Damaged Import?

ralphdog1, Aug 25, 7:26pm
Looking a recent listing, 2013 model, imported to NZ from Australia in 2015 with 17500km on it, within the Trademe ad it has "Damaged import Check" with a big green tick which to me at the least implies it was not damaged at import time.
However on Carjam it says "Write-off. This vehicle is recorded as having been previously written-off. You are advised to carefully consider the vehicle's damage and repair history before purchase"
It's an extremely common model of car, no obvious reason it would be imported from Aussie unless it was an insurance write off over there surely?
Does that seem a tad strange?

sw20, Aug 25, 7:28pm
Very common now. If you are the type to run a car into the ground then sell to a wrecker, it probably would be great value. However if you like your vehicles to have some resale, then forget it.

3tomany, Aug 25, 7:59pm

3tomany, Aug 25, 8:02pm

joanie32, Aug 25, 8:06pm
My company bought ex Aus write offs for sales reps a few years ago. Had an excellent run out of them, and never even found out what damage they had repaired. We sold them cheaper eventually, but we bought them cheaper initially too, so it all kind of evens out.

stevo2, Aug 25, 8:37pm

franc123, Aug 25, 8:51pm
I would always assume that ANY late model used car which has been previously registered in Australia would be a damaged import. Theres few reasons to be bringing in them in otherwise.

3tomany, Aug 25, 9:07pm
Would take hail rocks to do that.

tamarillo, Aug 26, 6:57am
Been treads on this before, guts is to find out what damage and see pics and reports. There are hail and cosmetics only damage ones, but also major damage fixed poorly ones. If vendor can’t show you walk away.

ralphdog1, Aug 26, 7:46am
I didn't explain what I was asking too well.
Why does the ad for this car include the "Damaged import Check" with a big green tick and the word "Passed" like virtually every other listing when it is highly likely that it was a damaged import?

kazbanz, Aug 26, 8:37am
that is a VERY good question dude. Based on the carjam report it should be a red tick or a red x . Based on the way tm have it displayed it clearly suggests that the car was not a damaged import. There’s a strong argument that trade me be held responsible if you made a buying desision based on the information they provided

curlcrown, Aug 26, 8:47am
Both could be correct, it could have been written off in New Zealand, not imported damaged and then written off and registered here sometime after it was imported.

ralphdog1, Aug 26, 10:10am
True, that is certainly possible.
However bearing in mind it is one of the most common econoboxes on the road it's hard to think of any reason other than is was a write off as to why it would have been imported from Aussie at 2 years old with 17k on it,

tgray, Aug 26, 11:29am
Ask the seller?

nzmax, Aug 26, 12:18pm
When my aunty and uncle moved back from Australia a couple of years ago they brought their car back with them. Car was only around 3 years old at the time, and also a popular model new here, and had probably 10,000km on it. The reasons they brought it back with them was. it was paid for, and they needed a car up til they left so selling it would be a hassle, and there was room in the container with their household items so just made sense to bring it back with them. They sold it, along with the car they already had in NZ before moving to Australia, and I remember they had a lot of "is it a damaged import" questions. It was all well documented so wasnt an issue in the end. An ex workmate and his family emigrated here about 10 years ago and they brought their old Toyota Landcruiser with them, as he said, his mum loves her vehicle more than her kids lol. Im sure a handful of Australia new cars have ended up here for the same or similar reasons.

kazbanz, Aug 26, 1:02pm
I don't think that is the issue in question unless I misread.
Issue in question seems to be that Trade Me are using a green tick suggesting the vehicle is not an imported wright off.

ralphdog1, Aug 26, 8:18pm
You are correct Kaz.
Have just discovered that if you click on the "What's this" link beside the Background Check heading there is a Trade Me explanation pop up that along with other things says: "This check excludes Australian statutory write-offs"
Worth knowing I guess. Seems basically misleading to me.

franc123, Aug 27, 11:31am
So its completely useless then. Thanks for raising the topic.

tgray, Nov 30, 3:05pm
So "this is not an imported write off" actually means "this may be an imported write off". Geez, that's nice to know.