trade in versus private sale

[greatnortherncamper]

Hi All,

Looking for a bit of general guidance - we've a 62 plate SE DSG 4motion with a high spec FSH and 40k miles and probably looking to get a newer model T6 or 6.1 in similar spec.

There seems to be an offer on with 9k off new (6.0) models of existing Uk stock which seems (very) tempting?

Question is am i best to sell privately or take trade in - my main probablem is I have no idea what the value of our exisitng van is so its hard to know if the trade ins values I'm being offered (around 28K ) are remotely reasonable ?

One of the other problems is we are in north Scotland so not many local buyers up here....

Any thoughts / guidance etc would be much appreciated both on new deals and secondhand values

 

[Legin]

I would say 30k is an attractive price point to private buyers so not such a hard sell. If you can afford to fund both then you will almost certainly get a chunk more in your pocket.
Stuff the details into WBAC and see what it throws up.

 

[westfalia]

That would be on the dealers forecourt at 38,499.

 

[SailSki]

I considered a similar spec 63 plate T5.1 SE 180 4motion 6 months ago - was up at 43k at a VW dealer but just with an RAC warranty rather than Das Welt warranty.
I ended up with a newer Cali but I saw that this one sold fairly quickly

 

[bbqforce10]

Sell it privately if you can, not the best time of year though.

 

[Seaview]

I’m based in Scotland and recently advertised through this forum and sold my T5.1 privately. I had a lot of enquiries and a waiting list of viewers and it sold very quickly. You have a lot less to lose purchasing an advert slot on here than trading in at a lower price through a dealer. You don’t have as many buyers up here but likewise not as many sellers so it can work out. We now have our T6 and love it!

 

[Alan Andrews]

WBAC values are low in order for vehicles to go to dealer only auction. So expect values to be 30-40% below what you expect....i.e. wbac want to make a profit, in order to sell to a trade dealer who also wants to make a decent profit.

Consider time of year....if it is quiet then there may be some deals available at dealership, but they will need to pass on the trade-in vehicle and make a profit on this.

So at a seasonal quiet time, values are going to be lower.

At a seasonal busy time, then values are going to be higher, and you might get a slightly higher trade in value because the dealer feels that he can pass on your trade in vehicle quicker.

Use the internet to find equivalent vehicles and base your valuation on what you find.

Everyone wants to get a deal, so be prepared to come down around 5% and/or be prepared to trow in some extras.
Tip: Do not include everything in your initial 'For Sale' posting. So that you can add these in or sell privately and separately.

 

[GSX1300R]

WBAC values are low in order for vehicles to go to dealer only auction. So expect values to be 30-40% below what you expect....i.e. wbac want to make a profit, in order to sell to a trade dealer who also wants to make a decent profit.

Consider time of year....if it is quiet then there may be some deals available at dealership, but they will need to pass on the trade-in vehicle and make a profit on this.

So at a seasonal quiet time, values are going to be lower.

At a seasonal busy time, then values are going to be higher, and you might get a slightly higher trade in value because the dealer feels that he can pass on your trade in vehicle quicker.

Use the internet to find equivalent vehicles and base your valuation on what you find.

Everyone wants to get a deal, so be prepared to come down around 5% and/or be prepared to trow in some extras.
Tip: Do not include everything in your initial 'For Sale' posting. So that you can add these in or sell privately and separately.

Webuyanycar is owned by British car Auctions so that gives you some idea where they mainly end up.....Its the job of their buying team to get the price of your vehicle as low as they can get you to go.....If they see you are desperate they will offer you much less than their on line valuation...If you can sell it private then thats the way to go...Anyone willing to spend £30k will almost certainly travel... Just be totally upfront and honest when you give your description then you shouldn't go far wrong....

 

[westfalia]

Have a read here-https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/they-buy-any-cali-dot-com-cali-gone.23538/

 

[WelshGas]

Personally I don’t do Private Sales. I may lose out on the extra cash but I avoid any problems, such as this.

