The method to short-list hail dented cars from Manheim auctions

enveloped on 30/11/2015 - 11:27
Last edited 30/11/2015 - 11:27

I did the research so I think others may need the method too. Here it is. You need a Linux computer to apply these commands.

Step 1. Grab all profiles from the auction page.

$ wget -rl 1 --accept-regex '/damaged-vehicles/[0-9][0-9]*/.*referringPage=AuctionListing' http://www.manheim.com.au/damaged-vehicles/auctions/dq1013/page1/g?rowsPerPage=1000

Note that you need to change the auction ID ("dq1013" is the next Wednesday's auction in Brisbane). The easiest way is to select one of the auctions on manheim.com.au, list all cars in the auction you choose, and simply change the ?rowsPerPage=100 part of the URL to ?rowsPerPage=1000 to be used in the command.

Step 2. Find all hail-damaged cars, filter out all impact/water/fire damaged cars, filter out stolen cars, in my case I also filtered out the manual cars, 4WDs and buses because I am a newbie.

$ grep -Rl 'Hail Dmg' www.manheim.com.au/ | xargs grep -EL -e 'Mechanical Issues' -e '(Rear|Front|Side|Roof|Water|Fire) Damage' -e 'Airbag[s]? Deployed' -e Dismantled -e Impact -e Stolen -e Manual | grep -v -e 4wd -e bus -e utility | sort -t / -k 4 | sed 's/?.*//'

The output will be a list of URIs. like this:

www.manheim.com.au/damaged-vehicles/4617093/1999-toyota-camr…
www.manheim.com.au/damaged-vehicles/4618138/2000-ford-laser-…
www.manheim.com.au/damaged-vehicles/4620766/2000-hyundai-acc…
…

(Google query syntax, if used smartly, may also work, but I am unsure if Google is diligent enough to have prepared the data before every auction)

Automotive

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Comments

  • enveloped on 30/11/2015 - 11:29

    I also wonder how can I find someone to join me on this Wednesday's auction in Brisbane (Hamilton) - I never had a car and I can't drive myself, so I am not the right type of girl to show up in the auction. Checked a few friends no one can spare a weekday morning.

  • blitz on 30/11/2015 - 12:14

    I would if I lived in Brizzy. Good luck!

  • spackbace on 30/11/2015 - 12:45

    Wait, so you want to buy a hail-damaged car? Why?!!

    • enveloped on 30/11/2015 - 13:40

      Last year the news said some got bargain price 1 month after the hail, so I timed my move. Besides, the 5 showroom cars in Wednesday's auction look pretty new to me, no visible dents from the photo and driven less than 20km. A few of them even don't have WOVR record, means I should be able to drive them home (I can't drive myself, but a friend maybe) without further inspection. That's my research homework anyway, correct me if I am wrong.

      • spackbace on 30/11/2015 - 13:41

        You can't insure a hail damaged car. It will also massively affect resale value.

        Just be very aware of what you're getting into. Might seem like a bargain now, but might not be in the long-term

        • enveloped on 30/11/2015 - 13:44

          I think the "rule" is that you can only get 3rd party insurance if it is a write-off car - correct me if I am wrong, I did all the homework on Internet, no real experience. I just mentioned that some of the hail-damanged cars aren't written-off. e.g. the showroom cars are not sellable if there is only a scratch - not write-off but nevertheless marked as 'hail damaged' in the auction. Besides, I'm a new immigrant (not centralink-covered), jobless for a year, what do I complain about "long term"? "long term" means getting a job, with any vehicle I can get. Any car is better than cycling to supermarket and carrying kilos of backpack on a pushbike. I should post a photo of the sweaty version of me; it's hardship.

  • subywagon on 30/11/2015 - 15:25
    +1

    Why don't you try and get a cheap car on Gumtree? I'm pretty sure they are sold "As is" through the auctions too without warranty?

    • enveloped on 30/11/2015 - 17:50

      This auction's biggest client is the insurance companies. I am just thinking, maybe, the insurance companies are more trust worthy, because they don't need to spare the effort to cover things up (I wouldn't be able to spot a fault in front of my eyes anyway) and their hail-damaged cars hit the market in one big go hence may over-supply the market (news report of last year such thing happen†). But I see your point, I am able to test drive (invite a friend to help me test drive) if it is a gumtree's car, right? That makes a big difference to auctions.

      † Storm creates 'Auction Bargain Boom' for salvage vehicles - carsaust.com
      http://carsaust.com/pickles-manheim-damaged-vehicle-auctions…
      "Brisbane damage car auctions were running like wildfire with well known auctioneers Pickles at a recent damaged car auction at its Hamilton rooms selling 2 vehicles every minute. Some buyers walked with more than bargains"

      • subywagon on 01/12/2015 - 00:07

        I don't think they do point out faults besides "flood damage", "hail damage" "Stat write off" etc. If there are mechanical issues etc I don't think they go over them with a fine tooth comb, so it can be hit or miss with auction cars too. I'm not 100% certain on this though, it's just my take you may have to ask someone who knows more about the auctions. They are attractive though, I'm considering looking for a Triton or Ford Ranger through them.

        With Gumtree you can arrange to take the car to a mechanic and have it checked out. I think it costs around $150 which isn't too bad for peace of mind if you don't know anything about cars.

  • enveloped on 06/02/2016 - 22:41

    It's been a while and I want to publish my result for anyone who look for this kind of bargain.

    The car I got is a Holden Barina CD TM Hatch (1.6L) 2013 model, odometer says 30,000. It was new by the end of 2013 and I bought it from auction by the end of 2015, so it's been used 2 years. Dents on the top and front. Front dents are not apparent, top ones won't be so after I install a pair of roof rails (needed anyway)

    The cost of ownership:

    Item Cost Note
    price to bid 4100 (in auction)
    Auction fees 624.83 (together with bid price makes up $4724.83)
    Towing home 100 (one way)
    Compulsory third party insurance 175.27 (from RACQ)
    Wing Mirrors replaced by myself 10.83 (sourced from taobao.com)
    Back Light replaced by myself 53.85 (ditto)
    Roadworthy 125.50 (including swap front and back wheels)
    Queensland Inspection Service inspection fee 435 (required for write-off cars)
    Queensland Rego ½ year 518.80 (vehical estimated value equals to invoiced value $4724.83)
    First service 320 (include fuel injector clean up)

    Total cost for owning it: 6463.63

    That means, since I bid for $4100 in an auction, in the end I spent 50% more on getting everythingelse ready. This information is useful for anyone who wants to go to an auction.

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