I wonder this because I just took a trip up north to check out a corolla with great pix and description. Car was a trade-in. On the phone a salesman urged me to put a $500 deposit on it to hold it for me - just as well I did not. On arriving at the yard, I filled out a form for a test drive and did my inspection; looked good as in the pix, brake fluid reservoir down, no wiper fluid, one rear seat belt socket not working. THEN a test drive, graunch graunch as I put it into 3rd, both changing up and down! Anyone driving it would have to feel and hear this. I handed back the keys and told them about it but when I went to ask a question on the auction, they have amended it already with a warning about the grinding. So I'd say no-one is going to buy it. I tend to think the dealer really did not know about this condition, hence the question, how can they have a trade-in they have obviously never driven? Surely this would leave them open to buying lemons or is it a risk worth taking for them?
bryalea,
May 28, 6:58am
I expect they pay nothing for the trade ins in the first place. What they pay is what they would have discounted for a cash sale pretty much especially on older cars. When I have traded in way back they took the car for a mechanical check which may or may not have included a drive , but by a mechanic, not the dealer. The dealer is there to sell the car not drive it.
tgray,
May 28, 7:35am
I go over my trade ins very carefully and usually end up suggesting they try and sell it themselves as most are full of issues and not worth the risk or hassle for me to deal with.
cjohnw,
May 28, 9:11am
I have found over many years that the larger dealers and franchise operators will take your trade in almost no matter what. They even advertise the fact they take any trade in of any condition. The smaller operators tend to discourage trade ins, especially older stuff and most of it goes straight to auction anyway. One of a few reasons I have tended to deal mostly with larger dealerships to be honest.
tamarillo,
May 28, 9:38am
How many is had this Corolla done? Sound old. Jeez a Euro wouldn’t do that (-; Mate reckons he will trade his forester I soon, his son pranged the front and home repaired it but it’s awful job, clearly out of line and parts with massive clearances. But mate says last time he traded in they didn’t look at his car just told him trade in value on phone. Hope dealer wises up this time as all his cars are crap the way he treats them.
intrade,
May 28, 10:06am
The Way it has to work is a trade-in is 0 value or the value the auction site who can flog a wreck as minta and gets them a guaranteed price= what you would use as trade value. Then the actual condition won't matter . cant sell it to much wrong scrap dealer or them seller place. If you dont do this then you would have 2 options Test everything or don't and go bankrupt paying to much for traded wracks.
intrade,
May 28, 10:11am
Also, Toyota do have quite poor manual transmissions. compaired to a ZF or 6 speed VAG manual trans. Old aisin 3 speed+od automatics are the world's most reliable for normal operation. For testing use incar He tests vehicles in auckland region.
brouser3,
May 28, 1:06pm
Of course the 'franchise' dealers will take it and most likely send it straight to the crusher. Not only does is mean a sale to 'you' - it probably means one more 'inexpensive/affordable- 9; car off the road - hence meaning another potential buyer will have to step up a peg price wise, and as we all are aware, the higher the price, the greater the ability to have a bigger profit margin. It won't go to the wrecker either as this would mean a person who could potentially have their vehicle repaired, won't be able to access parts at an affordable price, and again be in the market for a 'new to them' vehicle.
curlcrown,
May 28, 2:44pm
Amazingly a lot don't check them very well. They get so caught up in selling what they have that some get slack checking a trade in. The no wiper fluid is a non issue to me, the low fluid and seat belt buckle are very easy to fix, and the gearbox may just require new oil. Slack of the dealer, yes I agree, especially if he knew you were coming from out of town, but if the car was otherwise good and they can get the gears changing smoothly it may still be worth buying. The seat belt would have to be repaired anyway for a WOF and the brakes checked, As for wiper fluid it can be added in seconds. At the cheaper end of the market though one person may pick a car to pieces and walk away while another person will happily buy it.
