The m-i-l needs a car in a hurry. Her current car is old, leggy and has now developed a gearbox fault (pops out of 5th). She had thought of going the trade-in route but I've persuaded her to let me source something from BCA Blackbushe. It seems to make sense for her to let her current car go through the auction the same time she picks up whatever I buy for her on the day.
I've bought a number of times at Blackbushe but not sold. Anyone tried auctioning at the scrap end of the market? Is it going to cost more than dropping off at the scrappy? This appears to be the least hassle option - far less than private sale, ebay etc. Any input welcome.
trevorh
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You could try:-
boxer.ebid.co.uk/
It's totally free unless you opt for one of the feature auctions and it's a lot more flexible than eBay in some respects.
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You don't say what you think the cars worth - but on cheapies, the bigger auctions are trying to avoid getting them as entries.
The fee structure will penalise you - better one of the smaller, private auctions.
Or trade - cash buyers, in the local paper??
VB
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last advice is spot on.
find a local banger auxtion, one which assylum seekers tend to buy at - should get a good 100 plus for anything in them.
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What hassle is ebay? They bid to buy, not to to come and look, they are obliged to collect if they win the bid, if they dont leave some negative feedback for the bidder!
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What hassle is ebay? They bid to buy, not to to come and look, they are obliged to collect if they win the bid, if they dont leave some negative feedback for the bidder!
I can't help feeling a proper car auction is more impersonal. No contact between seller and buyer. The car has a fault and any bidder at auction is less likely to feel aggrieved when buying sold as seen, no reserve. The m-i-l is a pensioner, after all, I wouldn't want her subjected to any one-on-one 'discussions' about the car's roadworthiness. (Is there a legal obligation to declare faults regardless? In which case I may need to rethink the whole plan)
The fee structure will penalise you - better one of the smaller, private auctions.
HJ's report mentions a 205 going for a fiver. In this case, is the seller ending up paying to get shot? Wouldn't paying a scrappy be more cost effective?
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eBay are having a free listing day for cars on Thursday 23rd.
Note that means they will still be charging a 'success fee' if it sells.
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A lot of the cars at auction are part ex's from main dealers etc., as opposed to private. They will have already made their money whilst negotiating the deal with the owner, i.e. adding an extra £500 to the cash price of the car they are interested in buying. Therefore, whatever they get at auction is a plus.
Like I said, with ebay you get the chance to ask the seller questions before you place a bid, but if you are the winning bidder, you are contractually obliged to buy the car, (as in turn up, hand over the money, do the paperwork, and drive off!) I did this last Tuesday, flew to Glasgow from South Wales, paid for the car, and drove it home, I was in the sellers house all of two minutes.
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>ebay [...] you are contractually obliged to buy the car,
This is absolutely true, but there are lots of people who don't go through with it. Maybe a minority (I don't know) but enough anyway.
Yes, you could take them to court, and you should win. But who's going to do that for the price of a car which is old and knackered (see original post) anyway? Certainly I've got better things to do with my time.
Cheers,
Mark
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What a coincidence!
Tonight I have just "sold" my van on ebay.
The gearbox requires replacement or attention. It is an N reg Trafic 187K miles MOT til April and not looking its best and I just got £290. I would have expected to get around £650 or so privately if it were "ready for work". Replacing the box and perhaps the clutch would have not left me much more than the £290.
There is a market for the right vehicle out there.
If you do go by e bay, list all the faults with the vehicle down to the last chip in the paintwork. Have plenty of digital photos available to e mail to people with questions and leave your phone number on the listing (mobile phone no) to answer questions people may have.
Go for a 10 day listing. That way serious people who may be looking for that type of car, have done their serches and come up with it, and have several days to ask questions about it etc.
Make it clear that you will string up messers by their privates etc and drag them through the courts. This tends to put off about 95% of complete timewasters, however, despite me including links to previous non payers' profiles in my listings, I still get the odd one.
When you see the bids roll in, check the feedback of the bidders. If you're unsure about feedback, review the situation towards the end of the auction.
All the best
Hugo
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