Selling a car that doesn't start?

ShaShaBear

We were royally messed around by a mechanic and had to get a new car, but we are now left with an 09 automatic Renault Modus that needs an engine replaced, still has 1 year of NCT on it and has less than 90k miles on the clock. We got offered a grand total of €65 scrappage for it less than one year after we doled out 5k for it

Can anyone suggest if it would be possible to sell it as it is? Trying to recoup at least a fraction of the costs but I'm not even sure how to go about it. And if it is sellable, where would be the best place to advertise it?

clio_16v

What engine is in it?

jca

What's actually wrong with it?

wexie

You could try put it up on Donedeal (breaking/repairables)

But....someone buying it would either really want it to go through the hassle of putting in a new engine, or be able to put in a new engine and sell it on for a profit.
Neither are particularly likely with a Renault Modus I'd have thought (sorry )

The other alternative is try to sell parts of it (if you're handy enough and have the space to keep it) but I'm not sure that would be a big market either.
Personally I think I'd put it up on DD for a couple hundred and see, you might just find someone in the market for a parts car or something like it.

Are you sure the engine can't be fixed somewhat economically?

weisses

Why not put a new engine in it ?

4-500 for a second hand ?

FishOnABike

weisses wrote: »

Why not put a new engine in it ?

4-500 for a second hand ?

That would seem to be the option which would give the maximum possibility of getting a reasonable return on the car.

Running, with a new NCT (old NCT is worthless with a replacement engine in the car) it could sell privately for 3,500 or possibly a bit more going on what I can see online at the moment.

Not running, the options are very limited as a trade sale, for parts or as a fix-er-upper would be the only real option and that's a much smaller market, especially for a less popular make and model.

colm_mcm

It’s worth nowhere near €3500 fixed. More €1750-2000

EPAndlee

The modus was a good little car as its basically a clio. If your not going to fit an engine then I'd throw it up on done deal for a couple of hundred

RobFowl

Scrap it and try to get a couple of hundred. Low mileage counts for nothing if the engine is buggered.

ShaShaBear

weisses wrote: »

Why not put a new engine in it ?

4-500 for a second hand ?

We tried that.
Bought it from a local garage and took it back to the mechanic at said garage when we got injection fault warnings. He said it was dirty diesel and the following day the car wouldn't start. Electrics are still working when the key is turned, but no life. We had it towed to the same mechanic because he had said it was fine, and he told us the engine was "gone". Cheapest second hand engine suitable for it was €850 for the part alone, and then mechanic suggested reconditioning the engine. After four months of him messing us about, he said it would cost 1500 pound sterling to have it repaired, and he'd need it all up-front to start.

We're in a small town and have tried every mechanic in the area at some point. Good few cowboys and one other who said he is far too busy to take it on.

Scrap offer was at max €75 if we drop it off (which we can't), so I was hoping we could at least get the price of a year's tax on the replacement car as consolation :pac:

colm_mcm

How much will you spend on the replacement car?

ShaShaBear

colm_mcm wrote: »

How much will you spend on the replacement car?

Replacement car was already got, nothing fancy!

clio_16v

Did the mechanic give any specific diagnosis of what is wrong or did he just say engine is gone?

ShaShaBear

clio_16v wrote: »

Did the mechanic give any specific diagnosis of what is wrong or did he just say engine is gone?

He just said the engine was gone. He said before Xmas that someone was going to take the engine apart and try to source the precise issue but all we heard back after hundreds of calls and visits was that it was going to cost a bomb to fix.

clio_16v

ShaShaBear wrote: »

He just said the engine was gone. He said before Xmas that someone was going to take the engine apart and try to source the precise issue but all we heard back after hundreds of calls and visits was that it was going to cost a bomb to fix.

Is it a 1.5dci?