Private buyers - errgh!!!
Discussion
Dog Star said:
You have just typed my post for me.
I will never again make any time accommodation for buyers - sorry if they're someone decent but the messers I have come across in my time just do my head in.
This.I will never again make any time accommodation for buyers - sorry if they're someone decent but the messers I have come across in my time just do my head in.
Lots of emails and calls back and forward, get reassured that coming down to collect it next week at agreed price. As requested, I took the advert down (even though had been paid for and with a week to run) and told others that essentially sold.
Sms (not even the courtesy of a phone call!) 5his morning from him saying that could not go ahead with the purchase, so sorry etc.
%%654%&*76
I try to be accomodating, good karma and all that but no longer.
First arrives with cash gets it, ad stays live till they drive off ,not holding for anyone even if they are coming from the dark side of the moon with a tale of woe about the efforts needed to get to London.
A few years ago I bought an Integra DC2 from an enthusiast in Leeds. He took extra photos for me and emailed them. I caught a train up there and he collected me from the station in the car. It was as described and he was clearly a genuine guy. He even had a model of the car at his house where we went to sort out the paperwork. Then we popped to the bank and I transferred the wonga into his account. It was the most fantastic 5 hour drive back to Suffolk.
About three years later I lent the same car to my Dad the night before my wedding. A chance meeting with a tractor and a tree stump and the Teg was a write off. Rolled onto its roof and my Dad was lucky to be unhurt. The recovery garage offered me £250 for the wreckage. Said no and put it on eBay. Accepted a bid of £1850 for the wreck. Chap arrived with a device in his boot that he put together into a mini-trailer and towed it away, leaving me with the wonga in used notes. And happy.
I tried selling a Caterham Superlight by Autotrader and had interest from a bunch of time wasters. One guy liked it but made a loony offer. Another was in the Midlands and I fancied going for a blat so drove up there. The guy took it out, liked it, but decided he didn't like it. So I drove home. Hmmm.
About three years later I lent the same car to my Dad the night before my wedding. A chance meeting with a tractor and a tree stump and the Teg was a write off. Rolled onto its roof and my Dad was lucky to be unhurt. The recovery garage offered me £250 for the wreckage. Said no and put it on eBay. Accepted a bid of £1850 for the wreck. Chap arrived with a device in his boot that he put together into a mini-trailer and towed it away, leaving me with the wonga in used notes. And happy.
I tried selling a Caterham Superlight by Autotrader and had interest from a bunch of time wasters. One guy liked it but made a loony offer. Another was in the Midlands and I fancied going for a blat so drove up there. The guy took it out, liked it, but decided he didn't like it. So I drove home. Hmmm.
ensignia said:
From this thread I can ascertain that Eastern Europeans are 
Well, if my Polish builders are anything to go by - yeeep!They've done two or three re-fits of my shop, one of them major - decorated all the wood on the outside of my house, built me a garden wall, block paved a mate's driveway and did 10 grands worth of decorating and toilet re-fitting at a place I was working at last year.
On every single occasion, I call the main man up. 'Marek' I say 'got a load of work here for you, can you start next week?'
He huffs and puffs and tells me I make it 'difficult for him on purpose with my tight deadlines' in a wonderful, almost comic Polish - cliche accent...
Then him and a team of guys arrive at 8am on the day, and swarm round the job like a team of locusts - seemingly grafting all day without taking a break - and the work is done, on time, to a good standard, for a great price.
He's worth his weight in gold, is Marek
More praise for the Polish here!
Had to deal with a few chavs when selling my 328 sport. "550 take it or leave it m8" etc.
Then someone made me a best offer on ebay. Accepted the blokes offer in the evening, tells me he will collect tomorrow. The bloke rings me in the morning to say he is here outside my street, I drive down to meet him, to find a huge artic lorry with some ramps sticking out the back of it.
I'm barely out of the car for 5 seconds before he puts a wad of cash in my hand, says thank you very much and starts loading the car into the trailer!
Wish it was always that trouble free.
Had to deal with a few chavs when selling my 328 sport. "550 take it or leave it m8" etc.
Then someone made me a best offer on ebay. Accepted the blokes offer in the evening, tells me he will collect tomorrow. The bloke rings me in the morning to say he is here outside my street, I drive down to meet him, to find a huge artic lorry with some ramps sticking out the back of it.
