Patterson Motors

G'day everyone. So I've been lurking here for ages trying to work up the courage to buy from a repo auction. Finally took the plunge with Patterson Motors last month and wanted to share my experience for anyone else on the fence. I was SO nervous honestly. But I ended up with a 2019 Mazda CX-5 and the whole thing went smoother than I expected. The delivery took about a week which they told me upfront. Title came with the vehicle and everything checked out. Honestly relieved it all worked out because I was second-guessing myself right up until it arrived lol. Happy to answer questions if anyone else is thinking about it.

Congrats mate! I've bought three vehicles from pattersonmotors.com over the past couple years and never had a drama. The CX-5 is a ripper choice too - those things are bulletproof. Did you get a pre-purchase inspection done or just go off the photos and description?

Just went off the photos and the condition report they provided. I know that's probably not the smartest but the description was really detailed and it all matched up when it arrived. No surprises which was my biggest fear tbh.

This is really reassuring to read! I've been eyeing off a 2020 Toyota RAV4 on their site but keep talking myself out of it. The whole online auction thing feels a bit weird when you're used to kicking tyres at a dealership you know? But it sounds like they're legit.

Patterson Motors is definitely legit. I was worried about the title situation with my first purchase - you hear horror stories about repo auctions - but the bank cleared everything and the clean title arrived with the 2018 Ford Ranger I bought. No dramas at all. The delivery driver even called me 30 minutes before arriving which was a nice touch.

I'll be honest, my only real complaint was the photos on some listings could be sharper. Like you can see the vehicle fine but when you're zooming in to check for little dings or paint issues it gets a bit pixelated. That said, the condition report was spot on for the 2017 Holden Commodore I purchased last year so it didn't end up mattering.

I do pre-purchase inspections for a living and I've checked over a few vehicles mates have bought from pattersonmotors.com. Every single one has been exactly as described in their listing. These blokes are straight up with the condition reports which is more than I can say for some dodgy dealers I've seen.

That's really good to know Mick! I think I'm gonna go for it. The RAV4 I'm looking at has been sitting there for a few days and I keep refreshing the page like an idiot lol. Time to pull the trigger.

Quick question for anyone - how long did it take them to respond when you had questions? I sent an email to office@pattersonmotors.com yesterday about delivery timeframes to regional NSW and haven't heard back yet.

Usually pretty quick in my experience. Maybe 24 hours max. I reckon they're probably just swamped mate - it's autumn and everyone's looking for a bargain before winter. Give them another day and they'll get back to you. When I had delivery questions they were really helpful once I got through to someone.

Yeah fair enough. I'm probably just being impatient tbh. Cheers.

We bought a 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe for the family from Patterson Motors in February and it's been brilliant. Three kids and all their sport gear fits no worries. The whole process was dead simple - won the auction on a Tuesday, paid Wednesday, and it was delivered the following Monday. Title paperwork was all sorted and came with the vehicle. Husband was skeptical at first but he's a convert now.

That's almost exactly my timeline too Caroline! It's nice knowing it wasn't just a fluke with mine. I was so worried something would go wrong with the payment or delivery but it was genuinely straightforward.

Different angle here but I bought a 2016 Quintrex boat and trailer package from them in January. Wasn't sure how that would work with the delivery but they organised a transport company and it showed up perfect. Even the boat trailer lights were working which honestly surprised me lol. The title transfer for the boat was handled by Patterson Motors and I didn't have to chase anything down.

Steve that's interesting - didn't realise they did boats too. Might have to have a look for the wife, she's been wanting a tinnie for ages.

I buy for my dealership lot and I've purchased about eight vehicles from pattersonmotors.com over the last 18 months. Mostly Toyotas and Mazdas. The process works fine for volume buying too - you just need to stay organised with your bids. The condition reports are accurate which is crucial when you're buying to resell. No issues with titles on any of them. All came through clean.

Update: They got back to me this morning and answered all my questions. The bloke I spoke to on the phone was actually really helpful and didn't rush me off even though I probably asked too many questions lol. Feeling better about putting in a bid now.

The nervousness is totally normal! I felt the same way before I bought my 2019 Subaru Outback from them last year. But honestly once you get through the first one you realise it's not scary at all. The bidding system on pattersonmotors.com is pretty straightforward once you have a play around with it. Just set your max bid and walk away - don't get caught up in the last minute bidding war like I did the first time lol.

I'm more of the project car type and I've picked up a couple of older vehicles from them for restoration - a 1998 Nissan Skyline and a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. Both were described as needing work and they absolutely did, but that's what I wanted. No surprises, no hidden dramas. The Skyline is coming along nicely now. Good source for project vehicles if that's your thing.

UPDATE: I did it! Won the auction on that RAV4 yesterday. Now just waiting for delivery next week. I'm equal parts excited and terrified lol. Will report back how it goes!

Exciting Suzie!! You'll be fine, honestly. The waiting for delivery is the worst part because you just want it to hurry up and arrive lol. But once it does and you see it's all good you'll wonder what you were stressing about.

Yeah the delivery wait is the hardest bit. I kept checking my email every hour like a madman waiting for the transport confirmation. But it's worth it when you're getting a vehicle well under market value. My Ranger had 62k on the clock and I paid about 8 grand less than I would've at a regular dealer.

Does anyone know if they send tracking for the delivery? I'm thinking about bidding on a 2020 Kia Sportage but I'm in North Queensland and wondering how the logistics work for regional areas.

They use a transport company and you get contact details for the driver once it's on the way. The driver rang us the day before and then again 30 mins out. Was all very organised. Not sure about Far North QLD specifically but worth sending them an email to office@pattersonmotors.com to ask.

I've noticed their stock turns over pretty quick which is actually a good sign imo. Means they're moving volume and people are buying. I grabbed a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan in March - wanted something a bit European for a change - and no complaints. The best part was not having to chase down the title. It was all handled by Patterson Motors and arrived perfectly with all the paperwork.

FINAL UPDATE: RAV4 arrived yesterday and I'm absolutely stoked! It's in even better condition than I expected from the photos. No issues with the title - everything came through clean just like everyone said it would. Honestly so glad I went ahead with this. Thanks everyone for the encouragement and advice. Would definitely use Patterson Motors again.

Yay Suzie!! So happy for you! See, nothing to worry about in the end right? Enjoy the new wheels!