Advice needed on what to do with my car?

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kekehuang

22 posts

Geek

#240683 20-Sep-2018 10:49

My car is 2000 Nissan Blue Bird. I've used it for more than 5 years. Right now I want to sell it and get another car. But I'm not sure if I'm able to sell it easily.

Right now I can still drive it around with no problem. But the front windscreen came loose about a week ago. When I was getting a windscreen replacement 6 months ago, the panel beater didn't put paint on after he cleared the rust, so right now the windscreen is not sticking and all came loose. At the moment just using black tape to keep it in place.

I tried to contact the panel beater, but he's been avoiding me. And he's just individual, doesn't have a business or workshop. So I'm not sure if I want to take the hassle of tracking him down.

I'm not sure if the glass repairer Smith & Smith should be partially responsible as well. When they go put the new windscreen on after the panel beater done clearing the rust, they should be able to see that he didn't put on the paint. They should have required the panel beater to put on the proper paint first before they put the new windscreen on. They just put the new windscreen on without any paint. I think they are at fault as well.

I went to a proper panel beater and he gave me a quote of $500 to redo everything and get windscreen back on.

Right now I just want to sell this car and get a better car. I'm not sure if I can just sell it without fixing the windscreen problem, or should I fix it and then sell. It's possible that it's still hard to sell even if I fix the windscreen because it's got quite a few dents and scratches. There's cracks at the back of the car, the back lights are a bit cracked as well. It need separate keys for the doors and engine. Automatic key lock is not working.

Also the WOF is due Oct 13th which is less than a month. Apart from the windscreen issue, I'm not sure how much will I need to pay for more repairs for it to pass the WOF.

I went to some car removal company website and got a quote for only $200. But the car is running with no problem. It's not actually a dead car. New battery was placed last year.

Can someone give me some suggestions about what to do with this car?

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5801 posts

Uber Geek

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#2093685 20-Sep-2018 10:52

Fix it.

Or take the $200 and forget about it.

I'd fix it, depending on how much more rust it has though.

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clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#2093695 20-Sep-2018 11:06

Take the $200 for sure. Nearly a twenty year old car that needs a lot of work by the sounds of it - take the money and put it into something newer.

Dial111

972 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2093697 20-Sep-2018 11:10

Fix all the issues and sell for what you think its worth, but you probably won't get back what you put in it to fix.

You could list it on trade me $1 reserve "as is, where is" note all the known issues and let the market decide its worth.

The latter is the easiest way to be done with the car really.

clicknz

463 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#2093698 20-Sep-2018 11:11

I'd suggest taking a few good photos of it and listing it on TradeMe. $1 reserve auctions seem to get a lot of interest and I would think a running Nissan could fetch $1,000, even with all the faults mentioned.... maybe....

Cheers,
Mike

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Wash

57 posts

Master Geek

#2093711 20-Sep-2018 11:24

The windscreen forms a crucial part of the cars structure. As such, driving around with it loose is potentially dangerous.

In theory, the car shouldn't get a warrant in that state, so if you're trying to sell it, you'll have to make it very clear that you're selling with as-is OR get it fixed properly.

Possibly the easiest and most cost effective way to get rid of it will be to use it as a trade-in with a dealer on something else. They won't give you a lot for it I imagine, but it'll probably be better than the removal company offer.

wellygary

8254 posts

Uber Geek

#2093726 20-Sep-2018 11:36

"I'm not sure if the glass repairer Smith & Smith should be partially responsible as well. When they go put the new windscreen on after the panel beater done clearing the rust, they should be able to see that he didn't put on the paint."

Take it back to Smith and Smith and say the window has come loose... Whether it is painted or not is not material, if it is loose its because they haven't sealed it properly....

kekehuang

22 posts

Geek

#2093739 20-Sep-2018 11:55

I actually had a safety check for my car 6 months ago, here’s what they found:

RIGHT REAR LIGHT CRACKED
BUMPER DAMAGED ON ARRIVAL
BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHES STARTING TO PERISHING

Could these issues cause my car to fail the WOF? Might cost a lot to repair all these?

So it's possible that I need to spend nearly $1000 for repair, including $500 windscreen fix and all the repairs for the issues above...

Dynamic

3832 posts

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#2093740 20-Sep-2018 11:58

I agree with the suggestions to take it back to Smith & Smith. They have an excellent guarantee on their workmanship, if I recall correctly.

I also agree with the $1 Reserve Trademe Auction, though this is based on a single experience. We had an old people mover that I listed about 2 years ago.. the list of faults was long and I was painfully honest. I expected to get around $300, but within 3 minutes of listing it I had an $800 offer on the phone which I decided to accept, so I told the caller that I would put the Buy Now on straight away. I did that in less than 2 minutes and it was snapped up less than 2 minutes later... by someone else!

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wellygary

8254 posts

Uber Geek

#2093743 20-Sep-2018 12:05

kekehuang:

I actually had a safety check for my car 6 months ago, here’s what they found:

RIGHT REAR LIGHT CRACKED
BUMPER DAMAGED ON ARRIVAL

BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHES STARTING TO PERISHING

Could these issues cause my car to fail the WOF? Might cost a lot to repair all these?

The first two are cosmetic, but perished bushes on a control arm will fail a WOF

https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof-and-cof/motorcycles/steering-and-suspension/steering-and-suspension-systems

Steering and suspension

9-1 Steering and suspension systems

Reasons for rejection

4. A front or rear suspension component:

...........

g) is a flexible bush that is significantly cracked, damaged or perished.

kekehuang

22 posts

Geek

#2093746 20-Sep-2018 12:07

Dynamic:

I agree with the suggestions to take it back to Smith & Smith. They have an excellent guarantee on their workmanship, if I recall correctly.

