Should i sell my car?

Scatman81

Hey lads im going to Oz for approx one year.I have an 04 Corolla in good nic.I cant make up my mind whether i should try sell it or not or park it up for the time.By the way the car trade is going it will prob worth the same in 12 months time.Any advice?

biggybum

the way he car trade is goin it'll be worth half waht its worth next year. Sell it

Johnboy Mac

Presuming, you don't need the money and it can be parked up safely, keep it. The advantages are, no hassel trying to sell now (market not good) and buying another (will it be as good as your current car?) when you come back.

L-M

It's like everything, it's a gamble. You try sell it now, you waste money on advertising and you sell it at a really **** down price to try ad shift it. €6,000 would be the cheapest on carzone, and i think it should sell fairly quickly at that.

Or you keep it, in hope that the car industry is some what better when you come back.

Questions to ask yourself;
Can you afford to keep it?
Do you have it on finance, what does it owe you now, can you sell it at a rock bottom price and clear the finance?
Do you have somewhere safe you can leave it for the year? What happens if it gets damaged while you are gone, will it be insured? What happens if it is stolen?
If you are to keep it, what will it be costing you on finance if you still have it in a years time?
How long do you have to sell it?
How much will you spend on advertising if you do try to sell it?

There is so much to ask yourself, you need to sit down and think of the pro's and con's of keeping or selling it.

Make sure to take a few precautions when/if you are leaving it for a year. Make sure it's spotless inside with no food or dampness left around so it goes mouldy, etc. etc. I'm sure a few lads on here will be better advised.

Scatman81

Im going in a month so if i decide to sell id say an auction is my only choice and i could take a big hit there.I have a secure place to park it allright.If i decide to keep it should i disconnect the battery?would it be worth getting a cover for it?

Lex Luthor

disconnect the battery and put it up on blocks

My sis in law parked up her starlet for a year while she went off round the world. It was started up about 4-5 times while she was gone and when she got back she had it for about 3 more years

L-M

Lex Luthor wrote: »

disconnect the battery and put it up on blocks

My sis in law parked up her starlet for a year while she went off round the world. It was started up about 4-5 times while she was gone and when she got back she had it for about 3 more years

Blocks? Ie. make it look like it's dumped/abandoned... Lol, I can't say I agree with that.

A-Trak

Limerick man wrote: »

Blocks? Ie. make it look like it's dumped/abandoned... Lol, I can't say I agree with that.

Would have to agree here - why the blocks?

Surely serves no purpose other then stopping the brakes from sticking to the wheel?

galwaytt

If you own it, don't owe anything on it, keep it for a while at least. That way if your trip to Oz goes pear-shaped, you've a car to comeback to.

If Oz works out, get someone at home to sell it for you. The way things are, you'll have toured Oz before a buyer turns up anyway.

If you're going to store it, get someone to at least start, but preferably drive it, occassionally.

Sqaull20

Sell it.

Its a 04 Corolla, im guessing bog standard 1.4?

Plenty of them around and car prices like houses and so on are going to go down and down.If you had a Porsche 968, I would have told you to keep, but you have a Corolla man.Take the money

Scatman81

Im thinking ill keep it, it will prob be worth the same when i get back.Any tips on parking it up? it will be in a secure yard but out in the open.I dont have anyone to start it while im gone does that damage the car?

manta356

If it's gonna be left for a year without moving it would be better to leave the car in gear with the handbrake off,to prevent it seizing on.
Dont forget to put something in front of wheels though:eek:
It would probably be best to disconnect battery too

Scatman81

Just wondering why should i disconnect the battery?Does that not affect the immobiliser?i will have to find the radio codes before i do anything...thanks for your help...

kuro_man

sell it!

If not, get someone to drive it at least once a month.

Would have to agree here - why the blocks?

It might save the tyres, if nothing else.

lifer_sean

Sqaull20 wrote: »

Sell it.

Its a 04 Corolla, im guessing bog standard 1.4?

Plenty of them around and car prices like houses and so on are going to go down and down.If you had a Porsche 968, I would have told you to keep, but you have a Corolla man.Take the money

Prices of cars like this are NOT going down. What makes you think they are ??? Car prices WENT down end of last year and start of this year. Now used models that are in demand are making stronger prices in the auctions than a few months ago. The leasing companies are increasing the prices they are charging for the ex-lease cars. Less new cars being sold, and higher demand for used => prices go up.

If you look at the inflated prices in some large garages, then these prices are dropping because they didn't drop when the market dropped. But these prices are unrealistic anyway. Pick any 03/04/05 1.4 type car on carzone and look at the lower priced ones ... these are not dropping.

