I ordered a green hatch vRS TDi on 7th November and finally the build week as been confirmed as BW8, with a predicted delivery date of March 10th (or thereabouts).  I currently have an Alfa Romeo MiTo Cloverleaf with 34,000 miles on the clock with outstanding finance of £7,500.  A check on Auto Trader and Pistonheads shows similar private sale examples between £8-9k.

 

In the past, I have always taken the lazy route and part-exed my old car for the new one, but when negotiating the deal on the vRS Skoda adamantly refused to give me a good price on the Alfa, although I appreciate the residules are horrific.  Skoda have agreed to give me £100 over the early settlement figure, so at the moment they'd be valuing my car around £7,600 (this has improved the longer Skoda have taken to deliver my vRS).

 

My MiTo is due a service at 36,000.  My daily commute to Guildford is 40-odd miles each way, so being without a car will be a ballache but can be done.  The dealer has said they *might* be able to give me a loan car for a couple of days before the Octavia is ready.   As I've never sold a car before, any help with the following would be a big help:

 

• Would you bother selling in this circumstance?  (I guess this is a personal choice, but I'd be interested to know opinions).
• Any good websites/mags etc. to sell?  I've heard of Pistonhead/AutoTrader, but any others?
• Is it viable to sell a car with a service looming?  (Appreciate this will give the buyer some negotiating power if so)
• Do people buy a car secondhand but arrange a subsequent pick-up date, or do they want to collect there and then?
• How does it work with outstanding finance i.e.: how do I demonstrate to the buyer my intention to settle the finance!
• Would anyone in the Sussex/Surrey area like to lend me a vRS (preferable a blue hatch) for the next month or so?

Any other tips would be much appreciated! 

 

P.S.: Will the blue vRS estate on the M25/A3 some mornings please slow down so I can get a closer look?  Thanks.

• Would you bother selling in this circumstance?  (I guess this is a personal choice, but I'd be interested to know opinions). - If there's not much difference then I would just trade in for the hassel factor or lack there of
  
• Any good websites/mags etc. to sell?  I've heard of Pistonhead/AutoTrader, but any others? Lately webuyanycar has been OK for valuations
  
• Is it viable to sell a car with a service looming?  (Appreciate this will give the buyer some negotiating power if so) - Selling then may be better to service, trading in = no chance
  
• Do people buy a car secondhand but arrange a subsequent pick-up date, or do they want to collect there and then? Collect there and then, assuming the money has been exchanged!
  
• How does it work with outstanding finance i.e.: how do I demonstrate to the buyer my intention to settle the finance! Not sure, a, how to and b, if you are required to.
  
• Would anyone in the Sussex/Surrey area like to lend me a vRS (preferable a blue hatch) for the next month or so? - N/A
  

Thank you for the reply.  WeBuyAnyCar values my car at £5,something, so no joy there unfortunately!  Fortunately, the car won't be due a service by trade in date so trade in will mean it doesn't need servicing (due at 36k)...  I am leaning towards trade-in but that is the lazy option, and if I can find the right buyer for the Alfa, it's probably worth £1k+ over the trade in value.

Autotrader will get you a load of calls from other advertising companies, ebay believe it or not, will get you a load of communication from real buyers, whether any of them want to give you more than trade in is what only they can tell you, try it you've got a little while, if it don't come off just trade it in.  Only costs a tenner to list on .99p auction, I'm sure you've gotta friend who can put a safty bid on for you, which will save you paying for a reserve.  Make sure you put your mobile number inthe listing, you'll get far more communication that way.

 

Regards

T

ouch , ignore webuyanycar then! for me it's been pretty good as a basis to negotiate the trade in value again my vRS.

Webuyanycar are shocking, would avoid like the plague unless you are VERY desperate!,  (there is enough negative press about them), just got a quote for my car, came back at £8780, private sale £13K ono.

 

Personally speaking I would sell the car via Ebay/Autotrader/Pistonheads/Gumtree etc (just watch out for all the numpty scammers who want to pay with paypal annd collect the car etc, AVOID.

 

If you stick it on for £8500 and it sells for £8K, after your £70 Autotrader/Ebay fees you will be left £330 better off, its upto you to decide if you think a few hours work is worth the money, if it sells for more than £8k.................

 

Personal preference, if it was me and it was going to be less than £400 I would not bother, over that figure and yes I would do it myself

Do you need to sell the car to get a deposit for the VRS?

 

My last car (and this one) as I have paid over 50%, I just handed back to the finance company. There is nothing thye can do about it as it is part of the terms for can finance.

Youur credit r

 

My last car (and this one) as I have paid over 50%, I just handed back to the finance company. There is nothing thye can do about it as it is part of the terms for can finance.

Think of your credit report like Ebay feedback, Paying on time and in full is Positive, defaulting is Negative, VT'ing your car is a Neutral, it is placed on your credit record that you have done that, lots of finance companies will NOT lend to people who have had a VT on their record as basically your removing half of their profit margin (Which they do NOT like).

I'm in a similar position.  My car is up on Autotrader at the moment but I've had no interest.  I'm thinking that px is the best way, drive the car in and drive a new one out.  No faffing with "the general public" - it's got a scratch on it, My wife doesn't like the colour, would you take £3k for cash, etc.

 

We Buy Any Car were offering me a little over what the Skoda px value was at the time of order, now (six months later) it's £5.5k which is less than the agreed px value.

 

Unless someone walks up to  me and offers £7k I think I'll just px.

