Seriously. I understand why people trade in.
Discussion
recently bought a Citroen C3, watched it fail to sell on ebay, sent the guy a cheeky but not so ridiculous offer (what I felt it was worth) and he agreed, few texts, few emails, didn't actually speak to the guy until after I had paid and the transporter was arranged.
god knows why he sold a car to me, I wouldn't have
god knows why he sold a car to me, I wouldn't have
Selling private is defo a pain in the arse, my pet hate is when you spend hours cleaning the car then they no show without so much as a phone call or even a text.
On the flip side I must admit I am someone who likes to make initial contact via email or even text when trying to get initial details of a car so I have written proof of anything stated. I have personal experience of sellers claiming car has no marks or issues what so ever then you turn up and they've had glaringly obvious problems including a tear in middle of leather seat and missing options they verbally stated it had on one car in Wales, another from Northern Ireland had MEGA bad road rash despite claiming the car had "perfect paintwork" and supposedly looking as if it had never been on the road, I understand all used cars will have some age related issues but please disclose them when asked specifically before I travel from Glasgow to Wales or Ireland so I can make a educated decision on wither it's worth the trip or not.
On the flip side I must admit I am someone who likes to make initial contact via email or even text when trying to get initial details of a car so I have written proof of anything stated. I have personal experience of sellers claiming car has no marks or issues what so ever then you turn up and they've had glaringly obvious problems including a tear in middle of leather seat and missing options they verbally stated it had on one car in Wales, another from Northern Ireland had MEGA bad road rash despite claiming the car had "perfect paintwork" and supposedly looking as if it had never been on the road, I understand all used cars will have some age related issues but please disclose them when asked specifically before I travel from Glasgow to Wales or Ireland so I can make a educated decision on wither it's worth the trip or not.
Here`s the car here.
Car (now) has zero issues and is spot on. I replaced or repaired anything needing done. Cheapest anywhere.
Apparently not enough though.
Oh and "Is the 6.1L V8 ok on fuel?" question. That was another head scratcher.
Car (now) has zero issues and is spot on. I replaced or repaired anything needing done. Cheapest anywhere.
Apparently not enough though.
Oh and "Is the 6.1L V8 ok on fuel?" question. That was another head scratcher.
Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd March 15:42
Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd March 15:45
Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd March 15:47
Sold my last car via email communication only. Made an offer went back and forth twice before settling on a price, he sent me a deposit and turned up the next day. All done and dusted. Though my old Alfa attracted a lot of time wasters via email.
I guess you just have to play the game, but one things for sure, I made about £5000 between the two cars on what dealers wanted to offer me so well worth hanging on.
I guess you just have to play the game, but one things for sure, I made about £5000 between the two cars on what dealers wanted to offer me so well worth hanging on.
f
k1_6 said:
k1_6 said: Selling private is defo a pain in the arse, my pet hate is when you spend hours cleaning the car then they no show without so much as a phone call or even a text.
On the flip side I must admit I am someone who likes to make initial contact via email or even text when trying to get initial details of a car so I have written proof of anything stated. I have personal experience of sellers claiming car has no marks or issues what so ever then you turn up and they've had glaringly obvious problems including a tear in middle of leather seat and missing options they verbally stated it had on one car in Wales, another from Northern Ireland had MEGA bad road rash despite claiming the car had "perfect paintwork" and supposedly looking as if it had never been on the road, I understand all used cars will have some age related issues but please disclose them when asked specifically before I travel from Glasgow to Wales or Ireland so I can make a educated decision on wither it's worth the trip or not.
The rant about condition/issues wasn't aimed at OP by the way, just wanted to make that clear.On the flip side I must admit I am someone who likes to make initial contact via email or even text when trying to get initial details of a car so I have written proof of anything stated. I have personal experience of sellers claiming car has no marks or issues what so ever then you turn up and they've had glaringly obvious problems including a tear in middle of leather seat and missing options they verbally stated it had on one car in Wales, another from Northern Ireland had MEGA bad road rash despite claiming the car had "perfect paintwork" and supposedly looking as if it had never been on the road, I understand all used cars will have some age related issues but please disclose them when asked specifically before I travel from Glasgow to Wales or Ireland so I can make a educated decision on wither it's worth the trip or not.
kambites said:
It's just a question of what you value your own time at. If the private sale value of a car is £x more than the trade-in and your time is worth £y an hour, will you spend more than x/y hours having to deal with idiots if you sell privately?
Not just the time spent dealing with the monkeysCost of advertising
Time (and money potentially) preparing car for sale
Time waiting for it to sell, overlap with new car, insurance etc.
Risk of fraud - payment etc
Trade in is a vastly easier option, especially if the car is anything less than perfect!
I am sure this an urban myth, but it was relayed to me as a mate of a mate story.
A seller who was at the end of his tether with selling a snotter advised the last of many 'Ali G cash innit' tyre kicker types that had made a particularly low offer that he would rather set the car on fire than sell it to him...
