Can Total Loss car be resold in the market?

[Roadhogger]

Hi, I was involved in a accident months back, and had my car total loss. I was compensated market value by insurer. I noticed that the car is back in the resale market. Is this legitimate?

[Acemundo]

my guess is insurer pay a car dealer to scrap it. the car dealer found that by reinistating the car with cheap recon parts, he could make it into a workable car at low cost and can sell it for a tidy profit.

 

why the insurer didn't insist on scrap certificate from car dealer is one contentious point

[Roadhogger]

After the accident, the car was tow to the insurer authorized workshop and declared Total Loss.

[Acemundo]

yes that is usually the case.

 

i believe it is a loophole they exploit and somewhat unethical.

 

usually for total loss basis, the justification is that cost of repair+paper value > market value of car

 

hence they will only pay you market value - paper value of the car

 

bcos market value - paper value < cost of repair

 

now that the car can be repaired and put up to market for sale, means

 

market value > cost of repair + paper value

 

means you have been taken for a ride because you could have resold the car in the market on your own at higher value than the amount they compensated you.

 

 

[Roadhogger]

The question now is if the car is really road worthy?

[Celicar]

I've heard of cases before too of dealers taking in cars say for scrap or export, then appear back in SG market. It is amazing how that industry attracts shady players like bees to honey.

[Acemundo]

The question now is if the car is really road worthy?

whether the car is road worthy will be an ethical consideration for the people that put it back into the resale market.

 

i believe the car is still functionable though. many times the car repair cost is variable and arbitary due to the following factor

 

1) reputation and charge rate of the repairer (if undertaken by less reputed workshop, the labour cost can be cut by half from say 8k to 4k)

2) use of original brand, oem or reconditioned parts as replacement for the damaged parts of the car (prices vary considerably for these 3 categories)

3) forgoing some expensive part that does not make the car not functionable but rather make the car less safe (eg air bags are very costly to replace but chances of using it are close to 0, hence some workshop cut corners by not replacing the damaged air bags)

[Lowrider]

Share what car that is... make, model, year, color.

[Itsec]

buy form direct owner.. at least they know its not 'road worthy' aka total loss...

 

now if u buy from 2nd dealer.. you have to 1 more issue to worry ... what if you get a total loss vehicle...

Edited April 20, 2011 by Itsec

[Mona-vie]

It depends though.

 

Sometimes, total lost is declared by the insurance company not because the car is beyond repair but its not economical to repair the car. Most of the time, front damages are repairable unlike rear damages (you can smash up the front and most of the parts will still be replaceable).

 

I don't think there is anything preventing the insurance company to sell the car to a WS or dealer.

 

As you have probably read in the news, insurance companies are losing money big time in car insurance partly due to inflated repair cost.

 

Thus some repairs that could be done for just less than 10K may be declared as 30K or more. Under such cases, I don't think the insurance company will choose to repair the car.

[Vhtfhwlego]

Hi, I was involved in a accident months back, and had my car total loss. I was compensated market value by insurer. I noticed that the car is back in the resale market. Is this legitimate?

i sold my total lost vehicle to a dealer. Why not?

 

Insurance declared lost but I insist to repair.

Insurance paid me the balance from Mktg value against paper value.

I bought a scrap car, remove all body panels, seats and under carriage stuffs.

First, cut the roof and weld it back. Second, replace panels and interior. Third, Spray it white. Fourth, add new white rims.

Looks like brand new but a total lost car.

 

Recently when I was at Kenny's Alignment, another badly damage swift was there.

Right Toe +1.24 and Left Toe -1.24 so car can go straight.

But with this toe set up, tire wear will be so great that after 10,000km, need to change new front wheels.

 

[Siemens60]

always thought that insurer will pay market value - paper value... meaning we have to take back paper value (ie, parf and coe) from govt...

[Atec1267]

next time insurance company want to pay u market value, just ask them to use the same amount of money and buy a car that is the same model, same year from the resale market, and see if they can buy it, if they can't even buy it, then how can this be consider as market value.

[Donut]

Yeah it's possible

 

Even if they don't re sell in local market, they can export it to other markets after repairing it.

 

The law doesn't make it that total loss means total scrap.

[Jefkking]

Yes, it's legal.

The insurance firm paid you the full value for total lost at time of market pricing & called for an auction and workshop (s) or dealer (s) won the bid and repair / replaced part at their own costs, passed LTA inspection and transfer under their new onwership & re-sales in the market as usaul BUT if the buyer don't know how to check the used car, then it became of transfer of this "problem" car under his / her onwership (If the buyer didn't get the STA / VICOM evalution report (If evaluated, then if the new owner happen to find out, he orhe could sue both the dealer & STA / VICION for the damages - price differences).

Edited April 20, 2011 by Jefkking

[Nf0rc3r]

Why dun post the link so we wont buy ur lemon car.

[Itsec]

watch... there's another fd2r in total loss.. who knows it might re-surface into the market..

[Happily1986]

i thought as per rules once a car's chassis has been damaged beyond a certain extent, it must be scrapped no questions asked?