Why dont people sell their own cars anymore ?
Discussion
Click the private sale filter on PH or autotrader or the like and you hardly get any returns these days. It seems that people just dont sell cars anymore and the country is chock full of 2 bit traders selling mototrs from some bungalow or other, offering very little service or facilities to justify their margins.
Selling cars is easier than ever these days. Photos done on your phone and uploaded, online submission, reg lookups and theres even ebay. Back in the days the inkies were full to the brim with private sales and that was when someone came round to your house to take a photo ! Throw in the current economic climate and you'd think that there would be more private sales than ever with folk wishing to get back as much dosh as possible. Or is it because we live in such a fast and demanding world now that no one has got the time or inclination ... let lone the energy to deal with the inevitable tyre kickers and messers ?
Selling cars is easier than ever these days. Photos done on your phone and uploaded, online submission, reg lookups and theres even ebay. Back in the days the inkies were full to the brim with private sales and that was when someone came round to your house to take a photo ! Throw in the current economic climate and you'd think that there would be more private sales than ever with folk wishing to get back as much dosh as possible. Or is it because we live in such a fast and demanding world now that no one has got the time or inclination ... let lone the energy to deal with the inevitable tyre kickers and messers ?
Hassle mainly. I've tried selling privately before, in some cases on some websites that sound a bit like Autotrader you get calls pretty much straight away. Ace, you think. It's practically a done deal
Except it's 'whats your best price today for cash mate' and 'my brother and I will come up from London today to take it away for £x'
You might say thats OK, but they invariably sound like the sort of people you don't want to give your address to. Then there's the scammer emails, and the other companies canvassing to get classified ads for their car sales sections. Gets a bit boring after a while and the kick in the plums from the dealer doesn't sound like such a bad option after all
Except it's 'whats your best price today for cash mate' and 'my brother and I will come up from London today to take it away for £x'
You might say thats OK, but they invariably sound like the sort of people you don't want to give your address to. Then there's the scammer emails, and the other companies canvassing to get classified ads for their car sales sections. Gets a bit boring after a while and the kick in the plums from the dealer doesn't sound like such a bad option after all
wanacoop said:
Everyone that i know uses a dealer to buy/trade in, as they cant be arsed to save up to buy the car. May have something to do with it?
Same here - easy finance options and painless exchange of old shed for new shed wanacoop said:
I always buy from private, And sell my own cars. although i never spend more than 6k.
I've bought both private and dealer over the years and much prefer private seller as I'm talking to the current owner rather than someone who may have met the owner as a result of a saleOnly ever sold 2 cars privately. The first on autotrader lead to being bombarded with phonecalls along the lines of "We have buyers for your car, just register with us for a one time fee of £80". This was in addition to the ones with people asking if I wanted to trade for some old rubbish.
The second one I stayed well away from Autotrader. Ebay auction, no reserve and the highest bidder (or someone claiming to be his daughter) came back with some story about illness and didn't want the car any longer.
Second highest bidder still wanted the car and completed the sale, but for less money than his high bid. He then keep contacting me asking for receipts etc. This was for a banger that sold for £400 and I had serviced myself so didn't bother keeping every scrap of paper associated with the car. Truly made me regret not weighing in the car for scrap and cashing in the tax disc.
In the end I decided private sale was just too much hassle.
When my current car goes, it will be a part-exed or sold to one of those WBAC type outfits.
The second one I stayed well away from Autotrader. Ebay auction, no reserve and the highest bidder (or someone claiming to be his daughter) came back with some story about illness and didn't want the car any longer.
Second highest bidder still wanted the car and completed the sale, but for less money than his high bid. He then keep contacting me asking for receipts etc. This was for a banger that sold for £400 and I had serviced myself so didn't bother keeping every scrap of paper associated with the car. Truly made me regret not weighing in the car for scrap and cashing in the tax disc.
In the end I decided private sale was just too much hassle.
When my current car goes, it will be a part-exed or sold to one of those WBAC type outfits.
Thom987 said:
You can usually tell from a 5 minute phone call who is a genuine buyer and who isnt. Just ignore the idiotic emails.
It's the texts though!! After the fifth one offering you some ridiculous price you're tempted to text back asking them which quarter of the car they want for that sort of money, then after the tenth text the text-Tourettes kicks in and you're wanting to call them a 
but the auto correct keeps saying something about their Aunt. It's just not worth it
andy-xr said:
Thom987 said:
You can usually tell from a 5 minute phone call who is a genuine buyer and who isnt. Just ignore the idiotic emails.