And promptly did
A seller who was at the end of his tether with selling a snotter advised the last of many 'Ali G cash innit' tyre kicker types that had made a particularly low offer that he would rather set the car on fire than sell it to him...
And promptly did
i had a saxo up for sale at 4k ( a while ago)
had one guy turn up and test drive it etc, then he offered me 1.7k
i said no way and he got all huffy saying i'd wasted his time. He then went on to offer the 1.7k, a moped, xbox etc then another x amount next month
he kept on trying for a while
had one guy turn up and test drive it etc, then he offered me 1.7k
i said no way and he got all huffy saying i'd wasted his time. He then went on to offer the 1.7k, a moped, xbox etc then another x amount next month
he kept on trying for a while
It represents the decline of our society, these uneducated morons who can barely string a sentence together now hold driving licences and many have access to the funds to buy a nice car.
The problem is a lot of them are so thick (and are surrounded by equally stupid people) that their expectations around how the private car buying process works are totally unrealistic - which means that they will never actually make a purchase when dealing with normal people.
20 years ago the worst thing you'd get would be the usual calls starting with what is your best price. Now you are faced with illiterate morons who will more than likely text or email (or call using a withheld number) who might offer less than half the market rate and want you to bring it to them to make a viewing (really?)! and then expect you to deliver it to the other side of the country at your own expense.
As if that's not bad enough these are the same morons who will then be trying to scam you to get some or all their money back AFTER the sale when something allegedly goes wrong (because they read about SOGA on the internet).
No wonder WBAC have had such success buying private cars, and why there are so few private ad's on auto trader now due to having to deal with these morons.
The problem is a lot of them are so thick (and are surrounded by equally stupid people) that their expectations around how the private car buying process works are totally unrealistic - which means that they will never actually make a purchase when dealing with normal people.
20 years ago the worst thing you'd get would be the usual calls starting with what is your best price. Now you are faced with illiterate morons who will more than likely text or email (or call using a withheld number) who might offer less than half the market rate and want you to bring it to them to make a viewing (really?)! and then expect you to deliver it to the other side of the country at your own expense.
As if that's not bad enough these are the same morons who will then be trying to scam you to get some or all their money back AFTER the sale when something allegedly goes wrong (because they read about SOGA on the internet).
No wonder WBAC have had such success buying private cars, and why there are so few private ad's on auto trader now due to having to deal with these morons.
One reason I avoid 'common' cars like the plague (although yours doesn't exactly fit that mould). The prospect of trying to sell a car in a market overflowing with near-identical lumps of metal gives me a headache.
Take good pictures, write an honest ad and put it up on various enthusiast/owner's club websites and I see no reason why couldn't sell it with a minimum of knuckleheads giving you grief.
Take good pictures, write an honest ad and put it up on various enthusiast/owner's club websites and I see no reason why couldn't sell it with a minimum of knuckleheads giving you grief.
rallycross said:
It represents the decline of our society, these uneducated morons who can barely string a sentence together now hold driving licences and many have access to the funds to buy a nice car.
The problem is a lot of them are so thick (and are surrounded by equally stupid people) that their expectations around how the private car buying process works are totally unrealistic - which means that they will never actually make a purchase when dealing with normal people.
20 years ago the worst thing you'd get would be the usual calls starting with what is your best price. Now you are faced with illiterate morons who will more than likely text or email (or call using a withheld number) who might offer less than half the market rate and want you to bring it to them to make a viewing (really?)! and then expect you to deliver it to the other side of the country at your own expense.
As if that's not bad enough these are the same morons who will then be trying to scam you to get some or all their money back AFTER the sale when something allegedly goes wrong (because they read about SOGA on the internet).
No wonder WBAC have had such success buying private cars, and why there are so few private ad's on auto trader now due to having to deal with these morons.
I`ll go with that. The problem is a lot of them are so thick (and are surrounded by equally stupid people) that their expectations around how the private car buying process works are totally unrealistic - which means that they will never actually make a purchase when dealing with normal people.
20 years ago the worst thing you'd get would be the usual calls starting with what is your best price. Now you are faced with illiterate morons who will more than likely text or email (or call using a withheld number) who might offer less than half the market rate and want you to bring it to them to make a viewing (really?)! and then expect you to deliver it to the other side of the country at your own expense.
As if that's not bad enough these are the same morons who will then be trying to scam you to get some or all their money back AFTER the sale when something allegedly goes wrong (because they read about SOGA on the internet).
No wonder WBAC have had such success buying private cars, and why there are so few private ad's on auto trader now due to having to deal with these morons.
Seriously, I`ve had `text speak` messages that are barely legible in the past and I have just ignored them. Yes, one or two `might` have led to genuine interest but experience tells me this type of correspondence usually has a time waster at the other end. I can say hand on heart out of say 20 emails/texts/calls only 3 were undoubtedly genuine.
