How honest are you when selling a car?

[caelite]

I have always been honest about issues, im getting to the point where I feel im being forced to blatently lie though, Ive bought 2 lemons in a row with issues that cant exactly be picked up in a test drive (one of them terminal), and im in a really bad way money wise and NEED to get them gone. I suppose when people do it too you you either have to take the hit or continue the cycle so to speak, the world is a stty place.

[EazyDuz]

caelite said:

I have always been honest about issues, im getting to the point where I feel im being forced to blatently lie though, Ive bought 2 lemons in a row with issues that cant exactly be picked up in a test drive (one of them terminal), and im in a really bad way money wise and NEED to get them gone. I suppose when people do it too you you either have to take the hit or continue the cycle so to speak, the world is a stty place.

If they did it to you, doesnt mean you should do it to someone else. Karma

[SuperHangOn]

V8RX7 said:

SuperHangOn said:

I list any faults worth knowing about.

And there is the issue - what a seller thinks is a "fault worth knowing about" probably isn't the same as what a buyer thinks.

After I've bought a car I always ask "is there anything I should know or be aware of ?"

I once bought an MX5 and it turned out the boot literally flooded with water - 2" after a nights rain - the seller hadn't mentioned it - I could have left my laptop or dissertation in there !

Of course it is very subjective but I do try to give a potential buyer a good idea of the condition before a viewing. I would certainly mention the leaking roof.

I try to view cars in better areas/parked outside nicer houses partly for this reason - less hard up people are likely to view their time as more important than eking every last £50 out of a sale. Doesn't always work of course.

Edited by SuperHangOn on Monday 8th February 08:40

[Monkeylegend]

UK345 said:

I would say no issues I am aware of. If however they drew my attention to a specific part then I would elaborate at bit. For example, I sold my previous car to a chap who didn't bother looking around it underneath. The exhaust was on its way out but had just got through the MOT. As he never looked there was no way of him known so little point in pointing it out. He negotiated £150 off the price so that was more than enough to cover that cost

Out of interest how did you finish up with that dealer who was chasing you about recompense for the piece of s**t Corsa? you traded in?

[V8RX7]

SuperHangOn said:

V8RX7 said:

SuperHangOn said:

I list any faults worth knowing about.

And there is the issue - what a seller thinks is a "fault worth knowing about" probably isn't the same as what a buyer thinks.

After I've bought a car I always ask "is there anything I should know or be aware of ?"

I once bought an MX5 and it turned out the boot literally flooded with water - 2" after a nights rain - the seller hadn't mentioned it - I could have left my laptop or dissertation in there !

Of course it is very subjective but I do try to give a potential buyer a good idea of the condition before a viewing. I would certainly mention the leaking roof.

I try to view cars in better areas/parked outside nicer houses partly for this reason - less hard up people are likely to view their time as more important than eking every last £50 out of a sale. Doesn't always work of course.

I did wonder why the old MX5 was parked in the garage when the new Porsche was left outside...

[bigbob77]

Sold my last few cars on eBay with £0.99 starting and no reserve. Always listed the faults really clearly so there's no doubt whatsoever. Of course I emphasised the good bits a lot more, though!

All cars so far have sold for above average price. I think most people assume (at least with older cars) that there will be faults, and they would rather know what they are upfront than buy from someone that pretends their 10 year old car is flawless...

[swisstoni]

EazyDuz said:

If they did it to you, doesnt mean you should do it to someone else. Karma

It must have been some different EasyDuz who yesterday wrote the quote below when advising someone who'd bought a car with a bodged respray;

"Might just be the pics but it doesnt look very shiny. Looks like the clear coat isn't even there. I'd just get some of that colour matching polish and hide it as best you can, then sell the car if it gets any worse."

[longblackcoat]

There's a difference between positively stating faults (got a knackered wheel bearing, rear wiper doesn't work), which I would always do, and hair-shirting about things it could do with (tyres are legal but low on tread, or it's going to need a major service in 1000 miles), which I probably wouldn't. It's up to the purchaser to assess the car, and if they can't be bothered to read the service history or look at the tyres, they're idiots. Obviously if someone asks "when will it next need a service?" then I'd tell them.

And then there are the things in the middle. The gear lever action is a bit notchier than it used to be (probably cables, but you don't know, and anyway it's a 150,000 mile car); not a fault, but something that will probably need attention at some point - would you mention this? Or the fact that the car rides a bit worse than it did - probably worn shocks, but they're not leaking and they passed the MOT just a week back?

My general catch-all is that "it's a car with 150,000 miles on it, so it's unlikely to drive like a new one. But other than what I've told you, I'm not aware of anything that's broken, missing, or about to fail."

[MajorMantra]

longblackcoat said:

There's a difference between positively stating faults (got a knackered wheel bearing, rear wiper doesn't work), which I would always do, and hair-shirting about things it could do with (tyres are legal but low on tread, or it's going to need a major service in 1000 miles), which I probably wouldn't. It's up to the purchaser to assess the car, and if they can't be bothered to read the service history or look at the tyres, they're idiots. Obviously if someone asks "when will it next need a service?" then I'd tell them.

This. It's not really as black and white as some are making out...

