Best way to sell used car?

wyx087

wyx087

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I've got a Skoda Octavia 63 reg 2.0l diesel 6-speed DSG automatic Elegance trim with xenon, heated seat and adaptive cruise. In later this month month, I'll be looking to move this on after over 5 years mostly trouble-free ownership. Note I live on the edge of London ULEZ and this car needs to pay to drive into the zone.

What's the best way to shift this car in today's seller's market?


Sell privately? I see similar spec with slightly lower mileage but no xenon, heated seat or ACC asking a staggering £8260 by a dealer. I can handle a few punters, don't want any time wasters or have patience for this to take many weeks. What's the best advertising medium?

Website like webuyanycar/motorway? Both are giving estimate of around £5000. Quite a fall from dealer asking price. But should be very quick and easy as long as their valuation holds when they look at the vehicle. I suppose with WBAC I an easily drive away if I don't like their final offer when I drop off the car.

Trade-in price offered was over £1000 less than buying websites, so I've declined that option.

I'm thinking I can try selling privately first for a few weeks. Try to undercut the dealer price (by how much?). Then if no buyers found, move on to whatever is offering best price from websites.
 
I used WBAC a year or so ago for an older Fiesta, got a fair price but they managed to knock £200 off on a small print condition (0ffer only valid for 2 days then you lose the discount or something) but I went with it anyway. I’ve just sold one via motorway, again a fair price and there was no quibble when the driver came to collect it, r and halshaw had quoted a slightly higher price but more hassle and expense to take it to them only to probably have it knocked down a bit anyway. I didn’t have the patience to deal with punters and time wasters, and nervous about privately selling a £21k car and getting the funds ok.
 
What have similar cars gone for privately? With a dealer you are getting a warrenty, the car being fit for purpose and some protection, plus access to finance etc... so you cant compare. At a guess I would say the dealer bought that car for 5.5-6k

Thats probably what you can sell for, 6k, maybe a bit more but depends on what similar cars have sold for. With WBAC you pay for the ease, drop off, paid safely. Easy, private you have to advertise, deal with no-shows, people who what to drive but are not insured, I would only accept cash or bank transfer with cleared funds before they drive away.
 
How can I find cars that had been sold recently?

I understand dealer prices are higher than what I can get selling myself privately. But wasn't sure how much difference.

I just did a valuation on Autotrader and got £5810 selling privately by putting up an advert (spot on the price @cambsno). Not as high as I hoped but for sake of less hassle and no risk, might as well have gone with buying websites.

lindsay said:
I’ve just sold one via motorway, again a fair price and there was no quibble when the driver came to collect it
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Thank you for sharing. What happens if I'm not happy with updated price on the collection? Would I be liable to pay for the call-out cost?
 
ebay (past sales) - I dont know if Auto trader has a similar search but if not look for live listings (not as good but gives an idea on asking price, no guarantee you will get it).

Valuation sites are a broad indicator, but bear in mind people will knock you down, so could easily be <5.5k.

Are there any reputable non dealer car sales places nearby, i.e. an independant (could be small) trader? Ok, we know someone who runs a small car sales business typically with 15-20 cars for sale at a time but they gave us a decent price for ours. Sounds like yours would be a good family car so potentially easy to sell so they may pay 5.5k with a view for a quick sale of 7-7.5k? Needs to be one that typically sells cars in the 5-15k range normally
 
Thanks! I'll have a good look around and see if there's any suitable indie car dealer. If they can give me around what motorway quoted (£5350) without possibly getting knocked down on collection. It's much better to go with them than even bother selling it myself and deal with the hassle/scam for less than a few hundreds.
 
With Motorway, they give you an estimated "reserve" online, then advertise it to their dealer clients. They bid, and the highest bid gets sent on to you the seller. The first time I used them, I got somewhat more than the estimate (a previous Discovery that Rod Stewart bought via a dealer for their nanny!); This time, another Disco, a dealer bought it in for resale, the highest bid was exactly as quoted. The dealer contracted a vehicle transporter to collect it, he looked around it to confirm no unexpected bumps and scratches etc, no quibbbles as I had taken good photos and been honest about a couple of features, so I got the money into my account before he took it away.
Motorway did tell me that nearly half of vehicles actually fetch more than their estimate in the bidding that takes place, and you have the option not to accept the highest bid.
 
