Would an illiterate seller put you off buying?
Discussion
battered said:
Of itself, not at all. I used to work with a guy who was as thick as mince. Could barely write his name. He was a bloody good factory supervisor though, made a line run like you wouldn't believe. He was the same with cars. He had a Barryed up RS turbo that was gleaming and maintained to within an inch of its life. The thing wasn't to my taste but it was a million times better maintained than my dogeared Cav that was staggering from one MoT to the next with spares from various breakers.
As others say though, if you don't buy the seller, don't buy the car.
True but depends what sort of car you are looking at. If it's something run of the mill, I personally wouldn't bother going, particularly if it's any distance.As others say though, if you don't buy the seller, don't buy the car.
There are always exceptions of course but poor literacy can mean poorly paid job=no money to spend on the car=not something I want to buy.
Likewise, whilst a posh bloke and gravel drive may not mean the car is well kept but I would be more likely to make an effort.
Of course all assumptions change for any specialist car.
DJP said:
That would just make me think that it's a cut 'n shut or ringer being sold by some dodgy 3.142key.
I agree it would make you think twice but as long as you do your checks then it's not a problem, someone can sell you a cut and shut from a nice house.Managed to pick up a very nice Gen1 Seal Grey 997 from a badly written advert for my mate who still has the car Full Main Dealer Service History(even down to the tyres & dust caps!) warrantied every year by Porsche, he'd just serviced it & had an inspection done by Porsche so he could get the final warranty extension from Porsche (New engine fitted by Porsche Cardiff 2013) none of which you could make out from the advert.
We kept on seeing it advertised & after another wasted journey looking at supposedly great cars we went & looked at the car it was a peach.
Now I realise it's not always going to be the case but a badly written advert doesn't mean a bad car.
Generally a badly written ad would put me off.
However, I once went along when my father once bought a very good and absolutely genuine Mercedes from a group of gypsies who were so illiterate that they had to utilise a neighbour's 11-year-old daughter to check the receipt he wrote out for them. The car was an ex-Sony UK fleet car the gypsies had bought at auction and following an AA inspection everything checked out fine and the car was bought for £13K cash. Going onto a gypsy site with £13K in notes was a bit hair-raising but they really couldn't have been a more hospitable lot.
However, I once went along when my father once bought a very good and absolutely genuine Mercedes from a group of gypsies who were so illiterate that they had to utilise a neighbour's 11-year-old daughter to check the receipt he wrote out for them. The car was an ex-Sony UK fleet car the gypsies had bought at auction and following an AA inspection everything checked out fine and the car was bought for £13K cash. Going onto a gypsy site with £13K in notes was a bit hair-raising but they really couldn't have been a more hospitable lot.
rohrl said:
Generally a badly written ad would put me off.
However, I once went along when my father once bought a very good and absolutely genuine Mercedes from a group of gypsies who were so illiterate that they had to utilise a neighbour's 11-year-old daughter to check the receipt he wrote out for them. The car was an ex-Sony UK fleet car the gypsies had bought at auction and following an AA inspection everything checked out fine and the car was bought for £13K cash. Going onto a gypsy site with £13K in notes was a bit hair-raising but they really couldn't have been a more hospitable lot.
Quite brave!However, I once went along when my father once bought a very good and absolutely genuine Mercedes from a group of gypsies who were so illiterate that they had to utilise a neighbour's 11-year-old daughter to check the receipt he wrote out for them. The car was an ex-Sony UK fleet car the gypsies had bought at auction and following an AA inspection everything checked out fine and the car was bought for £13K cash. Going onto a gypsy site with £13K in notes was a bit hair-raising but they really couldn't have been a more hospitable lot.
ZX10R NIN said:
...Now I realise it's not always going to be the case but a badly written advert doesn't mean a bad car.
Of course you're quite right.But the old truism that "Rough cars and rough people go together" still holds. Back when I was younger, I viewed plenty of cars from badly worded ads and they inevitably turned out to be junk.
And for the sort of cars that I buy, there is always another example out there. Hence the "Badly worked ad test" is just a part of the filtering process that I use when deciding which cars to view (and I accept that occasionally that will be my loss).
The last car i bought was advertised on ebay in less than two sentences and no pictures, however it was 5 minutes down the road so no harm in looking right?
Car was spot on, what i wanted and id imagine was cheaper because nobody had an interest in such a poorly written ad, turns out the bloke was selling it for his father and couldn't be arsed selling it with any effort.
Car was spot on, what i wanted and id imagine was cheaper because nobody had an interest in such a poorly written ad, turns out the bloke was selling it for his father and couldn't be arsed selling it with any effort.
Harding91 said:
The last car i bought was advertised on ebay in less than two sentences and no pictures, however it was 5 minutes down the road so no harm in looking right?
Car was spot on, what i wanted and id imagine was cheaper because nobody had an interest in such a poorly written ad, turns out the bloke was selling it for his father and couldn't be arsed selling it with any effort.
I won a very poorly listed bike on ebay with blurry photos and a bit of damage. I got it for much less than it should have sold.. Turns out the guy had been paid out by insurance, was moving and wanted to flog it quick time.Car was spot on, what i wanted and id imagine was cheaper because nobody had an interest in such a poorly written ad, turns out the bloke was selling it for his father and couldn't be arsed selling it with any effort.
All depends if you can be bothered with faffing about and taking a risk!
Would depend on the car. Something I percieve as an old enthusiasts car like an Anglia, Capri or some other 60's thing that's polished and fixed in a shed, it probably wouldn't bother me. Highly tuned modern jap thing with a grenadable engine I'd care more.
It's all stereotype though- plenty of shysters with impeccable accents, grammar and dress sense, just as there's poorly spoken Ill educated types who have no idea about first impressions, but made a fortune doing some manually trade during good times and spend it on their cars.
Car enthusiasts aren't defined by their grammar.
It's all stereotype though- plenty of shysters with impeccable accents, grammar and dress sense, just as there's poorly spoken Ill educated types who have no idea about first impressions, but made a fortune doing some manually trade during good times and spend it on their cars.
Car enthusiasts aren't defined by their grammar.
If its an astra s
tbox, then yes as there are hundreds of them available, if its a 1 owner RS500 that has sat in the self made millionaire plumbers garage for the last 20 years, who actually left school at 13 then no.
Lots of rich dyslexic and poorly educated people out there who have done well in life.
tbox, then yes as there are hundreds of them available, if its a 1 owner RS500 that has sat in the self made millionaire plumbers garage for the last 20 years, who actually left school at 13 then no.Lots of rich dyslexic and poorly educated people out there who have done well in life.
Edited by PAUL500 on Sunday 2nd August 14:00
David87 said:
Check out Tom Hartley's Twitter feed. It's absolutely horrendous, yet he somehow manages to sell lots of very expensive cars. Granted, he must get someone literate to write the actual adverts. 
I've just checked that out.Bloody hell, I can't even tell what he's trying to say in some of them.
ZX10R NIN said:
Now I realise it's not always going to be the case but a badly written advert doesn't mean a bad car.
This, all day long. I've picked up some bargains over the years (automotive and hi-fi mostly) through poorly written ads.An old school friend of mine struggles with writing and grammar, but is a proper petrolhead and a mechanic of 20 years experience. He's a genuine chap, and his cars want for absolutely nothing. I would buy a car off him any day of the week, even though he'd struggle to write a sensible advert to describe one.
Always go and look at the car, and make up your own mind. You can tell more about an owner face to face than you can from an ad.
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