[EazyDuz]

swisstoni said:

It must have been some different EasyDuz who yesterday wrote the quote below when advising someone who'd bought a car with a bodged respray;

"Might just be the pics but it doesnt look very shiny. Looks like the clear coat isn't even there. I'd just get some of that colour matching polish and hide it as best you can, then sell the car if it gets any worse."

Please quote where I said, 'sell the car and not tell the buyer'?.
Never assume kiddo

[EazyDuz]

SuperHangOn said:

Of course it is very subjective but I do try to give a potential buyer a good idea of the condition before a viewing. I would certainly mention the leaking roof.

I try to view cars in better areas/parked outside nicer houses partly for this reason - less hard up people are likely to view their time as more important than eking every last £50 out of a sale. Doesn't always work of course.

Edited by SuperHangOn on Monday 8th February 08:40

This. If the pics are taken outside a council house with some hooded kids playing football in the background I dont even message. Those sellers usually have their cars for well over the market value in the hope that an idiot will buy so they can fund their booze and fag budget.
They're often abused too with no service history

[fivepointnine]

havoc said:

Sounds fair to me.

If something mechanical needs doing I do it, or if selling I make it clear to a buyer that it'll need doing / hasn't been done (e.g. cambelt in <1 year on Becs' GTi when we sold it last year, and still on original clutch at >80k). If it's cosmetic and noticeable then I'll probably have sorted it out, if cosmetic and minor then I won't (older used car private sale, not nearly-new main dealer) but I'll be completely honest in the advert...

...which has meant fewer people coming to see the cars I'm selling (I price fairly but won't give a car away, like so many people expect from private sale nowadays), but they've all gone to 1st or 2nd person to see them.

This is the most annoying thing to me. People expect a nice, well cared for car on private sale to be sold at auction price.

[TurboHatchback]

I've never sold a car with any major issues that wouldn't be immediately apparent on viewing or test driving so a lack of honesty wouldn't ever have helped me really. I prefer to describe accurately, list any faults and add a brief description of the cosmetic condition. I don't go round detailing each and every scratch or stonechip, just 'some small scratches and stonechips' or similar is perfectly adequate IMO. This approach seems to work, I've only once had buyers walk away on the basis of condition and I've never had any coming back and complaining afterwards.

[TheJimi]

TurboHatchback said:

just 'some small scratches and stonechips' or similar is perfectly adequate IMO.

I disagree, because of the ambiguity, "some small scratches & stone chips" can and does mean very different things to different people.

I've seen cars with that description only to turn up and see a car that looks like it's had the front end resprayed with a shotgun!

[PDP76]

Honest seller. I always keep the invoices for any repair work or service parts which take 5-10 minutes of my time to change. It's all there in black and white for the potential buyer to see what has already been replaced on the car. Quite an important factor if they have done a Google, found a common fault and they then can see if the car has had the fault(s) and had them rectified.
I'd be mega pissed off to get the wool pulled over my eyes, so I wouldn't do it to anyone else.

[TurboHatchback]

TheJimi said:

TurboHatchback said:

just 'some small scratches and stonechips' or similar is perfectly adequate IMO.

I disagree, because of the ambiguity, "some small scratches & stone chips" can and does mean very different things to different people.

I've seen cars with that description only to turn up and see a car that looks like it's had the front end resprayed with a shotgun!

Agreed but that is what pictures are for IMO. I always try to put good pictures in my adverts and always put a line in at the bottom saying to ask for any more if required. A list of "Stonechip, approx 1.274mm in diameter and 24um depth located 57.3mm above the left foglight" seems ridiculous to me unless perhaps you're selling a nearly new Lamborghini or similar. Used cars are expected to have various tiny paint imperfections, if they are unusual in their severity or their absence then this should be stated but otherwise what's the point?

[Moominator]

I'm honest when selling- I actually feel abit miffed if someone looks atthe car and decides against it. I think 'wasted opportunity to own a good car'.


I was selling a Xsara Picasso that I bought as a stop-gap. I actually grew to love the ugly thing. It took me from Manchester-Dover-France-Bruge and back a few months after buying it.

A couple turned up with their baby saying they had endless woes with their own Citroen. I was honest- they asked for a test ride and the wife rode the clutch the whole way round which grated me. Then the husband jumped in and started doing 3rd gear stall tests. I had to stop myself from shouting at them. They informed me they were seeing a older/more expensive version at a indie dealer in the morning and if interested they'd call later. They did- left lots of messages. I avoided them all. I couldn't bare the ugly beauty to be put through another trial. (he struck me as that type).

[Alex_225]

I'm generally pretty honest with whoever I'm selling to.

I am pretty extreme in my OCD for my cars so they're generally extremely clean, well maintained and generally working to the best of my knowledge. I actually made my last two car sales to the same person so I take that as a compliment.

When I sold my Megane Trophy I did advise on the cambelt being an upcoming service and a couple of other niggles that you'd expect with a 10 year old car.

I would never sell a vehicle with a known problem unless it was priced according to that problem. I'd feel terrible taking someone's money, selling the car as seen knowing I'd effectively ripped someone off.

[tankplanker]

Trade in I'll only tell them what I need to and I'll answer any questions honestly but I'm not volunteering anything.

Private sale I like to make everything clear upfront. Price I put includes any discounts given for those faults. Anything major wrong and I'd trade it in anyway.

[LotusOmega375D]

I would definitely buy any car I was selling. I would consider the asking price to me more than reasonable too.