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Carwow just phoned after I put my details in for valuation. It has now been advertised to dealers for £5250.

If sold sooner, I guess we'll have to manage with a 60miles range EV for a month. No plans for long trips during that period, so should be okay.
 
I recently sold a vehicle for my son on Autotrader and it was effortless. I included top quality photos, very detailed true description including all the negatives and priced it sensibly. Within 2 days a guy travelled up from the south coast on the train (250 miles) and did a bank transfer there and then, didn't even take it for a run.
 
I have been trying to sell my car for the last three months and have finally given up and decided to keep it.
 
Sold mine to Webuyany car. Really easy and had a very good price.
 
The best bet is a honest used car dealer , get a price from WBAC and if a dealer exceeds that price without tyre kicking to knock you down give him your business .. we lost £500 on our last trade in over what we paid for the car 3 years previously ..that’s just over 165 quid a year not bad in this day and age
 
I think I'm going to give it a try with Autotrader adverts, the chance for a few hundreds more than carwow/motorway is nothing to be sniffed at.
 
wyx087 said:
I think I'm going to give it a try with Autotrader adverts, the chance for a few hundreds more than carwow/motorway is nothing to be sniffed at.
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Back in February I took my 2006 Prius to WBAC here in Gloucester. I'd had to spend £700 buying an 'after market' cat converter as the original was stolen in the early hours a few months before. The car was on the drive I won't bore you with the details but I had to garage it as 'they' would return and steal the new one.It happened to a chap in London 5 hours after a new one was fitted. It was an absolute pain getting in and out of the garage and because of the lack of use..I couldn't leave it anywhere as 'they' stole the CC's from cars in supermarket and hospital car parks as well as on peoples' drives I had to replace the battery (the small starter one) twice. So..it had just passed the MOT the month before.106,000 miles was on the clock..my wife had it before me from new....a company car and they gave her a new one On the MOT were written advisories of work to be done but was ok and passed. It never failed a test.. I didn't want to advertise it as other ner 'do wells would telephone and ask for my address or worse come a tets drive it and order me out of it the countryside..yes..there's fYouTube footage of them threatening owners with iron bars on their drives in the early hours. So,the point I'm making is that by going through one of these we buy any car - type companies you get no time wasters or people trying to knock you down . Of course, you don't have the cat converter theft problem. My wife and I decided it was best to sell it. It was like losing a family pet. It's a fantastic car. She has an 18 month old Octavia which will do us both.

You mention about 'them' knocking your hoped-for price down or what you were quoted after you completed an online form. They quoted me (online) £3,200 if it was top condition. After 16 years ? Lol. Scratches,dents etc here and there that I couldn't get out and a few other things. I knocked on the cabin door of the 'office' in the car park at the Peel Centre, out-of-town shopping complex here in Gloucester ..You mentioned 'after they check it'. The chap came out, knelt by the open passenger door, looked inside ,making notes..of what I have no idea and that was the extent of 'checking it over' I couldn't believe it. My wife and I knew the online £3200 was a joke...just to get you there.. so because of the stress of keeping it and worrying about another cc theft..the Avon & Somerset police (next county SW ) had just given a warning re the steep rise of the cat converters in hybrids in that county....the Prius being the favourite, then the Honda Jazz and a Lexus..we decided that if I was offered £1000-1500 I'd have done ok. He gave me £2,100. I handed over car there and thenalong with the keys and documents,walked into town..20 minutes, and got the bus home. It's no matter to me what they got for it. I paid my wife's company £4900 for it in 2010. They did ok because in auction,where it would go they'd get about £2500.

The £2100 was in my bank account 5 days later. DVLC sent me notification of change of ownership and I cancelled the insurance.

By the way. Bear this mind. I had to pay the insurance company £48 for cancelling the insurance which had 5 months left. I wished I'd just left it and when they sent me renewal papers in July (last month ) I'd just ignore it. They gave me £8 pro rata refund..so I lost £40.
 
