Moving abroad for 2 years. Sell my Audi to trade? or Keep the car until return?

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anntionette

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I'm really torn. I have an Audi Q5 2016 i imported 2 years ago from UK so its VAT registered and perfect. I'm now unexpectedly abroad until summer of 2025. So we don't have time to sell privately but would like to get the best deal otherwise. or i keep it off road until return.

I'm getting mixed message from people some think Merlin will give us the best price and others say garage dealers will offer better price, I keep hearing there is a shortage of second hand cars but when i rang a few garages with the specs they all quoted me 23k which is disappointing given the import fees were huge.

I'm just wondering if anyone here knows currently whats the best thing to do in the current market? As I'm wondering if I keep the car off road would that be a better idea? Even to my own ears that sounds madness as it will lose more value than selling it at a loss right now.

Any one any experience or thoughts with auctioning a higher value car vs going to dealerships/garage courts? or keep it.

Much appreciation in advance!
 
I'll mind it for you!!!

I would say if you're not getting the value you think you should be getting and you can keep it somewhere safe, then hold on to it
Would the car be worth more than €23K in two years time??
How much will it cost you in 2 years time to get the car you want??

One thing to watch out for is your NCB on your insurance, which I think you loose after 2 years of no insurance!!
 
Good point on the ncb.

I'd personally keep it. You save on the time and mental bandwidth of 2 sales transactions.

Ask your insurer to insure it for 3rd party f&t with the lowest possible mileage and all the extra riders disabled.
 
We got letters from our overseas insurers describing our no claims history from date x to date y & we submitted them with insurance applications here & got market rates (as far as I can tell -EUR400-600ish each). Simples.
 
anntionette said:
As I'm wondering if I keep the car off road would that be a better idea? Even to my own ears that sounds madness as it will lose more value than selling it at a loss right now.
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I think you should probably sell it too.

1. It's only going to depreciate while you're away,
2. Keeping it taxed and insured in the meantime is to all intents and purposes, a waste of money.
3. You might end up being away longer than 2 years.

anntionette said:
Any one any experience or thoughts with auctioning a higher value car vs going to dealerships/garage courts?
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No, sorry.
 
This is a head versus heart situation. It's a lovely car that you've spent time and money on but you risk getting trapped by sunk costs. Unless the car is a one-of-a-kind of huge sentimental value I can't see the benefit of leaving €23k sitting depreciating.

With the cash value you could pay down debts, keep it as a buffer, invest it, or use it to make life in your new country a bit more comfortable.

You said this move is unexpected - what if your 2025 return date is unexpectedly changed to 2027?

Cars do not like to be left idle. You will need someone to keep an eye on it for damp/mould, rust, etc. and to take it for a spin once a while to keep it moving. Living abroad can be complicated enough without adding this hassle.
 
It will cost money and will be a hassle either way. I moved my newish car to mainland Europe for almost same length of time and found it wasn't worth it. Changing headlights, registration local (it was required after one year), winter tyres, void of guarantee, cost of transport and so on.

I would suggest to collect more information on what is required at new destination eg. Public transport (do you really need a car ?), parking, laws requiring registration, road worthiness checks, winter tyres etc. These items add up cost and require time. The other question to answer is requirements of car when you come over here for holidays, weekends etc.
 
2 years isn't long. I'd be inclined to holding onto it, keeping it insured and taxed but make sure it's garaged.
 
FCBC12 said:
Can you confirm what you mean here?
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I mean if you move from Ireland to Bulgaria and have a no-claims history a Bulgarian insurer must quote you as if that no-claims history had been accumulated in Bulgaria.

Insurers all have a standard template for this to provide to your insurer in the EU country you move to.
 
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