. Our commodore that was stolen some years ago was certainly thrashed, and this wiped off a significant amount of it's resale value. Both the fact that it had been stolen and the fact that it was thrashed ( Police found it bogged in a creek in the wheatbelt). Paying close to market value, I really wouldn't go near it. You can get the same thing without the bad history.

[Shell Member Find all posts View Profile Close Shell]

my first car was a repaired writeoff. Not a good move. Although the car passed a full mechanical check before purchase the full extent of what the car had been through was not discovered until my partner had a minor accident in it. He ran up over a gutter to avoid an idiot running a red light.

Turns out it was what is commonly termed a cut and shut. My cousin(a panel beater) did the repair work on it after the accident and advised me to get rid of it ASAP. If I'd of had a worse accident, I'd more than likely not be around to talk about it. That's how poor most of the joins were.

I sometimes feel a little guilty about trading it in, the dealer sent it straight to the auctions. Somewhere in NSW.in 1990 someone brought a blue Ford Meteor (1986) that probably should not of passed a road worthy.

[intens Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close intens]

Cut and shuts are no longer in Vic, if it needs a cut and shut it becomes a stat write off meaning wreckers