Private buyer only offering 10% of what I advertised the car
Discussion
This is surely another troll.TooMany2cvs said:
If the tyres really are fails, then they're illegal to use. You DO check them, right?
I check all of my tyres regularly (it's pretty much the only thing I really know how to do - checking the tread depth and adjusting the pressures). And they are all legal. No bulges, no significant wear. All walls are strong.Sorry about the diagram. I am not near my car right now and was simply hoping for quick replies.
As for the clutch, it has always had a very high biting point since I bought it. Honestly, I'm not too sure what a clutch slipping really means. Does it mean that it doesn't fully engage when changing gear? If so, occasionally, when I change gear, the revs go up quite high until I let down the accelerator a little, then it goes to normal. Is this a sign of slipping? If so, what is my next recommended cause of action?
IDontKnowCars said:
TooMany2cvs said:
If the tyres really are fails, then they're illegal to use. You DO check them, right?
I check all of my tyres regularly (it's pretty much the only thing I really know how to do - checking the tread depth and adjusting the pressures). And they are all legal. No bulges, no significant wear. All walls are strong.IDontKnowCars said:
Honestly, I'm not too sure what a clutch slipping really means.
There's a strong clue in the name.IDontKnowCars said:
Does it mean that it doesn't fully engage when changing gear? If so, occasionally, when I change gear, the revs go up quite high until I let down the accelerator a little, then it goes to normal. Is this a sign of slipping?
What, the way in which the clutch slips rather than actually delivers drive from the engine to the gearbox? It might be...IDontKnowCars said:
If so, what is my next recommended cause of action?
Change the clutch.Or flog the car for as much as you possibly can with all the faults honestly declared.
Or bin it.
IDontKnowCars said:
Will eBay get me more or make a sale more likely than GumTree?
Or will AutoTrader (as is what my next website to use was going to be) be better?
you will get more than £150. I would say between 400 - 500 pounds would be realistic. Cars like your will have faults, it is wear and tear very normal.Or will AutoTrader (as is what my next website to use was going to be) be better?
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The Spruce goose said:
IDontKnowCars said:
Will eBay get me more or make a sale more likely than GumTree?
Or will AutoTrader (as is what my next website to use was going to be) be better?
you will get more than £150. I would say between 400 - 500 pounds would be realistic. Cars like your will have faults, it is wear and tear very normal.Or will AutoTrader (as is what my next website to use was going to be) be better?
Stick a reserve on eBay for £400 and see what bids you get. It's worth more than £150, but £800 is a little rich for something which sounds like it needs work.
The Spruce goose said:
you will get more than £150. I would say between 400 - 500 pounds would be realistic. Cars like your will have faults, it is wear and tear very normal.
If I were to re-advertise at £400-500. Would it be justified to expect them to do repairs out of their own pocket? Or would I still be expected to negotiate on price to take repairs into account?Challo said:
Agree on the eBay. Lots of pictures, be honest with all its faults, make you advise how much MOT is left etc.
Stick a reserve on eBay for £400 and see what bids you get. It's worth more than £150, but £800 is a little rich for something which sounds like it needs work.
I agree that £800 is far too high but I have nothing to go off regarding what it's true value was.Stick a reserve on eBay for £400 and see what bids you get. It's worth more than £150, but £800 is a little rich for something which sounds like it needs work.
I think I will go down the eBay route. I never thought of having the car up for auction.
How exactly does the auction work? Because presumably the people are bidding on a car they haven't seen or driven? Is the bid conditional on them coming to see the car after the bid and checking that it holds up to their expectations?
Would I need to post its issues (the high biting point of the clutch mostly) in the description?
I just bought a new (to me) Focus after my last one went caput...
It's a Ghia model, same year as yours. It was advertised @ £695 but I paid £500 as it needs the following work...
Exhaust blowing - I'll probably just weld it (free)
Rear window regulator broken - repair kit (£5)
Air Con not working - hopefully just a re-gas next year (£50)
Wipers not returning to home position - replaced relay (free as borrowed from other car)
Armrest not lowering (I welded a clip back on inside the mech)
General hoover and tidy up (Time + £10 for a touch-up pen)
The rust just ahead of the rear arch is a common one - they all rust there to some degree.
Clutches can be quite high on these, although if it's so high that your foot is off the floor chances are it's on it's last legs.
Focus's are great cars to drive, but they're built to a price...they are leagues behind the exemplary build quality of Japanese cars for example. Second hand prices reflect this.
£500 for a 2002 year Focus is about right. Advertise it at £700 and let them knock you down. Ghia's tend to sell better than Zetecs and lesser still models.
It's a Ghia model, same year as yours. It was advertised @ £695 but I paid £500 as it needs the following work...
Exhaust blowing - I'll probably just weld it (free)
Rear window regulator broken - repair kit (£5)
Air Con not working - hopefully just a re-gas next year (£50)
Wipers not returning to home position - replaced relay (free as borrowed from other car)
Armrest not lowering (I welded a clip back on inside the mech)
General hoover and tidy up (Time + £10 for a touch-up pen)
The rust just ahead of the rear arch is a common one - they all rust there to some degree.
