Firstly, apologies for the long post. Sorry, but I don’t feel I can comment on whether 19” alloys look too small on the
Terramar; I think I’ve only ever seen a handful of
Terramar’s on the road. However, I do have a little experience of selling alloy wheels; I’ve sold three sets in the past that I had fitted to VW’s I’ve owned, and they sold very quickly.
A bit of a brain dump below on considerations for buying and selling alloys which hopefully you’ll find useful;
Considerations when buying new alloys;
- insurance; changing wheels is a modification so you’d need to inform your insurer and they may charge you a higher premium, especially if the new wheels means you’re changing the original factory spec (e.g. new alloys are larger).
- Increasing wheel size with lower profile tyres can result in poorer ride quality. Lower profile tyres also increases the risk of damage to the alloys from kerbing, potholes or hazards such as raised or lowered drain covers.
- OEM 20” Cupra alloys are likely to be expensive.
- If considering aftermarket alloys, depending on the brand and / or design, they may be more difficult to sell on than OEM alloys as they may have less appeal.
- if buying aftermarket alloys, IMHO it’s worth keeping as close as possible to OEM spec in terms of wheel width and offset to minimise potential fitment issues. I’d also avoid cheap imported alloys as they may not have been subjected to the same stringent quality control and structural testing procedures that European brands are subjected to.
- how and where to store your existing alloys safely and securely so they don’t get damaged while in storage.
And considerations when the time comes to sell the 20” alloys;
- What’s the size of potential buyer pool? Looking at the number of Terramars on the UK’s roads (www.howmanyleft.co.uk website), the Terramar is a low volume vehicle, so the buyer pool for used Terramar alloys is likely to be only a small proportion of total Terramar ownership. However, Terramar alloys may also fit other VAG vehicles (i.e. if they have the same bolt pattern and centre bore size, similar offset, similar width), so that’s something to research to see if the potential buyer pool might extend beyond Terramar owners.
- Thorough prep of the alloys for sale maximises the chance of selling. I’ve always cleaned them thoroughly - front and back - and dressed the tyres before photographing them.
- Ensure the sales ad includes all the info a potential buyer would need to know;
- the price (and be realistic in pricing them for a successful sale).
- whether they’re OEM Cupra alloys or aftermarket and if aftermarket, who the manufacturer is.
- full spec details - diameter, width, offset, centre bore size, PCD (bolt pattern)
- disclose details of any damage and if there’s ever been any repairs, whether the repairs were cosmetic or structural.
- tyres; the amount of tread remaining, whether there’s been any puncture repairs.
- lots of photos! Photos of each wheel. If any are damage highlight the damage in the photos. Don’t forget to photograph the reverse side of at least one wheel to show the details that are cast into the reverse side of the spokes (e.g. spec details, manufacturer name safety testing certification mark)
- important to state whether the buyer needs to collect the alloys or if you’re prepared to send them by courier. If they’re couriered, who pays the courier charges and the cost of packaging materials. It can take a long time to package up alloy wheels to the courier’s requirements; I know from experience!
- Historically, I’ve found forums to be a good place to sell good quality used alloys (I sold one set on the day i posted up the sale ad. The other two sets also sold quickly). However, with forums generally being quieter these days than in the past, that may no longer be the case.
