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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

We Buy Any Car .... your experiences/alternative recommendations ?

43 replies

Laiste · 08/10/2024 11:26

To keep it simple: I have a car to sell - on finance - worth more than what i owe.

I have an appt. at WBAC tomorrow.

Can i expect them to come close to the value they've quoted online? I need to get as much as poss.

Can anyone recommend a similar company - ie: buys your car there and then, pays off finance, pays rest into your bank.

Many thanks.

OP posts:
Jc2001 · 08/10/2024 11:30

They go over it thoroughly for scratches and interior marks, condition of the alloy wheels etc. Unless it's in absolutely mint condition id expect they will reduce the offer.

The won't drive it but they start the engine to make sure no warning lights come on.

Not tried any of the others.

taxguru · 08/10/2024 11:33

Can you not try selling it directly to a local garage? That's what we did and we "haggled" a couple of hundred more than WBAC as the condition was immaculate, full service history, low mileage, etc. WBAC don't give a higher offer when it's better than expected!! All done and dusted in 15 minutes, money in our bank, DVLA notified, etc.

afinethingindeed · 08/10/2024 11:36

I used WBAC many years ago to sell my financed car. I can't remember exact amounts but it was pretty close to the quoted figure and it was more than the finance balance so was worth it for me.
I think maybe I'm in the minority but it was a very good experience for me. That said, my car was in very good condition so there wasn't much to deduct.
Good luck!

Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 11:37

@Jc2001 Thank you for that info. It is in very good nick. 6 years old with low millage. I've just had it valeted so i'll be prepared for them to look for stone chips ect.

@taxguru just any car showroom? Sorry to ask daft questions. I don't know the process hence going to wbac to be honest! And speed.

OP posts:
Sturnidae · 08/10/2024 11:37

They'll massively reduce the offer for normal wear and tear. Don't expect anything near it. If you need a quick sale and a bit of cash it's fine, but go into it knowing that they'll drop it as low as possible.

We recently sold a van to them. Old but reliable, normal wear and tear you'd expect from a small van. Quoted £900, they dropped that to £400 after seeing it.

Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 11:40

@@afinethingindeed and @Sturnidae two opposite experiences!

I'll be ready then. sigh.

We are just over 2k in profit according to Auto Trader online valuation and 3 !! k in profit according to wbac online valuation. We'd really like 2k and a little bit!

OP posts:
Tutorpuzzle · 08/10/2024 11:54

I’ve used them twice. Got a few hundred more each time than VW dealership final offer for part exchange. So worth it for me.

Justme2023123 · 08/10/2024 11:55

I used Carwow, very simple and I got a lot more than I expected.

TaylorSwish · 08/10/2024 11:57

I used them to buy my car. They deducted £250 as the electric key fob was damaged, I said I would go and get a new one for £35 off eBay and come back but then they said they would only deduct £50. So make sure you haggle!

BlueMum16 · 08/10/2024 11:57

I've used them. We didn't sell after the first visit but received an email a few days later offering £250 more so we sold.

All easy and straightforward.

Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 11:57

@Tutorpuzzle thank you - encouraging!

OP posts:
Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 12:00

@Justme2023123 i'll try carwow also, thank you.

@TaylorSwish well done you! i guess they rely on people being in more of a rush. We'll able to give it a couple of days too.

OP posts:
MollyButton · 08/10/2024 12:01

There is another site which will offer it to a range of garages. I think you will get a better price from them.
I've sold one car to WBAC happily as I knew there was a lot of work needed (not obvious from a Quick Look or turning on the engine) which made up for the difference between what they gave us and the apparent value. We did d sell a second one which they reduced a lot, and we'd have done better going to the garage comparison one.

Ihateboris · 08/10/2024 12:01

Try Motorway.co.uk, I got a great deal with them (couple grand more than WBAC).

Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 08/10/2024 12:02

Both times they knocked some money off after they inspect car but tbh it was fair enough. Both quotes I got were fair and sold my car to them. One of them was a far higher value than any of the local garages would give me so I was happy

Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 12:02

BlueMum16 · 08/10/2024 11:57

I've used them. We didn't sell after the first visit but received an email a few days later offering £250 more so we sold.

All easy and straightforward.

Interesting ! So if we are disappointed tomorrow we'll try just politely declining.

Not that we would ever rudely do anything ! 😂 Never gets you anywhere ...

OP posts:
locket2009 · 08/10/2024 12:05

I have been to Wbac twice and also to Evans Halshaw version of it. Both time Evans halshaw have given a higher price . You are not tied in to buying from then either as I have never bought a car from them

Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 12:05

@MollyButton can you remember the name? :)

@ihateboris i'll try them too thank you.

@Hungrycaterpillarsmummy thank you.

OP posts:
Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 12:07

I just tried Arnold Clark and their online valuation was nearly 1k less than any others 😳

BuyAnyCarUK - waiting for an email, but could take 24 hours🤔 Had to go into quite a bit of detail though, so ....

OP posts:
Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 12:13

Oh my god Carwow is estimating a lot !

Auto trader is £6200
Arnold C £6010
WBAC £7390
BACUK waiting
Carwow £80000

OP posts:
Octavia64 · 08/10/2024 12:15

I used them.

They dropped a couple of
Hundred off when they saw it as it wasn't quite in good condition.

I felt that was fair.

I don't know if I could have got more elsewhere.

Original poster
Laiste · 08/10/2024 12:18

Thanks every one - i will come back and update 👌

OP posts:
GasPanic · 08/10/2024 12:23

Most of these places work by buying low and selling high. The ones that don't go out of business.

Standard practice seems to be to lure you in with the maximum you are likely to get, then deduct once the car is taken for a viewing and hope that you either need the money fast or don't want the hassle and want to get rid of it on the spot. TBF taking on old cars can be a risky business, as some often require huge amounts of hidden work to be done, so high margins are needed to cover those sorts of possibilities.

You can always try selling privately instead. But it's more often than not a pain in the backside.

MrSeptember · 08/10/2024 12:24

We used WBAC a few years ago for a very cheap old car and it wasfine. But when we wanted to sell a slightly nicer car, they really tried to take the piss. We used Motorway and got a really good offer that we were really pleased with and it was pretty painless although we did have to take lots of photos and itemise small scratches etc.

NewMe2024 · 08/10/2024 12:27

Sturnidae · 08/10/2024 11:37

They'll massively reduce the offer for normal wear and tear. Don't expect anything near it. If you need a quick sale and a bit of cash it's fine, but go into it knowing that they'll drop it as low as possible.

We recently sold a van to them. Old but reliable, normal wear and tear you'd expect from a small van. Quoted £900, they dropped that to £400 after seeing it.

Similar experience. Mine was in excellent condition for its age (literally ‘one careful owner’) and exactly as described when they quoted online. In person they dropped it down loads for almost imperceivable things. I was only using them for convenience so didn’t care that much but definitely wouldn’t use them to optimise on sale price.