We buy any car

bouicca21

It's been a while since anyone has commented on this lot.

I've been told that they offer one price online then beat you down when you take the car to their drop off point. Is this true or just rumour?

It does indeed look as though I might get a better price from them than by part exing, IF the online quote holds.

bebewoo

It is true, the price that give online is much much higher than they will offer you once they have checked it over and knocked off money for every scratch and minor defect they find.
On the plus side it doesn't take long and they won't refuse to buy it like some part exers might.

gilbert_and_sullivan

If you're scrupulously honest with the description they will honour the price, paid my son exactly what was offered online.

If however you are dishonest in your description....

bod1467

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

If you're scrupulously honest with the description they will honour the price, paid my son exactly what was offered online.

If however you are dishonest in your description....

I was going to suggest likewise - take off the rose-tinted glasses and be honest with your appraisal of the vehicle, and you'll get pretty much what is offered online.

(I think in the early days of WBAC then the rumoured approach may have been true, but these days they are more concious of their image and brand reputation to allow such shenanigans to continue).

Yellabowley

We had an awful experience with the Gateshead branch.


Our car was 12 year old with 100,000 miles on the clock. Similar ones were selling for £1200 to £1500 on Autotrader and ours was top of the range and quite a rare match of engine and spec so I was hopeful of getting nearer the £1500. It had a few car park dings and a couple of scratches which I had declared. The only thing that I had said in error was that it had full service history when actually it had missed one service (or at least wasn't stamped) when it was around 3 years old, long before we had it.


The value online was £1000 which I was fairly happy with.


We went through and when they looked at the service history they knocked it down to £800 but that was an error on my part so I was in two minds as to whether to go for it as I would never be 100% happy selling a 12 year old car privately.


He then went and had a look at the car, came back in and on the computer selected EVERY panel on the car and marked down that it had minor scratches. It had nothing more than barely visible surface marks from washing it, that would have polished out (other than the actual scratches which I had already declared).


He then recalculated and offered us £200 for it. When I said that was ridiculous and quoted the Autotrader going rate he said that he agreed that a dealership would probably sell it at £1500 but that it would cost £1300 to get it up to showroom condition.


I made the point that no-one goes to view a 12 year old 100k mile plus car expecting it to be in showroom condition and that a garage would simply valet it and sell it as it was. His reply was that that was how WBAC worked and he might be able to get authority to go up to £300 but that would be it.


The worst thing was I felt that had I been some old dear who didn't know anything about cars they would have actually gone through with the purchase knowing that it was actually worth at least 5 times that amount in a private sale.


I get the impression that if you have a decent car in showroom condition then they might be somewhere near. If your car is older and showing even signs of expected general wear and tear they'll try and take your eyes out.


(This was April 2014)

VSynth

I got 25% more than webuyanycar just by going to a local car dealer and asking for what I thought the car was worth.

dacouch

I've heard that if you obtain an online valuation from WBAC but then do nothing for a week, they contact you and offer you a higher figure than their original offer.

If you're not in a rush this might be worth trying

Spicy_McHaggis

dacouch wrote: »

I've heard that if you obtain an online valuation from WBAC but then do nothing for a week, they contact you and offer you a higher figure than their original offer.

If you're not in a rush this might be worth trying

That's correct, I used them for a valuation and they came back to me with a better offer. i didn't take the car to them so can't comment about them honouring the valuation.

27col

If you don't like their offer then you are at liberty to try elsewhere for a better price.
I notice that they don't take in ex hire cars. Cant think why not. My last car was a Kia Cee'd and my new one is a new shape Citroen C4 Picasso. Got them both at 13000 miles and less than a year old. Nothing wrong with either of them that I could find.

jimjames

bouicca21 wrote: »

It's been a while since anyone has commented on this lot.

I've been told that they offer one price online then beat you down when you take the car to their drop off point. Is this true or just rumour?

It does indeed look as though I might get a better price from them than by part exing, IF the online quote holds.

They lie.

They won't buy any car, they wouldn't even give a quote on mine

Strider590

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

If you're scrupulously honest with the description they will honour the price, paid my son exactly what was offered online.

If however you are dishonest in your description....

I don't think people are intentionally dishonest (what's the point?), I think people genuinely believe their car is in great condition.... After all it just passed the MOT.