Selling a used car in Ireland guide

JapanZone · 03-07-2014 5:38pm

I'm moving to the UK next month and considering whether to sell my 2011 Mazda Biante here before moving. I brought it back from Japan two years ago (I can't seem to include the URL, but you can read about that on Boards.ie, just search for "Biante"), and didn't have to pay VRT/VAT on it. I don't particularly want to sell it now, but the cash would come in handy during the move.

It's been suggested by a couple of people, based on the fact that prices here are generally a good bit higher than across the water, that it would be a good idea to sell it here. It's hard to figure out what I could ask for it, as it seems to be the only one in either country! But I would sell it for more than I'd have to pay for a similar car (Ford Galaxy, Citroen C4 Grand Picasso) in the UK.

FYI, it's a 2.0L, automatic, petrol, 27k on the clock. Tax (€750) and NCT until August.

I'm thinking of driving it over to Joe Duffy Mazda to see what they say before looking at the usual ways of selling it (word of mouth, Donedeal, Carzone, etc)

Any thoughts?

L-M · 03-07-2014 5:55pm

I think it would be impossible to sell, not only the fact it's something no one (I thought you were joking about the name) has ever heard of it, plus the fact it's 2011 and plus the fact it's petrol!

You may have a better chance of actually selling it in the UK, as for money, who knows.

JapanZone · 03-07-2014 6:11pm

@LimerickMan, I hear what you're saying. But you'll see from the thread I had about importing it in the first place that its "uniqueness" hasn't been a drawback so far in terms of tax and insurance. It hasn't needed any repairs yet. The big unknown for me was how hard it'd be to sell on, so I planned to just drive it till it died.

But since then I've wondered about its resale value - hardly a day goes by without someone saying they like the car or asking where I got it. Not the same as actually offering to buy it, I know, but it's only now that I'd think to follow up with a "Funny you should ask..." Someone yesterday suggested trying to flog it to a taxi company - taxi drivers drool over it.

As I said, I'm not mad keen to sell it, it's a great car. So my main point was to find out what people think about its value here as opposed to in the UK. Here = higher prices. There = bigger market. And bringing it over also means going on the ferry rather than flying, which has its pros and cons.

L-M · 03-07-2014 7:31pm

Advertise it on a Uk site while you're here, loads do it.

Just out of curiosity, how much do you think it'll fetch?

Another option would be bringing it to an auction, put a reserve and see what it makes.

JapanZone · 03-07-2014 8:15pm

Limerick man wrote: »

Advertise it on a Uk site while you're here, loads do it.

That occurred to me as I read this thread.

Limerick man wrote: »

Just out of curiosity, how much do you think it'll fetch?

I really have no idea. Not only is it not sold outside Asia but it's petrol & auto, so the models I can compare it with are even more limited. The unknown factor (for me anyway, not knowing anything about cars) is whether its rarity would add value. As I said, if I could get a bit more than I'd have to pay for something similar in the UK, I'd be happy. I've seen a similar spec Citroen Picasso or Ford C-Max going for less than £12,000 (€15,000) on Autotrader.

Limerick man wrote: »

Another option would be bringing it to an auction, put a reserve and see what it makes.

Hadn't thought of that.

booth70 · 26-07-2014 10:46am

Would auto traders normally buy a second hand car off a private customer?
I am not talking about a trade in.

I am looking to sell my car quickly and was wondering whether you can take the car to a auto garage and sell it to them direct if they are interested?...... and would the price be considerably lesser that what you would get from a private sale via carzone etc

peaceboi · 26-07-2014 11:26am

Have my wife's car listed on Donedeal this morning, would like to have any pointers please.

http://www.cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2008-toyota-yaris-1-3-petrol-luna-automatic/7369536

2008 Toyota Yaris 1.3 Automatic 40600 km.
Thanks

MidlandsM · 26-07-2014 12:03pm

booth70 wrote: »

Would auto traders normally buy a second hand car off a private customer?
I am not talking about a trade in.

I am looking to sell my car quickly and was wondering whether you can take the car to a auto garage and sell it to them direct if they are interested?...... and would the price be considerably lesser that what you would get from a private sale via carzone etc

Yes. If at the right price.

colm_mcm · 27-07-2014 12:49am

peaceboi wrote: »

Have my wife's car listed on Donedeal this morning, would like to have any pointers please.

http://www.cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2008-toyota-yaris-1-3-petrol-luna-automatic/7369536

2008 Toyota Yaris 1.3 Automatic 40600 km.
Thanks

Get a test on it.