I'm barely out of the car for 5 seconds before he puts a wad of cash in my hand, says thank you very much and starts loading the car into the trailer!
Wish it was always that trouble free.
Couldn't agree more, eastern europeans with car trailers are a site for sore eye's when your selling a car, I sold 2 works vans and a truck to some bulgarian lads from EBAY, lovely bunch turned up on the nail, cash in hand, no last minute "negotiations" or tyre kicking.
They must be buying a fair few motors from the uk , I was driving back from berlin thru the night last summer on the E30, it was chockers of empty trailers and car transporters heading west and british cars on trailers/transporters heading east, good luck to em
They must be buying a fair few motors from the uk , I was driving back from berlin thru the night last summer on the E30, it was chockers of empty trailers and car transporters heading west and british cars on trailers/transporters heading east, good luck to em
ensignia said:
From this thread I can ascertain that Eastern Europeans are
We are. A few slightly boozy Sunday nights ago, I was poking around on Gumtree with my dad. Saw what I was looking for, called the seller, arranged a viewing, took the full cash amount with me, best mate picked me up and took me there, poked around the car, paid the full amount and buggered off.What's so difficult about that? Seriously. If you know what you want, and the ad describes what you want, then it's surely sorted. Helps to get a decent seller though. I did!
Just about to embark on shifting a Fabia vRS... not looking forward to the moron brigade coming round and making stupid offers... "Only werf eight undrid pound m8"
I saw a Scimitar on ebay. Asked the seller a load of questions, arranged to go see it, 50 miles away (it's a small country). Told him I was on my way. The radiator blew on my Subaru 10 miles from home. I tensely nursed the scooby home in 1/2 mile hops. Called the seller to explain why I wasn't coming. He was polite but I could feel the "timewasting t
t" vibe to everything he said as I made my excuses. Sometimes it's genuine and embarassing.
Conversely I've sold 3 cars (very cheap cars) on ebay and had no hassle. Bought a couple too and I try to be a good ebayer.
t" vibe to everything he said as I made my excuses. Sometimes it's genuine and embarassing.Conversely I've sold 3 cars (very cheap cars) on ebay and had no hassle. Bought a couple too and I try to be a good ebayer.
I was dreading selling my Impreza for exactly this reason. I had visions of hoards of chavs, scary test drives, loads of time wasters.
As it was, I got 4 or 5 calls from really well spoken blokes asking sensible questions and making appointments to view.
I accommodated them by emailing a bunch of hi-res warts and all photos over to them.
First guy to see it 5 days after advertising it gave me the full asking price after a 10 minute look round and a nice 20 mile thrash.
It was a dream sale, I was left with my head spinning. I had the other three guys left really disappointed (but I made sure I kept them up to date so no-one had a wasted journey).
My "worst" sales were my 200SX which I put on the SXOC whereupon a bunch of people stated (on the basis of this photo)
That the car had had it's door resprayed and was probably crashed. That's the ONLY photo where the door ever looked anything like a different colour. By eye, it was perfect.
I had to take down the forum for sale thread in the end, wait a month, and re-advertise it through autotrader. Made me angry.
I had a right run around with this too:
Now I know for fact at the time it was the nicest example for sale in the UK pretty much. One owner before me for 22 years, rust free and I was asking sensible money. I got a call form some guy who seemed very enthusiastic, and said he'd transfer me £500 deposit and his mate would come down with a low loader to pick it up and pay the balance in cash within a week. So I spent a few days telling people it was sold, and waiting for this deposit to land, which it never did. Then I did a bit of digging and found this guy ran a half arsed driveway dealership, so I called him back and he STILL fed me a line about how he'd just made the transfer and his mat could come down tomorrow. I just told him I wasn't interested any more, and if he HAD transferred any money I'd just send it back to him.
I sold it a couple of weeks later to a lovely bloke who again paid full asking price after a fun little jaunt down some B-roads.
Overall though, I think it's worth the hassle to get the best price to sell privately. When you think about how much work you have to do to make £1000 or whatever the differential is in price (for us non company directors) then i think it's worth the effort. You can sift most of the real dicks on the phone and just fob them off. I always say to people if they start talking money on the phone "You need to come and see the car, you can decide what you think it's worth when you've seen and driven it". I give it a strong sales pitch (because my cars are generally nice examples I've looked hard for!) and the cars pretty much sell themselves to the right buyer. Being realistic on price helps too.
