Hey folks. Just looking for a little advice here if you don't mind. I realize most people looking at purchasing used would like a car that ideally doesn't have any body parts re-painted but... if a panel was repainted - like say a door - and the quality was good, what would be the effect on resale price if any? Does it just impact the discerning buyers only and not price?

Btw - the re-paint was due to a scratch and not any physical damage.

Thanks in advance

 

I don't think most people notice. I sold a few cars that had bodywork done and it was never even brought up. In your situation, it should be a non-issue unless you are dealing with a real PITA.

 

Keep in mind that a buyer looks at the whole car . A pristine car with one painted panel might be worth more than a smoker's car with crumbs on the floor (without paint) .

My general thoughts are 1500 bucks off for a painted panel provided that the structural integrity was never compromised to require the paint (given two identical pristine cars to compare). Photographs , receipts , and any documentation to show a minor repair can help and I do feel that a seller ought to disclose the information .
a used car has both good and bad aspects and I feel that honestly goes a long way because no one likes to buy a car having doubts.

 

Thanks guys. I'd be the buyer in this case and while I'm looking for the cleanest car I can, I do realize used cars come with imperfections of various sorts and some are less desirable than others.

Larry - i think you make good points. I'll have to see if the seller has that evidence and documents in hand.

 

Larry, does this mean your C2S is worth $3000 less then the other guy? IIRC your situation wasn't that major, but you did get two panels repainted.

Dave, if you want to be sticky about it, you may ask the seller for a few hundred dollars off the price, but really what difference does it make? It was just a scratch, he could have left it alone and let it rust.

Now if there was some damage to the frame, then you should start looking for a large discount.

 

I did not have two panels painted . One panel only needed paintless dent removal (like Dent Wizard) and a new clear side marker.

The other was not even completely painted . They were able to blend the panel since white is an easy color to use.

It would still be worth 1500 less than an identical car as mine with no paint .

Since I trade in my cars rather than deal with the headache of selling them privately then a blended panel is merely one more obstacle hurdle in price negotiation on the next car.

 

So if somebody ran a key across your car and keyed 9 panels, front fenders, doors, rear fenders, hood, roof, and rear deck lid. All the panels had to be repainted, you would ask for a $13,500 discount on a car that was worth $50-$60?

 

A completely repainted car? I might very well ask for a larger discount. But, that's me, and I always consider re-sale. To someone else who simply plans to drive it into the ground, a smaller discount might be appropriate.

 

I am not arguing that there should be some sort of consideration, but not to the extreme of using a straight line of $1500 per panel.

 

Agreed. I have sold 2 cars (a WRX and an STI) that both had something repaited or something small fixed and there was no discounts given because of it. Now that was on a much cheaper sale price but still. If the paint was done at a reputable shop and is good quality to match factory, if anyone asked for more than a few hundred off I would be suprised.

 

What I understood and took away from Larry's comments wasn't a straightline, linear "price cut" for each panel but rather the potential implications of a re-painted panel (or two or more) is that:

- It may reduce the number of prospective buyers due to concern over more of a "story" with the car. To mitigate this, full paperwork, photos, etc. would help to allay any fears or concerns. It would further allow one to research the paint shop for quality in addition to the actual job done on the car.
- It may result in less value at trade-in or re-sale due to a less than perfect history. in other words, it may give the other party more leverage in negotiation. Again can help mitigate this with proper documentation.

There's likely some degree of price reduction I would expect for any type of imperfection - re-paint included. What that is exactly is going to vary case by case, car by car.

Good stuff and very helpful. Thanks guys!

 

Suggestion: Have a few looks at it at different times of the day. This will help you decide if the workmanship was really top quality.

If only 1 panel that was really repainted, then it probably was due to cosmetics. ( Most cars that get T-boned need more than just one section repainted. My wife's old car had a door, quarter panel, and rail repainted (T-boned.) The replaced sections' paint was very well finished....but under certain light, I could still tell they were slightly different than the rest of the car. This drove me nuts.)

I'd still have your P-inspector focus on it a little. The seller could be hiding something. Every little thing helps you negotiate down your price.

 

Does the repair show on a carfax report? This may hurt you later when you want to sell.

 

You raise a great point about carfax . This acts as a double edged sword in many ways . Carfax only documents events which include a police report and even in those cases the actual damage is often unclear . On the other hand if a piece of road debris or a rock hits the car there's no accident report to file . A much worse unknown is water/ flood damage .

In essence a carfax could negatively effect a silly little parking lot dent -BUT it may not reveal a car which took water damage in a rain storm.

So it's up to the buyer to look at carfax .. but also ask for clarrification EVEN if no red flags are on carfax.

 

+1 .