330d M Sport - Why isn't mine selling!?!?!?!

[jonamv8]

Hi,

Mods - This isn't an advert for my car, I'm genuinely interested in trying to learn from fellow BMW owners and prospective buyers as to why it isn't selling. Hopefully I am not infringing any rules.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231022529598?ssPageName=...

Has been for sale for 8 weeks on Autotrader, PH and eBay. Currently only on eBay. Won't use Trader again, soo expensive and just scammers on there. About to put it back on PH.

Car is lovely, 1 former keeper, was a company car before I got it. Motorway miles 120k but drives like a 40k car. Really good to drive actually and I enjoy the paddles a lot! Making way for something new so put it up for sale at 11k, now down to 10,500 which sits well in the market in my opinion.

Any idea why it isn't selling, could the advert be improved - am I missing something?

HELP!

[jonamv8]

Thanks - Seems about £14k will buy you a 60k miles example having looked at the trader, so £3,500 more for half the mileage.

I had always bought my BMWs on the basis that mileage was not as important as FBMWSH and condition. My current 330d ticks both those boxes but perhaps not all buyers are like me!

[jonamv8]

6k to 7k - That seems very cheap when you compare what's for sale. I emailed a friend who works for a main dealer and they sent me the follwoing


Glass's Trade
£8,990
Grade Hi
£9,240
Retail Asking
£12,680
Mileage 122,000 | Ave Mileage 55,000

[jonamv8]

phumy said:

Its nothing to do with the mileage, its the price you have to pitch it in correctly or it will sit there for ages. I just sold my 56 335d, 90k miles, immaculate, FSH, put it up for 11.3k, first person came to see and drive it offered me 11.2k cash, all within 5 days on PH.

Price it to sell you might have to move down a little but that's the way it is at the moment.

So with the above in mind does £10,500 with room to go to 10k seem bad?

[jonamv8]

This is what I am up against in my opinion

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/bmw/3...

[jonamv8]

phumy said:

jonamv8 said:

phumy said:

Its nothing to do with the mileage, its the price you have to pitch it in correctly or it will sit there for ages. I just sold my 56 335d, 90k miles, immaculate, FSH, put it up for 11.3k, first person came to see and drive it offered me 11.2k cash, all within 5 days on PH.

Price it to sell you might have to move down a little but that's the way it is at the moment.

So with the above in mind does £10,500 with room to go to 10k seem bad?

But at the end of the day if you want it moved on and its not moving, what do you have to do? The choice is yours, you either sit with it for weeks/months or price it to sell. If the market is saturated with the same cars all at the same price what can you do to shift it, drop the price, it really isn't difficult to work out, the hardest bit is getting your head around the fact that you little pride and joy just isn't really worth what you thought it was. That's what i had to do with mine.

Ok so do you see your older with less mileage vehicle as wildly different to my newer with more mileage vehicle Phumy? You got £11.2k, I'd be happy with that! When someone is saying 6-7k for mine!!

It's not my pride and joy, that's my 911 Turbo, this is my practical car and there's loads of them about and the market seems to dictate price, hence I have priced mine low-mid market price. I'm not averse to lowering the price but looking at PH eBay and Trader it's low already, hence my initial question as to where I am going wrong, could the advert be better etc

[jonamv8]

eastsider said:

I know it is condition based servicing, but at that mileage only having ever had 6 services, and only two since 80k miles would ring alarm bells for me - higher risk of big bill, turbo, injector, whatever. Your ebay ad says "maintained regardless of cost" which can cut both ways - have you had lots of big bills, or just taken care of every little niggle quickly.... I'd list out all expenditure on the car chronologically in much more detail, not just the main dealer services.

Overall mileage and price as others have said, I'd drop it to £9995 to get below the £10k searches and be happy with any offer over £9k if you want it shifted quick.

See what you are saying - thanks. I think the fact it s one former keeper speaks volumes though for way it has been maintained although listing what has been done is a good idea

[jonamv8]

[quote=bracken78]

Did the car really do around 33K without an oil change?