Clutches can be quite high on these, although if it's so high that your foot is off the floor chances are it's on it's last legs.
Focus's are great cars to drive, but they're built to a price...they are leagues behind the exemplary build quality of Japanese cars for example. Second hand prices reflect this.
£500 for a 2002 year Focus is about right. Advertise it at £700 and let them knock you down. Ghia's tend to sell better than Zetecs and lesser still models.
IDontKnowCars said:
How exactly does the auction work?
Like any other.IDontKnowCars said:
Because presumably the people are bidding on a car they haven't seen or driven?
They can come and see it while the auction's going on, by contacting you. But some people DO buy vehicles unseen. I put an MOT-less camper on a FB sales group a couple of days ago, and it sold for the full asking within 12 hours. The buyer's paid a deposit, and is doing a 400 mile round trip from Kent to the Welsh borders with a trailer on Saturday to collect it. I've bought a car unseen off eBay before, paid in full, and driven to the middle of France with a trailer to collect it.But neither of those were an utterly generic shagged Focus. Nobody'll come far for that - so viewing before buying will be easy.
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
I just bought a new (to me) Focus after my last one went caput...
It's a Ghia model, same year as yours. It was advertised @ £695 but I paid £500 as it needs the following work...
Exhaust blowing - I'll probably just weld it (free)
Rear window regulator broken - repair kit (£5)
Air Con not working - hopefully just a re-gas next year (£50)
Wipers not returning to home position - replaced relay (free as borrowed from other car)
Armrest not lowering (I welded a clip back on inside the mech)
General hoover and tidy up (Time + £10 for a touch-up pen)
The rust just ahead of the rear arch is a common one - they all rust there to some degree.
Clutches can be quite high on these, although if it's so high that your foot is off the floor chances are it's on it's last legs.
Focus's are great cars to drive, but they're built to a price...they are leagues behind the exemplary build quality of Japanese cars for example. Second hand prices reflect this.
£500 for a 2002 year Focus is about right. Advertise it at £700 and let them knock you down. Ghia's tend to sell better than Zetecs and lesser still models.
Thanks for the input, really helpful.It's a Ghia model, same year as yours. It was advertised @ £695 but I paid £500 as it needs the following work...
Exhaust blowing - I'll probably just weld it (free)
Rear window regulator broken - repair kit (£5)
Air Con not working - hopefully just a re-gas next year (£50)
Wipers not returning to home position - replaced relay (free as borrowed from other car)
Armrest not lowering (I welded a clip back on inside the mech)
General hoover and tidy up (Time + £10 for a touch-up pen)
The rust just ahead of the rear arch is a common one - they all rust there to some degree.
Clutches can be quite high on these, although if it's so high that your foot is off the floor chances are it's on it's last legs.
Focus's are great cars to drive, but they're built to a price...they are leagues behind the exemplary build quality of Japanese cars for example. Second hand prices reflect this.
£500 for a 2002 year Focus is about right. Advertise it at £700 and let them knock you down. Ghia's tend to sell better than Zetecs and lesser still models.
The model I have is an LX.
So it seems that the only real issue that will cause this car to not sell is the clutch then. The other issues are relatively common/minor?
IDontKnowCars said:
How exactly does the auction work? Because presumably the people are bidding on a car they haven't seen or driven? Is the bid conditional on them coming to see the car after the bid and checking that it holds up to their expectations?
Would I need to post its issues (the high biting point of the clutch mostly) in the description?
IIRC Ebay motors is different than the rest of ebay in that bids are entirely non-binding. Would I need to post its issues (the high biting point of the clutch mostly) in the description?
Personally I would put it up on ebay, fully disclosing all known faults and issues (including things like tyre wear), for ~£200 starting bid with no reserve and just see what happens. Even if the winning bidder doesn't actually take it, it'd at least give you an idea of its value.
GOG440 said:
No
He is trying it on.
Tell him to f
k off
That was my thinking as well. For the price bracket the car is in, what does a buyer expect? A showroom example or a car that's been well used!! Sounds like a chancer and I'd have refused to sell him the car. He is trying it on.
Tell him to f
k offI always assume that a car is priced with a slight bit of play in the price (as that's how I tend to sell) so a reasonable offer makes sense but 10% is just taking the p!ss.
IDontKnowCars said:
Thanks for the input, really helpful.
The model I have is an LX.
So it seems that the only real issue that will cause this car to not sell is the clutch then. The other issues are relatively common/minor?
The problem with most Fords of this era is the lack of any clutch adjuster - simply put, the pedal gets higher and higher until it eventually starts slipping. But it's difficult to really gauge how much life there is left as they all have a fairly high biting point (compared to other cars). However, if the gearbox grinds a little bit going into reverse, or in extreme cases the engine over revs after changing gear then that is a sure sign it's on it's way out. The model I have is an LX.
So it seems that the only real issue that will cause this car to not sell is the clutch then. The other issues are relatively common/minor?
Don't base your sale price on some chancer offering £150. He's taking the piss.
You'll get muppets however you try and sell it - but I'd stick to Gumtree where at least people have to show up if they're interested...eBay is just terrible and should be avoided at all costs (Gumtree is owned by eBay, but it's free).
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