Private buyers - errgh!!!
Discussion
Jazzy Jefferson said:
In the interest of balance, I bought a car 2/3 weeks back, I looked at about 6 different ads/cars. The first 5 didn't even get to a viewing;
The sellers getting the arse when I enquired about service history (Or lack of) or sellers just not replying, I sent countless emails/texts and left voicemails.... not one got back to me. Dealers were even worse!! I began to think that people just didn't want to sell their cars unless there were no questions asked and at the price they dictated. Some were dismissive or rude.
Oh tell a lie... one did get back to me... to tell me the car was smoking heavily on start up.. something that wasn't in the ad
but at least he came back to me and saved me a trip.
There are plenty of genuine buyers... don't assume anything.
Some sellers just don't help themselves.
I had one guy turn up and moan that the front end was peppered in stone chips, on a 10 year old 120,000 mile toyota.The sellers getting the arse when I enquired about service history (Or lack of) or sellers just not replying, I sent countless emails/texts and left voicemails.... not one got back to me. Dealers were even worse!! I began to think that people just didn't want to sell their cars unless there were no questions asked and at the price they dictated. Some were dismissive or rude.
Oh tell a lie... one did get back to me... to tell me the car was smoking heavily on start up.. something that wasn't in the ad
but at least he came back to me and saved me a trip.There are plenty of genuine buyers... don't assume anything.
Some sellers just don't help themselves.I mean c'mon!
Greg_D said:
sold a corsa years ago.
nice little car, nothing wrong with it, a kid (predictably enough) and a couple of mates turns up and spends ages looking over it, took it for a test drive and after an hour or so of pissing around declares that he doesn't want it because it is a 5 door
it was clearly all over the advert, pictures everything that it was a 5 door, what a bellend
Similarly, when I put my daughters Picanto on EBay with a BIN, the first person who 'won' it decided not to proceed as they didn't like the colour? I guess 8 odd photos of the exterior weren't a good indication.nice little car, nothing wrong with it, a kid (predictably enough) and a couple of mates turns up and spends ages looking over it, took it for a test drive and after an hour or so of pissing around declares that he doesn't want it because it is a 5 door
it was clearly all over the advert, pictures everything that it was a 5 door, what a bellendSecond attempt, the buyer didn't proceed as they hadn't sold their car yet. On that basis, should i go buying Ferrari's on eBay in case I win the lottery on Friday?
Contrast that to the bloke who bought my Picasso. Did a BIN at 5.5k and transferred the cash a few hours later to my bank account (he not seen the car either). He didn't collect it till 2 weeks later, in fact I didn't hear anything until he texted me to get me to meet him at the station. Not sure I'd be as trusting!
I sold my first car a 1.2 Punton with 70K on the clock.
I wanted it gone so put it up for a realistic £995 with 6 months MOT & tax as i needed a larger car, i thought price it fairly & it'll go quickly. (It was the cheapest low mileage FSH T&T car on the AT at the time).
I had loads of calls for it, the first guy was a 'trader' asked me what the lowes i would take for it was, i said if he came & collected it in the next 24 hours he could have it for £950, he moaned he had to make some margin on it & i politely told him that it wasn't my problem. He never showed up.
The next was a chap who drove 2 hours with his niece to view the car, he poked around for around an hour, test drove it etc.
Said that the car would need £150 worth of work for an oil leak & offered me £750 for the car, i politely decliined & off they went 2 hours home again.
A chap phoned me the next morning, viewed it on my lunch break & gave me the full asking price.
This was a couple of years ago & i still see him driving around in it now.
I wanted it gone so put it up for a realistic £995 with 6 months MOT & tax as i needed a larger car, i thought price it fairly & it'll go quickly. (It was the cheapest low mileage FSH T&T car on the AT at the time).
I had loads of calls for it, the first guy was a 'trader' asked me what the lowes i would take for it was, i said if he came & collected it in the next 24 hours he could have it for £950, he moaned he had to make some margin on it & i politely told him that it wasn't my problem. He never showed up.
The next was a chap who drove 2 hours with his niece to view the car, he poked around for around an hour, test drove it etc.
Said that the car would need £150 worth of work for an oil leak & offered me £750 for the car, i politely decliined & off they went 2 hours home again.
A chap phoned me the next morning, viewed it on my lunch break & gave me the full asking price.
This was a couple of years ago & i still see him driving around in it now.
jamoor said:
I had one guy turn up and moan that the front end was peppered in stone chips, on a 10 year old 120,000 mile toyota.
I mean c'mon!
Fair enough mate, that buyers expectations are clearly unrealistic. Although, was this mentioned at all in the ad?I mean c'mon!