kazbanz,
May 28, 4:51pm
I can't speak for other dealers but I personally can't be faffed with the hassle of dealing with pissed of people. So the cars are inspected and driven before I advertise them. One or two even get a full PP inspection before I trade them I can't say I get it right all the time but I do my best.
nesta129,
May 28, 6:24pm
Yet to meet any Euro franchise dealer that take in just any car,especially a junk one. But most I have worked in,the test is done by the salesperson who handled the trade (basically visual inspection and quick drive-around).If the car is worth something and something is amiss,it is a call to a specialist.All this is before accepting the trade.After trade,some do go for a mechanical inspection or a wof check but old cars just get sold to wholesalers.Much easier than flooding the yard with junkers.
trogedon,
May 29, 7:45pm
The oldest corollas are the best Corollas.
franc123,
May 29, 7:56pm
Someone will buy it alright. Sounds like a missed opportunity to me IF the rest of the car otherwise stacked up OK. None of those problems made the car undriveable, I would have negotiated the best price possible and bought it, at worst you were going to be up for a used replacement gearbox and possibly a new clutch if it was found to be worn enough, plus labour and a second hand belt stalk. If there was no squealing, juddering or grinding from the brakes then chances are the pads are just low, probably all it needed. You never toss up the opportunity to buy good used manual Corolla cheap, there is always a good resale market for those.
aprilguy,
May 29, 10:09pm
Franc, the little problems (apart from the gears) were mentioned just to show the car had not been prepared for sale at all. The brakes were excellent despite the low fluid. Once the third gear grinding issue is fixed it might well be nice car for someone, but to me gearbox trouble=expensive fix and it should have been advertised as a fixer-upper. I assure you, you would not want to drive it more than 100 metres as it is (bad grinding into 3rd from both 2nd and 4th). Also, I realise now I don't like the build of the more modern corollas (I drive a 96.) The later ones have pathetically weak bonnet and tailgate struts and have not aged well in the few years they have been on the road. Holding the tailgate of the 2005 model, I was a little disgusted that it felt far more flimsy than my 96. Also the spare wheel enclosure, what a disaster of weak plastic coverings, why not one sheet of thick ply like the 96?
kazbanz,
May 30, 5:50am
if you are talking the next generation Corolla .then l feel you must have seen a faulty / high mile example. The tailgate struts for those work well. Bonnet strut is the same design as the 96 .the solid plywood you speak of is not factory standard . 96 Corolla hatches had a compressed fibreboard about 8 mm thick in the boot.
intrade,
May 30, 8:34am
"Correct" but only if not thrashed and neglected and that's hard to find because the typical cheapskate is what owned any of them now old ones that are also can no longer suffer any more abuse or they go pop and its probably beyond repair by now.
aprilguy,
May 30, 10:10am
Kaz, they are both wagons: 96 GL touring wagon does have a 12mm thick ply door over the spare and looks factory-built and the bonnet strut is 93cmX 8mm steel. The newer model was 2005 corolla wagon. Perhaps in an effort to save weight, the bonnet strut on the 2005 model is tiny and at top left, also the tailgate is a far lighter construction, tailgate struts noticably smaller. Even if they function well, they look to small/weak to me.
franc123,
May 30, 11:54am
You really didnt do any homework on this did you, you expected something that was in above average condition for a freshly traded price and are saying that something will be too expensive to fix without even costing it lol. Cars are engineered differently now, they have to be in order to achieve fuel economy and safety targets, this also means managing weight and cost targets While something might seem 'flimsy' it probably isnt in terms of that component being able to do its job properly over the expected life of that car. Finally its not impossible to drive a car that has a dysfunctional third gear, if it doesnt work properly you dont use it until it can be fixed.
kazbanz,
Aug 1, 3:06pm
wagon -sorry my bad . I can tell you the 2005 is a really solid and long lived vehicle - I regularly sell 2000-2006 corollas with 250- 300k sedan wagon and hatch Corolla badge or fielder or Alex/ runs
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