JohnC6 said:
By the way. Bear this mind. I had to pay the insurance company £48 for cancelling the insurance which had 5 months left. I wished I'd just left it and when they sent me renewal papers in July (last month ) I'd just ignore it. They gave me £8 pro rata refund..so I lost £40.
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Surely £8 is better than £0 which is what you'd end up with by insuring a car you no longer own?
 
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Are there any Skoda forums like UKSaabs where there may be people looking for 8-9 year old Octavias in fairly high trim level?. Forecourt price of used cars do include VAT so I guess there will be a few people that might be on the look out for an Auto Diseasel Octavia and would be happy to get one for ~£6000 that is newer and a higher trim than they were looking for,,,,
 
welshwizard645 said:
Are there any Skoda forums like UKSaabs where there may be people looking for 8-9 year old Octavias in fairly high trim level?. Forecourt price of used cars do include VAT so I guess there will be a few people that might be on the look out for an Auto Diseasel Octavia and would be happy to get one for ~£6000 that is newer and a higher trim than they were looking for,,,,
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I'm a member on "Briskoda" forum, but they need donation to list. I've been thinking of sorting out photos this weekend so might list it there instead of Autotrader.

But looking on their for-sale subforum, it looks like stuff being sold is mostly highly desirable racer cars like the VRS variant.

Good point about VAT, forgot dealer price includes that. So £6000 private sale is on the high side and more realistic.

JohnC6 said:
By the way. Bear this mind. I had to pay the insurance company £48 for cancelling the insurance which had 5 months left. I wished I'd just left it and when they sent me renewal papers in July (last month ) I'd just ignore it. They gave me £8 pro rata refund..so I lost £40.
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In that case, if you back out of cancelling, would the insurance company report you for fraud? Insuring a car you don't own.

Thanks for that interesting story. Quoted £3200 but only paid £2100 seems like a long way down. Granted, the car isn't in top condition, but still.
 
Tigger.ufo said:
No, because they had already charged £48 to cancel it!
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But if he'd kept the insurance going when he'd sold the car, when the policy expired you'd have £0.
This way you have £8.
In my book £8 is better than £0
 
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As mentioned above I sold my car to Webuyanycar. Paid 10350 for it (new) in 2019, sold 3 years later for 10230. On sale online now for £10800, so not a huge mark up.
 
wyx087 said:
Good point about VAT, forgot dealer price includes that.
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Do they charge VAT on the whole price or just on their mark-up? Another reason for their higher-than-private-sale prices is that they have to give some warranty with their cars, not to mention their overheads, advertising etc..
 
Dealer has offered 6k to trade in my Honda estate. Wbac say 3,600.

That's quite a difference.

I'm guessing private sale would be around 8k.
 
I'm guessing dealer want your business and thinks can sell your old car on their lot.

Whereas I get the feeling Tesla will just send a diesel to auction, doesn't really want the hassle. So I got offered £3760 from Tesla, a bit over £5000 from Motorway and carwow. Private sell looks like going to be around £6000.
 
If my memory is correct a dealer pays VAT on the profit from the sale of a vehicle.
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
But if you'd kept the insurance going when you'd sold the car, when the policy expired you'd have £0.
This way you have £8.
In my book £8 is better than £0
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Except if you had just left it running you would get £0 instead of paying out £48 and getting £8 back.

£0 sounds better to me than minus £40
 
wyx087 said:
In that case, if you back out of cancelling, would the insurance company report you for fraud? Insuring a car you don't own.
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No. It's technically some sort of offence but I don't think it's fraud. The most severe penalty an insurer is likely to inflicy is cancelling unexpired cover and possibly retaining premium.

In general, they care less about this than you'd think.
 
wyx087 said:
I'm a member on "Briskoda" forum, but they need donation to list. I've been thinking of sorting out photos this weekend so might list it there instead of Autotrader.

But looking on their for-sale subforum, it looks like stuff being sold is mostly highly desirable racer cars like the VRS variant.

Good point about VAT, forgot dealer price includes that. So £6000 private sale is on the high side and more realistic.


