Autotrader: Sell To A Dealer

TCA

Has anyone used the free Autotrader Sell To A Dealer service?

I've currently got my mum's car in an auction with Motorway but initial price estimates with Autotrader look significantly better than Motorway or We Buy Any Car, allowing for reductions due to partial service history and scuffs.

Can anybody recommend or otherwise?

ButterCheese

I cannot speak from experience because I have never used this service.  But remember the likes of webuyanycar are in the business of exploiting desperate people to make the most cash they can.  It's all the same model, but some will be less greedy than others, so I'm not surprised Autotrader can negotiate a better price through a trusted dealer.

To put it in perspective; WBAC offered me £1540 for my car, and this is pre-inspection where they would likely have haggled me down for the odd scratch.  I got £3000 for it privately, and could have sold it twice

TCA

Thanks. WBAC gets really bad reviews so I'm giving that a miss. The initial valuation was way lower than Motorway anyway.

The Motorway offer came in at around £530 over their reserve, from a dealer called Trustline Motors Ltd. Not bad, although Motorway knocked £700 off the initial estimate for partial service history and a few scuffs. So almost back where we started.

It says "Fast, free payment into your bank account within 24 hours" but not exactly sure what that means. I was under the impression they made a bank transfer when collecting the vehicle.

I've completed the Autotrader dealer seller ad, so will see what reserve price they come back with. Assuming it works the same as Motorway. It's also an auction.

paul_c123

TCA said:

The Motorway offer came in at around £530 over their reserve, from a dealer called Trustline Motors Ltd. Not bad, although Motorway knocked £700 off the initial estimate for partial service history and a few scuffs. So almost back where we started.

Until the car is inspected in the flesh and the amount agreed, its almost meaningless. There are many reports of dealers "beating down" private sellers on Motorway. In theory they pay a fee but this is refundable if there are differences between the description and the actual condition once inspected by them.

Goudy

paul_c123 said:

TCA said:

The Motorway offer came in at around £530 over their reserve, from a dealer called Trustline Motors Ltd. Not bad, although Motorway knocked £700 off the initial estimate for partial service history and a few scuffs. So almost back where we started.

Until the car is inspected in the flesh and the amount agreed, its almost meaningless. 

That's pretty much it in a nut shell.

One service might try and attract customers by "offering" a higher initial price than the rest when you enquire.
But by the time the sales is agreed, they'll all be very similarly priced as they'll beat you down.

It's best to try and find out your cars real value first.
That's not saying what dealers are selling similar cars for, but it's value to the trade as that's basically how you are selling it.
These prices are often collated from data via the big car auction sites and it's the data everyone will use to buy your car.

 

TCA

Thanks to both for the replies.

paul_c123 said:

Until the car is inspected in the flesh and the amount agreed, its almost meaningless.

 
I agree to an extent. I think We Buy Any Car works differently to Motorway and Autotrader in that there's more scope for WBAC to knock down the price at the appointment because the valuation given is based on a set of assumptions, including that there's no damage. So you're at their mercy.

With Motorway you get an initial valuation, then have to upload a minimum of 20 photos plus service history. They then reduce the price at that point via a quick phone call. In our case by £700. So I don't there's a whole lot the dealer can negotiate on at collection time, unless you've seriously misrepresented the car. If they do mess you about you can just walk away from it.

Autotrader seems to work the same way as Motorway and uses a company called Dealer Auction. It's not quite so efficient. It's nearly 24 hours since I uploaded photos and service history and it's still "pending". The auction itself lasts 48 hours.

To put some figures on it:

WBAC - initial valuation £4.5k - would be reduced at appointment
Motorway - initial valuation £5.5k - reduced to £4.8k after photos & service history considered - auction offer £5.3k
Autotrader- initial valuation £7.6k - not sure if this gets reduced before auction after photos & service history

Confused.com gives a private sale value of £6.2k and for £6.4k for part exchange

On Autotrader itself, the closest car I can find is on at £8.7k - dealer price, so not relevant to what I can get but gives an idea of their mark-up

So I'll wait and see what price is set for the Autotrader auction. At this rate I'll be in Thursday's auction which ends on Monday because of the weekend, so will have to make a decision on the Motorway offer.

paul_c123

If you start a sale listing on Auto Trader, it will give you valuations. You don't need to finish it to get them.