If your report shows an active security interest, the previous owner still owes money to a financier and the financier can repossess the car from you. Here's the safe play:
Don't pay anything until the security interest is removed.
Ask the seller to provide a discharge letter from their financier confirming the loan will be paid out from your sale proceeds.
Settle through a third party (the financier's branch, a conveyancer, or PEXA) where the funds clear the loan first and the car becomes yours.
Re-run the PPSR check on settlement day to confirm the encumbrance has been removed.
Statutory vs repairable write-offs
A statutory write-off can never be re-registered. A repairable write-off can be re-registered in some states after major repair, but typically commands 30–50% lower resale and can have hidden structural issues.
Always disclose the write-off to your insurer before purchase — many won't cover repaired write-offs, or charge a premium loading.
Insist on a full mechanical and panel inspection from an independent specialist.
Negotiate the price down to reflect the lower resale ceiling.
If a vehicle is flagged stolen
Do not pay any deposit or take possession.
Note the rego, VIN, and seller details (including their listing screenshot).
Report the listing to the relevant state police vehicle-crime unit and to the platform (Carsales, Gumtree, Facebook).
If you've already paid, contact your bank immediately about a chargeback and lodge a police report — the financial loss is generally not recoverable through insurance.
Why you still need a pre-purchase inspection
A history report tells you what's on the official record. A mechanic tells you what's actually happening under the hood. Spend the extra $150–$300 on a pre-purchase inspection from a state motoring body (RACQ, NRMA, RACV) for any car priced over $5,000 — it pays for itself the first time it catches a $2,000 transmission rebuild.
Day-of-handover checklist
Final PPSR check (run another Essentials report on the day, $19.99).
Verify VIN on the dash matches VIN on the firewall and the engine bay.
Confirm odometer reading matches the report timeline.
Sign the state's transfer-of-ownership form and submit within 14 days.
Take photos of every form, the keys, and the odometer reading at handover.
Watchlist 101
Add up to 10 vehicles you're considering. We re-run their PPSR + NEVDIS data every 24 hours and email you the moment a flag changes — e.g. finance gets discharged, or a new write-off entry appears. Manage your watchlist from the dashboard.