[sunikkat]

Well I think it’s the circumstances under which you are selling the car makes it emotional or not.
For eg: if I am selling a car for an upgrade, I have already made up my mind. I will buy a new car only if it is really an upgrade to existing ride and in that case I am already excited about new one. Obviously there are memories with the current one for which you feel bad, but the excitement of new one overcomes that.

But if I am happy with my current drive and selling it because of say financial problems, govt mandate, relocation or anything I would definitely be more emotional letting it go.

[yamoody]

Thanks for being candid with what you’re going through, and starting a great thread.

I think it comes down to having a forcing function. Usually it’s a car that is giving problems and it makes more sense to buy a new one.

In your case, since the car is going well, I believe you can

1. What are the features that would really aid you well in your daily routine? Could be something as simple as an auto hold which helps in traffic or latest tech or maybe a hybrid which really reduces monthly bills

2. Once you’re really convinced, go ahead and buy the new car. Once you’re comfortable with the new car, it’ll be slightly easier to let go of old one

I went through this process myself. Sold a 9 year old Polo in April after buying a new Car last December! Yup, 4 months! I have a picture of her being driven away by Spinny folks. Hold on, like someone just started cutting onions around me :’)

[Cyborg]

No emotions for me, only cold hard logic. I buy the car which I like and use it till I like or it starts giving trouble. For me it should be a fill it, shut it, forget it type. No nuisance besides the annual service, if it troubles me then it’s time to say bye-bye.

Not that I don’t love my rides but I believe vehicles should be there to serve us, we are not there to serve them.

Cheers

[cdrajeevkumar]

Nope. No cry baby feelings in selling my car. The day I decided to sell my car, I contacted Spinny and Cars24 (after bhpians reviews). Spinny gave the best quote. Settled the final value and handed over the keys. Period.

It’s after all just a machine and having sentimental values doesn’t gel with me!

[the.dogfather]

As many in the thread have mentioned, buy a replacement first. The waiting periods on new cars are very long these days and unpredictable too.

I was in the same boat when I had to replace my 8 year old Ford Figo. I had planned to change the car initially when it hits the 1 lakh km mark, but the car was performing so well, that I went ahead and gave it a full service, removing all dents, new windshield to get it back as new at 1 lakh kms.

The second time I got the idea of selling it was when I had a minor incident of a fuel leak due to a disconnected return fuel line. I was doing a interstate 700kms trip and didn't notice the leak immediately. Being a diesel, I drove it till the next available garage enroute, and it was a simple fix to connect the disconnected return fuel line back. While it was not a big issue, and didn't not leave me stranded,it dent my confidence to take it for last minute unplanned highway trips.
I started considering other options , but every highway drive, I would be grinning again and would postpone the idea of replacement.
I was following the used car market and noticed that after the first Covid lockdown the prices for used sedans had fallen significantly while prices for hatchbacks have gone up. I still did not consider selling the Figo but started looking for a bigger car. When I finalized my Altis, the used car dealer saw my Figo and offered an unexpectedly high price for it. I was surprised with the offer but declined informing that I plan to keep the car for longer. However the mechanic who had come with me to check the Altis also called back and asked me if I am planning to sell the Figo.
With the crazy offers coming in, especially for a 1.4 lakh km run car, I decided to check on cars24 the day before I took the delivery of the Altis.
Cars24 offer was another 10% higher than what the other dealer had offered and I realised it makes sense to sell it.
I asked the cars24 person for a few hours to decide, and went for a drive. I drove around for quite sometime, confused, teary eyed but I knew I wouldn't give the Figo the attention it needed with the Altis coming in.
I called up my wife and asked her to pick me up from cars25 and proceeded with the sale process.
Cars24 handled the sale very professionally and the sale was done in 10 minutes. Moved my things from the Figo to my wife's car and it was a difficult goodbye to the Figo.
I was tempted and few times to go back and see the Figo once more, however next day bringing the Altis home helped keeping my focus off the Figo. Even now, 2 years after selling the car, everytime I see a Figo in moondust silver, I wish I still had the car.

[itsmeparvathy9]

Originally Posted by the.dogfather

I was tempted and few times to go back and see the Figo once more, however next day bringing the Altis home helped keeping my focus off the Figo. Even now, 2 years after selling the car, everytime I see a Figo in moondust silver, I wish I still had the car.

That's quite a story you got there, you loved your car a lot and it feels like you almost regret selling it, this may exactly be the position, the OP must be in, if that's the case, it's a strong bond and difficult to let go off.

[sukhbirST]

Well, it is a tough call for me, who has this odd habit of not throwing out even mundane things. For me the reason could also be financial, as I believe in saving and buying. As am on the brink of retirement it puts further pressure of letting go old car/bike. There are so many rides, events, experiences attached with it that it becomes difficult to sell. My car, old baleno sedan is 19 now but safety, AT, tech, govt rules etc will have to take priority. Thanks for starting this touchy thread.

