Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

My trusted car is finally giving up the ghost. The gearbox is going. The cost of replacing it can't be justified anymore (I've been keeping it going for years). :(

So I was going to give it up for scrap but others are telling me I can sell it still. Any advice? Would a garage take it? It's an old Peugeot 207, even without the gearbox it's not worth much.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

The online car buyer services won't give anywhere what it might be worth for scrap (aka "breaking for spares").

Some car sales places will give a minimum part exchange (£1000 is common around here for even an old banger).

So use it for Trade-in?

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

If it's otherwise sound an enthusiastic home mechanic could fit a second hand box. Worth trying for a sale.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

Cheers,

If anyone has advice on how not to get screwed over when buying a car from a dealer that would be useful too! One thing I am sure of is that I don't want to finance it and I don't think I'll.go for a lease either.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

take your dad with you

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

Apart from taking someone who's mechanically knowledgable if possible:

Do an Experian check on any motor you fancy if it's not a main dealer (they will have already done one)

Online reviews of the dealer

You can often get a feel for anything fishy if you look at the company background and those of the directors on the companies house beta site (i.e. loads of dormant companies or wound-up companies with similar names which may have been used to scam people in the past)

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

Excellent advice. That is a mine of very illuminating information.

I'd have thought it shouldn't be too hard to find a reputable local dealer which would at least gve you some come back if the worst were to happen. Make sure you pay at least £100 of the deposit on credit card too as that will give some extra consumer protection.

Good luck Damien, I'll be in the same position soon as my 13 year old wagon is gradually giving up the ghost... :erm:

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

My car is 22 years old in a few weeks (I've had it for almost 17 years), MOT next week... and it just passed 44,000 miles.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

The current place I am looking at is a mainstream dealer with many places. An official Ford reseller. So I am not worried about something that dodgy but getting done over on the price.

I am going to pay in one full go so they can't screw me on the payments.

Is sticker price something I can get reduced or is that less common than I think?

Yup it sucks doesn't it? Just one too many faults with mine which has done over 100,000. It's been good but the gearbox problem combines with a slow oil leak and it's just doesn't justify the repairs anymore.

44,000 miles on a 22 year old car :shocked:

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

@ Damien - you should always be able to get something off the sticker price, or get them to chuck something extra in e.g. spare wheel if it hasn't got one. Obviously the more expensive the car to more scope for movement. Let us know how it goes and no lying about what you get eh? ;)

---------- Post added at 20:24 ---------- Previous post was at 20:23 ----------

Blimey, mines only done 46k and I thought that was good. Mind you I've spent very little on it and only had oil changes for the last 10 years lol.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

'bout right :D

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

Are you certain gear box is going? What issues/symptoms do you get?

Sometimes it can be a worn bearing or it may just need something simple gearbox lubricant. Given it's age it's likely gearbox is going as you say but it all depends on how hard you have driven it etc.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

Still be careful though, the Ford main dealer near me are a bunch of shysters (notorious in these parts) so it's worth being wary of all. If you see something then make sure you check how much MOT is on it and when they give you the warranty that it's actually for the car you've bought and not a lower spec model for example.

If you're paying cash then there should be some room for manoeuvre with the price depending on how high or low it is already. Best time to go used to be when the new registrations were coming up as main dealers would be desperate to make space on their used lots. Not sure that makes so much of a difference now though.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

It's making a grinding/creaking sound in the lower gears.

I took it to a mechanic I trust who said it was the gearbox. I am quite confident in that this is a mechanic that's us usually been straight with me and they also advised that I shouldn't get it done because the cost was too much for the car.

Re: Selling car with faulty gearbox
 

I could do you a great deal on a really nice 13 year old barely run in motor - well looked after, low mileage, VGC, no expense spared... :D