GTuned Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 (edited) I've had (and loved) my 350Z for several years now, but my parking situation forces me to sell Basically, every couple of months I'll find some new scuff or tap and even recently, a scrape on the bodywork somewhere and it is driving me nuts. Cutting a long story short, do I send the car for paint work and sell it in pristine condition, or do I leave it as is? I really don't want a potential buyer thinking the car was ever in an accident as both bumpers need a full respray as does the rear 3/4 panel and a door due to deeper scuffing.. I know that selling a car in a non-pristine condition affects the sale price, but I also don't want to spend a huge sum of money on getting it painted nicely for a buyer to think it was in a collision at some point. In fact is it worth spending the money, or just deducting it from the sale price? What do you think? Edited April 23, 2015 by GTuned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Personally I wouldn't spend money like that on a car I intended to sell and would just deduct what I thought it may cost to get sorted from the cost of the sale. I know it's probably a difficult thing to decide though as a lot of buyers, unreasonably imo, expect to buy a second hand car & it still be like new. At the end of the day though if you think you can get an extra £1k for the car with these things repaired and it only costs you £700 odd to get it done then obviously you're £300 up so it might be worth at least getting some quotes for the repair work from some body shops first just to see how much it will actually cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Work out the difference. If you can spend £500 but make £1000 more because of it, then you're £500 up so it's a good idea. If you're going to come off even then I'd still do it anyway as it'll make it easier to sell, but if you're going to come out down then it's not worth it. Personally, if I rock up to view a car and the seller hasn't disclosed just how bad the bodywork is, then I'm going to be extremely annoyed at wasting my time and will definitely be walking away. On the other hand, if you tell me exactly how bad it is then unless it's up for a bargain price I'm not coming to view in the first place. At this point, and given 350Z values, you're either going to have to let it go for about £1500 under list OR get the work done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Catch 22 imho. Getting it done will probably not net you anymore than the works will cost but may make it more saleable because its very up together. On the other hand, priced accordingly it may sell quick because of the lower price to someone who may want to wrap or colour change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 I'd sell it as is - be honest about the negatives, but accentuate the positives. hopefully a prospective buyer will see that a mechanically sound car with a full service history is worth more than a garage queen that hasn't been properly maintained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Are you looking to sell quickly? Completely guessing on this but I would think there are plenty more buyers looking for a car that doesnt need work than one that does - your buyer market could be smaller, and even then you will be subject to offers below asking price, which you will if it was repaired but if repaired you are in a stronger situation to negotiate as you might have 3 or 4 prospective buyers. All guesswork as I say but have found my bargaining power selling a clean car and pristine car a lot stronger than one with problems. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Stick it up for sale as it is & set yourself a reasonable deadline. If it sells then you're done, if you get little/no interest then price up the work and see if it's then worth it from there - remember that you can get any/all of the work done at any point. If you're worried about potential buyers thinking it's accident damaged then just document plenty of before and after photos to show it all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTuned Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 Wow, plenty of good points, thanks I thought about the price difference, it's not just how much I could gain vs how much I could spend, I'd have to factor in time to take it somewhere and how long it will take to get done too. I will probably give it a try to sell it "as is" first and see how it goes.. The funniest part is that I can't technically put it up for sale on here as I don't have 100 posts (even though I have been a member for quite a while now), and that probably people on this forum would understand better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Stick it up for sale as it is & set yourself a reasonable deadline. If it sells then you're done, if you get little/no interest then price up the work and see if it's then worth it from there - remember that you can get any/all of the work done at any point. Only problem with that approach is that if people see that the same car has been up for sale for a while and not selling then they think something is up with it. If you then get bodywork all done, you`ll probably find buyers will still be knocking you down from the original price as its been on the market for ages. I had something similar happen with an ex`s car which we were trying to sell. Id get the paintwork sorted before you sell. That way the car will look mint, all those scuffs and stone chips will be gone and anyone looking will be amazed at how well you looked after the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Very hard to knock the price down on a car that's immaculate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTuned Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 (edited) Stick it up for sale as it is & set yourself a reasonable deadline. If it sells then you're done, if you get little/no interest then price up the work and see if it's then worth it from there - remember that you can get any/all of the work done at any point. Only problem with that approach is that if people see that the same car has been up for sale for a while and not selling then they think something is up with it. If you then get bodywork all done, you`ll probably find buyers will still be knocking you down from the original price as its been on the market for ages. I had something similar happen with an ex`s car which we were trying to sell. Id get the paintwork sorted before you sell. That way the car will look mint, all those scuffs and stone chips will be gone and anyone looking will be amazed at how well you looked after the car. Very hard to knock the price down on a car that's immaculate. You both make some excellent points.. Well, an update, I have had a lowball offer to trade her in (yes, my Z is female ) but it would save me an awful lot of drama, unless someone wants her first. For what it's worth: - 2007 Rev-Up (Second Gen) 300ps EngineSilver, - 42k miles only, Nissan Service history and stamps. - As far as I can tell, it has every option possible from Bluetooth, to Bose to heated electrically adjusted seats etc.. - GT spec with full UK Nismo package (Bumpers, Side skirts, Rear Spoiler, 19s, and some other bits like radiator cap etc.). - I'm the second owner and the previous owner (a lady) pretty much ticked every possible option when she bought brand new from Nissan in the UK, Northern Ireland. - 100% unmodified - Private plate included that more or less ends in something that spells out 350Z (yes, extremely rare - PM me for actual plate, sorry, I can't sell separately) If someone is genuinely interested, please PM with offer as I wouldn't want to publicly discuss this car as next owner may probably become/be a member here. Edited April 23, 2015 by GTuned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bodyboarder81 Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 That's sounds like a great spec car to be honest .... If you had the work done I think it would fetch a good price . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTuned Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 That's sounds like a great spec car to be honest .... If you had the work done I think it would fetch a good price . Thanks, it is indeed a great spec, I took my sweet time finding it, but my situation now with work and parking (I live in central London) makes a simple task like a service a half-day affair, let alone sorting out a decent body/paint shop etc.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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