Hi everyone,
Just a dumb question, but I'm buying a used car (Mazda 3) soon.
The seller is willing to get the car serviced at a Mazda dealership (it's just crossed the 50,000 km mark) before he gets the roadworthy, and before the final sale to me.
My understanding is that if it's getting serviced, there's no need for a PPI.
Could anyone clarify if there's more to this that I should consider?
Thanks!
A service doesn't fix everything. It's possible the technician may recommend a number of fixes but the owner may hold off knowing that they're selling the car anyway - like brake pads that are about to need replacing. Any other "fixes" they do might just be temporary - like simply wiping away leaky engine oil rather than fixing the cause.
The car could have had previous major damage or could be a "chop" job (two halves welded together) and the service tech wouldn't even care (the PPI guy might notice it though).
The car could have had previous major damage or could be a "chop" job (two halves welded together) and the service tech wouldn't even care (the PPI guy might notice it though).
would that show on $2 PPSR ?
The PPSR usually only shows whether the car has been previously written off (definition and registerable status varies by state). It doesn't show major (but not enough to be written off) damage that's been fixed.
When I worked as an insurance assessor before, the companies shared a database of all the claims. You could do a registration search and see if there'd been any claims. It works well with the PPSR, but obviously doesn't cover incidents that are paid directly out of someone's pocket.
where can you do registration search showing database of all claims?
@ATTS: Inside an insurance company's office.
Unless you know someone who has access, it'll pretty difficult or impossible. There's a lot of privacy concerns because it shows either the registered owner or the (CTP) insurance company they're with (if its a different company) and the nature of claims (vehicle and personal injury). The claim information is not very detailed (that is, not the whole claim file).
just because the car gets a serviced doesn't really mean nothing is wrong with it. Even a PPI can't guarantee there's nothing wrong with the car. So YES.
Even a PPI can't guarantee there's nothing wrong with the car. So YES.
so that's a small cap yes
Thanks guys
Not a dumb question. The service is carried out for another person who may not want everything fixed, or even noted.
For every used car if you aren’t competent to inspect it yourself, get someone who is competent to inspect for you. Exception might be for a vehicle from a dealer that has some sort of warranty - and not he kind you buy.
I would still get the check
One thing to ask the seller is "Are you aware of any issues with the vehicle."
Whilst some dodgy sellers may still lie through their teeth and deny any issues (you'll then need to decide if the seller seems trustworthy), a more genuine seller may be prompted to tell you about issues they wouldn't normally have mentioned unless you asked. It may also give you some additional bargaining room.
Yes.
When you’re buying any second hand good, but the more the cost/value, the more this applies; always assume the worst case scenario and plan accordingly (plan for the worst, hope for the best). No, this doesn’t mean we should all go out and buy several pallets worth of toilet paper, I’m specifically referring to buying a used motor-vehicle, or other second hand good, and not an overhyped flu.
Yes.
Just yes.