Swapped my car

Neodite

Neodite

Neodite

Soldato
Joined
10 Sep 2008
Posts
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Location
Grendon
Hi guys, not very often i venture into motors but i swapped my car 2 days ago and need some advise.


I had a 52 plate Deawoo Matiz (Don't laff too much it was free :p )

But due to having one child (18 months) and our second due in 3 months we needed a bigger car.

So we went around looking for cars and found a ford mondeo 51 plate. It's done 78k and came with 8 months MOT and 6 months tax, the car is in perfect condition with full SH apart from some damage on the rear passenger side.

Damaged rear bumper
Cracked rear light
dents and scratches on rear panel
one missing wheel trim

As soon as i got it home i ordered a bumper, light and wheel trim.

Are the bumpers + lights easy to replace? It's been a long time since ive removed bumpers and stuff and never touched a mondeo before, are there any online guides to make it easyer just incase?

Ive also included a photo (Crappy phone image) of the damge to the rear quarter. Any ideas of what kind of money id be looking at to get this sorted?

imag0007a.jpg


Ive took it to a body shop where ive had a lot of work done in the past, loadsssss of money spent over a few years. And they quoted £1200 to replace the panel/spray, but he remembered who i was and said he would do it for £800 cash

So what would you do? Get the panel replaced for £800 or take it somewhere to have them take the dents out and spray it? What kind of money would you exspect to do this?

Cheers :)
 
Yep 100% bodywork.

Also forgot to mention the £800 also includes a car for me to use for 5 days while he does it

Shame realy as the rest of the car is perfect, no scratches anywhere else and the interior is just as clean.

But then again i wouldn't have got it as a swap if it didn't have the damage :p
 
I'd probably get it done properly, and by a decent body shop. However, you probably could have sold the Matiz for ~£800 and put the ~£800 that you may be spending to get this repaired together and bought one that wasn't bent.
 
I did look around, but for under 2k the examples i looked at (Only looked at about 10 cars) where shoddy all over, looked very worn and all very close if not over 100k
 
Well Mondeos are like rats - for every one you see, there are at least 10 more that you don't. There'll be hundreds of the things scuttling around, and there's bound to be a good one out there somewhere (Mondeo, not rat :p).

However, if you do get it repaired to a decent standard in budget, you probably won't be any worse off anyway. Good luck! :)
 
Had to laugh about your comment about it being in perfect condition apart from some damage to the back.

There are that many mondeos out there I wouldn't have bothered with the hassle!
 
Neodite said:
And they quoted £1200 to replace the panel/spray, but he remembered who i was and said he would do it for £800 cash)
Click to expand...

In all fairness, I'd just leave it. a 51 plate Mondeo isn't worth much more than the quote!
 
Yeah i was thiking about just doing the bumper/light and leaving the panel, but part of me just couldn't live with it lol.

I might see how much it will be to have the dents knocked out and a spray.

I would have ago myself but id end up killing the car :D
 
Neodite said:
the car is in perfect condition
Click to expand...

Ive also included a photo (Crappy phone image) of the damge to the rear quarter. Any ideas of what kind of money id be looking at to get this sorted?

imag0007a.jpg
Click to expand...

Seriously is this some sort of joke? This car is so far from being in perfect condition its actually amusing. Have you actually bought it yet, if not, don't. It's clearly not a decent example, is it?
 
Another problem like this is that the previous owner would have stopped spending on it. Servicing and the like will have suffered because he would have run it into the ground. Unless this is very recent.
 
Whats so hard to understand about the rest of the car is mint?

Last service was 4k miles ago, damage was done soon after that service
 
Walk. Away.

I mean seriously? It's perfect? Apart from that huge great big dent in the side you mean? There are 1000s and 1000s of Mondeos out there which are the same price, or cheaper, but without a whacking great hole in the side.
 
Care to find me a £1600 51 plate mondeo with under 80k miles, FSH, 6 months tax, 8 months MOT.

With no scratches, dents, tears in seats etc.?

As even if i go with the most costly option of the panel being replaced £1600 is all this car has cost me, well £800 seems i didn't pay for the matiz
 
Neodite said:
Care to find me a £1600 51 plate mondeo with under 80k miles, FSH, 6 months tax, 8 months MOT.
Click to expand...

How is it at a £1600 51 plate Mondeo if it needs £1000 of work done to it? Surely its now a £2600 51 plate Mondeo?!

It's clearly been owned by somebody who didnt give a stuff!
 
danza said:
Well Mondeos are like rats - for every one you see, there are at least 10 more that you don't.
Click to expand...

You're always within 6 feet of one too :D

Am I understanding that this was a straight swap for the Matiz?

I'd have personally sold the Matiz and bought a tidy Mk2, but it sounds like you've already got it. Sort the bumper and light (yes they're easy jobs), bash the dents out with a mallet so there arent any sharp edges and just leave it. Put the cash into savings for a better car and run this one into the ground in the mean time
 
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