As I dabbled in buying and selling used cars, I said I would post as to how I was doing and I now have a result.
I purchased a 2005 Mercedes Benz C Class Kompressor from the auctions three months ago which was a car supermarket part ex. It was in good condition and just needed a damn good clean out and the o/s front wing replacing after a shunt as well as manifested panel rot. It went under the hammer at £1530 with 140k on the clock.
I have always rated Mercedes Benz as they do make high quality durable cars and 140k would be nothing at this level.
My man in the trade gave it a service and the front wing was replaced by a scrap panel with the same colour match. I found this to be more cost effective than having the bother of sending it to a body shop and it coming back a slightly different shade of aftermarket universal brand paint. The "new" panel is a good match and is a Mercedes specified colour so you can't see the join.
The car then looked like new!
I advertised it on a general advertising website, rather than auction sites incurring fees, and after three enquiries, it was sold to a Facilities Manager of the local football club.
One of the rewards of selling cars is that you do get to meet some interesting people. We did chat a while and put the footballing world to rights. He told me he had seen many up and coming young footballers and had been in the same building as well known Premiere League managers over the years.
The car was sold for £3200 which after £725 worth of remedial works made a tidy profit. Sometimes you have to look beyond the obvious for money to be made.
I have been quite encouraged by the result and am actively seeking a used car site to be able to start building the business up, so I will keep you posted as to how I get on.
Nelson
I purchased a 2005 Mercedes Benz C Class Kompressor from the auctions three months ago which was a car supermarket part ex. It was in good condition and just needed a damn good clean out and the o/s front wing replacing after a shunt as well as manifested panel rot. It went under the hammer at £1530 with 140k on the clock.
I have always rated Mercedes Benz as they do make high quality durable cars and 140k would be nothing at this level.
My man in the trade gave it a service and the front wing was replaced by a scrap panel with the same colour match. I found this to be more cost effective than having the bother of sending it to a body shop and it coming back a slightly different shade of aftermarket universal brand paint. The "new" panel is a good match and is a Mercedes specified colour so you can't see the join.
The car then looked like new!
I advertised it on a general advertising website, rather than auction sites incurring fees, and after three enquiries, it was sold to a Facilities Manager of the local football club.
One of the rewards of selling cars is that you do get to meet some interesting people. We did chat a while and put the footballing world to rights. He told me he had seen many up and coming young footballers and had been in the same building as well known Premiere League managers over the years.
The car was sold for £3200 which after £725 worth of remedial works made a tidy profit. Sometimes you have to look beyond the obvious for money to be made.
I have been quite encouraged by the result and am actively seeking a used car site to be able to start building the business up, so I will keep you posted as to how I get on.
Nelson