As it was, I got 4 or 5 calls from really well spoken blokes asking sensible questions and making appointments to view.
I accommodated them by emailing a bunch of hi-res warts and all photos over to them.
First guy to see it 5 days after advertising it gave me the full asking price after a 10 minute look round and a nice 20 mile thrash.
It was a dream sale, I was left with my head spinning. I had the other three guys left really disappointed (but I made sure I kept them up to date so no-one had a wasted journey).
My "worst" sales were my 200SX which I put on the SXOC whereupon a bunch of people stated (on the basis of this photo)
That the car had had it's door resprayed and was probably crashed. That's the ONLY photo where the door ever looked anything like a different colour. By eye, it was perfect.
I had to take down the forum for sale thread in the end, wait a month, and re-advertise it through autotrader. Made me angry.
I had a right run around with this too:
Now I know for fact at the time it was the nicest example for sale in the UK pretty much. One owner before me for 22 years, rust free and I was asking sensible money. I got a call form some guy who seemed very enthusiastic, and said he'd transfer me £500 deposit and his mate would come down with a low loader to pick it up and pay the balance in cash within a week. So I spent a few days telling people it was sold, and waiting for this deposit to land, which it never did. Then I did a bit of digging and found this guy ran a half arsed driveway dealership, so I called him back and he STILL fed me a line about how he'd just made the transfer and his mat could come down tomorrow. I just told him I wasn't interested any more, and if he HAD transferred any money I'd just send it back to him.
I sold it a couple of weeks later to a lovely bloke who again paid full asking price after a fun little jaunt down some B-roads.
Overall though, I think it's worth the hassle to get the best price to sell privately. When you think about how much work you have to do to make £1000 or whatever the differential is in price (for us non company directors) then i think it's worth the effort. You can sift most of the real dicks on the phone and just fob them off. I always say to people if they start talking money on the phone "You need to come and see the car, you can decide what you think it's worth when you've seen and driven it". I give it a strong sales pitch (because my cars are generally nice examples I've looked hard for!) and the cars pretty much sell themselves to the right buyer. Being realistic on price helps too.
It's annoying for us genuine buyers, that the world is full of timewasters - makes sellers, especially dealers, cynical and guarded.
I've bought two cars from dealers in the last 5 years. I had a hell of a job convincing them I was genuine on the phone!
First one was a few years ago - I had spent 4 months looking for my perfect spec 911. Suddenly, one Sunday morning, whilst browsing PH classifieds - I found it at a dealer 200 miles away.
I called him, and expressed my interest in coming up that day. He was very guarded and 'off' with me at first, saying that although he answered the phone on Sundays, he didn't really work or allow punters to come up and view cars on a Sunday.
It took me a hell of a lot of persuasion - offering to give him my full name, address, date of Birth, phone numbers - whatever it would take to show him I was serious! In the end, I offered - if it really was the car he said it was - to give a deposit over the phone, that he could refund me if I arrived and found that it wasn't.
I did understand - especially as he sells Porsches, I can imagine the amount of time wasters and test pilots he gets. Fair play though, he didnt take a deposit and took me at my word. I arrived 3 hours later and bought the car on the spot for the full asking.
As I did for the second car I mentioned - similar situation.
I have to say though - I would hate to be a car dealer!
I've bought two cars from dealers in the last 5 years. I had a hell of a job convincing them I was genuine on the phone!
First one was a few years ago - I had spent 4 months looking for my perfect spec 911. Suddenly, one Sunday morning, whilst browsing PH classifieds - I found it at a dealer 200 miles away.
I called him, and expressed my interest in coming up that day. He was very guarded and 'off' with me at first, saying that although he answered the phone on Sundays, he didn't really work or allow punters to come up and view cars on a Sunday.
It took me a hell of a lot of persuasion - offering to give him my full name, address, date of Birth, phone numbers - whatever it would take to show him I was serious!
In the end, I offered - if it really was the car he said it was - to give a deposit over the phone, that he could refund me if I arrived and found that it wasn't.I did understand - especially as he sells Porsches, I can imagine the amount of time wasters and test pilots he gets. Fair play though, he didnt take a deposit and took me at my word. I arrived 3 hours later and bought the car on the spot for the full asking.
As I did for the second car I mentioned - similar situation.
I have to say though - I would hate to be a car dealer!
I travelled from Essex to Bridgend to see a nice Chimera, took me 8 hours to get there.
