It’s the first thing that springs to mind as soon as your car starts giving you grief – sell the bugger and let someone else deal with it! After all, you’d rather not give it away for nothing but at the same time you can’t bear to keep driving the thing around for much longer. So you give it a wash, take the photos and start saying your prayers that some unfortunate sucker will eventually come along and take it off your hands – it’s something we’ve all been through and tried out at least once or twice. 
But here’s the thing – trying to sell a car that’s clearly on its last legs can prove to be far more trouble than it’s worth and might well come back to bite you on the…well, you know. The trouble is that these days, it’s so easy to get hold of quality cars that the general public’s standards have never been higher. There’s a reason it’s less common than ever before to see car yards crammed with old bangers selling for no more than a few hundred quid each – nobody wants them! And it’s not just about their aesthetic appeal and performance charms either – you also need to factor safety into the equation.
Always be sure to bear the following in mind before going ahead and unloading your car on someone else:
You Might be Wasting Your Time
So right off the bat, the fact that it often takes quite a long time to sell a nice, shiny and well looked-after car should give you some idea of how tiresome it can be to sell an old banger. You’re trying to get rid of it because it’s crap, so where’s the appeal to anyone else? Of course there is no appeal at all, which is why more often than not those trying to unload really knackered old bangers end up wasting not only their time, but a decent amount of money and effort too. If you honestly cannot see any redeeming qualities in the car you’re trying to sell, chances are you’re barking up the wrong tree…big time!
You Might be Risking Their Safety
Next comes a rather more moral matter to ponder – how safe do you reckon your car is? Now, it’s not as if everyone selling a car first calls the professionals in to give it a front to back safety inspection – it’s just not the done thing in most circles. However, there’s a big difference between selling a car you have every reason to think is safe and selling a rust-bucket you’re selling because you fear it’s about to fall to pieces. Go with the latter and you’re risking the health, safety and maybe even the lives of the new buyers.
You Might End Up in Trouble!
And finally, unload a death trap on another buyer under false pretense and what do you think will happen when the car causes a 25 car pileup after three days on the road? That’s right – chances are there will be a knock at the door and you’ll face a legal headache of epic proportions.
So ask yourself…is it really worth it?