When I read this post I asked myself a question, would I buy a car that had outstanding finance? the answer was no,

 

from parker's guide http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/advice/selling/archive/Buying-a-used-car-with-outstanding-finance/

 

You will need to check with the finance company if you have the right to sell the car and then settle the finance.

 

Youur credit r

 

Think of your credit report like Ebay feedback, Paying on time and in full is Positive, defaulting is Negative, VT'ing your car is a Neutral, it is placed on your credit record that you have done that, lots of finance companies will NOT lend to people who have had a VT on their record as basically your removing half of their profit margin (Which they do NOT like).

I have done this on my last two cars.

the first was a Peugeot which is when I bought my first Skoda. The second was this time round to buy my second Skoda.

This has all been done within 5 years.

I keep an eye on my credit report, and it does not seem to have been an issue.

 

It is most likely I will do it again with my next car, however I would always make sure I had the new finance in place prior to agreeing to hand the car back.

 

I am not saying this is the best way to do things, but it helps me get rid of negative equity as I usually run the cars to high mileage.

That's exactly what I'm doing with my C4 VTS. It's worth around £3k private and settlement is around £4k. Makes no sense to not hand it back, especially as already been approved for finance on vRS. Had any problems handing it back?

I dislike selling privately what with all the time wasters,tyre kickers and scammers but if you can deal with the agro you will certainly do better than part ex.

 

I have just part exed my 54 plate octavia vrs with low miles  for a new vrs and they gave me £2250, then to my complete annoyance I see it advertised on their forecourt for £4990, don't think it will sell for that but one hell of a mark up, I feel ripped off !

 

Very difficult selling privately if you don't know when your new car will be available to you and you could find yourself without transport for weeks.

 

Good luck with your sale and enjoy the new car,

I had a similar dilemma last July when negotiating to buy my new Octy 3. I opted to part ex my Honda Insight with the Skoda dealer who offered me a reasonable price, forecasting ahead to the probable delivery date of my new car.

This meant I could continue driving right up until handover time, have no problems trying to sell it, could have my deposit arranged and pick up a fairly hefty cheque for the difference at the same time as collecting my new car !

I did notice though, that afterwards my old car was advertised for £2000 more than they gave me, but Glass's Guide listed it at £150 LESS than Skoda gave, so I didn't feel so shafted, and overall I reckon it was the best option for me.

JKW

That's exactly what I'm doing with my C4 VTS. It's worth around £3k private and settlement is around £4k. Makes no sense to not hand it back, especially as already been approved for finance on vRS. Had any problems handing it back?

no problems at all. just bear in mind that although the finance on your old car will stop straight away, they may take upto four weeks to come and collect and in that time the car must still be insured and taxed.

 

As I thought my old car might be outside my house, I actually took it to the auction house as it is only 20 minutes away.

When I read this post I asked myself a question, would I buy a car that had outstanding finance? the answer was no,

 

from parker's guide http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/advice/selling/archive/Buying-a-used-car-with-outstanding-finance/

 

You will need to check with the finance company if you have the right to sell the car and then settle the finance.

 

There's no problem with selling a car with finance as long as you're open about it with potential buyers. I sold my last vRS with the balance still owing and got the buyers to pay off the finance themselves and give me the balance of the sale proceeds. That way they knew it had been paid and so did I (I confirmed with VW finance that it was cleared before handing over the car).

 

Maybe I've just got an honest face 

Thank you for the advice.  The part-ex offer gives me £100 over the early settlement figure (circa £7,500), so no sense in handing it back to Alfa - especially as no doubt I will be using Alfa Romeo finance again in the future!

 

The car is up on Gumtree and will be added to Ebay and AutoTrader at the weekend.  I won't hold my breath, but I think it's worth a go provided I can get £750+ over trade in price.

 

I'm guessing I'm not allowed to post a link to my Gumtree ad, but if anyone wants to take a look at the first search result from "Alfa Romeo Mito Cloverleaf" and give me some feedback on improving the ad, please feel free!!  (I know I messed up the orientation of the photos....).

Wife would like one of these. Any good, honestly?? 

i had similiar with mine, i got an agreed P/X price for my vRS, but it was a lot lower than i was thinking. as i had a few weeks to wait until delivery i put it up on Gumtree and preloved. doesnt cost anything and i had time to waste. got a few enquires though also got a few scammers get in contact. in the end i came across a garage actively seeking vRS estates. went to see them and they offered nearly double the P/X price.

 

it was a car they new they could turn around quickly and make a small profit on. worked out well for me. once i had the cash i just contacted my skoda dealer and said it would be a cash deposit not a P/X, he amended the paper work.

 

a little effort that paid off very well for me.

Tricky Red - MiTo is a superb car, especially the Cloverleaf.  The performance is fantastic, and huge amounts of pulling power, considering engine and economy.  Put your foot hard down at 70mph and you'll be over the ton in a flash.  Alfa reliability has undoubtedly improved, BUT I have suffered:

 

• Unglued heater switch
• Leaking rear shocks
• Leaking cylinder heads
• Persistant blown headlamps/foglamps

That said, the magic of owning an Alfa makes up for this.  The leaking parts were sorted by manufacturer under the warranty, and for what I paid I've been very very impressed with the car.  Competent on the motorway and around town, a demon on A roads. 

 

It's very true what Top Gear say of an Alfa - I'd buy another one all day long, but I wouldn't recommend one to a friend!

 

Update on my situation - got a quote from a local We Buy Any Car trader.  They've offered £8,250, which I've accepted.  My vRS is now confirmed as built and on it's way to the ferry.  Excited is an understatement.

Many thanks for that, much appreciated. 

 

Honest assessment