Tarting up a car before selling?

[Esotericstuff]

I have a mechanically well looked after and very low mileage BMW 330i E92 which has lived its life parked on the street of a city and suffers from a lot of parking scuffs and dings as a result. I am now thinking about selling it as kids are on the horizon.

Looking online there are cars of a similar age and mileage that appear to be in better cosmetic condition are fetching good money. So I was thinking of spending some money to get the bodywork tidied.

When selling a car, do you tart it up? If buying a car how important is cosmetic condition to you?

[Martyn76]

It would certainly help with the 'curb side appeal'? I imagine a lot of buyers make their mind up about a car when they see it for the first time before they get as far as starting it up, driving it, etc?

[Wills2]

Unless it's dirt cheap and or you're looking to buy it do it up and then sell on, you're not going to be interested in a tatty car that looks unloved.

[coldel]

As always its a case of doing the maths, and thinking about the time cost.

Bodywork repairs are not cheap, if you need to repair 4-5 panels you could be looking at north of £1k.

There is a market out there of people that just want a run around and dont care on the look of the car, maybe advertise it for a bit and see if you get a bite and if not, take it back down and get it sorted and relist...but obviously that is where the time cost comes in.

[steveo3002]

pay £1000 to get another £1000 ?

id clean it to its very best , go round with a touch in pen and sell it like it is , if it was a single panel pulling its appearance down then yes worth it , general scruffy prob not

[Truckosaurus]

I suspect that a car like the OPs is getting into 'modern classic' territory now, so can charge a premium price for a good condition one - so a small investment with a 'dent man' could mean being able to get away with adding a grand or two to the price.

[ChrisH72]

It’s surprising what you can achieve by hand with some decent off the shelf products. Light scratches and scuffs can be made to look a lot better with a mornings work. Clean the interior too as that always impresses in photos and makes the car look cared for.

Dents are more difficult. It depends on the value of the car and how many dings there are. People expect a few on older cars so maybe not worth it. I had a local PDR guy out last week to sort some car park damage on my car. The rear quarter had two dents and a small crease where it’d been pushed in. He also fixed a dent on the front door while he was there. Cost £200.

[ChocolateFrog]

If you can find a PDR guy that will charge by the hour rather than by the dent then they can work wonders for half a days work.

Then a proper detail inside and put by someone who knows what they're doing.

That's maybe £500. Whether it's worth it or not depends on the car.

[coldel]

Interestingly for me one of the big bits of buying a car is when I open the drivers door.

The cars I have gone to look at where I have opened it, seen tonnes of crap down the side of the seat, some crap on the seat, the floor mat not cleaned and the steering wheel grubby. Ultimately I have to get in and touch all this stuff. When I sell cars the passenger and driver side doors as you open are immaculate - its got to welcome you in.

[Summit_Detailing]

First impressions count so cosmetic condition is important for potential buyers.
Having said that it's pointless going down the refinishing route if you are going to spend e.g £1k to then not get that back.

As per previous poster, clean it up as good as possible, go around with a touch up pen and price it accordingly.

Good luck!

[s p a c e m a n]

I touch in paint chips and scratches then mop and polish the outside, clean the engine bay and make the interior as immaculate as possible. You know where all of the little dings are because it's your car, most people will not see them all and if the car looks like it's loved they tend to miss other stuff too

[Belle427]

I would guess the 330 is a popu!ar model?
As others have said paint repairs can be expensive these days but it all depends on resale values really and the outlay for said repairs.
Try it as is first but make sure its clean as can be inside and out.

[RD-1]

As others have said, price up a PDR man and a half day ‘detail’.

It sounds like you’d get your money back and open up your market, at least.

[Esotericstuff]

I went around the car in the bright light and looked at what I would want doing. The front bumper and bonnet are the worst, followed by the wheels. I'll get some quotes and see where they come back, then make a decision.

Can anyone recommend a repairer in or around Cambridge?

Pleased with how shiny a quick machine polish made the old girl. It's a lovely car.