Those wheel trims won't help it sell (that said the automatic yaris market is small so you have little competition)

You need better pictures and more of them.

I would suggest a rewording of the ad:

2008 Toyota Yaris 1.3 Luna Multimode
This is the more desirable 4 cylinder 1.3 engine, which still qualifies for €280 tax.

Multimode 5 speed gearbox allows for fully automatic gear changes or gears can be shifted up/down manually if you prefer. Fuel economy is identical to the manual version.

Spec includes:
ABS/EBD,
Front/side/knee/curtain airbags,
Remote central locking,
Electric windows
Heated electric mirrors
Uprated CD system with MP3 playback and wheel controls
Leather steering wheel
Colour coded bumpers/handles/mirrors

Car has a full service history and has 4 new tyres
We bought the car in [xxxx] from [xxxx]
There is no finance owing on the car and any inspection is welcome

iwantmydinner · 29-07-2014 11:30am

Hi guys, quick question as I go to sell my car. I am still paying off the credit union loan I used to buy it (selling because I've moved to Dublin and no longer need her). Obviously, I plan to clear the loan asap with the proceeds of sale. Will this cause an issue?? Should I flag it to potential buyers?

L-M · 29-07-2014 1:33pm

iwantmydinner wrote: »

Hi guys, quick question as I go to sell my car. I am still paying off the credit union loan I used to buy it (selling because I've moved to Dublin and no longer need her). Obviously, I plan to clear the loan asap with the proceeds of sale. Will this cause an issue?? Should I flag it to potential buyers?

Is it finance or a personal loan?

If it's finance you should not sell the car until it's cleared, if you must sell the car you need to get a personal loan and clear the finance, then sell the car.

If it's a personal loan it's fine as the loan sticks with you, not the car.

bazz26 · 29-07-2014 3:05pm

Normally Credit Unions do not offer loans where the asset (car in this case) is secured against the loan. Where they offer a secured loan it is usually on the borrowers savings with them rather than what you borrowed the money for. Best thing to do though is consult with your Credit Union for clarity.

iwantmydinner · 29-07-2014 3:54pm

It's a personal loan. Thanks a mill for the replies.

L-M · 29-07-2014 9:10pm

iwantmydinner wrote: »

It's a personal loan. Thanks a mill for the replies.

Yeah, they'll come looking for you and you'll be held responsible, where as car finance they can repossess the car.

booth70 · 30-07-2014 2:04pm

I am in the process of selling our car.The car is registered in my wife's name.She is out of the country and we are in the process of relocating

Can I sell the car on her behalf?.....Can I sign the seller/owner section of the VLC on her behalf?..... I have a letter signed by her authorising me to sell the car....Is that enough?

When you sell a car how do you deal with your insurance company?.......do you have to inform them BEFORE the sale is made or do you just call them up and inform them that the car has been sold....I am the additional driver on her insurance policy for the car....Is it okay that I call the insurance company about the sale or does she have to do it herself?

If we are selling to a motor dealer I presume we use form RF 105 rather than the VLC?

L-M · 30-07-2014 3:45pm

You can sell it for her as long as she has signed it... I'm sure she will trust you to do so on her behalf.

As for the insurance, she will need to ring them to cancel the policy.

The VLC will be required for a private sale and the dealer will require it if you trade it.

booth70 · 30-07-2014 4:37pm

Limerick man wrote: »

You can sell it for her as long as she has signed it... I'm sure she will trust you to do so on her behalf.

As for the insurance, she will need to ring them to cancel the policy.

The VLC will be required for a private sale and the dealer will require it if you trade it.

Thanks very much

She hasn't signed the VLC form as she is not in Ireland but she has sent a letter authorising me to sell it.... Will that do?

