Don’t be surprised if one of these mornings, you find somebody at your door asking whether you want to sell your old car rather than scrap it. Once they strike a deal, they just drive beyond city limits and sell off their new acquisition at a premium.

To take advantage of the Calcutta High Court order on Bharat Stage II compliance, a group of enterprising individuals is doing the rounds of old-car addresses and persuading vehicle-owners to sell their four-wheelers before they are rendered “useless” after April.

What these visitors bring to the door is “authentic information” about the car’s bio-data. They collect the names and address of the old-vehicle owners from various car service centres, motor garages and even the public vehicles department (PVD) office.

After buying the vehicles at a bargain, they sell them at much higher prices in the districts, beyond the purview of the Bharat Stage II norms.

“Two young men came to my house last week and introduced themselves as automobile experts. I allowed them in, as I owned an old car and was worried over Bharat Stage II compliance. The youths showed me a copy of the court order and suggested that it would be better for me to sell the old car. I sold my 1985 Fiat for Rs 6,000 to them,” said Samarjit Ghosh of Nagerbazar.

The price being offered for a 10 to 15-year-old Ambassador or Fiat is between Rs 5,000 and Rs 7,000. Vehicles seven to 10 years old are being picked up for anything between Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000. The sale price for a 15-year-old Maruti has dropped to Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000. In the districts, especially Burdwan, Malda, Murshidabad and Siliguri, the price for such an old Ambassador or Fiat ranges from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000, with a Maruti car going for around Rs 30,000.

A number of owners of old vehicles, reluctant to spend any more on their cars, are opting for the sale pitch at their doorstep. After all, the least one needs to shell out to switch fuels is Rs 25,000 and a change of engine costs no less than a lakh.

“I sold my Ambassador to two youths for Rs 6,000 as I am in no position to invest in upgrading my old car,’’ said Tapan Mullick of Phoolbagan.

The youths doing the rounds insist that they are playing it clean. “We are not forcing anybody to sell their car. We are just explaining the ground reality and showing them a way out,” said Rabin Sharma of Duttabad. “Many owners have called us on their own, offering to sell their vehicles, as they know about the April deadline. I have bought 15 old cars in January, at anything between Rs 5,000 and 9,000 each. There is a huge rush, with prices bound to drop further as the April deadline nears.’’