Ask an expert

I am looking to sell (or possibly trade in) my 1996 Mitsubishi Legnum ST-R, with about 145,000k. The clutch has been slipping under heavy acceleration for a while, although it's fine when driven gently. I've been quoted roughly $1200-$1300 for a replacement clutch, as it's 4WD. With a car of this age do you think it's worth investing the money or am I better off just selling/trading in as is?

Once the clutch is replaced, it will not automatically increase the cars value. It simply means you can advertise it at a competitive price knowing there are no obvious problems.

Provided you did not misrepresent the car, you could try and sell it in its current condition under the banner of ‘buyer beware’ or you could mention to prospective buyers that the clutch is starting to slip and you are prepared to negotiate the cost of those repairs into the selling price.

If you traded the car in with a Dealer, I’m sure they would quickly identify the clutch issue and price the car accordingly. In this scenario its more about you being happy with the change over figure anyway.

The important thing for you NOT to do, is tell a private buyer the car is fault free when you know it has a problem.

This may give them grounds to take legal action against you to either pay for the clutch repairs or to take the car back.