As for the insurance she can call them directly from back home so that should not be a problem

colm_mcm · 30-07-2014 6:53pm

It only an issue if it goes pear-shaped. Its not strictly legal to sign her name on the book but 99% of times nobody will care.

ladystarlight · 03-08-2014 12:09pm

Hi, i´m new, i am about to buy a car in Dublin but i live in Dundalk, so if i buy and drive the car home am i insured? I don´t want to leave the car at the sellers place till i get all this insurance stuff sorted, hope someone can help me, thanks

bazz26 · 03-08-2014 1:55pm

You need to arrange with your insurance company cover before hand by giving them the registration of the new car. You have to sort the insurance stuff first to be insured to drive the car otherwise how are the insurance company to know what car you are insuring?

colm_mcm · 03-08-2014 1:57pm

ladystarlight wrote: »

Hi, i´m new, i am about to buy a car in Dublin but i live in Dundalk, so if i buy and drive the car home am i insured? I don´t want to leave the car at the sellers place till i get all this insurance stuff sorted, hope someone can help me, thanks

If you get someone who doesn't own the car (ie not you) to drive the car home for you, they should be covered on their insurance to drive other cars 3rd party

Do you have an insurance policy on another car already

ladystarlight · 03-08-2014 2:09pm

Hi thanks for reply, i want to view and buy the car today, and i dont have any insurance, sorry my first time buying and inusuring a car so bear with me asking stupid questions, i already asked the seller if he might drive the car home for me but he didnt seem happy to do that

rocky · 03-08-2014 2:15pm

You can buy insurance online, try 123.ie, chill.ie, aviva, fbd

What car is it? It probably won't be cheap as a first insurance.

ladystarlight · 03-08-2014 2:22pm

no expensive and i have a learner permit so that hurts, its a opel corsa 2002 new nct, 70.000 miles, costs 1790, its on donedeal, saw it this morning and have to buy cause afraid it will be gone

bazz26 · 03-08-2014 2:38pm

Seems expensive to me for a 12 year old Corsa. I certainly would not rush into buying it despite what story the seller might spin you about it selling fast.

You would nearly buy a Yaris for that money which is way superior.

ladystarlight · 03-08-2014 2:55pm

Corsa´s cost that much and it 12 years old, but they are good cars and i dont like yaris, looks like a elephant shoe, was my plan viewing it today because as i said afraid it might be gone otherwise, still don´t check this insurance thing, you cant insure a car before you view it, and if you buy it and hand over the money you have to trust the seller, what if someone from Donegal buys a car in Galway? They cant take it home, have to first insure it and drive all the way back again and hope the sellers no dodgy guy thats gone with the money

rocky · 03-08-2014 2:59pm

You can get quotes online, after you view and buy, can either call the insurance company to activate the insurance, or buy online from your phone...

ladystarlight · 03-08-2014 3:16pm

Dont think insurance companys work today or tomorrow, just concerned if i hand over the money and and say i´ll pick up the car in a few days that the seller might be gone with the car and the money

bazz26 · 03-08-2014 5:06pm

ladystarlight wrote: »

Corsa´s cost that much and it 12 years old, but they are good cars and i dont like yaris, looks like a elephant shoe, was my plan viewing it today because as i said afraid it might be gone otherwise, still don´t check this insurance thing, you cant insure a car before you view it, and if you buy it and hand over the money you have to trust the seller, what if someone from Donegal buys a car in Galway? They cant take it home, have to first insure it and drive all the way back again and hope the sellers no dodgy guy thats gone with the money

No they don't, here are few examples of 2003 Corsas for less:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/opel-corsa/7156715
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/opel-corsa-for-sale/7415635

Also surely a deposit will hold the car with the seller until you sort out your insurance in a few days, any decent seller should have no problem with this. If you think the seller is dodgy then why would you want to buy a car from them in the first place? Plus don't you want a mechanic to check the car out before buying?

L-M · 03-08-2014 7:24pm

That chap buys and sells cars, so just make sure everything checks out ok.

ladystarlight · 03-08-2014 10:26pm

I bought the car, wish me luck, can´t start driving cause first have to get the insurance and road tax thing sorted, that will take a few days, the seller even drove me home in my new car

marco_polo · 12-08-2014 1:58am

Very unsure over where to price a Focus that has a few issues. It is a 1.6L petrol 5 door Zetec with aproximately 105K on the clock (more on this below), NCT to 05/2015 and Tax to 11/2014.

Few issues which will have a big impact on resale value but I don't want to give it away either.

1) Biggest one is that the instrument cluster replaced in 2009 by official ford dealer, currently 55K on the new one, I still have invoice proving the work but rang the garage in question and they have 0.0 miles on record as the milage for my car at the time. :mad: Was about 48-49K on the clock when it went but only my word for that it seems. Only prior evidence I would have is a form when I imported it in 2006 with which has a record of 27K miles on the clock. (There will be full disclosure of this in ad)

2) Would have serviced it fairly regularly with independant garages, but again can only find a few of the more recent ones.