In that case, if you back out of cancelling, would the insurance company report you for fraud? Insuring a car you don't own.

Thanks for that interesting story. Quoted £3200 but only paid £2100 seems like a long way down. Granted, the car isn't in top condition, but still.
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Briscoda. I became aware of them whilst trying to find out how to sort a problem with the previous Octavia my wife had. A very useful website.

Re fraud ? No. I don't do criminality :) I wasn't trying to gain an unlawful advantage but trying to mitigate a loss ...to myself. If the car was subject to a claim it would be under the buyer's insurance. I'm not obliged ,in law, to inform the company I've sold the car. Let's say it had, not 5 months but 2 weeks, left to renewal. Most people wouldn't bother. They'd either already have a new car or would then go about looking for one. When someone trades-in a car then it's just an insurance transfer and there'd be no cancellation fee.

Fraud....

The deliberate use of deception or dishonesty to disadvantage or cause loss (usually financial) to another person or party.

Re the £3200. The car was far from top condition but it had never let me down,nor had it ever let down my wife in tnhe four years she had it. (from new) I loved it. It went down narrow tracks with hedges either...so the risk of bramble scratches .. to get to railway crossing when I went to photograph steam trains..just one example.

My wife doubles up as my secretary...:) when admin is involved ..and she put the details of the Prius onto the website unbeknown to me. She asked me to do it but I said it was a waste of time as they will only give a proper offer after they've inspected,which,as I mentioned the chap didn't do anyway. These quotes are just to get a seller to go to one of their centres..whichever company you go with. The nearest alternative company was in Bristol 40 miles away and I'd have to get to the railway station from wherever the company was..etc etc. Out of interest I called a scrap metal dealer. £200...:D
 
Bobsyeruncle said:
But if he'd kept the insurance going when he'd sold the car, when the policy expired you'd have £0.
This way you have £8.
In my book £8 is better than £0
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Not like that,Bob.

The customer care chap..a misnomer if ever there was one..:)..said. "We owe you £56 but there's a £48 cancellation fee so we'll creit your card with £8. Now don't go and spend it all at once:D ..Ok, he didn't say the last bit.So, you can see why I'd have been better letting it lapse at renewal.

PS.Edit after posting. I'm thinking out that one...:D

Another Ps. I'd already paid it.I pay the full premium at the outset. So, to quote the RSM (army) "as you were" :)
 
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JonathanRyan said:
No. It's technically some sort of offence but I don't think it's fraud. The most severe penalty an insurer is likely to inflicy is cancelling unexpired cover and possibly retaining premium.

In general, they care less about this than you'd think.
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An offence is an offence and defined..in detail and for good reason. Nothing can 'technically' be an offence.

I've Googled and Googled this and nowhere does it address that issue...ie let it expire even if you no longer own the car.
 
Just did a quote on my current insurer: £5000 for new car. Did another quote on comparison website: £1800. Guess I'll be paying the £48 cancellation fee. I should have paid monthly as I was pretty sure I would be getting the new car during this insurance period.
 
JohnC6 said:
Not like that,Bob.

The customer care chap..a misnomer if ever there was one..:)..said. "We owe you £56 but there's a £48 cancellation fee so we'll creit your card with £8. Now don't go and spend it all at once:D ..Ok, he didn't say the last bit.So, you can see why I'd have been better letting it lapse at renewal.

PS.Edit after posting. I'm thinking out that one...:D

Another Ps. I'd already paid it.I pay the full premium at the outset. So, to quote the RSM (army) "as you were" :)
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So you are better off by £8 compared to letting it run.
 
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Bobsyeruncle said:
So you are better off by £8 compared to letting it run.
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Yes. You're right. That makes me feel better. I obviously hadn't thought that through properly. I do have a blind spot on numbers..officially .I was told that after completing an exam that included a section on numeracy.. I hadn't been aware until then. In my 20's.
 
JohnC6 said:
An offence is an offence and defined..in detail and for good reason. Nothing can 'technically' be an offence.

