Is it we buy any car time???

[Wacko74]

Evening all

I hope everyone is ready for Santa

So I have a dilemma
I’m hopefully getting a company car after Christmas so it’s time to let the ML go after 11 long years
It’s been a great car and I will be sad to see it go
But here’s the dilemma
As discussed in one of my previous posts there seems to be an issue with juddering when it comes to a stop in drive and all thoughts point to the torque converter
I’ve looked into getting it done but it’s not cheap unless I go down the used parts route which is risky
So do I just send it to its death down the we buy any car route
Given it’s a 2009 and just run in at 186k with full specialist service history

 

[W1ghty]

Evening all

I hope everyone is ready for Santa

So I have a dilemma
I’m hopefully getting a company car after Christmas so it’s time to let the ML go after 11 long years
It’s been a great car and I will be sad to see it go
But here’s the dilemma
As discussed in one of my previous posts there seems to be an issue with juddering when it comes to a stop in drive and all thoughts point to the torque converter
I’ve looked into getting it done but it’s not cheap unless I go down the used parts route which is risky
So do I just send it to its death down the we buy any car route
Given it’s a 2009 and just run in at 186k with full specialist service history

Might be worth some pics on here ? Maybe someone who is capable of doing the work themselves might be willing to pay more to buy it ?
I would guess if you fixed it properly you still wouldn’t get much for a car with that mileage/age .

 

[Wacko74]

I may give it a go on here
I know with no issues it’s going to be around the £3.5k but the WBAC and motorway are starting around £1650 before they start the knockdown routine cause I may have passed wind in it

 

[jotter22]

Did you do the online quote from WBAC? If so be prepared to have your pants pulled down! even if you told 100% truth to the questions asked, My online quote was £1295 for my CLK 320 cabriolet but. as soon as i got there the guy wanted to hear it run (but no driving) he also wanted me to operate the hood after telling them on the form the hood mechanism had a minor issue so after some puffing and blowing we went in the office and he pulled out a tablet and started typing! He then said in a very cheerful voice my new offer and what i would be leaving with today would be £545.00. I wont write on here my reply but left him in no doubt that £545.00 was not going to buy it! I actually wanted to punch the guy but all that ends well sold on here to a chap for his son who after spending a few hours cleaning and repairing the minor hood fault sent me a picture and i wish i had never let it go! but glad the lad is loving it.

Thanks Tony.

 

[Wacko74]

Hi Tony

Yeah online quotes from WBAC and Motorway
I expect if I go down that route it would be a pants down event

 

[SpikyMikey]

Hi Tony

Yeah online quotes from WBAC and Motorway
I expect if I go down that route it would be a pants down event

Not so much so with Motorway in my experience...but definitely a given with WBAC

 

[markjay]

WBAC car auction the cars they buy as-is, I.e. they don't fix any issues, and so they only care about things that a trade auction buyer will see (that's my experience with them, anyway).

The first thing is paperwork: service history, MOT, mileage - all those things that trade auction buyers use to shortlist the cars that they are actually going to bid on.

Then, visual appearance: WBAC will make a deduction for any body panel that has a dent or a scratch, any wheel that has kerb rush, any sort of paintwork issue, etc.

As far as mechanical issues go, WBAC will typically listen to the engine to ensure there are no suspicious noises, then drive the car a few feet forward, and that's it - this essentially mimics what an auction buyer will see.

So, if your car's paintwork and wheels are in tiptop condition and the engine sounds OK, go for WBAC. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

 

[ChrisPDuck]

Yeah online quotes from WBAC and Motorway

Based on my recent experiences:
Motorway: Their 'reserve' is just an estimate - not a proper reserve in the usual sense, and there's no commitment to accept a bid above the reserve. Neither is the trader's bid binding. My car achieved comfortably more than their reserve, but it was clear that the trader who turned up had only bid high in order to be the first one on my doorstep, and from the first moment was building excuses to pay less (puts his finger through the wheel and tells me "that disc's warped" - which it wasn't, and there's obviously no way you can tell by poking it with your finger). I sent him on his way when he offered half his bid price.

WBAC: Yes, their assessment will inevitably be lower than the online estimate, but to their credit it's based on various clearly defined criteria (number of panels needing repairs, partial vs full service history etc). I asked how much the price would be affected if I was to swap my nice summer wheels with good tyres for my manky winter wheels with barely legal tyres, and was told it wouldn't! So that's what I did. Watch out for one final money-grabbing trick though - if you want immediate payment it'll cost you £35, otherwise it'll take three days for the money to reach you. This is an obvious scam, based on the likelihood that most people will need the money immediately. I didn't, so I took the gamble that WBAC would stay in business for the next three days, and the money turned up after three days.