Gosh it's been a while since I've been on here! Although it'll likely be the last time I'm here as I'm trading in Chris Copen Chris has a Ultimate Edition grille and a white centre brake light which I'd swapped from the originals- I would love to be able to take them off for selling privately and put the stock ones back on but I'm wondering if that's possible since the dealership I'd gone to has likely noticed the mods Chris isn't going to be going to be handed over for about another week so part of me's hoping they'll forget about them What does everyone else think? Would the dealership give a rat's *ss if I handed over the Copen with a red centre brake light instead of the white one, and a grey grille instead of the UE one? Or would they think I was doing them? Although I think they're doing ME since they only offered about £500 for him Opinions would be fab
I'd be surprised if the dealership would notice. However, if they have taken photos, that could be an issue... Edit: GBP500 trade in?! Take em off!
What exactly is wrong with Chris that you're taking that? Surely you'd be better off selling him privately than taking £500! Looking at Autotrader just now, there's a 2004 with 100k miles for £1200, a 2003 Cat D with 56k for £1300. Given you've had the car for around 10 years (right?) and had him resprayed, bodywork fixed, I'd think he's worth more. I doubt they'd notice the brake light unless they did take pics, the grille they might spot. Given what seems to be the going rate for Copens, unless there's something wrong with Chris I don't see them making a fuss as they're likely making £500-2000 reselling the car
Thanks folks I don't think they've taken photos- they mentioned they'd send him through an auction... What ISN'T wrong with him He was my everyday car and I had no garage so the Scottish roads and weather have not been kind to him I'm afraid, no matter how hard I tried to look after him He's been welded and patched to the point I don't think it's worth it anymore, plus I put him through an early MOT to see what would be wrong mechanically this time round and there's a list like a toilet roll He's nearly 14 years old; he doesn't owe me anything really. At least I've had all these fun years!
Personally I would get back to them and ask how much they will knock off the price of your new purchase because you don't have a trade in. There is always a margin built in to the sticker price. It sounds as if they will not want to retail your Copen, so offer silly money which they know they can recoup easily. A few years ago my sister had a similar experience ,they knocked the price for trade in off the price of the new car and she sold her old one privately. Worth a phone call.
The new car's going on finance and I've already pretty much signed the dotted line (not paid any deposit yet though) I don't know, would this work even in this instance? I'd hate the thought of mucking them about, even if they are car salesmen (plus there's only 3 weeks left till Chris's previous MOT runs out )
Just a word of caution but if your Copen failed it's early MOT, that invalidates the existing pass certificate according to an article in one of the papers last week.
CHRIST I didn't know that this makes things hella awkward now especially as the dealership wants the MOT certificate- I told them it still had a few weeks to go till last year's ran out, I didn't think this early MOT would make it an issue Sh*t
I suspect the article I read was an old item that reappeared on the Mail Online or Autoexpress website. A quick google suggests this was from 2016 when the official guidelines were updated and swiftly followed by a U turn ! Can you drive your car after an MOT fail if the old test hasn't expired?
I ended up checking with the garage that did the (failed) MOT, the dealership that I'm getting the new car from AND the DVLA MOT check online and each of them say that last year's MOT certificate is still valid I've taken the chrome grille off but left the white centre brake light on, mainly because when I was trying to get said brake light off I cracked the housing a little it still works though!
Part of me wants to hold onto the grille because I'll probs find myself going back to a Copen later on in life (a second midlife crisis? ), but if I find I don't then yes, you can have first dibs
