My Aunt is no longer driving and I’ve been tasked with selling her car. Normally, I would simply do some research, find the approximate value and then post on the usual local sites (autotrader etc.) Some folks would come by, we’d dicker and that’s that.
My challenge is that the car is a 1993 Volkswagon Passat with only 70,00 Km on it (42,000 miles). It has been garage kept, and was impeccably maintained by my anal-retentive uncle. I don’t think the back seat has ever been sat it, you can eat off of the engine.
In my research, i have found that the values range from $775 - $2700. I think this car is possible worth more. In a couple of years it will be eligible for collector plates.
How then do I go about selling it? One suggestion I’ve had is to advertise it as a “sealed bid auction” and have everyone come on the same day. But I have really never heard of selling a car this way in a private sale. And how do I advertise it as such when pretty much every site demands that you put a price in a required field?
If it was a high-demand collector car, this might work…but it’s not, it’s a low-mileage but fairly utilitarian car. I wouldn’t bother submitting bids for a '93 Passat, I’d just buy one from someone in the normal cash-deal way. It’s possible that VW enthusiasts might pay a premium for a low-mileage example, in which case posting on a VW forum with members in your general area might work. Otherwise, if you really think it’s worth more than blue book value, price it on the high end of what you think is possible on whatever site post it on and add “or best offer” and see what you get…with the caveat that a lot of people will lowball you looking for a deal.
Step 1 in selling any used car is to see what CarMax will give you. That is, if there is one near you. They’re usually at the top end of the kbb trade value, but a little less than what you’d get selling it to a private party. Selling them a car is very low hassle compared to finding a private buyer.
If CarMax is not an option and you’re thinking somewhere in the $2k - $5k range, craigslist and facebook are good options. I know a guy who wheels and deals old cars and he says facebook is absolutely the way to go. Get in a “used cars for sale” page in your region and list your VW.
Kind of what I was thinking… I’ve been tasked with this because I have a restored 1965 Mustang fastback and take it to shows… but I know virtually nothing about VW’s
I sold a 13 year old Toyota Celica convertible from my driveway, with just a sign in the window asking $2000 over Blue Book Pricing. It sold at full asking in one day.
Anywhere you advertise it, put an asking price over KBG, as much as you think it’s worth.
Otherwise, hang onto it until it becomes a “classic.”
Unless it’s a diesel or maybe a wagon, it’s not worth more than its value as a cheap used car and probably isn’t going to be anytime soon. These cars were really a low point for VW in terms of making interesting cars. The gas engine options were competent but not particularly impressive, especially when paired with an automatic.
The B5 generation ('97-05) of Passat shared a platform and some interesting features and drivetrains with the Audi A4 and so those are starting to garner some enthusiast interest, but unfortunately I don’t think that’s true of the earlier B4 ones like yours.
No CarMax nearby (Canada), so I will go with posting it on the usual local sites, and see how it goes. I’ll bump the thread once it is sold to let you know what it goes for!