We took it on a test drive and it was lovely, We had to stop to get petrol and I told him to fill it up, I would pay the asking price plus cost of fuel. When he filled it up it started behaving erraticaly and kept cutting out.
I told him it was the fuel pump (which it was having owned a Chimp before), a new one was about 100 quid so knock that off the 8500 asking price and I would get the AA to recover me home and I would fit one myself.
he refused to take off any cash whatsover, he didnt have any mechanical knowledge so it would have cost him three times that to do it himself at a garage. I tried explaining this to him and he was one of the most obtuse men I have ever met. in the end I decided an 8 hour train journey back was better than dealing with that moron.
So I left.
We took it on a test drive and it was lovely, We had to stop to get petrol and I told him to fill it up, I would pay the asking price plus cost of fuel. When he filled it up it started behaving erraticaly and kept cutting out.
I told him it was the fuel pump (which it was having owned a Chimp before), a new one was about 100 quid so knock that off the 8500 asking price and I would get the AA to recover me home and I would fit one myself.
he refused to take off any cash whatsover, he didnt have any mechanical knowledge so it would have cost him three times that to do it himself at a garage. I tried explaining this to him and he was one of the most obtuse men I have ever met. in the end I decided an 8 hour train journey back was better than dealing with that moron.
So I left.
I had this selling my BMW adventure (bike) last year.
Guy emailed (would never call which i didnt like) and asked for photos and lots of them.
I obliged and went to town cleaning and polishing EVERYTHING. It looked like new.
I sent over 100 high res images (12Mp) and he emailed back offering unseen £1500 less than asking.
I explained that the price was negotiable within reason but £1500 was beyond reason.
He came back three days later asking for more photos.
I sent them over (Muppet i know) and he upped his price £500.
By this point i had found another bike i wanted so agreed. He then (next email!) said he was now chewing over buying an R1200 (completely different style bike) which was 3 years older but £3k cheaper and would i match the price.
I called him a tosser and he went into one about being loaded with a dozen Swiss watches and more money than he could spend in three lifetimes.
I deleted his contact details and sold it for full asking price the next weekend.
Guy emailed (would never call which i didnt like) and asked for photos and lots of them.
I obliged and went to town cleaning and polishing EVERYTHING. It looked like new.
I sent over 100 high res images (12Mp) and he emailed back offering unseen £1500 less than asking.
I explained that the price was negotiable within reason but £1500 was beyond reason.
He came back three days later asking for more photos.
I sent them over (Muppet i know) and he upped his price £500.
By this point i had found another bike i wanted so agreed. He then (next email!) said he was now chewing over buying an R1200 (completely different style bike) which was 3 years older but £3k cheaper and would i match the price.
I called him a tosser and he went into one about being loaded with a dozen Swiss watches and more money than he could spend in three lifetimes.
I deleted his contact details and sold it for full asking price the next weekend.
Reminds me of the total bell-end of a bloke I had to deal with earlier this year. I put my *mint* R230 SL500 with FMBSH on Ebay with a BIN of £7500 (yes, that number is correct :yikes
Unfortunately it sold to some balloon who did the BIN with a brand new and then deleted the account – eBay then emailed me that they had cancelled the transaction due to suspected fraud.
I’d had a couple of phone conversations with other interested parties when the car had been previously advertised. One chap was ready to come for it the very next morning from down That London way (I live in Lancashire). He was a bit of a wide-boy “geezer” with loads of watches and big Yank metal
, really full of himself. Then he starts giving it “what’s wrong with the car” – to which I replied “as per the advert, no tax and there’s a grumbly wheel bearing”. Bear in mind that comparable SLs go for 11K upwards. He then starts saying that he is on the way up with my £6500 in the morning. He was adamant (and clearly an expert in this technique, very confident and aggressive) that he was having it for £6500. I was basically telling him to fk off at this stage so he then ups his offer to 7K cos I “had to help him out with the tax and wheel bearing” (his exact words). I was really losing it at this point and pointed out that if he wanted one with tax and no noisy wheel bearing that there were plenty for sale at around 12K. In the end his browbeating got so bad that I simply bade him good night and put the phone down.
I was then subject to a deluge of text and voicemail messages, eventually apologising and offering me the full agreed amount. By this stage I wouldn’t have sold it him for double the money, and I called another chap I’d spoken to about the car – lovely bloke who transferred over a deposit there and then and came the next weekend with his OH to pick the car up. Perfect.