Looking at the service history yes, this was prior to me buying it so I cannot be 100% sure but the official main dealer history would support your statement

[jonamv8]

Vee said:

How long have you owned it ?
I think it is really nice. Can't believe lack of navigation is making it that undesirable.

I've had it coming up for a year now, I purchased off a friend of mine who had the vehicle as his company car from new so I knew the history.

[jonamv8]

Sump said:

Asking too much.

No Idrive pretty much kills it for 90% of the market.

Agree partly - if it has idrive it would be worth more looking at comparables with idrive

[jonamv8]

mike325112 said:

If I'm reading the advert correctly, in 2011 it went from 19k to 63k - is that really right?

Yep on company duties, my friend being a rep for the company and spends a lot of time on the road, more than usual in that year

[jonamv8]

I think the £10k factor is coming into play here, if it was £9995 I think I'd be getting viewings and a possible sale

[jonamv8]

RichwiththeS2000 said:

So it actually went for nearly 40k without an oil change even?

:/ That would put me straight off.

You don't know the car, you don't know the previous owner or myself so if that's all you have to go on then that may put YOU off - fair enough. Drive the car and I would suggest there is nothing to put you off as it runs like it has 40k on the clock, it feels great. I used to have a 320d with 24k on clock and it feels no different apart from the speed. This is a car forum, we inspect every little detail on car adverts but the majority of buyers don't in my opinion so I can;t think that small factor is putting people off IMO.

Could be wrong though

[jonamv8]

Muzzer79 said:

Be patient

I think this is very true

[jonamv8]

I may buy a tomtom and stick it to the dash - it's a better standard of nav and easier to use than iDrive!!

[jonamv8]

RichwiththeS2000 said:

Fair enough, but unless BMW suggest a 40k service interval is OK, then its not a "FBMWSH", is it? Key word being 'full'

The reason it would put me off is we'd have no way of telling if/how much damage was caused to the engine by running it on crap oil for that long. Sure it may seem OK to you and your mate now but that doesn't mean component life hasn't been reduced.

Coming from the Honda world I might be more sensitive to it than others, maybe in a modern diesel that's perfectly fine - I'm just saying that looking over the advert that would put me off personally (which is what you wanted to find out)..

Appreciate your feedback and yes it's what I asked for. Having just checked the bookley again in an effort to find out service intervals I have just seen that it's had an engine oil tick at every service!!!!!!!! Amending advert now!!!!!

[jonamv8]

So we now have 5 services at BMW in 5 years with an oil change having taken place during every single service alongside additional maintenance.

Thanks for making me double check this point I should pay more attention when writing the advert

[jonamv8]

Personally I prefer the look of the interior with a screen on the dash but using iDrive is a nightmare, so counter intuitive it's a joke.

[jonamv8]

roofer said:

Its too dear, simple. My 08 one is going up for sale soon and i'll only be asking 9k. Less miles with I Drive etc and crack free wheels.

I normally market my cars on the lower side of the market. I review eBay PH and Trader to get an idea of the market and position mine accordingly. Can someone show me my car at £9k please?

I have found one similar for 9k, more miles, no rear spoiler, 18 inch wheels, disgusting(IMO!) wood trim and lighter colour seats, no nav again. Apart from that all 10k plus.

[jonamv8]

mikeouk said:

pavka007 said:

car at the moment at auction is around 3.5/4K TOP.
.

Complete BS I'm afraid, that's a figure pulled out of thin air.
I was in the motor trade for years and I've sinse bought cars for myself at auction, it's rare to see any real bargains, in fact I've seen some cars go for what would be retail money.
Many of the large retail motor groups send all their non retailable trade ins straight to auction now because they get better money there than from the trade, probably because there's more retail customers bidding them up nowadays.

I've been on Bham car auctions on 3 occasions - retail money for poor cars with limited inspection time - NO THANKS!