The posts that are saying buyers are backing out due to colour, or it being a 5door etc. then yes... I sympathise, Some people really are stupid. And these people make it very difficult for genuine buyers.
Had a 190E for sale many moons ago , everything about the car was spot on , good tyres t&t fsh the lot.
Got a phone call from a guy from about 10 miles away , told him the truth about the car and the least I would accept in cash.
He rang back and asked me to take it to him , I refused and said I would refund his taxi fare if and when he bought it .
He turned up next day , offered me a grand less than I'd told him I'd accept.
You should have seen his face when I told him to get stuffed , he then went ballistic at my attitude and started demanding I phone for a taxi and that I should reimburse him both taxi fares for me wasting his time.
I left him standing on the drive.
And no I did not pay for anything.
Got a phone call from a guy from about 10 miles away , told him the truth about the car and the least I would accept in cash.
He rang back and asked me to take it to him , I refused and said I would refund his taxi fare if and when he bought it .
He turned up next day , offered me a grand less than I'd told him I'd accept.
You should have seen his face when I told him to get stuffed , he then went ballistic at my attitude and started demanding I phone for a taxi and that I should reimburse him both taxi fares for me wasting his time.
I left him standing on the drive.
And no I did not pay for anything.
Not car related but as I'm moving house I needed to get shot of some stuff.
I had a big old 36 inch Panasonic. Perfect working order, great picture and sound with a stand. It was massive and weighed a ton though so I wasnt going to keep it.
I also had an old round dining room table and chairs. Not exactly pristine but perfectly good.
Put up on Facebook that they were free is anyone wanted them but they had to collect. mate texted saying a work colleague wanted all of them.
He came over that night with his missus in tow, very grateful for the stuff and got the TV in his car but said he would call on the weekend when he had a van to get the stand and table and chairs.
Nothing. Not a f**king peep. If he had changed his mind then fine but at least drop me a text to let me know.
Never has a problem selling cars touch wood. I've even sold 2 cars (£3.5K and £6.5K) without having the V5 due to getting personal plates transferred.
I had a big old 36 inch Panasonic. Perfect working order, great picture and sound with a stand. It was massive and weighed a ton though so I wasnt going to keep it.
I also had an old round dining room table and chairs. Not exactly pristine but perfectly good.
Put up on Facebook that they were free is anyone wanted them but they had to collect. mate texted saying a work colleague wanted all of them.
He came over that night with his missus in tow, very grateful for the stuff and got the TV in his car but said he would call on the weekend when he had a van to get the stand and table and chairs.
Nothing. Not a f**king peep. If he had changed his mind then fine but at least drop me a text to let me know.
Never has a problem selling cars touch wood. I've even sold 2 cars (£3.5K and £6.5K) without having the V5 due to getting personal plates transferred.
I think eBay BIN is the worst for this and I now do not use it for selling cars. I sold a mk2 Golf GTI 16v through it and the seller never replied to my response to his initial question about where the car was located (this was on the ad).
Not having learned my lesson, I sold my wife's Micra in the same manner and had a chap buy it claiming he was going to travel down that evening. I later got several phonecalls saying he was stuck on the M1 and then eventually someone turned up claiming to be the buyer's brother, who said the buyer couldn't get hold of me and so had asked his brother to come over and speak to me instead. My phone was switched on with reception the entire time, so I suspect it was the buyer who had turned up and decided he didn't want the car. It was all very strange.
My favourite though was the rude b@stard in his brand new M5 who turned up to buy my E36 M3 Evo. After I started the car for them, his mate started reving it quite high when the car was still cold. Then without even asking, jumped in the driver's side and proceeded to drive the car. After which the guy purchasing the car said there was rust on the rear arches (mentioned in the ad) and then offered me £1500 less than what I sold the car for two days later.
Not having learned my lesson, I sold my wife's Micra in the same manner and had a chap buy it claiming he was going to travel down that evening. I later got several phonecalls saying he was stuck on the M1 and then eventually someone turned up claiming to be the buyer's brother, who said the buyer couldn't get hold of me and so had asked his brother to come over and speak to me instead. My phone was switched on with reception the entire time, so I suspect it was the buyer who had turned up and decided he didn't want the car. It was all very strange.
My favourite though was the rude b@stard in his brand new M5 who turned up to buy my E36 M3 Evo. After I started the car for them, his mate started reving it quite high when the car was still cold. Then without even asking, jumped in the driver's side and proceeded to drive the car. After which the guy purchasing the car said there was rust on the rear arches (mentioned in the ad) and then offered me £1500 less than what I sold the car for two days later.