It's the texts though!! After the fifth one offering you some ridiculous price you're tempted to text back asking them which quarter of the car they want for that sort of money, then after the tenth text the text-Tourettes kicks in and you're wanting to call them a but the auto correct keeps saying something about their Aunt. It's just not worth it
Get the point about laziness
I sell all my own cars, usually on here or ebay. have made a profit on most of them as well and dont usually get any hassle. maybe ive been lucky or maybe its the area im in ? Ive sold a few motors for family members as well just to help them out. When it comes to runarounds I always try to but privately. Id rather meet the owner and pay a reasonable price. Its a shame because more and more you ar forced to go to that bungalow/farm.
I sell all my own cars, usually on here or ebay. have made a profit on most of them as well and dont usually get any hassle. maybe ive been lucky or maybe its the area im in ? Ive sold a few motors for family members as well just to help them out. When it comes to runarounds I always try to but privately. Id rather meet the owner and pay a reasonable price. Its a shame because more and more you ar forced to go to that bungalow/farm.
For me its because most of the cars I would sell privately are mine & Mrs C's old daily drivers. These are usually high-end German kit (with the odd LR product) bought early to midway through their "respectable secondhand car" cycle and moved on at the end of that cycle. Now - and herein lies the rub - cock your timing up by even a little bit and you fall over a cliff whereby you're not selling to agreeable PLUs who want to spend a little less money than you but to the "jewel-encrusted tissue box cover and 'kickin' aftermarket alloys/potless fantasists" markets. This is a place you do not want to be.
Usually, about 24 hours into the process, the genuine fear sets in that, if I hear the phrase "wots your best cash price blud innit?" As a potential purchasor's opening gambit once more, I'll have some sort of psychotic episode.
Similarly I tire of spending precious minutes of my life that I won't get back dealing with the fantasists. For example, the chap who's mobile phone credit ran out half way through my description of my wife's RS6 didn't fill me with total confidence that he had the fiscal wherewithal to purchase or run said vehicle. Let me not forget the chap who phoned the same week-end who assured me that he was well versed in such high performance machinery, being as he was a Red Arrows pilot. This sat uncomfortably with the fact that he lived near Bristol and was, on subtle probing, unable to furnish me with an accurate answer to where that august unit is based - or what type of A/C they fly.
It is for this reason that I now entrust the disposal of motors surplus to requirements to a simply excellent and very reasonably priced car broker in Hampshire.
Usually, about 24 hours into the process, the genuine fear sets in that, if I hear the phrase "wots your best cash price blud innit?" As a potential purchasor's opening gambit once more, I'll have some sort of psychotic episode.
Similarly I tire of spending precious minutes of my life that I won't get back dealing with the fantasists. For example, the chap who's mobile phone credit ran out half way through my description of my wife's RS6 didn't fill me with total confidence that he had the fiscal wherewithal to purchase or run said vehicle. Let me not forget the chap who phoned the same week-end who assured me that he was well versed in such high performance machinery, being as he was a Red Arrows pilot. This sat uncomfortably with the fact that he lived near Bristol and was, on subtle probing, unable to furnish me with an accurate answer to where that august unit is based - or what type of A/C they fly.
It is for this reason that I now entrust the disposal of motors surplus to requirements to a simply excellent and very reasonably priced car broker in Hampshire.
Its not particularly great for a buyer, I now see why people spend 10k on some crap econobox, its so much easier and less hassle.
I don't have a particularly large budget but every remotely interesting car is miles away from me and normally a complete lemon.
I've viewed about 6 different cars so far since Jan 2nd.
Most adverts contain no real information. Why don't you tell my the mileage before I waste time ringing up?
A few people I've spoken to are very cryptic and out right lying in some cases.
Quite a few people are living in dream land and wonder why their car has been on sale for over 2 months.
One car I saw had been clocked, much to the owners dismay.
Another the heater was broken and had very erratic idle.
Despite some quite obvious faults not mentioned in the advert people are still un willing to move on price.
"I've been offered such and such" etc
Why is it still for sale then?
I don't have a particularly large budget but every remotely interesting car is miles away from me and normally a complete lemon.
I've viewed about 6 different cars so far since Jan 2nd.
Most adverts contain no real information. Why don't you tell my the mileage before I waste time ringing up?
A few people I've spoken to are very cryptic and out right lying in some cases.
Quite a few people are living in dream land and wonder why their car has been on sale for over 2 months.
One car I saw had been clocked, much to the owners dismay.
Another the heater was broken and had very erratic idle.
Despite some quite obvious faults not mentioned in the advert people are still un willing to move on price.
"I've been offered such and such" etc
Why is it still for sale then?
I have my car listed on eBay with a 'best offer' option. I got an offer of £700 below the asking price, I responded with a counter offer that was £300 more with my number attached and a message....... Nothing. No reply, no call, no text. I'm open to negotiating, I want to sell the car as I've found a new one but just no response.
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