I also agree with the $1 Reserve Trademe Auction, though this is based on a single experience. We had an old people mover that I listed about 2 years ago.. the list of faults was long and I was painfully honest. I expected to get around $300, but within 3 minutes of listing it I had an $800 offer on the phone which I decided to accept, so I told the caller that I would put the Buy Now on straight away. I did that in less than 2 minutes and it was snapped up less than 2 minutes later... by someone else!

I've never done any $1 reserve. Does that mean that anyone can get it as long as they are willing to pay more than $1? What if not much people was bidding on it and then the only bidder just offer $10 or something. I might only get $10 in the end?

As for cars, is it possible that anyone would bid more than $800 by only reading the descriptions online and without seeing it in reality?

kekehuang

22 posts

Geek

#2093748 20-Sep-2018 12:12

wellygary:

kekehuang:

I actually had a safety check for my car 6 months ago, here’s what they found:

RIGHT REAR LIGHT CRACKED
BUMPER DAMAGED ON ARRIVAL

BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHES STARTING TO PERISHING

Could these issues cause my car to fail the WOF? Might cost a lot to repair all these?

The first two are cosmetic, but perished bushes on a control arm will fail a WOF

https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof-and-cof/motorcycles/steering-and-suspension/steering-and-suspension-systems

Steering and suspension

9-1 Steering and suspension systems

Reasons for rejection

4. A front or rear suspension component:

...........

g) is a flexible bush that is significantly cracked, damaged or perished.

Could it cost a lot to repair it?

Is it because the car is too old so lots of parts is perished? Seems like it's better to spend $2000 more to buy a newer car then pay cheaper price to get an older car. Cause the older car might cost a lot more on repair, in the end will spend more then buying the newer car.

Dynamic

3832 posts

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#2093763 20-Sep-2018 12:20

An auction is a competition... the first bidder can bid $1, but the next person who is interested can bid $2 or more and so on until the auction ends after 5 or 7 days or however long you specify when setting the auction up.

In my case, I chose to accept an $800 price and added a Buy Now price of $800 to the auction. If I had let the auction run to its conclusion, we may have got more for the vehicle. Or less. its hard to say.

It sounds to me like the cost of repariing the vehicle so it passes its October WoF will exceed the value of the vehicle. I suggest having the windscreen repaired, and then get rid of it via a $1 reserve auction, but be SUPER honest about the issues (including listing the issues identified in the last check) so there can be no complaints from the new buyer.

If you are looking at buying a $2,000 car, I would recommend taking it for a WoF check or to a local mechanic and paying them for half an hour of their time to have a good look at the vehicle, so you are aware of any issues coming up. A $2000 car will almost certainly need repairs every year.

“Don't believe anything you read on the net. Except this. Well, including this, I suppose.” Douglas Adams

Referral links to services I use, really like, and may be rewarded if you sign up:
PocketSmith for budgeting and personal finance management. A great Kiwi company.

clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#2093764 20-Sep-2018 12:20

kekehuang:

wellygary:

kekehuang:

I actually had a safety check for my car 6 months ago, here’s what they found:

RIGHT REAR LIGHT CRACKED
BUMPER DAMAGED ON ARRIVAL

BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHES STARTING TO PERISHING

Could these issues cause my car to fail the WOF? Might cost a lot to repair all these?

The first two are cosmetic, but perished bushes on a control arm will fail a WOF

https://vehicleinspection.nzta.govt.nz/virms/in-service-wof-and-cof/motorcycles/steering-and-suspension/steering-and-suspension-systems

Steering and suspension

9-1 Steering and suspension systems

Reasons for rejection

4. A front or rear suspension component:

...........

g) is a flexible bush that is significantly cracked, damaged or perished.

Could it cost a lot to repair it?

Is it because the car is too old so lots of parts is perished? Seems like it's better to spend $2000 more to buy a newer car then pay cheaper price to get an older car. Cause the older car might cost a lot more on repair, in the end will spend more then buying the newer car.

Yes.

kekehuang

22 posts

Geek

#2093768 20-Sep-2018 12:30

Dynamic:

If you are looking at buying a $2,000 car, I would recommend taking it for a WoF check or to a local mechanic and paying them for half an hour of their time to have a good look at the vehicle, so you are aware of any issues coming up. A $2000 car will almost certainly need repairs every year.

No I'm not buying a $2000 car. I mean spend $2000 more on a better car. I spend around $3500 for this old car. I'm planning to buy a 2006 Mazda for $5000 from my friend. She had it for 4 years and never needed any repair. Her husband has a car business and knows about cars, so he must have picked a good car when they were buying this 2006 Mazda.

Rikkitic

Awrrr
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#2093823 20-Sep-2018 13:37

Like most others here, I think you should cut your losses and run. A 2000 Bluebird with faults isn't going to be worth much. You should certainly try to get something out of S&S if you can, but after that you need to just sell it for what you can get and move on. I would start with a regular auction, as is for $1,000 or near offer. See what kind of response you get. You might be surprised. If nothing, then try again at a lower starting price. You can always fall back to the $1 reserve, but you don't have to start there. Of if you don't want to risk that, take the $200 if none of the TM auctions work out. But do it a step at a time to get the best deal possible. In any case, I would not put more money into the car under any circumstances. That is a losing proposition.

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