Is it Worth Fixing Before Trading in/Selling

1,285 Views | 8 Replies | Last: 4 mo ago by combat wombat™
combat wombat™
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AG
My beloved 2015 Toyota Sequoia was caught out in a hail storm while I was on vacation in Missouri. It has a lol of divots, mostly small. The worst are on the roof, which are mostly not visible. My husband wants to fix the hood only, whether we keep it (for our kids to drive, they turn 16 next month) or sell/trade it. I don't want to fix the hood at all, but especially not if we are selling/trading - the car will still be hail damaged and I don't think we'll get our money back.

What do you think? I'm attaching some pics. It is super hard to get good pics of these dings.

This is pretty typical of the dings on the hood, too. I had a very hard time getting a good picture of those.


This is the worst of the hood dings. It hit on an "edge" and cracked the paint.

Roger350
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AG
Agree that if you are keeping it for teenage drivers, don't waste money fixing hail damage. If selling I would get an estimate from a paint less dent repair place (or two) and set your price at the market value of a pristine vehicle (or whatever rating matches the condition without the hail damage) minus the repair amount.
combat wombat™
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Yeah, repairing the whole car came in at $7K.
kansas02gt
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Agree dont fix. Car is probably worth ~$20k not damaged…? Wont get nearly that on tradein

Id let a 16 year old drive the tank and learn how to navigate it also. Will *hopefully* make them more aware of parking etc in smaller vehicles.
Roger350
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AG
Was that quote from a paint less dent repair company or a normal body shop? Ouch, either way. I'd very tempted to call it fate and keep the vehicle for the teenage drivers, knowing it is a safe reliable vehicle for them to drive that is unfortunately not worth as much as it once was to a potential purchaser.

If that is what a regular body shop quoted I would get a quote from someone who only does paint less dent repair. If that number is lower than $7k, then my original thought on pricing might still work if you want to sell it.

If $7k is strictly the cost of paint less dent repair maybe get the quote itemized just for the visible locations not on the roof, and use that number or half the original $7k as your discount to subtract from full asking price?

You're in an unlucky position, you have a vehicle that is worth much more than most people are going to be willing to pay because of the cosmetic damage. Fortunately, it is a very desirable vehicle to begin with, so that should "buy back" some of that difference.

If you really want to sell, I would evaluate what you would have been willing to pay for this vehicle as-is if it had been for sale when you bought your newer used duplicate Sequoia last year. If you are honest with yourselves in that appraisal, then list it for that price and be prepared to beat back all the people who try to get you to go lower, and prepare for it to take a little longer to sell than it would have.

Sorry you're in this spot, hail sucks.
combat wombat™
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$7k was the PDR quote. The hood alone is just under $1,000 to fix… and they are concerned because of the one ding where the paint is cracked. It may get worse. They recommended just replacing the hood with a new one and painting it to match; cost would be similar.

I still love the vehicle and I am willing to drive it with the damage. The cosmetic damage really bothers my husband. That's why he's wanting to repair the hood. It will look a bit better if we keep it. If we keep it. We know the kids are driving a safe and reliable vehicle. If we don't keep it, the kids are driving the updated 2019 Sequoia which is also a safe and reliable vehicle.
Troy91
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A new hood painted to match is a simple repair job. I would do that and keep it.

You have already taken the depreciation hit and, how is the new vehicle going to be better protected from hail?

Who is tall enough to see the dents on the roof?
fixer
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Those things are tanks. Keep it . You'll be glad you did.

combat wombat™
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Wow, first time I look at this on my desktop! The car is VERY dusty from the yard guys' blowers. The paint isn't messed up... except for the hail.
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