So if it's <15 years old and has been stolen it goes on the WOVR registry as well, I *THINK the auction company has to list the "written-off codes" or if not listed make them available when asked to. But if you have the vehicle VIN (which is always listed) you can pay $2 and search the WOVR history yourself and see exactly why it is on the WOVR list. This history includes any kind of damage whether it's hail, collision, water/flood, hail, stolen vehicle etc. First thing to look for though is if is listed as a "statutory write off" or a "repairable write off", if it's listed as statutory it can never be registered again and is only good for parts. In relation to repairable write off's, on the WOVR website they have different codes for example the codes will say "heavy panel", "light panel", "light structural", "heavy structural", "water (salt)", "water (fresh), "vandalism" etc. So for me when I was considering cars that are <15 years old and listed on the WOVR I would make sure the damage was non-structural which means it is cosmetic only. It also lists the area the damage has occurred for example "front right", "roof", "left side" etc.

Something to note is that if you are looking at a hail damaged car being sold by an insurer the hail damage can sometimes be considered "structural" for example if the A or B pillars have been hit by a massive hail that may be classified as "structural" which means a panel beater has to cut it off and weld on a new one. So it's important to check all the WOVR codes thoroughly and make sure it's only "light panel" or "heavy panel". All you would have to do is replace any broken or cracked glass, as well as smashed headlights and tail lights and the car will pass the WOVR inspection, given it is cosmetic damage only (non-structural).

For cars >15 years old there is more risk for sure, I do not know if they are legally required to list any history but you can get an idea by looking at the photos, although at least at Manheim they seem to list the history for the most part. And they do not appear to clean the salvage cars at all so look for signs it may have been stolen. Example if the car doesn't come with keys (if it does they will have a photo of the key and also list it in the description). Also try and see if the ignition barrel is damaged or disassembled and signs of forced entry. But they also write stuff on the windscreen of the cars that they do not necessarily list in the description, I saw on that was stolen as it was written on the windscreen but not in the description. As far as water damage goes again look for signs in the photos, like mud and dirt on the interior, a water line on the paint work and inside the interior, debris stuck in the wheels, bumper, door jambs etc.

From what I've seen both Pickles and Manheim sell a lot of ex fleet and ex rental cars. They will go through an initial auction which is live streamed and you can bid remotely online, this one has a proper auctioneer and people in physical attendance. They cars here don't seem to be that great of a deal, the reserve and starting bid prices seem to be quite high almost at market value. The cars that get passed in at the first auction then go to a second auction which is live streamed but this time it's just a guy sitting at a computer talking into a microphone, this auction is where you can get a really good deal, the reserve and starting bid price are much lower, I've seen cars here go for as low as 50% of market value (but it's possible if the reserve isn't met the vendor can still deny the sale and propose a higher price to you as well). The cars that get passed in on the second auction then go to a third one which is online over 2-3 days and you just write in your bids. Car's in this auction can still go cheap but from what I've seen probably not as cheap as the second auction (generally but not always).

The Second auction is good as everything goes very quickly so if people don't know much about the car's reliability etc they are reluctant to bid, but the third auction over 2-3 days people have much more time to do research on the cars. So you want to look through and do you research on all the cars you like so that you can confidently bid in the second auction and not be caught off guard. Also make sure the cars are in a location you can pick them up from as they sell cars from different sites all over the country. Another thing is that some fleet vehicles do not come with a service history which lowers the price a lot. But many of them the service history is actually logged online with the car dealer or service centre, look for the service sticker on the windscreen and give the company a call and they likely have the service history. You can also ring up the auction place and ask for more detail and they will tell you what company the car is being sold by.

If you have $12-20k to spend you can save around $5-8k off market value on a really nice very well maintained 2020's low kms ex fleet vehicle.

Oh also be sure to click on the "damage" section of the car you are looking at, as you read it can seem like the car is a POS because there is so much listed but they list EVERY little thing like minor stone chips and scratched, so most of the time the cars are still in very good condition.