Thinking of selling my car; should I fix these issues first?

[konfusion666]

So I'm thinking of selling my car: 2002 Acura 1.7EL Premium with 68k km.

It has a few minor problems - do you think they'll significantly impact the price I'll get for it? I have no idea as I've never privately sold a vehicle before.

- windshield wiper fluid reservoir light is always on, even if reservoir is full ($220)
- trunk release handle is a bit finicky ($300)
- when I backed the car into my apt. garage parking spot once, the front right bumper scraped against the concrete wall, resulted in fairly noticeable scratches (bumper ONLY) - $800!

The dollar figure listed beside each problem is what Acura of North Toronto quoted to fix the problem (which is why I haven't bothered!)

[Tomy]

So I'm thinking of selling my car: 2002 Acura 1.7EL Premium with 68k km.

It has a few minor problems - do you think they'll significantly impact the price I'll get for it? I have no idea as I've never privately sold a vehicle before.

- windshield wiper fluid reservoir light is always on, even if reservoir is full ($220)
- trunk release handle is a bit finicky ($300)
- when I backed the car into my apt. garage parking spot once, the front right bumper scraped against the concrete wall, resulted in fairly noticeable scratches (bumper ONLY) - $800!

The dollar figure listed beside each problem is what Acura of North Toronto quoted to fix the problem (which is why I haven't bothered!)

wow... u should go to a garage and fix them, but not at the dealership

[thelefteyeguy]

wow... u should go to a garage and fix them, but not at the dealership

yeah...definitely dont need the dealership doing it...the $800 for bumper sounds like a new bumper

[bmw_xperience]

no.. but when the buyer asks.. tell them the truth about it

[Whitedart]

So I'm thinking of selling my car: 2002 Acura 1.7EL Premium with 68k km.

It has a few minor problems - do you think they'll significantly impact the price I'll get for it? I have no idea as I've never privately sold a vehicle before.

- windshield wiper fluid reservoir light is always on, even if reservoir is full ($220)
- trunk release handle is a bit finicky ($300)
- when I backed the car into my apt. garage parking spot once, the front right bumper scraped against the concrete wall, resulted in fairly noticeable scratches (bumper ONLY) - $800!

The dollar figure listed beside each problem is what Acura of North Toronto quoted to fix the problem (which is why I haven't bothered!)

None of the issues are safety or emission items, so if they are repaired, will you recover the repair costs when selling the car?

The washer fluid probaby has a defective float in the reservoir. May be an easy fix.

Trunk release could probably use some white grease at the open ends, unless it is kinked somewhere between the front seat and the rear of the car.

Replacement bumper with new paint would probably be questioned by the buyer as to how extensive the damage actualy was. I would leave it, and discount the price if the buyer otherwise wanted the car.

Just disclose the defects, and let the buyer test out that everything else works ok.

[superdsi]

Your car is a Honda Civic so it is worth a lot.

Fix it or you will get a lot less.

Same as a house, people don't want to spend money for a car and then spend more money to fix it.

[Jucius Maximus]

- windshield wiper fluid reservoir light is always on, even if reservoir is full ($220)


This is something really obvious that will stand out, so I would get it fixed before the customer sees it.

[hagbard]

IMO, I wouldn't do anything with it. They all sound minor and people are going to expect there to be issues with a used car anyway, yours are out in the open. Really, I'd just point out the issues, what it would cost to fix and tell them you've already accounting for them in the price.

[bobby5]

This is something really obvious that will stand out, so I would get it fixed before the customer sees it.

+1
People don't like to see warning lights staring at them.

btw for a 6-year-old, the car has pretty low mileage.

[-Jatt-]

I would get everything fixed. If the potential buyer comes to see the car and he/she see a bunch of things wrong they may think it was abused and not taken care of. So its better to spend some money now and just raise the price a little.

Anyways, good luck with the sale.

[HSK]

Reservoir error might just be a hiccup. Reset the error and see if the reservoir problem reappears. The instructions are here (http://www.hondacarforum.com/acura/3364-washer-fluid-level-indicator.html). Save $200.

A buyer shouldnt care about a finnicky trunk release. Tell him/her it works but it's a little stubborn and they should understand. Its not worth spending $300 to fix.

The only real issue is the bumper. Go to a body shop see if they can either work on it or put a repainted aftermarket/used part on. Save $___.

[BartBandy]

You need an independent mechanic and a mobile paint guy.

[m4gician]

Want up 50% increase in value? Have the car detailed inside and out. I'm not trying to plug my services, but part of my analysis before getting into detailing for profit was that used cars that appear to be in near excellent exterior condition tend to sell for more money.

[Frankie3s]

Items 1 & 2 you could fix yourself.

[Tomy]

Want up 50% increase in value? Have the car detailed inside and out. I'm not trying to plug my services, but part of my analysis before getting into detailing for profit was that used cars that appear to be in near excellent exterior condition tend to sell for more money.

i agree with magician...

hire a detailer ... or spend some time reading the ASAD's detail thread and DIY .. .nice little project.

[konfusion666]

Reservoir error might just be a hiccup. Reset the error and see if the reservoir problem reappears. The instructions are here (http://www.hondacarforum.com/acura/3364-washer-fluid-level-indicator.html). Save $200.

Interesting. I might try that out myself or show it to a friend who's more automotively competent.



A buyer shouldnt care about a finnicky trunk release. Tell him/her it works but it's a little stubborn and they should understand. Its not worth spending $300 to fix.

Yeah, I was planning on ignoring that anyways. It's not that big a deal, as the remote control's trunk release ALWAYS works.


The only real issue is the bumper. Go to a body shop see if they can either work on it or put a repainted aftermarket/used part on. Save $___.

Yeah, this is the one which I may end up spending a bit of cash on, unfortunately...
even if I DON'T sell the car, I'd like it to look decent at least, which would require those scratches to be removed somehow.


Re: low mileage - yes, thats legit! The first owner was a retiree who didn't do much with it, then when I got it I ended up taking GO Transit to work so all my car would do was languish in the parking lot. Then later I moved to Toronto, next-door to a subway station, so it got even less use...
I CarProofed/CarFaxed this thing before I purchased it (all clean records), and maybe because of that, I have had zero "real" problems with this vehicle. knock on wood.

thanks for all the suggestions.

[at1212b]

Yea, I would maybe look into getting the bumper fix. Especially if there's a visible structural issue.

I would definitely take it to a local body shop and just try to get quotes. You can search here as its been brought up numerous times.

Its a low mileage Honda, so there will likely be someone who wants it, especially the smaller motor/fuel efficiency.

On the downside, I think the EL has definitely lost its 'place' as I don't see many around as I used to, and that people have likely caught on that its a overpriced Civic and might not want to pay that premium, esp in these times of high gas prices.