Oh – and the original cancelled eBay buyer on the BIN? Later that night – about 10.30 I got a phone call from a bloke in Leicester “hiya bruv, I’m calling about the Mercedes SL, innit”. “Sorry, it’s sold”. “Yeah, bruv, I bought it on Ebay, innit”. Oh dear. He got quite upset, to put it mildly. Perhaps he ought not to buy expensive items with one hour old, zero feedback accounts and then delete the account on winning the bid, then, eh?
Unfortunately it sold to some balloon who did the BIN with a brand new and then deleted the account – eBay then emailed me that they had cancelled the transaction due to suspected fraud.
I’d had a couple of phone conversations with other interested parties when the car had been previously advertised. One chap was ready to come for it the very next morning from down That London way (I live in Lancashire). He was a bit of a wide-boy “geezer” with loads of watches and big Yank metal
, really full of himself. Then he starts giving it “what’s wrong with the car” – to which I replied “as per the advert, no tax and there’s a grumbly wheel bearing”. Bear in mind that comparable SLs go for 11K upwards. He then starts saying that he is on the way up with my £6500 in the morning. He was adamant (and clearly an expert in this technique, very confident and aggressive) that he was having it for £6500. I was basically telling him to fk off at this stage so he then ups his offer to 7K cos I “had to help him out with the tax and wheel bearing” (his exact words). I was really losing it at this point and pointed out that if he wanted one with tax and no noisy wheel bearing that there were plenty for sale at around 12K. In the end his browbeating got so bad that I simply bade him good night and put the phone down.I was then subject to a deluge of text and voicemail messages, eventually apologising and offering me the full agreed amount. By this stage I wouldn’t have sold it him for double the money, and I called another chap I’d spoken to about the car – lovely bloke who transferred over a deposit there and then and came the next weekend with his OH to pick the car up. Perfect.
Oh – and the original cancelled eBay buyer on the BIN? Later that night – about 10.30 I got a phone call from a bloke in Leicester “hiya bruv, I’m calling about the Mercedes SL, innit”. “Sorry, it’s sold”. “Yeah, bruv, I bought it on Ebay, innit”. Oh dear. He got quite upset, to put it mildly. Perhaps he ought not to buy expensive items with one hour old, zero feedback accounts and then delete the account on winning the bid, then, eh?
I have my old car up on eBay T the moment and, to be honest I'm dreading the auction ending and being pissed about by no shows and no payers and people trying to beat the price agreed down because of this or that. I've been completely honest and included pics of all the cosmetics but I still don't thnk it will be smooth and easy.
In the interest of balance, I bought a car 2/3 weeks back, I looked at about 6 different ads/cars. The first 5 didn't even get to a viewing;
The sellers getting the arse when I enquired about service history (Or lack of) or sellers just not replying, I sent countless emails/texts and left voicemails.... not one got back to me. Dealers were even worse!! I began to think that people just didn't want to sell their cars unless there were no questions asked and at the price they dictated. Some were dismissive or rude.
Oh tell a lie... one did get back to me... to tell me the car was smoking heavily on start up.. something that wasn't in the ad but at least he came back to me and saved me a trip.
There are plenty of genuine buyers... don't assume anything.
Some sellers just don't help themselves.
The sellers getting the arse when I enquired about service history (Or lack of) or sellers just not replying, I sent countless emails/texts and left voicemails.... not one got back to me. Dealers were even worse!! I began to think that people just didn't want to sell their cars unless there were no questions asked and at the price they dictated. Some were dismissive or rude.
Oh tell a lie... one did get back to me... to tell me the car was smoking heavily on start up.. something that wasn't in the ad
but at least he came back to me and saved me a trip.There are plenty of genuine buyers... don't assume anything.
Some sellers just don't help themselves.sold a corsa years ago.
nice little car, nothing wrong with it, a kid (predictably enough) and a couple of mates turns up and spends ages looking over it, took it for a test drive and after an hour or so of pissing around declares that he doesn't want it because it is a 5 door
it was clearly all over the advert, pictures everything that it was a 5 door, what a bellend
nice little car, nothing wrong with it, a kid (predictably enough) and a couple of mates turns up and spends ages looking over it, took it for a test drive and after an hour or so of pissing around declares that he doesn't want it because it is a 5 door
it was clearly all over the advert, pictures everything that it was a 5 door, what a bellendGassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff