Viewing rubbish cars. How do you react?
Discussion
I've done a 3 hour round trip to view a VW Camper tonight. Described in the ad as being in all round excellent condition, the exact opposite was true. Luckily I get free fuel from work or I could have got annoyed.
I ended up telling the guy it wasn't what I was looking for and left it at that, mainly because I wanted to get home, but now feel that I should have let him know that he had really wasted my time.
What would/do you do?
I ended up telling the guy it wasn't what I was looking for and left it at that, mainly because I wanted to get home, but now feel that I should have let him know that he had really wasted my time.
What would/do you do?
It did not have one redeeming feature. Supposedly low mileage, but nothing to back this up apart from the reading on the speedo, the interior was trashed, holes in the floor, one of the worst resprays my eyes have had the misfortune to witness. If the ad had said it needed a full resto it would be nearer the truth.
I upset a trader once when I dared to critisize the steering (to much play in the rack) on a Saab. It really pissed him off.
A 205gti I went to view years ago was a total wreck and I told that trader too. I was amazed they had the nerve to display it on their forecourt!
So, no I wouldn't hold back if there was something obviously wrong with it and they've tried to take you for a fool.
A 205gti I went to view years ago was a total wreck and I told that trader too. I was amazed they had the nerve to display it on their forecourt!
So, no I wouldn't hold back if there was something obviously wrong with it and they've tried to take you for a fool.
Baby Huey said:
What would/do you do?
Tell them straight. You've wasted my morning and thirty quids worth of petrol. Broken foglight glass, cracked wheelarch liners, filthy interior and a wet boot does not count as immaculate. Yes, I am disappointed.
Oh, and the tyres are not 'fine', the fronts need replacing. Along with the discs. No, I won't be buying. And why are there advisory notices missing from the MOT?
I don't care that "it's only just come in" and that "you haven't had a chance to go through the paperwork", in which case you'd have found the receipts for the remap, lowered suspension and all sorts of other gubbins. t
t.AlpineWhite said:
Baby Huey said:
What would/do you do?
Tell them straight. You've wasted my morning and thirty quids worth of petrol. Broken foglight glass, cracked wheelarch liners, filthy interior and a wet boot does not count as immaculate. Yes, I am disappointed.
Oh, and the tyres are not 'fine', the fronts need replacing. Along with the discs. No, I won't be buying. And why are there advisory notices missing from the MOT?
I don't care that "it's only just come in" and that "you haven't had a chance to go through the paperwork", in which case you'd have found the receipts for the remap, lowered suspension and all sorts of other gubbins. t
t.Looks like he used old photos in the ad too.
Laugh and point, followed by exit stage left shaking head? A Flashman-style rant delivered in the manner of an Alex Ferguson hairdrier, detailing with forensic detail how much you would like to rip his head off and coil one out in the resulting orifice, but will refrain as you've just had your suit cleaned after your last murder spree? This is PH, so taking off and nuking from orbit is the only way to be sure...
If they're cheap I buy them but if they're top dollar I (if I've seen an advert that sells the car as mint and I've travelled miles to view) I lose my rag and tell them owner/trader their car is st.
I've given the same garage 3 chances, even my wife tells me not to go back but I did it anyway. Firstly they had a 'mint' Escort Cosworth which was the worst car I've ever seen. Then there was a Delta Evo 2 which had only done 60k km but looked like it had been to the moon and back plus some Lancer Evos at top top dollar prices.
The last time was the last straw, every car (including top mercs, ferraris, bentleys etc) had scuffs, scratches and big cracks in the windows.
I told the trader I would be embarassed to sell the cars he does and the fact that every advert implies 'first to see will buy' gets people there under false pretenses!! I told him I have never sold a car in the condition of his cars so wouldn't entertain buying one.
He asked me to leave!
t.I've given the same garage 3 chances, even my wife tells me not to go back but I did it anyway. Firstly they had a 'mint' Escort Cosworth which was the worst car I've ever seen. Then there was a Delta Evo 2 which had only done 60k km but looked like it had been to the moon and back plus some Lancer Evos at top top dollar prices.
The last time was the last straw, every car (including top mercs, ferraris, bentleys etc) had scuffs, scratches and big cracks in the windows.
I told the trader I would be embarassed to sell the cars he does and the fact that every advert implies 'first to see will buy' gets people there under false pretenses!! I told him I have never sold a car in the condition of his cars so wouldn't entertain buying one.
He asked me to leave!
falkster said:
If they're cheap I buy them but if they're top dollar I (if I've seen an advert that sells the car as mint and I've travelled miles to view) I lose my rag and tell them owner/trader their car is st.
I've given the same garage 3 chances, even my wife tells me not to go back but I did it anyway. Firstly they had a 'mint' Escort Cosworth which was the worst car I've ever seen. Then there was a Delta Evo 2 which had only done 60k km but looked like it had been to the moon and back plus some Lancer Evos at top top dollar prices.
The last time was the last straw, every car (including top mercs, ferraris, bentleys etc) had scuffs, scratches and big cracks in the windows.
I told the trader I would be embarassed to sell the cars he does and the fact that every advert implies 'first to see will buy' gets people there under false pretenses!! I told him I have never sold a car in the condition of his cars so wouldn't entertain buying one.
He asked me to leave!
Listen to your wife. t.I've given the same garage 3 chances, even my wife tells me not to go back but I did it anyway. Firstly they had a 'mint' Escort Cosworth which was the worst car I've ever seen. Then there was a Delta Evo 2 which had only done 60k km but looked like it had been to the moon and back plus some Lancer Evos at top top dollar prices.
The last time was the last straw, every car (including top mercs, ferraris, bentleys etc) had scuffs, scratches and big cracks in the windows.
I told the trader I would be embarassed to sell the cars he does and the fact that every advert implies 'first to see will buy' gets people there under false pretenses!! I told him I have never sold a car in the condition of his cars so wouldn't entertain buying one.
He asked me to leave!
falkster said:
If they're cheap I buy them but if they're top dollar I (if I've seen an advert that sells the car as mint and I've travelled miles to view) I lose my rag and tell them owner/trader their car is st.
I've given the same garage 3 chances, even my wife tells me not to go back but I did it anyway. Firstly they had a 'mint' Escort Cosworth which was the worst car I've ever seen. Then there was a Delta Evo 2 which had only done 60k km but looked like it had been to the moon and back plus some Lancer Evos at top top dollar prices.
The last time was the last straw, every car (including top mercs, ferraris, bentleys etc) had scuffs, scratches and big cracks in the windows.
I told the trader I would be embarassed to sell the cars he does and the fact that every advert implies 'first to see will buy' gets people there under false pretenses!! I told him I have never sold a car in the condition of his cars so wouldn't entertain buying one.
He asked me to leave!
Keighley by any chance?t.I've given the same garage 3 chances, even my wife tells me not to go back but I did it anyway. Firstly they had a 'mint' Escort Cosworth which was the worst car I've ever seen. Then there was a Delta Evo 2 which had only done 60k km but looked like it had been to the moon and back plus some Lancer Evos at top top dollar prices.
The last time was the last straw, every car (including top mercs, ferraris, bentleys etc) had scuffs, scratches and big cracks in the windows.
I told the trader I would be embarassed to sell the cars he does and the fact that every advert implies 'first to see will buy' gets people there under false pretenses!! I told him I have never sold a car in the condition of his cars so wouldn't entertain buying one.
He asked me to leave!
The trouble is we, as a general public, are all too polite. It is easier to make your excuses and leave, having spent time looking over a car you have already decided you don't want just to be polite. People don't want an argument or confrontation.
We've all done it. I did it last year. I didn't have the heart to give the poor girl the hairdryer experience about wasting my time, total misdescription, selling a shed etc. Luckily I set my ceiling to travel at 30 miles and this one was a mere 10 miles down the road.
