The joys of selling a car privately.

[Emeye]

Now this is just me doing a not very good rant - so you are welcome to tell me to STFU or just go and look at another thread about Porsche RMS failures or bad driving, as I'm sure you've all been there before, but I'm stunned by what has just happened.

I just had my first experience of the the "expecting a brand new condition used car" buyers who had travelled over 50 miles in rush hour traffic. They brought a "mechanic" with them, who then spends over 20mins checking out the paint work in the pouring rain with the husband and complaining about minor stone chips on the bonnet and then complaining about a bit of paint work on the rear arch where a minor scrape had been repaired and a couple of other minor marks.

Maybe they were looking for a car that hadn't ever been out on the road? Not happy about minor dints, not happy when minor dints have been repaired.
The "mechanic" said that the paint work is the most important thing, not the mechanics as they could be fixed. Now I could imagine that being the case if there had been evidence of major accident damage or rust, but there isn't.

I mean is a 1 inch scratch on the edge of the wing under the bonnet really a 5 minute discussion point? - it was there when I bought the car for my wife and it still starts every time.

They didn't even bother starting the car, never mind taking it for a run! I had to literally force them to look at the service history and docs!

I know I'm biased, but it really is in great nick, especially for a 7 year old people carrier which usually get battered - that's why I bought it in the first place 2 and a half years ago and then looked after it - it's not even expensive - maybe I should put the price up as they seemed so suspicious?

I have also had Mr. "What best price? I come today and buy", despite being at the other end of the country, and a lovely guy who wanted his son to buy my car even though his son didn't want a Zafira and had already put a deposit down on another. Oh, and a few others who are really interested and are going to call back, but don't.

Sorry if you wasted your time reading this, I never had this hassle selling my Mk5 Golf Gti, but I appear to be experiencing all the stereotypical sellers that I read about this time. Is it just the type of car?

[M4cruiser]

I've bought and sold quite a few cars privately.

Experiences like this add to the fun.

[Troubleatmill]

Buyers market.
Will try anything to get the price down.

The longer you entertain them - the weaker your perceived position comes.

Maybe just say - "This isn't the car for you. Have a safe trip home".


Of course - if your price is unrealistic - it will sit on your drive.

[anonymous-user]

it is a subjective matter, one person wife is another's sister..

Edited by The Spruce goose on Tuesday 14th May 22:17

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Lol. I actually love these threads, despite there being loads of them...

It's just funny to hear about people and what they sometimes expect.

You won't be the last, that's for sure!

[Emeye]

Troubleatmill said:

Buyers market.
Will try anything to get the price down.

The longer you entertain them - the weaker your perceived position comes.

Maybe just say - "This isn't the car for you. Have a safe trip home".


Of course - if your price is unrealistic - it will sit on your drive.

Not sure that was the case - it seemed obsessive - they want to come back when it is dry, which is fair enough, but surely they would have took it for a drive in case it was a bag of ste and therefore saved another 100 mile round trip? Even starting the car could have told them something. I have never come across a second hand car that didn't had the odd mark or scratches or corrective work to get rid or those imperfections, it's impossible.

If they do call back I think I am going to tell them they will be wasting their time as there is a tiny ding on the rear passenger door that they missed the tyres are dirty from running on the road.

[jamieduff1981]

The paintwork discussion really comes down to how the car was described I suppose.

Being on the other end of it, I've sometimes travelled to view a car described in text and on the phone as "immaculate / like new / spotless / mint / unblemished" etc and found loads of little chips, scratches and dings all over it, that won't polish out and would need near enough a full respray to make the car look like any of the adjectives used in the advertisement which imply a faultless condition.

Now, I'm not daft, and if someone describes a car as faultless I usually think they're an idiot and adjust my expectations accordingly, but a few chips on a bumper or a bonnet can be corrected for reasonable expense. Looking alright from 15 feet away but in reality needing a total respray does not merit a description implying faultlessness, even after adjusting one's expectations to account for the exaggerations and poor command of the English language used by most sellers.

I'm sure yours wasn't described like the above - but you know what I mean. It also depends a bit on what you're looking at. Does it really matter if a 7 year old people carrier isn't quite to the standard you might want for a car show? Probably not...

[Tc24]

fking wkers.

I recently sold a car. Very good condition for the age and advertised honestly. The first guy that came to look at it spent ages looking over it then proceeded to tell me "it's not the car he'd expect for the money I was asking". Well what the fk did you expect? A different car to that advertised? A Ferrari? Optimus fking Prime?

Thankfully the next couple of people to look at it were thorough, but not expecting a brand new car. Sold it to one for not too much below the asking price.

On the other hand, when I've been a buyer in the past, I'm sure people assume I'm blind before viewing. One that particularly boiled my piss was when I went to view a Civic that I'd been assured many times over the phone was "completely mint, not a mark on it" and "runs perfectly". In the sellers mind, this somehow meant a car with damage to virtually every panel (not just stone chips and the odd dent), a rattle can resprayed rear quarter and a knackered gearbox. Waste of a 100 mile round trip!

[Rawwr]

The Spruce goose said:

it is a subjective matter, one person wife is another's sister..

In Norfolk they're one and the same.

[Emeye]

I just had another call - quite late, but apologised as she thought it was going to be a machine as it was a Telesafe number. She sounds genuine and wants to come and look at it tomorrow. I told her I'd had someone come and look at it who wanted to come back and look at it when it was dry, and she said "What difference does that make?"

Now she's my sort of buyer!

[Tc24]

Emeye said:

I just had another call - quite late, but apologised as she thought it was going to be a machine as it was a Telesafe number. She sounds genuine and wants to come and look at it tomorrow. I told her I'd had someone come and look at it who wanted to come back and look at it when it was dry, and she said "What difference does that make?"

Now she's my sort of buyer!

Let her come look at it. If she buys it before the other viewer, that'll teach them to be such a fanny.

[g3org3y]

The Spruce goose said:

it is a subjective matter, one person wife is another's sister..

Now that's a phrase I've never heard!

[Emeye]

Tc24 said:

Emeye said:

I just had another call - quite late, but apologised as she thought it was going to be a machine as it was a Telesafe number. She sounds genuine and wants to come and look at it tomorrow. I told her I'd had someone come and look at it who wanted to come back and look at it when it was dry, and she said "What difference does that make?"

Now she's my sort of buyer!

Let her come look at it. If she buys it before the other viewer, that'll teach them to be such a fanny.

It would be quite satisfying if I sold it and they called back after seeing the state of most other average 7 year old family battle wagons!

[HannsG]

When I sold my 8 year old Fabia VRS it was ridiculous....

Checking every single stone chip etc and then debating etc, no checking MOT or FSH.....

IDIOTS its worth 3k at a push and has over 120k miles!

[Piersman2]

Tc24 said:

Emeye said:

I just had another call - quite late, but apologised as she thought it was going to be a machine as it was a Telesafe number. She sounds genuine and wants to come and look at it tomorrow. I told her I'd had someone come and look at it who wanted to come back and look at it when it was dry, and she said "What difference does that make?"

Now she's my sort of buyer!

Let her come look at it. If she buys it before the other viewer, that'll teach them to be such a fanny.

Yep, first one there with cash gets it - no other rule to consider.

[HannsG]

When I sold my 8 year old Fabia VRS it was ridiculous....

Checking every single stone chip etc and then debating etc, no checking MOT or FSH.....

IDIOTS its worth 3k at a push and has over 120k miles!

[Grenoble]

I'm a cynic... but from a buyer perspective:

We were after an MX5 but all the local private sales were the wrong spec for what we really wanted so didn't waste the sellers time.

Then a very local Z3 popped up on a random search. As in 3 miles away. The PH listing was perfect, every MOT/service listed, clearly well cared for. Called the seller for a chat. Popped round to look at it and I was very happy. It was better than described. I hadn't prepped insurance so he took me for a test drive - he waited for all the gubbins to get up to temp before going past 4k rpm.

Told him we would let him know first thing in the morning either way. Haggled a bit the next morning (nothing insulting, more of "how close to £xxxx can we get" over a cup of tea - some movement but nothing dramatic (I was happy, he was happy) - whilst he showed me his new Lotus. He then threw in a load of bits from his garage (spare mats, speakers, etc), we went to the bank and did a direct transfer and all was positive.

So good buyers and sellers do exist, they are just rare.

[Emeye]

Sold to the nice lady. I'm really hoping I get a call back from the paint obsessives after they've seen all the ste battered zafiras there are out there.

[BT52]

I had one guy complain that the photos were not representative of the condition, despite the fact that they were taken less than a week before the viewing, (with no photoshop tricks etc)

Think his problem was that I took photos of it on a sunny day and the day he viewed was cloudy with slight drizzle.

Can you be found guilty of false advertising if the weather surrounding the car is not the same as in the advert...?

[jas xjr]

Emeye said:

Sold to the nice lady. I'm really hoping I get a call back from the paint obsessives after they've seen all the ste battered zafiras there are out there.

why not walk over to the car they arrived in and pick fult with that . that would learn 'em