OP, keep the car. If you sell it now in a hurry you will get a poor price for it. Then if you come back you will have to buy a car in a hurry so will have to pay a strong price. If you keep it, it will last for years when you come back.

Tea drinker

I'm in the same situation myself - have a 03 passat that I got serviced recently @51k with new rear pads, timing belt, new bridgestones on front (new front pads with last service). New radio going in next week....... and it looks like I will be leaving the country in a month..... ha - ha
I feel like my car phonejacked me

pfft I dunno scatman - will we be back in a year the way things are going?? I'm having a very hard time deciding what to do here!
I'm probably not gonna get a good price on a 1.8t anyway.....
But then what will the car be worth in a year - year and half????
SFA I suspect.

kuro_man

Here's a test:

Decide how much you will realistically clear by selling car.
Ask yourself if you had that cash now and you were leaving the county, would you buy (recently serviced) 1.8L passat or a 1.4 corolla and park it up?
If yes, keep the car. If not, sell it.

C_Dawg

+1 sell it

biggybum

lifer_sean wrote: »

Prices of cars like this are NOT going down. What makes you think they are ??? Car prices WENT down end of last year and start of this year. Now used models that are in demand are making stronger prices in the auctions than a few months ago. The leasing companies are increasing the prices they are charging for the ex-lease cars. Less new cars being sold, and higher demand for used => prices go up.

If you look at the inflated prices in some large garages, then these prices are dropping because they didn't drop when the market dropped. But these prices are unrealistic anyway. Pick any 03/04/05 1.4 type car on carzone and look at the lower priced ones ... these are not dropping.

OP, keep the car. If you sell it now in a hurry you will get a poor price for it. Then if you come back you will have to buy a car in a hurry so will have to pay a strong price. If you keep it, it will last for years when you come back.

No offence but that statement is silly, of course car prices are dropping !! You refer to the lowest prices on Carzone etc, if there that low why are'nt they selling - because the prices are still too high !! If the op can afford to keep it well and good if not now is the time to be shut of it imo. The car market is not going to prosper in the coming year or so, the country is still awash with 2nd hand cars and unless your brain dead you'll shop the country head to toe to save every extra euro you can.

x in the city

Car market here is fubared

Saw a 04 accord albeit an estate for around 2,500e

and the market is not going to improve any time soon

lifer_sean

biggybum wrote: »

You refer to the lowest prices on Carzone etc, if there that low why are'nt they selling - because the prices are still too high !!

Ehh ??? The cheap ones ARE selling, what makes you think they are not ????

Look at the thread here for guys looking for advice on selling their cars. Any who have a run-of-the-mill desirable car and have priced it at the low end on carzone have sold their cars, some within a day or two.

It's the daft dealers who havn't revised their prices in line with the market shift that are not getting any sales.

Re. prices going up - a specific example if you need one. Car hire firms - common source for fresh used cars for the independent dealers - have increased their prices for ex rental 08 cars by 1500 euro since January.

pcardin

Prices are going down by leaps and bounds. It is almost impossible to sell any car over 2k.
Blocks are needed just for one reason - to save tyres. If car stand on the same place for long time and is not being moved it can damage tyres so it is better to put the car on the blocks so the tyrs are not touching ground. It is the same as with bicycle. If you're not driving it for long time is better to hang it on the wall just to save tyres.

L-M

pcardin wrote: »

Prices are going down by leaps and bounds. It is almost impossible to sell any car over 2k.

What? Proof? I hate this crap. No, I can safely tell you, it is not impossible to sell a car over 2k. Now something over 70-80-90k, yah, you could be looking at a harder sale.
,

Scatman81

Tea drinker wrote: »

I'm in the same situation myself - have a 03 passat that I got serviced recently @51k with new rear pads, timing belt, new bridgestones on front (new front pads with last service). New radio going in next week....... and it looks like I will be leaving the country in a month..... ha - ha
I feel like my car phonejacked me

pfft I dunno scatman - will we be back in a year the way things are going?? I'm having a very hard time deciding what to do here!
I'm probably not gonna get a good price on a 1.8t anyway.....
But then what will the car be worth in a year - year and half????
SFA I suspect.

Thats the thing will we be back in a year!?ive decided to keep the Corolla im goin in a month so my only realistic option would be an auction where i would get sfa for it.Id rather let it rot in the back yard then sell it for pittance,though most people are telling me to sell oh i dunno!any buyers!!?:D

kuro_man

You could always post a free ad (adverts.ie, buyandsell etc) and see how it goes - if it sells, it sells. I would say there is always a market in Ireland for a Corolla at the right price.

Tea drinker

meh posted wrong thread