Private Sale Gone Bad

Hi guys the week before last i sold my Scirocco privately to someone. He brought his friend a long who was knowledgeable on cars so it was him who checked it over. They had done an HPI check, took it for a test drive and where overall really happy. We negotiated the price down as it needed...

www.t6forum.com

 

[BeagleMum]

Hi All,

Looking for a bit of general guidance - we've a 62 plate SE DSG 4motion with a high spec FSH and 40k miles and probably looking to get a newer model T6 or 6.1 in similar spec.

There seems to be an offer on with 9k off new (6.0) models of existing Uk stock which seems (very) tempting?

Question is am i best to sell privately or take trade in - my main probablem is I have no idea what the value of our exisitng van is so its hard to know if the trade ins values I'm being offered (around 28K ) are remotely reasonable ?

One of the other problems is we are in north Scotland so not many local buyers up here....

Any thoughts / guidance etc would be much appreciated both on new deals and secondhand values

Private sale inevitably will get you more cash but we never go this route.
We don’t want strangers coming to the house, some of whom may be unscrupulous & may be there with ulterior motives.
A sad indictment of society but unfortunately that’s life these days.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

You will always get more with a private sale.

We purchased ours from the classifieds section on this site with no issues.

Dealer will offer far less as part Ex but then give you an ‘amazing deal’ on a new one, so just a case of looking at the numbers and deciding how long to you want to wait as private sales can sometimes take a while, especially in the run up to Christmas.

 

[HowieDog]

Have bought and sold four Calis privately and numerous other cars over the years. Always be very accurate in the description and service history including any issues or faults. Take a lot of very good photos.

There is always a higher risk then buying/selling through a main dealer but taking sensible precautions can mitigate these to a large degree. Dealer margin is going to be significant and if you’re happy with the cost then that is the route to go.

Vehicles where I have lost the most, even. lower depreciating cars have always been troughs trade.

I tend to take the view that if I save £5-£8k buying private I can set the saving aside in case I have a big bill or buy a newer vehicle that arguably should be more reliable.

 

[HowieDog]

Depending on colour, specifications, desirability, history etc I would probably list it at £34k and look to achieve £32k.

There are many listed in classifieds which are asking unrealistic prices and seem to hang around for months (still depreciating at about £2.5k pa)....

 

[B J G]

I've used WBAC to get a value then used an online site called Tootle who give the vehicle details to Traders only. You say what price you are expecting when booking.
You then get offers which you are free to decline or accept.
I've sold 2 cars this way and got over £1,000 more than WBAC quote each time. One sold within 10mins and the other 2 days.
The buying process is that the Buyer comes, inspects that all is as described, do an instant Bank transfer and take it away after you verify that the money is in your account. No fees to pay at all.

Can't say if as good with more specialist vehicles such as the Cali.

 

[westfalia]

If you do sell it private, make sure that you make a contract these can be
downloaded.
I use ADAC ones, the AA have them also.

Car seller's contract | AA

When you sell a used car privately it's important to provide a 'sold as seen, tried and approved without guarantee' receipt, though you should bear in mind that this doesn't affect the buyer's legal rights. The car must match any description you give in writing or verbally in the course of the sale.

www.theaa.com

 

[Jay20cali]

I think you get a good feel for a person by the seller description and more importantly when chatting on the phone.
The most important thing is to give every detail or fault and be totally honest and transparent.
This way at least you’re happy that you sold them a good vehicle.
Cars break down all the time and things like this happen.
It’s a small risk you have to consider if you’re willing to take the chance and probably be better off financially...
I have bought and sold many cars campers California’s and only once traded a car in just because I really wanted the vehicle I was looking at and didn’t want to loose out.
I also bought many years ago a Renault 5gt turbo
Test drove it all good then drove it home and the turbo blew up!!!!!
Needless to say the seller basically told me to jog on.
I wasn’t happy but how could he have known????

If you want to sell it me until my new order arrives I’ll buy it at the we buy any car price

 

[inthemidnighthour]

Initially we tried to sell our 12 plate privately but had time wasters and people who had no intention of buying just seemed to want a look around a Cali.So went back to the dealer who increased their offer and everything was good again
dave and lisa

 

[Meoncoast]

Being our van is our only "car" we went down the trade-in route yes we could have got more for a private sale but I am happy not to have the hassle of a private buyer. I was happy with the process.