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Sorry for the non-bike drama thread but sensible people hang out here and perhaps can comment on this bizarre situation:
* Friend has a Range Rover Vogue SE that has been gathering rust for ~1.5 years [bought on a whim in summer 2019 before he had a license (don't ask..). Due to corona he never actually got the license.]
* Flat battery, tiny amount of diesel probably contaminated with condensation over winter, blah blah.
* Friend is not actually as rich as the above suggests. He had not insured RR to save money (gasp).
* Inevitably (because East London) it was broken into, yesterday (I'm only amazed it took that long). I've only seen photos of damage but it looks like crowbar has been used at top of window- frame is damaged and it's not simply a case of replacing the glass
imgur photo (not really relevant, couldn't get embedding working sorry )
* Looks very expensive and maybe new door job.. kind of stuff silly that leads to insurance write off (... if it was insured). I haven't told him that yet as he's quite distraught.
* I got him to report it to police.
* I asked him to insure it now..... if only for my peace of mind!
* Instead he announced he'll sell it ASAP and wants my advice (despite generally ignoring it in the past haha)
I articulated:
Option1: sell as SORN non-runner to webuyanycar (or similar). Con: shafted on price, maybe -£8k from book. Pro: least work.
Option2: local RR dealer, on the basis they probably have best access to parts to fix the door (and then resell). He's clearly not going to get a great price but better than 1 and I suspect this is the best option.
Option3: if selling privately he needs to at least get it running and MOT'd (with some bodge on the window) to get a reasonable price. Pro: best price. Con: in order to make the saving worthwhile he'll need help from his friends :/
Another way of phrasing this question: would you break lock down rules and spend an afternoon to help your mate save say max £3k, if they're not actually poor? That's a very reluctant but unanimous "no" right?
Thanks in advance for any views!
It’s a no from me. But LD rules might be lifted/relaxed in the coming weeks so I’d say wait and help him then. Not much point in trying to sell it in LD anyway..
Get it to an indy and get them to fix it with second hand bits. Don’t bother with a main dealer they won’t be interested. Photos not that clear but it doesn’t look too bad to me. Then once it’s sorted and running get it sold quickly. Take it from me if your friend can’t afford to insure it he certainly can’t afford to run it. They are smashing things to have owned and experienced when they are going well, but otherwise money pits...
As for the lockdown question I’m not sure what you mean - is it a long way away for you in which case I’d say it’s a no no but if local and you can socially distance from him, wear masks etc crack on.
Is it parked on the street unsecured at this moment in time?
Is it parked on the street unsecured
Given its uninsured I'd rather hope not
Your mate waterproofs it, wait for the rules to ease, sort it per suggestions above is safest option but it could leave valuable property at risk and arguably if you are very local and you can help make a vandalised vehicle secure and protect it I'd say it's possibly a reasonable excuse to be out for a short period and if you did then take decent precautions masked up and well distanced where possible. You might get unlucky and get fined though.
Whatever you or he decides to do, get it into some kind of covered storage asap.
Just looks like the glass was pulled out from that picture.
Chances are the engine will be OK with new a battery, fresh fuel, filter and oil.
He may be done for no insurance though.
Thanks.
@oceanskipper - Good point, 29th March (meeting outside) looks the unambiguously-legal date.
@timbog160 - Thanks. I assumed a main dealer would be helpful but TBH I'm clueless. Agreed on running costs! On top of insurance there's ULEZ (£12.50/day) from October. Currently I'm 120 miles away (I shared the flat with him for >3 years). The only decent workshops I have access to are up here too. Plan would be use the "driving to a prebooked MOT" allowance (no maximum distance, and I would really get an MOT booked) to get it up here.
@Ambrose - it's in a gated (but uncovered) car park. TBH little chance of the whole thing going walkies especially as I suspect the parking brake is seized. However, it's not visible from the flat and .
My concern is just they come back for electronics etc.
Thanks for the extra replies- yeah it's SORN in a private car park- nothing illegal going on. He's rain proofed it.
@sharkbait - yeah perhaps I'm being pessimistic- assumed something had be jammed between glass and frame to pull it out.
Edit: SORN now and he never drove it uninsured (L plates or otherwise :)).
Plan would be use the “driving to a prebooked MOT” allowance (no maximum distance, and I would really get an MOT booked) to get it up here.
While there isn't a maximum distance in law I would suggest this for 120miles is a really terrible idea and likely to encounter some serious ire and failures of tolerance from the Police.
First it could have one or more dangerous defects after sitting rotting for a year. Leaving aside legality that's a bad idea. Oh and a dangerous vehicle is fine up to £2500, penalty points and/or a ban based on RAC guidance.
Second there's the whole "reasonable" thing for Covid and a 240 mile round trip isn't really going to tick that box
Third I can't believe that you wouldn't get a no MOT ticket if stopped on that journey. Police likely to assume you've booked the MOT to avoid an MOT and just drive it.
Edit sorry reads back a bit preachy not my intention but equally I'm not typing it out again.
@garage-dweller , with hindsight I agree- entirely sensible and no need to apologise! 🙂
Easier to get it trailered up to you. Very un London prices down here, but I was quoted £75 + £1 a mile when I last needed a vehicle moving.
How old is the RR ?
I’d get a local indy to recover it, fix it up for sale, MOT’d then either get it dropped off at the original address or taken straight on to the nearest webuyanycar or similar.
@cheddarchallenged Yep- this morning phoned small railway arches garage nearby. For £75 the guy will come over, check coolant & drain diesel etc, jump start, drive back to his garage (on trade insurance) and do the MOT test. He has good reviews on autotrader and think he'll give an honest assessment of what needs doing before failing it so my friend can decide. Pretty decent value IMHO.
Meanwhile AutoGlass quote for the window (assuming no frame damage) was £640, and that's in their workshop (not mobile)!
@revs1972- It's a 2014 (4.4 V8). ULEZ killed the market locally for such vehicles. I applaud the move from an environmental and health (asthma etc) PoV of course but feel a little sorry for ill informed buyers who've taken the hit in prices!