I had made my mind up just passing the car when I arrived. Why I stopped, looked over the car, tested every button, waited for her to jump start the thing (not a good start...) and looked through the non existant FSH is beyond me. How I made it look as if I was still interested is even more baffling. Politeness I guess. The car was clearly a shed. Waste of 20 minutes of my life.
The best bit I the leaving comment of 'let me know today, because I have a couple coming down from Somerset tomorrow and they are keen and I can't hold it without a deposit'. I bit my tongue and didn't mention that I was keen from the advert and deeply disappointed with the actual article. I'd be pissed if I drove 80 miles to be greeted with that car...
We've all done it. I did it last year. I didn't have the heart to give the poor girl the hairdryer experience about wasting my time, total misdescription, selling a shed etc. Luckily I set my ceiling to travel at 30 miles and this one was a mere 10 miles down the road.
I had made my mind up just passing the car when I arrived. Why I stopped, looked over the car, tested every button, waited for her to jump start the thing (not a good start...) and looked through the non existant FSH is beyond me. How I made it look as if I was still interested is even more baffling. Politeness I guess. The car was clearly a shed. Waste of 20 minutes of my life.
The best bit I the leaving comment of 'let me know today, because I have a couple coming down from Somerset tomorrow and they are keen and I can't hold it without a deposit'. I bit my tongue and didn't mention that I was keen from the advert and deeply disappointed with the actual article. I'd be pissed if I drove 80 miles to be greeted with that car...
I tell a trade seller why I'm not buying - sometimes they'll sort it out.
A private sale, I'm polite and leave. For example, I once drove a couple of hours to view a classic in "VGC", arrived, put my hand straight through the massive holes in the known rust traps each side, said "sorry, it's not the car I'm looking for" and left, all within 3 minutes.
A private sale, I'm polite and leave. For example, I once drove a couple of hours to view a classic in "VGC", arrived, put my hand straight through the massive holes in the known rust traps each side, said "sorry, it's not the car I'm looking for" and left, all within 3 minutes.
Depends on the seller, as much as anything: an old dear with no real clue, well, I smile sweetly & say it's not really the colour I was after or similar: if it's a dealer trying it on, I'll point out all the bits which are render it less than advertised & walk off, shaking my head & muttering loudly about how sh!te it is (in the hearing of other customers, preferably) 
As someone said, we are too polite.
Last year I drove from Yorkshire to North Wales to view an MX5 (yes I know), from a main dealer. It was fair priced, quite well described. The salesman was quite good; I asked for some close up photos of some marks that were in the description and he sent them in 20 mins.
I also asked explicitly about the condition of the sills - any signs of rust or bubbling? No, I was assured - this was mint and perfect. Drove there, and guess what - the sills almost fell away in my hands - just one piece of rust (!) will a sloshing sound from inside where the drain holes had never been cleared. Several hundred quid to fix.
Narked to say the least... very politely insisted he took me to their forecourt and paid for half a tank, which he did.
Why only tell half the story to a buyer asking explicit questions - did he think I wasn't going to check them, or that I didn't know what I was looking for?
4 months later, late summer, it was still for sale. I wonder why.
Last year I drove from Yorkshire to North Wales to view an MX5 (yes I know), from a main dealer. It was fair priced, quite well described. The salesman was quite good; I asked for some close up photos of some marks that were in the description and he sent them in 20 mins.
I also asked explicitly about the condition of the sills - any signs of rust or bubbling? No, I was assured - this was mint and perfect. Drove there, and guess what - the sills almost fell away in my hands - just one piece of rust (!) will a sloshing sound from inside where the drain holes had never been cleared. Several hundred quid to fix.
Narked to say the least... very politely insisted he took me to their forecourt and paid for half a tank, which he did.
Why only tell half the story to a buyer asking explicit questions - did he think I wasn't going to check them, or that I didn't know what I was looking for?
4 months later, late summer, it was still for sale. I wonder why.
Back in March of last year I went to view a GTV V6 in Essex with the girlfriend. The car seemed pretty straight looking from the advert in Autotrader and the advert also stated that the car was being sold privately.
