DENVER — While this month’s hail storm is forcing some families to pay for expenses they didn’t anticipate, some car buyers in Colorado could see some discounts. Several car dealers in the storm’s path in West Denver are offering discounts on hail damaged cars.
The vehicles are sold as is, with dents on the body, including the roof and hood.
“The cars are damaged, some more than others and some discounts will be very large, others when you see the car, you’ll understand not so much happened, so they’ll be reasonable,” said Jeff Silverberg, COO and GM of Prestige Imports in Lakewood.
Silverberg said discounts will be offered on a case by case basis
“We wish we could, but can’t just give a blanket price of everything marked down, X amount,” he said.
The deals are out there, but there is need for caution.
You are responsible for the repairs. If you wait, your insurance company won’t be so generous if there’s another storm.
“The insurance company isn’t going to just pay you again, because you didn’t get the damaged fixed. It’s really hard to prove that this damage is from this hail storm, this was with that hail storm. They’re going to want proof that you got that fixed,” said Carole Walker of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.
Walker notes if you purchase a damaged car, getting body shop work may not happen as quickly as you may hope. Many facilities are still dealing with insurance claims.