Selling A Knackered Car

[SpikeyBush]

I had been hoping to offload my tired old Vectra by trading it in at a dealer but I have seen a very nice E-Class in a private sale. So how best to get rid of the old Opel? Aircon doesn't work. Blowers only work on full power setting and even then the motor is rattling. The front suspension is knocking very loudly. Warning light is indicating a fault with the exhaust gas temperature sensor. Another warning light tells me the airbags are faulty. Front bumper doesn't fit properly since I ran over a hare in Monaghan one morning. Timing belt is due for renewal. 247,000km on the clock, 7 years old. Don't want my ebay feedback of 100% tarnished by selling a pile of excrement there. So any ideas?

[Zacs-Master]

Sounds like scrap to me. Possibly without the 's'.

[tonyav]

You could put it on Ebay as spares or repairs, SpikeyBush, or you could flog it to a salvage yard.

[Dizmo]

Autotrader and be honest? I don't know if autotrader operate in Ireland though. Private sale maybe and be honest. How much are you wanting for it?

[SpikeyBush]

(s)crap indeed Zacs, ever since two minutes after the warranty ran out and it cost me a grand. GM firmly in my bad books, hence my quest for a Merc.

[Zacs-Master]

Yep, I moved to running quality 2nd hand motors about 10 years ago.

[tonyav]

What year is the E class, Spikey ?.

[SpikeyBush]

Dizmo if it was a classic or sports car I was selling I could get away with that, but a repmobile with a heap of work needed? Just seems such a shame to send a 7 year old car to the scrapyard that hasn't been crashed or burned. No idea really what it is worth, I normally buy cars nearly new so some other mug has taken the depreciation hit and then I keep them until the wheels drop off. But the wheels are dropping off this Vectra much earlier than they should in my opinion.

[Buenchico]

Find out what it's worth for scrap. (Possibly around €150?). Pick a figure a bit above that (or, if you're in no great hurry to sell, quite a bit above that in the first instance) and advertise it [with total honesty] on Adverts.ie
http://www.adverts.ie/

[Zacs-Master]

Gee, I wish I'd suggested that.

[tonyav]

I'm not surprised though Spikey, 247,000 km's !.

[SpikeyBush]

That's sod all tonyav for a diesel when you convert it into English. The E-Class I have my eye on is a 1998 7-seater estate for change out of €2,000. I'm not doing big mileage any more so buying old shaggers suits me now. And if they break for something expensive I can just throw the whole car away and buy another.

[snags]

Get a quote from these people. I and other family members have used them without problem:

http://www.cartakeback.com/

[joko]

sell it on ebay for parts

as long as you list all the faults no-one can complain really

or sell the bits yourself, then scrap the rest

i scrapped a car for £140 - the seats alone were worth that apparently, leather and in great condition.

number plates are often worth a few hundred too

[tonyav]

Careful Spikey, the build quality of Mercs from that era was pretty dire.

[SpikeyBush]

Can't be any worse than the Vectra tonyav! When I first got it I called it "the armchair" because of the comfort. Soon afterwards I started calling it "the Princess" in recognition of the problems my father had with his company car when he was my age, an Austin Princess that spent most of its time in the shop being fixed.

[tonyav]

Look out for rust ( especially underneath ) on that old E class, Spikey.
Was your Vectra ever a taxi ?.

[SpikeyBush]

No I bought it Network Q 8 months old. I just used it for my business covering an area from Belfast to Luxembourg.

[tonyav]

Right I see, Spikey. Business mileage.

[SpikeyBush]

my employers took away all the company cars in 2004 and replaced the benefit with a car allowance of €300 a month. So we can choose what to buy ourselves with the monthly allowance. It is meant to fund a nice Mondeo or a Mazda 6 perhaps. But they can't say anything if I choose to buy a 1988 Toyota Carina for €50 and drink the monthly allowance or gamble it away on the gee gees.

[SeaJayPea]

I'd stick it on ebay and put your entire post here from "Aircon doesn't work..." to "7 years old" in the description. That way, you're being totally honest and nobody can complain. No reserve, cost you nothing to list it and if it sells for just £50 to a scrap tyard, at least you've got rid of a liability. But I'd bet you'll get more than that.