3) Maybe 3-4 separate dents around the bodywork, inflicted by a mixture of me, the missus ans others

, driver side mirror that can't be folded and non working rear wiper motor.

I am thinking that if it were perfect I'd probably get around the 2K mark, but with all of the above would something in the region of 1,250 be fair enough (For me and potential buyer?), or is it likely they would still run a mile given the above.

Bit silly to not have kept better service documentation, but until a change in recent circumstances which will require a bigger car I had full intended on driving it untill the wheels fell off.

L-M · 12-08-2014 8:13pm

What year is it?

marco_polo · 12-08-2014 8:57pm

Limerick man wrote: »

What year is it?

Doh

, 2003, I had it in a earlier draft of the post.

L-M · 12-08-2014 11:03pm

The main concern would be the fact it's a 1.6, lots of younger folks would prefer the 1.4.

Ask 2250, flaws and all. It's easy drop, you can't go back up.

FreudianSlippers · 13-08-2014 12:14pm

I've had no traction on adverts, but I'm ready to sell my car in the coming weeks so I'm going to put it on donedeal and autotrader this weekend.

The price seems reasonable in comparison to some others I have seen advertised, but I would appreciate input nonetheless!

http://www.adverts.ie/5651702

wannabegard · 13-08-2014 3:00pm

Iv had the ad for my car up about 2 weeks now. Iv had no calls at all about it. 2004 vw polo, fully ncts taxed for 6 months and iv put the price around 2,700 but im willing to go as low as 2,400. Any advice on how to get it sold.

bazz26 · 13-08-2014 3:49pm

FreudianSlippers wrote: »

I've had no traction on adverts, but I'm ready to sell my car in the coming weeks so I'm going to put it on donedeal and autotrader this weekend.

The price seems reasonable in comparison to some others I have seen advertised, but I would appreciate input nonetheless!

http://www.adverts.ie/5651702

Your asking price needs reviewing imo, this is what you are up against:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Scirocco/SCIROCCO-SPORT/201427225100368/

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Scirocco/%28REDUCED%29-SCIROCCO/201416223260338/

Also here is one a year younger from a main dealer, take into account a cash buyer will probably pay less for it and it will probably come with a 6 month warranty, it makes your 09 private sale look very expensive:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Scirocco/Scirocco-2.0TDI/61214051026316520/

FreudianSlippers · 13-08-2014 4:23pm

bazz26 wrote: »

Your asking price needs reviewing imo, this is what you are up against:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Scirocco/SCIROCCO-SPORT/201427225100368/

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Scirocco/%28REDUCED%29-SCIROCCO/201416223260338/

Also here is one a year younger from a main dealer, take into account a cash buyer will probably pay less for it and it will probably come with a 6 month warranty, it makes your 09 private sale look very expensive:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volkswagen/Scirocco/Scirocco-2.0TDI/61214051026316520/

Thanks for the input. What do you think is a realistic ask/take on this given the competition? I've been given a trade-in price of €13,500, so I'd ideally like to get at least €14,500 for it if I was selling it privately.

Should I just go for the trade?

bazz26 · 13-08-2014 4:54pm

Trade-in prices can be a distorted view on the value of your car as the trade-in price is very much dependent on what you are trading it in against rather than the real world selling price. Realistically your probably not getting €13500 for it as the dealer is probably adding a bit onto the newer car in order to make the trade-in price look more attractive.

I would shop around and see what sort of trade-in price you would get against a similar car being sold by a different garage. If you are not happy with the trade-in price then you will need to take the above examples of similar private sellers on board. Remember that when it comes to a private sale I would not put an asking price too far out of reach of what you are really expecting to get for it. Nobody looking at your car for €17k will expect to negotiate €1500 or €2000 off a private sale asking price so they just look elsewhere. If you have time on your hands and no pressure to sell I'd change the asking price down to €14500 and see if anyone bites, review it after 2 or 3 weeks and drop a little more. Remember with the end of year approaching and your car becoming nearly a year older you will see it's value drop more especially when trading in.

Another thing is now you can do your NCT at any time and the cert will be two years from past date, this can make your car more attractive to a buyer. If the car is running fine then it may be worth putting a fresh 2 year NCT on it. Also forget about advertising it on adverts.ie, it's out of most viewers price range over there and all you will attract is messors offering half your asking price or looking to swap. Stick it on donedeal.ie or carzone.ie where there is a wider audience.

