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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Brian5000 on September 30, 2015, 10:42:55 AM

Title: How much of a discount for a car with minor hail-damage?
Post by: Brian5000 on September 30, 2015, 10:42:55 AM

I am shopping for a used car on Craigslist.
I found a 2013 Toyota Corolla I like that is worth $11,600 on the Clear Book True Car website assuming it's in great condition. http://clearbook.truecar.com/
The seller agreed to go down to that price ($11,600).
The car is in great condition. 39k miles. Drives great, 1 owner, no accidents, etc. I like almost everything about it.
Only problem is I noticed a few (8-10) minor dents from hail damage across several of the car panels. No damage to the glass.
I don't really care about driving around with it on my car since it's quite minor, but I know this will reduce the resale value of the car.
I'm sure he got a discount from the dealership since it was damaged.

So the question is, how much of an additional discount should I ask for before agreeing to buy the car from him?

Title: Re: How much of a discount for a car with minor hail-damage?
Post by: robartsd on September 30, 2015, 12:00:03 PM

I googled "cost to repair hail damage" and the top result  (http://parscertified.com/paintless-dent-removal-cost) was an estimator for paintless dent repair costs.

I'd estimate the costs of repair there as a starting point. Then I'd add to the discount for the hassle of handling the repair, risk that the estimate was low, and a little bit of extra negotiating room (of course after buying the car, I'd just live with the dents).

Title: Re: How much of a discount for a car with minor hail-damage?
Post by: gooki on October 01, 2015, 04:48:21 AM

$1-$2k

Title: Re: How much of a discount for a car with minor hail-damage?
Post by: KarefulKactus15 on October 01, 2015, 09:09:16 AM

I see your in Chicago, I don't know if there are any car factories near by, but if there are, hop on craigslist. In my area, the people who do paintless dent repair at the factory often freelance on the side.    They are the best by far in terms of price and workmanship in my area. Same thing goes for the factory rework painters.