A daft question probably

[andy1912]

Hello, I need to sell my Caterham. It’s had several £1000s of work done by a reputable specialist garage so is in tip top shape. It seems some will sell the car for me and understandably there is a premium for that. So, my question is am I better to sell privately or through a specialist? I want to sell quickly.

Thanks.

[downsman]

It is likely that specialists will have contacts with people who are looking for a particular spec, so if you go through one of them you are likely to sell faster. A well known intermediary will also give confidence to the buyer, and tke away the worry about handing over wads of cash.

[Roblot]

Hi, Having recently tried to sell a variety of sevens both virtually new and older ones.

I sold the new one to a dealer about a week after purchase and lost quite a lot of money ( 7K !) as I was desperate to sell. Various dealers offered to sell one of the other cars but I had a feeling they would always be pushing their own stock. Finally trying to sell any used car I have always found to be hassle (advertising, test drive liabilities, dealing with cash exchange etc). In the end I did a part ex but still lost about 4K. on the car.
If you have the time selling privately, in my opinion, returns the best price, but for speed and convenience, part ex or a cash sale to a dealer is easiest.
One final note, it is a good time of the year to sell a seven especially if you have a car which is sought after.

[andy1912]

Thanks very much for that. So there are dealers that buy immediately rather than sell for you then?

[Roblot]

Briefly,
Yes I found a few dealers that would make an offer, you need to phone around, but be prepared for a shock when they make their offer!.


All the best.

[andy1912]

OK thanks very much for that.

[ForzaGilles]

I sold mine to Sevens & Classics in January 2017. They were very straightforward to deal with, and the price they gave me was fair. I would try listing it on here first at a pretty aggressive price and see what happens, you may sell quickly.

[Toaster]

andy1912 said:

OK thanks very much for that.

Depends where you live but a dealer such as Castle lotus will discuss your car and you may be able to negotiate around their Sale or return option. There are many other dealers who also offer a service like this https://www.castlesportscars.co.uk/we-want-your-ca...

[Mossy7]

Last year I used Chapman cars as they were, now trading as GP sevens when I needed to sell my Roadsport. I can thoroughly recommend them. Damien and Antony are ex CC employees genuine enthusiasts and true gents. It was simple to sort, they collected the car and work on an appointment basis and qualify all interest in your car and only test drive people who really want yo buy it. Further, thay value cars based on specification so they will take upgrades into account.

[BertBert]

Chapman cars now know as Gravely and Paine after a name change.
ETA: ironic that their new website url gpsevens would once upon a time have invoked the ire of Caterham Cars!

[Smitters]

I would say a private sale at an aggressive price would probably get you at least the same as a dealer after SOR fees and probably in a shorter space of time, since on the dealer side they'll need to do all their admin, back the car up with a fresh MOT, maybe fix a few bits to sweeten the deal. Dealers will have a few people up their sleeves for cars, but unless it's an unusual spec, I wouldn't imagine they'll be getting on the phone the minute it's on the premises and ringing everyone to tell them about the new arrival.

An ad here, the Facebook 7 Marketplace page and on the L7C would probably get as much coverage as an indie dealer anyway. Good luck with the sale.

[Monsieur Du Lard]

Join Facebook and put it in the Caterham Marketplace group - dedicated to 2496 Caterham owners and future owners. Its instant, gives push notifications, and its free!

[Stridey]

Sadly, the ‘market place’ Facebook group is blocked to some people and buyers.