Thanks, I really appreciate the advice. It's done 104k miles, 8k since 2012, MOT til december, but not had a service since end of 2014. New battery and 2 new tyres in October, have replaced the clutch since I've owned it. Nothing else has needed replacing.

I'll try lowering the price some more - if I put it on eBay and end up selling via another site, do you know if it's possible to cancel the auction if no bidders? I've not sold anything on it before.

Thanks, I'll look into replacing the wheels. Is it something I can do myself, or will I need to take it to a garage?

Selling a car like this on Ebay (preferably with 'normal' rather than 'laddish' wheels fitted, as suggested above), you might well be surprised what it fetches.

EVery time I've sold an old car that way, I've started it at 99p with no reserve. Friends even sold their horrible rusty old Ka that way which had 2 months MOT left, and it went for more than £300.

Advertise it well, photograph it properly (no angled stupid magazine-type pics, just the basics), tell the truth about it warts and all, and watch the bidders roll in.

I know it's obvious--but have you tried trading it in for what you are going for next?. A friend with an old Golf valued on Autotrader for about £500 actually got £1500 when trading it in against a new Polo.

It probably wasn't a true trade in price. You usually can either negitiate a lower purchase price or larger trade in price ( or somewhere in-between)

Personally as I do a highish mileage I ignore depreciation/future trade-in price. I buy cheap and effectively throw away at the end of it service life. Any actual money I get from the old car is just a bonus

Edited by Big John on 22/04/2016 at 21:38

that's right--keep it till it is no longer viable--but do you "budget" to properly maintain it during it's "life" with you?

Very much so. There is usually a crunch point that causes you to think time to change. With my 2003 Superb I it was bodywork, rust was starting to be a problem

I semi - retired my 2001 Octavia I 1.4 after a high mileage for the first 6 years - still going strong and bodywork rustfree except for a trapped seatbelt ding

Our entire fleed is always well maintained and I always select fixed rather than extended service intervals

Clearly if you get a major failure beyond 6 years then you need to think carefully re viability. If it's borderline it can be still worth an expensive repair, better the devil you know

Generally maintenance has always been a low number of £100's every year and tyre sizes are part of my car buyin decisions.

I usually buy a lower powered version of a model