I've Googled and Googled this and nowhere does it address that issue...ie let it expire even if you no longer own the car.
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Ok. You can't insure something in which you don't have an insurable interest. That's the reason I can't insure your life.

www.allianzni.co.uk

Allianz Northern Ireland Insurance (Allianz Insurance plc)

no longer offers private motor, commercial motor or home insurance in Northern Ireland. Instead this service has been ceded to Allianz Insurance p.l.c. (UK)
www.allianzni.co.uk www.allianzni.co.uk

But it's not a criminal offence to do so, just a waste of money. There are some very rare circumstances where people would get pretty miffed if you insured a car you didn't own. But generally not cancelling insurance on a vehicle you used to own because cancellation cost more than not wouldn't bother insurers enough to do anything about it.
 
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JonathanRyan said:
Dealer has offered 6k to trade in my Honda estate. Wbac say 3,600.

That's quite a difference.

I'm guessing private sale would be around 8k.
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Motorway just estimated £7,613. Autotrader are advertising them for between 8 and 9k.
 
I used to be a wannabe car dealer and the best way was always to park it somewhere with a for sale sign on it and people would phone up.

I once sold a fiesta for about £850 when all the crappy dealers and trash websites like webuyanycar were only offering me a pathetic £150.
 
fujilover said:
I used to be a wannabe car dealer and the best way was always to park it somewhere with a for sale sign on it and people would phone up.

I once sold a fiesta for about £850 when all the crappy dealers and trash websites like webuyanycar were only offering me a pathetic £150.
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Haha, interesting approach. Later on, I may try it by parking at nearby commuter spot.

I've done the photos and listed on Briskoda and NextDoor, no takers yet.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Ok. You can't insure something in which you don't have an insurable interest. That's the reason I can't insure your life.

www.allianzni.co.uk

Allianz Northern Ireland Insurance (Allianz Insurance plc)

no longer offers private motor, commercial motor or home insurance in Northern Ireland. Instead this service has been ceded to Allianz Insurance p.l.c. (UK)
www.allianzni.co.uk www.allianzni.co.uk

But it's not a criminal offence to do so, just a waste of money. There are some very rare circumstances where people would get pretty miffed if you insured a car you didn't own. But generally not cancelling insurance on a vehicle you used to own because cancellation cost more than not wouldn't bother insurers enough to do anything about it.
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I do take issue with you on what you've stated.

First off,when you say that no-one can insure anything in which they have no insurable interest, surely, that applies only to those who, for whatever nefarious (I assume) reason, want to do that. You gave the example that you couldn't insure my life.

Infact,in the Allianz link you attached re the definition of what is an insurable interest it states exactly that.

A copy paste after an explanation...'To put this another way, you must have an insurable interest in the property you propose to insure' (my bold)

I'd already insured the car from last July for 12 months and paid the full premium at the time of renewal. I'm going to get back to Bobsyeruncle on this.

Secondly. You say .. "But generally not cancelling insurance on a vehicle you used to own because cancellation cost more than not wouldn't bother insurers enough to do anything about it"

That's my bold.

That infers that there is something they can do about it but they set a bar and only beyond that level would t they take action.

Putting asiude the issue of at what level would they instigate action, on what grounds could they take action ? Not the insurable interest reason. Infact, it sounds to me as though anyone doing that would be committing attempted fraud or if they were paid out, straight fraud.

By allowing a policy to lapse rather than cancel it, no matter what was insured, that is no longer in the possession of the policyholder, has no material impact on the company. It certainly has a material impact on the policyholder to the sum of..from what I've read..£48-55 and in two cases £60. A few don't charge a fee. In a way ,what you're saying is that, in the case of a vehicle insurance lapse rather than a cancellation the policyholder can be penalised for depriving the company of charging a fee for typing in the word 'Cancelled' on the computer and refunding the balance .Infact,the more I think about it the bigger I see it as a rip off.

Anyway.. my main query is...what are the grounds for taking action for those who allow a vehicle policy to lapse despite having sold the vehicle ?
 
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Your logic is different to mine. In cash terms you paid £160 and received an £8 refund ie net £152.

If you did not inform them, your cash outflow should have been £160.

You did not pay an extra £48 in cash.
 
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