Oh, and another thing. Why do people ask for `swaps` and talk about swap value? I want to sell my car to get money to buy another car or something else, not take your stupid car that can`t be that good or you wouldn`t be wanting to part exchange it for `anything`. What is this nonsense? P/x WHY? try me. nudge nudge wink* Up or down. What on earth has happened here? Or worse still. Fannies that write in their advert "onli ad it a few weeks must get rid". What kinda message does that convey?
Anyway. It`s as good as sold barring a complete kick in the balls u turn.
bigkeeko said:
Here`s the car here.
Car (now) has zero issues and is spot on. I replaced or repaired anything needing done. Cheapest anywhere.
Apparently not enough though.
Oh and "Is the 6.1L V8 ok on fuel?" question. That was another head scratcher.
"Diesels bettah and it's well fast innit bruv got a turbo n all"Car (now) has zero issues and is spot on. I replaced or repaired anything needing done. Cheapest anywhere.
Apparently not enough though.
Oh and "Is the 6.1L V8 ok on fuel?" question. That was another head scratcher.
Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd March 15:42
Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd March 15:45
Edited by bigkeeko on Tuesday 3rd March 15:47
knowing how anal the OP is about his cars there is no way anyone could fault the preparation and condition - if a main-dealer prepared their cars half as well as his there'd be no moans. Knowing this I can imagine the feelings engendered by the usual "well it's a bit old innit", "25% off for cash" etc etc.
There's a good chance mrs Irocfan may be looking to sell the RRS in the next 6 months and I am NOT looking forward to the spactards who regularly chance their arm
There's a good chance mrs Irocfan may be looking to sell the RRS in the next 6 months and I am NOT looking forward to the spactards who regularly chance their arm
irocfan said:
knowing how anal the OP is about his cars there is no way anyone could fault the preparation and condition - if a main-dealer prepared their cars half as well as his there'd be no moans. Knowing this I can imagine the feelings engendered by the usual "well it's a bit old innit", "25% off for cash" etc etc.
There's a good chance mrs Irocfan may be looking to sell the RRS in the next 6 months and I am NOT looking forward to the spactards who regularly chance their arm
Cheers fella. There's a good chance mrs Irocfan may be looking to sell the RRS in the next 6 months and I am NOT looking forward to the spactards who regularly chance their arm
bigkeeko said:
Oh, and another thing. Why do people ask for `swaps` and talk about swap value? I want to sell my car to get money to buy another car or something else, not take your stupid car that can`t be that good or you wouldn`t be wanting to part exchange it for `anything`. What is this nonsense? P/x WHY? try me. nudge nudge wink* Up or down. What on earth has happened here? Or worse still. Fannies that write in their advert "onli ad it a few weeks must get rid". What kinda message does that convey?
I had that when I tried to sell my last Evora. Stated in the advert that I wanted to get something more practical and had someone offer me a bloody stripped out front drive track car plus a sum of cash that together amounted to about 2/3rds the (lowest advertised for that model by some margin) asking price if you were being generous.I stopped advertising it after that. Although to be fair, I'm full of s
t too as the practical car I ended up trading it in for was another fking Evora, except one that uses a bit less fuel 
It drives me fking crackers. I sold my Impreza STi last year, and had to deal with some absolute turbo-mongs. The "whats your lowest price" brigade in particular. It's simple, do you have the money? If not, fk off. If so, come and view the car and there might be room to negotiate. My car was advertised at £8500, so why do people even bother asking if i'll knock £4.5k for off the price (CA$H in yer 'and bruv!). Then there's the picking holes in the car, you want a blue one, so why are you here wasting my time looking at my grey one? Some plebian casually informed me that it'll need new discs all round (discs that had been on the car for a month/2000 miles), so pretty much demanded a grand off. In the end I sold to a trader who was buying Subaru's and got £500 less than my asking price. Life's too short to deal with these people.
If I was a serial killer then I would probably select my prey by advertising on Autotrader. Anyone calling me bruv or offering half the asking price will be invited to view the car, lured into the garage and bludgeoned to death with a copy of Parkers.
king crackers. I sold my Impreza STi last year, and had to deal with some absolute turbo-mongs. The "whats your lowest price" brigade in particular. It's simple, do you have the money? If not, fk off. If so, come and view the car and there might be room to negotiate. My car was advertised at £8500, so why do people even bother asking if i'll knock £4.5k for off the price (CA$H in yer 'and bruv!). Then there's the picking holes in the car, you want a blue one, so why are you here wasting my time looking at my grey one? Some plebian casually informed me that it'll need new discs all round (discs that had been on the car for a month/2000 miles), so pretty much demanded a grand off. In the end I sold to a trader who was buying Subaru's and got £500 less than my asking price. Life's too short to deal with these people.If I was a serial killer then I would probably select my prey by advertising on Autotrader. Anyone calling me bruv or offering half the asking price will be invited to view the car, lured into the garage and bludgeoned to death with a copy of Parkers.
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