A3: Dilemma - Mothball or sell?
Discussion
Would really appreciate the views of folks on my dilemma. I'm moving to the Middle East in July. My company car is going back, but the missus owns a '60' A3 and we don't know what to do with it?
The A3 is a 1.4 sport. Midnight blue with 19k, full Audi everything and immaculate. DAB and wheel upgrade too. The MOT and annual service is due in Oct and there's no money owed on the car. I won't be returning to UK for at least nine months, and then only for the odd week during a 5 year contract. She will be commuting every 3/4 months for a week or so tho. We will be mothballing a property with garage here and don't know whether to lay up the A3 in the garage with a trickle charge going or sell it.
It would be great to have a car available for her to use on trips back, but I'm wary of it being locked away effectively unattended plus the depreciation factor. I guess other factors might include if we keep it will the insurance company have a problem with us storing it and can we miss services if it's laid up for longer and then just get it fully sorted when we put back on the road in 2016 or even 18?
Thoughts gratefully received gentlemen.
The A3 is a 1.4 sport. Midnight blue with 19k, full Audi everything and immaculate. DAB and wheel upgrade too. The MOT and annual service is due in Oct and there's no money owed on the car. I won't be returning to UK for at least nine months, and then only for the odd week during a 5 year contract. She will be commuting every 3/4 months for a week or so tho. We will be mothballing a property with garage here and don't know whether to lay up the A3 in the garage with a trickle charge going or sell it.
It would be great to have a car available for her to use on trips back, but I'm wary of it being locked away effectively unattended plus the depreciation factor. I guess other factors might include if we keep it will the insurance company have a problem with us storing it and can we miss services if it's laid up for longer and then just get it fully sorted when we put back on the road in 2016 or even 18?
Thoughts gratefully received gentlemen.
Do you have a family member to "give" it to to look after it they pay for all the servicing and any damage and then when you come back you use it and then take it back fully on return.
Or why not drive it out to where your going for 5 years?
Lastly if you do keep it and don't give it to someone you will suffer depreciation at epic levels tyres will need changing ditto discs and pads possibly belts and fluids change and possibly issues with air con condenser.
Get a price from we buy any car first look at trader then if I were you sell it one way or another no insurance to worry about no theft issues just hire a car or taxi on your returns or ask a friendly close family member to borrow a car when your back.
5 year old A3 20k miles its going to be worth what £4-8k? Ish
Or why not drive it out to where your going for 5 years?
Lastly if you do keep it and don't give it to someone you will suffer depreciation at epic levels tyres will need changing ditto discs and pads possibly belts and fluids change and possibly issues with air con condenser.
Get a price from we buy any car first look at trader then if I were you sell it one way or another no insurance to worry about no theft issues just hire a car or taxi on your returns or ask a friendly close family member to borrow a car when your back.
5 year old A3 20k miles its going to be worth what £4-8k? Ish
Squishey said:
Personally I would sell the car and hire one for when the OH needs one. I'd even be tempted to rent the house and use a holiday cottage or similar for the short periods you're back here.
This - put your stuff into storage and rent out your pad at the very least you'd have £50k rental income over this timeframe possibly £75k maybe more but l in your back pocket and if you split the profit between you and the wife it will be tax free. I cannot see any way a tenant could cause that much damage. Jimboka said:
I'd keep it, but that's what I always do, Most of the depreciation is gone, you wouldn't find as good a car for same money upon return & someone else's sweaty bum would have been in any similar replacement. Hiring cars will be a faff. Maybe you'll come back sooner...etc etc
it will be 8 or 9 years old and worth bugger all. get shot now. iva cosworth said:
Welshbeef said:
Or why not drive it out to where your going for 5 years?
r.
How about reading the OP ?r.
The "Middle East" isn't Peterborough........
Coupled with the depreciation, insurance costs, servicing costs, trickle charging it. And then having to get a taxi to and from the airport or faffing about with lifts, when you could jump in a hire car...
Sell it. Don't even think about lending it someone to look after. How many threads have there been where that's ended in tears!
Sell it. Don't even think about lending it someone to look after. How many threads have there been where that's ended in tears!
Welshbeef said:
Well 3 days max and he would be the far side of Turkey then maybe a day or two further down to his location - we are a car enthusiast website after all. Yes I know some town up North isn't Middle East
It's a city not a town, do you have one of those in leafy Berkshire .... ? Oop north 
... Typical M4 corridor view!Sell it. When the wife (or you) are home rent something from the airport and drop it back when you leave.
If you keep that car you'll have to get transport from airport to home to pick it up and the reverse when leaving to go back to the Middle East, which would probably go a long way to a hire car.
If you keep that car you'll have to get transport from airport to home to pick it up and the reverse when leaving to go back to the Middle East, which would probably go a long way to a hire car.
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