FreudianSlippers · 13-08-2014 4:58pm

bazz26 wrote: »

Trade-in prices can be a distorted view on the value of your car as the trade-in price is very much dependent on what you are trading it in against rather than the real world selling price. Realistically your probably not getting €13500 for it as the dealer is probably adding a bit onto the newer car in order to make the trade-in price look more attractive.

I would shop around and see what sort of trade-in price you would get against a similar car being sold by a different garage. If you are not happy with the trade-in price then you will need to take the above examples of similar private sellers on board. Remember that when it comes to a private sale I would not put an asking price too far out of reach of what you are really expecting to get for it. Nobody looking at your car for €17k will expect to negotiate €1500 or €2000 off a private sale asking price so they just look elsewhere. If you have time on your hands and no pressure to sell I'd change the asking price down to €14500 and see if anyone bites, review it after 2 or 3 weeks and drop a little more. Remember with the end of year approaching and your car becoming nearly a year older you will see it's value drop more especially when trading in.

Another thing is now you can do your NCT at any time and the cert will be two years from past date, this can make your car more attractive to a buyer. If the car is running fine then it may be worth putting a fresh 2 year NCT on it. Also forget about advertising it on adverts.ie, it's out of most viewers price range over there and all you will attract is messors offering half your asking price or looking to swap. Stick it on donedeal.ie or carzone.ie where there is a wider audience.

Much appreciated!

Ave Sodalis · 17-08-2014 3:23pm

Hi,
Just a quick question, I'm wondering what's going wrong so far.
I have my Fiat Punto up on Done Deal and the Dealer and I've had two enquiries but neither have gotten back to me. In the ad I say that it has neither tax nor NCT and I've dropped the price due to this. Both have asked for scapes/rust/dents and when the NCT was up. I told them about two scrapes on passenger side, neither of which are deep and a speck of rust at the edge of bonnet. I was also honest about the NCT, saying it was a few months ago due to the fact I only used to the car around the house and driveway to practice on and knew I was going to sell once I passed my test.

Is it something to do with the NCT being up a few months ago? Or were they just being curious?

bazz26 · 17-08-2014 3:31pm

Buyers will ring about lots of adverts before deciding if one is worth a look. However, when you have someone on the phone try and focus on the positives of your car rather all the negatives. Yes be honest with questions they ask but after answering their questions you need to start talking up your car and it's good points. You have to try and convince a potential buyer that while the car is not perfect it is still worth coming to view.

I would also remove the part about not having insurance on it, that has nothing to do with selling it. A fresh NCT would also make it a more attractive buy or at least a fail sheet for any potential buyer so that they have a fair idea what they need to do for it to pass rather than just taking a gamble.

Ave Sodalis · 17-08-2014 3:33pm

bazz26 wrote: »

Buyers will ring about lots of adverts before deciding if one is worth a look. However, when you have someone on the phone try and focus on the positives of your car rather all the negatives. Yes be honest with questions they ask but after answering their questions you need to start talking up your car and it's good points. You have to try and convince a potential buyer that while the car is not perfect it is still worth coming to view.

I would also remove the part about not having insurance on it, that has nothing to do with selling it. A fresh NCT would also make it a more attractive buy or at least a fail sheet for any potential buyer so that they have a fair idea what they need to do for it to pass rather than just taking a gamble.

Opps, sorry I meant NCT, not insurance! I'll edit that now.

L-M · 24-08-2014 11:37pm

Is it expensive? That's usually why a car won't sell.

Ave Sodalis · 25-08-2014 12:40pm

Limerick man wrote: »

Is it expensive? That's usually why a car won't sell.

Was this for me?
Nope, it wasn't expensive and the price is shown on every ad I've put up.

colm_mcm · 25-08-2014 8:36pm

sup_dude wrote: »

Was this for me?
Nope, it wasn't expensive and the price is shown on every ad I've put up.

Can you post a link to the ad if you don't mind?

Ave Sodalis · 25-08-2014 10:12pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

Can you post a link to the ad if you don't mind?

Hi, car's gone now but I can still post it if you like, in case someone else is looking?

colm_mcm · 25-08-2014 10:24pm

Ah no, you're grand, congrats on the sale.

dodzy · 27-08-2014 8:58am

lads, out of interest, I'd be keen on your input on the sale value of a 2005 Jimny, 1328cc, Blue, mint, genuine 35K, only on 2nd owner, NCT till Oct 2015. I'm reckoning about the €4250 mark ?

Selling a used car in Ireland guide

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