Would this make a difference to a potential buyer?

Random Caddy chat.
Not the place for sale or wanted topics.

Should I service and replace timing belt before advertising for sale?

Poll ended at Sat Jul 04, 2020 6:52 pm

Yes
2
40%
No
3
60%
 
Total votes: 5

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NornIron
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Would this make a difference to a potential buyer?

Post by NornIron »

I have a 2012 Caddy which I've owned from new, and been the sole driver. The van has a full VW service & maintenance history, the timing belt and water pump were changed at 4 years and I had planned on doing the same in October when the van is 8 years old.

However... I have a new Caddy 4 on order and will be selling the current van privately in August. The mileage will be around 60,000 miles when I come to sell, and my OCD maintenance head is telling me to get the service and belt change carried out early, prior to selling.

So what do you folks think... if you were buying an 8 year old van would it be more attractive to you with the work completed or not?
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Doc
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Re: Would this make a difference to a potential buyer?

Post by Doc »

I'd say service yes, for your own piece of mind come sale time the oil will be fresh, fuel and air filter clean.
As for the belt and pump, I've seen people take newly acquired cars straight to a mechanic for those even if they have been sold as already having been done.
I'd mention it in the advert and say it's priced to reflect the due maintenance. People who care about their car will get it done right away, people who don't will drive on and it's no longer your worry.
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VanLife
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Re: Would this make a difference to a potential buyer?

Post by VanLife »

I'd much rather pay less and do it myself to have peace of mind that its actually been done. There are plenty of unscrupulous sellers out there who will say it has been done when it hasn't and even forge documents/receipts.

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Ripley55
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Re: Would this make a difference to a potential buyer?

Post by Ripley55 »

I was in a similar situation a few weeks back when I sold my new Beetle 1.9Tdi. Cam belt due in roughly 8k miles. I discussed with the buyer, and was totally honest about it, we had a chat, and based on roughly £400, I dropped the price by £200, as we agreed to meet half way, my servicing OCD was killing me, but Covid-19 didn’t allow at the time to get it done. We were both happy with the deal, so hopefully he’ll get it in and sorted now.
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Re: Would this make a difference to a potential buyer?

Post by hef355 »

I always replace cam belt and water pump when buying any used vehicle myself unless I know and trust the previous owner personally. I wont even go on so called written proof or a stamp on a service book as the consequences of failure are dire! So my advice would be honest with the buyer and reduce price accordingly to reflect the cost of work required


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