[gomnivazca]

I am one of those not getting the courage to let go my old rides. I buy Taurpolin for storage, I drive my old car once in 2 or 3 weeks. Old 2 wheeler and cycle are in a state of long hibernation.

[itsmeparvathy9]

If you are so emotionally attached to your car like how my uncle was to his Ford Ecosport Diesel which he bought when it launched, what he did kind of shocked me, he held on to it for about 7-8 years, before it started giving him troubles, no other car could satisfy him, he wanted to hold on to it but engine problems and hefty repair bills couldn't permit him financially to hold on to it for longer.

So, guess what he did! he bought a new Ecosport Diesel model in 2021 January, but sadly that one had engine problems in just 3 months, by the time Ford was gradually on its way out, and they couldn't replace it, so they offered him his entire money back. Now he is without a car over the past year or so, contemplating whether there could be any car that can replace his Ecosport.

[landcruiser123]

Was a toughie! I recently had to let go of my first car, a 2012 Ford Fusion I bought used in 2019 and drove 40k miles (including a trip from CA to IL). But better sense prevailed as I moved to my current lakeside apartment where parking is $275 a month.

Only upside - $$$ is growing significantly!

[RunGaDa]

May be first time it’s hard. It’s only better to not emotionally associate with vehicles. I had emotional attachment with my first car. But I was completely okay at the time of selling it. I knew I have to move on.
Just think of the best moments, focus your attention on new targets. Close the chapter.
Life goes on. Nothing lasts forever.
Cheers!

[s.sriram1989@gm]

I got so much attached to my alto that it was hard for me to let it go. Went to many places and made many memories. It was there in many desparate times but as per rule its life is over after 15 years in Delhi. On the last day I cleaned it myself and took it for one good ride doing 80-100kmph on highway. Though 15 years old, it was much better than most 5 year old cars in Delhi.

[evil_grin]

Our family doesn't believe in selling our vehicles. We buy really good ones and keep them until they become khataras. We get really attached to our cars. So we don't face the conundrum of having to let them go.

[bivision]

I am not sure if it is emotional attachment, but I do find it hard to sell my old car. This realization happened only when I started looking for new cars and discussing with sales rep on exchange prices and condition of car etc.

So finally we decided to keep the old car even though we will soon buy a new one.
It is a 2007 Santro AT and due for RC renewal in a month, for which I am preparing now.
One of the factor to drive this decision is, the car price is surprisingly higher than it used to be 3-4 years back, that tells old car price is actually appreciating! 3 years back, car dealer offered 90k, now exchange price offered is 1L by Hyundai, Maruti 1.4L, Renault 1.5L. So the thought process is, if the car is so valuable, why sell?
Just got all tyres replaced to new sets, but a cheaper Apollo Amazer 4g life TL which seems to have degraded ride quality compared to 15 year old Bridgestone TT stock tyre.

All while I was getting my car serviced in authorized server centres, they often got me to replace parts which I did without much review as I trusted them and left them to make the call on what to do best for the car, as I am not an automobile expert. My last visit to authorized service centre badly disappointed me after paying Rs 10k for services and another Rs 11k for few parts replacements.

Rear wheel started making minor beating sound, and after 9 days from the service date, front wheel was making strong noise during braking. Took it to nearby local multibrand service, they found out the front wheel disc that service centre replaced was not tightened properly and one bolt fell off. Other bolts were loose too. which they tightened.
Rear wheel noise diagnosed (second visit, when noise worsened after tyre change) to brake shoe not properly fixed to the springs after brake shoe cleaning in the service centre.
All these snags made me appreciate my car better, I am going to keep it and will be taking to multi brand services only for servicing (unless they give up on complex jobs) that looks like good place to learn the functioning of automobiles first hand.
From heresay, I had the apprehension that local service guys may replace new car parts with old one, but after two visits and seeing them doing it in front of me, my trust factor is more on them than authorized services, also risk of replacement is nil when car is 15 years old.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by s.sriram1989@gm

....took it for one good ride doing 80-100kmph on highway. Though 15 years old, it was much better than most 5 year old cars in Delhi...

If that beautiful(well maintained) car ended up in the scrapyard, it is a great loss indeed.
Vehicle life should be based on its condition rather than age.
Deprecating immaculate condition 15 year old vehicles is a gross waste of our resources in addition to the carbon footprint of manufacturing a replacement vehicle.
Somehow these illogical rules are as a result of powerful profitting lobbies and not as genuine step towards pollution control.

You could have obtained an NOC before the 15 year mark to transfer the vehicle to another place to make proper use of this resource.