selling advice

[rs32]

I'm likely to be selling the CSL in a few months - company car arriving and the CSL is just not going to get used enough.

General question about selling - the car has a stone-chipped front end which kind of spoils a very well-kept 40k mile example with warranty and the usual extra options.

what do prospective owners prefer to see - something that has been repaired i.e. a front end respray or the raw version at a lower price that they can sort out themselves ?

If it was at a dealer of course it would be sold as "unmarked paintwork" but I'm trying to gauge whether the stone chips are worth my while fixing. I can spend the money, but does it knock out too many prospective buyers if I don't bother ?

thanks :thumbs:

[Rags]

IMO, one would be deluded to think that a 40k mile car would not have stone chips.

So, with that out of the way there are two trains of thought:

1) Leave it as is and let the prospective buyer see the 'real world' effect of stone chips. However, it can make a car look untidy.

2) Paint the front end and demonstrate real rationale for this and ensure the buyer doesn't think it was painted for 'other reasons'.


Personally, as long as the price reflects the need for a painted front end, then its fine.


I am selling my car at the moment and luckily, the stone chips are not bad at all. This is the real world we are living in!

[shimmy]

you want to get it looking as good as possible and be prepared to hold the price until a genuine buyer appears:thumbs:

[Mark CSL]

When i am looking for a car i would much rather see it mint than all chips
If you get the paint sorted it looks better looked after :thumbs:
Just my 2p worth after all not all paint work is accident damage :whistle:

[Jeff]

As a current buyer at this price level I am expecting the paint has been maintained as much as the rest of the car. A battered car will make me think other items of work have been neglected. Obviously a few are one thing but a heavy smattering of chips is not good.

I'd also as a buyer prefer to have it done than have to deal with it myself.

These cars aren't your Ford Focus so you expect higher levels of care and repairs works done.

[glendog74]

I would get the bumper sprayed as it creates that good first impression of the car. You then just be up-front and tell the buyer you have done it for the simple reason of making it look good again. The rest of the car condition should speak for itself.

When i was looking for a CSL, i discounted a few cars that looked 'shabby' as you can't help thinking "what else hasn't been maintained properly?" It may sound a little petty, but there are always better looking cars out there after all (in the buyer's eyes).

[Jeff]

Another point. I have been looking at the car at BHP with all the mods. With the work on it it's not too badly priced but the thing that lets it down is a stone chipped front end, a large scratch on the bonnet trailing onto the guard and two more big scratches on the A pillar / door frame. All I see is a lot of money having it professionally repaired and until I take it to get the work valued, I can't be sure what it would cost. I then don't know what sort of a deal I'm really getting.

Having said all that, my wheels could do with a good refurb but have I done it? No..... Pot, kettle :)

[Andyk]

Get it sorted so the buyer doesn't have to do it. As long as you get an invoice with reason why there shouldn't be a problem.

[dave1]

paint it:thumbs:

[derek]

I painted my bumper due to chips took picture before with a newspaper to show date, then i have receipt showing the date for the work done. Gives a buyer documentation of why it was painted. i dont think you will find many without chips that have no been painted if you do worth doing a paint depth check with rac to check it as the paint is thin compare to other cars.

[shimmy]

Paint it or the first 5 buyers will find somehting that has ben painted, and there may not be a 6th!:bigcry:

[Rags]

Let me give you some perspective from someone selling his car at the moment.

The paintwork on my car is immaculate, has minor stone chips on the front and because I am a fussy git, if it was bad, I would probably get it painted. But in its current guise, its rather minor chipping. I think it helps that mine hasnt been tracked or really taken on the motorway.

I have however had the wheels refurbished recently as I just cannot live with kerbed wheels!

You guys are right, you need to make sure that the car comes across well.

But it does surprise me that BHP have their car with all those cosmetic imperfections but are unwilling to move on price. It may be an SOR but still, since it has been for sale for so long, something has got to give - and it should be ££price.

[SpineOnABap]

A battered car will make me think other items of work have been neglected.

You can't really make that link because the fronts of these cars do suffer (that's a CF bumper and paint easily chips from it).
I'm not going to respray mine every year, I just can't be bothered.

So if you were to see my car you'd suspect it had been neglected in other areas. If I sprayed it you'd be no better off really would you?

Look at the overall condition - don't just judge it on the notoriously 'weak' frontend :thumbs:

[Rags]

You can't really make that link because the fronts of these cars do suffer (that's a CF bumper and paint easily chips from it).
I'm not going to respray mine every year, I just can't be bothered.

So if you were to see my car you'd suspect it had been neglected in other areas. If I sprayed it you'd be no better off really would you?

Look at the overall condition - don't just judge it on the notoriously 'weak' frontend :thumbs:

Fair!

[Radders]

really pisses me off when dealers say i have left it original so you can see all the stone chips.. why do i want to see a car at its worst?

get it painted and make sure its a top job, a car having had paint would never put me off buying it, a car having had a crash and repair done is a different matter.

when any potential buyer comes to see the car first impressions are the most important. i have normally purchased a car before even getting in it, be anal with the cleaning, inside of the rims, exhausts, engine bay. Make it perfect and the first genuine buyer will buy..

went to see some csl's at nick J and i could not believe the state of them!!! he hadn’t bothered to hover, wash, paint, clean the wheels, bald tyres, stone chipped headlight (really bad) they were a mess.

[azrael]

A lot of CSL's have had front end resprays due to the stone chip issue. A realistic buyer would not be put off by this and should know to perhaps expect it. Get it done, otherwise buyer may see it as additional cost they have to endure.

[derek]

i found that in common with other dealers, they try to justify the dealers price based on all the work they need to do to make it A1, or give £1000 and supply the car as is and it still ends up higher than a private car and you need to arrange for all the remedial work. You need to ask what benefit is the dealer supplying in order to charge dealer prices

[SpineOnABap]

A lot of CSL's have had front end resprays due to the stone chip issue.

I imagine a majority of them got repainted before 2003 was through :hahaha: Mine was first repainted in Sep 2003 only a few months after getting it. Believe it or not they were a lot worse on that original factory paint - the dealer job was much tougher paint it seems

[rs32]

thanks for the advice - very useful.

I have the option of trading it with a dealer as a last resort - but would prefer to see it go to a good home directly.

May as well get a few more miles in then send it off to be prepped before it goes to a new home :bigcry:

best thing for it though - not fair to leave it in the garage all by itself :sad: