Am I too cynical?
Discussion
So, with some regret, I put the Spyder up for sale on here last night.
This afternoon I received a polite email asking me if the car was still for sale. I was slightly suspicious as:-
The email address was a yahoo address.
The chap's first name was a typo of Charles.
He asked if the car was still for sale yet the ad had only been live for a few hours.
Anyway, I politely responded and invited him to ring/email me only to receive the following:
Hi.
is there a full service history (documented) and is it hpi clear?
does it have the v5 document?
Please provide me with Reg # and the VIN number so i can run a FULL HPI check on it.
when is the best time for view?
Thank you!
It's the capital letters and the exclamation marks that offend.
Whaddya reckon? Have I got a bite or is someone taking the proverbial?
This afternoon I received a polite email asking me if the car was still for sale. I was slightly suspicious as:-
The email address was a yahoo address.
The chap's first name was a typo of Charles.
He asked if the car was still for sale yet the ad had only been live for a few hours.
Anyway, I politely responded and invited him to ring/email me only to receive the following:
Hi.
is there a full service history (documented) and is it hpi clear?
does it have the v5 document?
Please provide me with Reg # and the VIN number so i can run a FULL HPI check on it.
when is the best time for view?
Thank you!
It's the capital letters and the exclamation marks that offend.
Whaddya reckon? Have I got a bite or is someone taking the proverbial?
I've found the ones who are ott are usually dreamers, if their serious they ring you to talk in person. I understand that some basic questions need to be asked sometimes, but if their in the market for a Spyder and yours ticks the boxes, they should be calling to come and see it, not asking what insurance group it is (which happens a lot). Good luck with the sale though, very nice car.
I had at least 20 dodgy emails when i tried to sell a car recently. Usually the spelling / grammar was bad. Ask them to phone you, usually a scammer wont. Do not accept payment via paypal as they will reverse the transaction when they have your car and docs. Do not give out car details until you have met them and you feel comfortable with them.
Have to confess to being somewhat naive at this. I had lease cars for years through work, my 944 was written off in a non fault accident and Bolton happily took my 996 off me to resell when I bought the Spyder. I'm not really comfortable giving out the VIN to an Internet stranger (do you need this for an HPI?) and the reg number is clear to view on the ad.
Again, thanks for your comments.
Again, thanks for your comments.
rob.kellock said:
Have to confess to being somewhat naive at this. I had lease cars for years through work, my 944 was written off in a non fault accident and Bolton happily took my 996 off me to resell when I bought the Spyder. I'm not really comfortable giving out the VIN to an Internet stranger (do you need this for an HPI?) and the reg number is clear to view on the ad.
Again, thanks for your comments.
Full HPI check needs either VIN or the V5 serial number IIRC.Again, thanks for your comments.
It's a fine line between the buyer wanting to undertake due diligence and the seller being uncomfortable in providing everything an unknown person needs to ring the car, (give a stolen car the identity of the car being advertised for sale).
If you HPI check a car the VIN or chassis number is provided and you can check this when viewing it. There is actually little point in asking the vendor for the chassis number, it would be a pretty useless criminal who couldn't provided the correct VIN for a given VRM (registration number). What you are actually checking are the physical numbers on the car to make sure they haven't been tampered with.
Henry
If you HPI check a car the VIN or chassis number is provided and you can check this when viewing it. There is actually little point in asking the vendor for the chassis number, it would be a pretty useless criminal who couldn't provided the correct VIN for a given VRM (registration number). What you are actually checking are the physical numbers on the car to make sure they haven't been tampered with.
Henry
F3RNANDO said:
Full HPI check needs either VIN or the V5 serial number IIRC.
Apologies, is that right?
It seems to contradict Henry - I would have assumed Henry was correct and that the HPI check would give the VIN which could then be checked physically against my car? Thanks Henry.
Cheers Zyp, not sure what's replacing it yet, am sure something will catch my eye. It has spoiled me a bit though!
When I've done HPI checks, all I've needed for the initial check
is the reg. no. which tells you the usual stuff like outstanding finance
and whether it's been subject to an insurance claim etc.
You then get a certain amount of time when you can go back & update
the check with the VIN no. or V5 serial no. which will give you the
HPI company guarantee.
Based on that, I would only ever give a potential buyer the car reg.no. based on an initial phone call.
Good Luck.
is the reg. no. which tells you the usual stuff like outstanding finance
and whether it's been subject to an insurance claim etc.
You then get a certain amount of time when you can go back & update
the check with the VIN no. or V5 serial no. which will give you the
HPI company guarantee.
Based on that, I would only ever give a potential buyer the car reg.no. based on an initial phone call.
Good Luck.
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