When we arrived at the blokes house it was very obvious that he was running a business from his premises as he had a couple of Fiat Coupe 20VTs on the drive, a couple of GTVs, a couple of Porsches, etc.. It didn't bother me too much but it did make me question his honesty before I'd even met him.
Anyway, I knocked on the door and told him that I was there to see the blue GTV and with that he quickly rushed outside of the house and began jump starting the car. When the car eventually turned over it was coughing and spluttering and about every 15 seconds the revs would drop so low that it would nearly stall.
With the car running like a dog he said "They all do that"
Me: "No, they don't."
Him: "Well I run all of the cars on fumes until they are sold."
Me: "...you run them all on fumes?! Anyway, what has that got to do with the poor running?"
Him: "It makes them run rough. Abit of Petrol would see it straight."
If it wasn't for the fact that we'd travelled from West London to Essex I would have just got in the car and dissapeared with a few choice parting words but we agreed to go on a test drive. The first thing I noticed was that the clutch was very heavy and pointed this out to him.
Him: "So you've never driven a sports car before, have you? Any decent sports car has a heavy clutch."
Me: "No, this is very heavy indeed. Infact, I don't think Cat could even push the pedal to the floor"
Him: "As I said, it takes some time to adjust to driving a sports car."
I didn't really comment further on the matter, regardless of the fact he saw my S2 parked outside of his house.
When we got back from the test drive I could tell Cat was pretty hacked off as she had asked him why he had described the car as immaculate. His response was that we wouldn't be able to find another GTV in the same condition for the money. I then let Cat reel off all the damage around the car, question why a door card had a chuffing great hole in it and why it was idleing like a bag of spanners.
With that, I politely made our excuses and headed for my car. He then said "I'll throw in an MOT, Tax and half a tank of juice!"
Me: "We have other GTVs to look at today"
Him: "You won't find another one in this kind of condition or for this price!"
A week later we ended up buying an immaculate (and cheaper) GTV from a chap in London. Completely different buying experience and he let me carry out/test everything possible for the best part of 2 hours until I was satisfied with the car.
When we arrived at the blokes house it was very obvious that he was running a business from his premises as he had a couple of Fiat Coupe 20VTs on the drive, a couple of GTVs, a couple of Porsches, etc.. It didn't bother me too much but it did make me question his honesty before I'd even met him.
Anyway, I knocked on the door and told him that I was there to see the blue GTV and with that he quickly rushed outside of the house and began jump starting the car. When the car eventually turned over it was coughing and spluttering and about every 15 seconds the revs would drop so low that it would nearly stall.
With the car running like a dog he said "They all do that"
Me: "No, they don't."
Him: "Well I run all of the cars on fumes until they are sold."
Me: "...you run them all on fumes?! Anyway, what has that got to do with the poor running?"
Him: "It makes them run rough. Abit of Petrol would see it straight."
If it wasn't for the fact that we'd travelled from West London to Essex I would have just got in the car and dissapeared with a few choice parting words but we agreed to go on a test drive. The first thing I noticed was that the clutch was very heavy and pointed this out to him.
Him: "So you've never driven a sports car before, have you? Any decent sports car has a heavy clutch."
Me: "No, this is very heavy indeed. Infact, I don't think Cat could even push the pedal to the floor"
Him: "As I said, it takes some time to adjust to driving a sports car."
I didn't really comment further on the matter, regardless of the fact he saw my S2 parked outside of his house.
When we got back from the test drive I could tell Cat was pretty hacked off as she had asked him why he had described the car as immaculate. His response was that we wouldn't be able to find another GTV in the same condition for the money. I then let Cat reel off all the damage around the car, question why a door card had a chuffing great hole in it and why it was idleing like a bag of spanners.
With that, I politely made our excuses and headed for my car. He then said "I'll throw in an MOT, Tax and half a tank of juice!"
Me: "We have other GTVs to look at today"
Him: "You won't find another one in this kind of condition or for this price!"
A week later we ended up buying an immaculate (and cheaper) GTV from a chap in London. Completely different buying experience and he let me carry out/test everything possible for the best part of 2 hours until I was satisfied with the car.
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