I'm in the Hole, Should I Quit or Can I get a Return??

[DavidC1976]

Need some advice. I have 2010 VW Scirocco 1.4 TSI, 18 inch wheels, black, very nice condition. 98k miles on the clock.

However, in the last 2 years I have spent £4k on repairing the car:

• Recondition the engine
• Oil pump
• Water pump
• Coil springs
• Rear shocks
• Front wishbones
• New tyres

It has 12 months MOT, bodywork is in amazing condition and alloys are spotless.

Now, the gear box has started to make a noise and needs replacing.

Got a quote to replace it for £1,200.

If I sell it as it is, I'll probably only get £2k given the gearbox issue.

OR should I get the gearbox replaced and could I sell it for £5k if I market it with a new engine, new gear box and all the other repairs I;'e had done. I have all the receipts and engine is still under warranty.

This was I could get back £3.8k

The car is like brand new with 10k miles with a recon engine and a new gearbox.

Is £5k an achievable price

Or am I throwing good money after bad and should I quit now?

[samoht]

Realistically you're not likely to get a premium for your car just because of the recent work. So maybe £4k more likely eg
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202503069...

and knock off a bit for negotiation. Looks like it's maybe not that different fixing or not, in which case I'd be inclined to sell as is to avoid the time and uncertainty of getting it fixed and trying to sell for a decent price.

[Deep Thought]

DavidC1976 said:

Need some advice. I have 2010 VW Scirocco 1.4 TSI, 18 inch wheels, black, very nice condition. 98k miles on the clock.

However, in the last 2 years I have spent £4k on repairing the car:

• Recondition the engine
• Oil pump
• Water pump
• Coil springs
• Rear shocks
• Front wishbones
• New tyres

It has 12 months MOT, bodywork is in amazing condition and alloys are spotless.

Now, the gear box has started to make a noise and needs replacing.

Got a quote to replace it for £1,200.

If I sell it as it is, I'll probably only get £2k given the gearbox issue.

OR should I get the gearbox replaced and could I sell it for £5k if I market it with a new engine, new gear box and all the other repairs I;'e had done. I have all the receipts and engine is still under warranty.

This was I could get back £3.8k

The car is like brand new with 10k miles with a recon engine and a new gearbox.

Is £5k an achievable price

Or am I throwing good money after bad and should I quit now?

Honestly? No.

Heres a dealer has one with a brand new (?) engine, same miles in the popular bright blue.

Now, bearing in mind he's obliged to put a warranty on that, can facilitate a trade in, etc, he has it on for £3995 for a month now and it hasnt yet sold.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202503069...

[Super Sonic]

Given the amount you have already spent I would get the box replaced and keep the car.

[Fusion777]

I'd probably get it gone. It's a 15 year old Scirocco. Realistically no-one is going to drop £5k on one that age in that spec, unless it maybe had exceptionally low mileage.

[Snow and Rocks]

I would suggest that all that work does little if anything to the value as cars are typically valued on the basis of being in good working order.

While I like seeing evidence of recent maintenance, I'd be pretty wary of buying something with a replacement or reconditioned engine, who knows how good a job they did?

[Rich1973]

Your starting point has to be ebay / autotrader for a realistic selling price and go from there.

[OldGermanHeaps]

Is it manual? Diy repair should be doable with patience and youtube.

[Huzzah]

Super Sonic said:

Given the amount you have already spent I would get the box replaced and keep the car.

Me too, reevaluate in another 5 yrs or so.

[ZX10R NIN]

After all of that I'd be keeping it & running it into the ground.

[paul_c123]

DavidC1976 said:

Need some advice. I have 2010 VW Scirocco 1.4 TSI, 18 inch wheels, black, very nice condition. 98k miles on the clock.


Is £5k an achievable price

To get an accurate valuation on your car, you'd need CAP (which is a paid service) but Auto Trader gives a fairly good valuation. Go on the Auto Trader website and click "sell your car" at the top. You'll need the registration, which we don't have and I'd not advise to give out.

It depends how bad the gearbox is - if its just a feint whine you MIGHT be able to sell it as-is, privately, but it would be much easier to sell a car which is fully working and drives spot on. Gearboxes tend to go on for a while after they start making noises, though.

[Tyre Tread]

Problem with a car like that is, what's next?

Sell it and buy an old Lexus IS250 e.g. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202504020... and enjoy hassle free motoring (Do not be tempted to buy the Lexus diesel, they are awful and the engine gives problems).

[OldGermanHeaps]

There is a shim kit for certain vw gearboxes that can solve whining and bad shifting caused by end float on the bearings, which doesn't involve removing the box from the car, just removing the endplate.

[raspy]

you are likely to get the best price from some kind of owners forum for that specific car.

[griffter]

Super Sonic said:

Given the amount you have already spent I would get the box replaced and keep the car.

With the added benefit that, if it’s as nice as you say, you are at least putting money into a good car. Imagine if the bodywork was ropey, the wheels were kerbed and the interior showing its age.

Most of the work is normal for a nearly 100k mile car.

[WelshPetrolhead]

I will join the others that have said to get it done and then keep it.

[carinaman]

OldGermanHeaps said:

There is a shim kit for certain vw gearboxes that can solve whining and bad shifting caused by end float on the bearings, which doesn't involve removing the box from the car, just removing the endplate.

A more affordable solution.

[DavidC1976]

Thanks all for the feedback. I think hoping to get £5k for it is not going to happen. It's not a 20-30k mile car, despite all the work. There's a lot more car you can get for that money. It's not like a classic or a GTI or something like that. The reason I don't want to keep it is that I've lost confidence in it now. I don't these cars were designed to do 100k miles. And you do wonder what next? steering rack, differential, exhaust, you just don't know. It's a very nice 15 year old car, but it's a 15 year old car. I think I'm going to try and sell it as it is and not go through the hassle of getting it repaired and just move on and put it down to experience. The learning for me is that when the car gets old and starts requiring serious maintenance, cut your losses and replace it quickly rather than keep investing in it.

[OldGermanHeaps]

Mechanics are so expensive now that running an old high maintenance shed is only really feasible if you are handy with the spanners yourself or can get mechanic services at mates rates. So many repairs now exceed the value of an otherwise nice car.
15 years old is a tricky age, old enough to start getting expensive to keep on the road, but not worth enough to carry on with unless it is something unusual and about to appreciate in value.

[Snow and Rocks]

I think the solution isn't to avoid old cars altogether but to avoid aging German cars, particularly VAG stuff which don't seem to age very well at all.