In complete contrast this is how I bought my last car:
Saw it advertised on ebay. Emailed seller for more pictures which were promptly sent. Rang him to discuss the car & verify condition/any surprises. Decided he did not sound like a scumbag and it was for me. Agreed to meet at his house at 5:00pm. Got a 5hr train/tube ride to his house and arrived at 5:00pm. Car was as described. Paid cash after a poke about it/brief test drive. Drove home happy.
I'm considering selling my MR2 Turbo. Likeminded individuals please get in touch for hassle free sale/swappage
Saw it advertised on ebay. Emailed seller for more pictures which were promptly sent. Rang him to discuss the car & verify condition/any surprises. Decided he did not sound like a scumbag and it was for me. Agreed to meet at his house at 5:00pm. Got a 5hr train/tube ride to his house and arrived at 5:00pm. Car was as described. Paid cash after a poke about it/brief test drive. Drove home happy.
I'm considering selling my MR2 Turbo. Likeminded individuals please get in touch for hassle free sale/swappage
Jazzy Jefferson said:
Fair enough mate, that buyers expectations are clearly unrealistic. Although, was this mentioned at all in the ad?
The posts that are saying buyers are backing out due to colour, or it being a 5door etc. then yes... I sympathise, Some people really are stupid. And these people make it very difficult for genuine buyers.
No, although there's only so much you can write in an advert. It certainly didn't say that the vehicle is unmarked etc.The posts that are saying buyers are backing out due to colour, or it being a 5door etc. then yes... I sympathise, Some people really are stupid. And these people make it very difficult for genuine buyers.
I know you get them over the phone, asking what's the lowest price before they've even seen the car.
I once phoned a seller and asked about the car, arranged to come and see it, whereupon he starts pressing me to say what I'm going to pay for it. Told him I'd decide when I'd seen the car. But he wouldn't have it ?! I couldn't come and see the car unless I told him what I was going to pay.
I once phoned a seller and asked about the car, arranged to come and see it, whereupon he starts pressing me to say what I'm going to pay for it. Told him I'd decide when I'd seen the car. But he wouldn't have it ?! I couldn't come and see the car unless I told him what I was going to pay.
Fartgalen said:
I know you get them over the phone, asking what's the lowest price before they've even seen the car.
I once phoned a seller and asked about the car, arranged to come and see it, whereupon he starts pressing me to say what I'm going to pay for it. Told him I'd decide when I'd seen the car. But he wouldn't have it ?! I couldn't come and see the car unless I told him what I was going to pay.
Had one of those too! A W220 S500 is such a rare and unique car, I can understand his position /sarcasm offI once phoned a seller and asked about the car, arranged to come and see it, whereupon he starts pressing me to say what I'm going to pay for it. Told him I'd decide when I'd seen the car. But he wouldn't have it ?! I couldn't come and see the car unless I told him what I was going to pay.
A few years ago was selling my integra type r after many wasters and dreamers wanting a sc2 with a sun roof air con and is it genuine type r. Some very weird folk about.
a guy from Ireland mailed me wantin it sayin he'd fly into Leeds Bradford airport and drive it back. Very sceptically I arrived at airport at the given time. He turned up surprise surprise with his mate looked at car didn't haggle gave me the amount in pound notes. Disappeared at speed with vtech screaming.
Was a very sound bloke.
So my long winded point is they're are genuine buyers out there but for every one genuine youll get 50 dreamers and wasters.
Stick at it the right person will turn up in end
a guy from Ireland mailed me wantin it sayin he'd fly into Leeds Bradford airport and drive it back. Very sceptically I arrived at airport at the given time. He turned up surprise surprise with his mate looked at car didn't haggle gave me the amount in pound notes. Disappeared at speed with vtech screaming.
Was a very sound bloke.
So my long winded point is they're are genuine buyers out there but for every one genuine youll get 50 dreamers and wasters.
Stick at it the right person will turn up in end
May have told this story before.Had an old Orion run around yrs ago that was getting past it.Scrappy offered £80 to come and collect it.The car had 3 months t&t left on it so I stuck it in the paper for £100,thinking it would maybe do a job for someone.
1st call.What's the mileage?
Me.Don't know,about 120000.
1st call.To high for me.
2nd call.How many owners?
Me.6
2nd call.Must be something wrong with it.
After about 12 numpties ringing and asking stupid questions,I phoned the scrappy and cashed in the tax.Got about £108.
1st call.What's the mileage?
Me.Don't know,about 120000.
1st call.To high for me.
2nd call.How many owners?
Me.6
2nd call.Must be something wrong with it.
After about 12 numpties ringing and asking stupid questions,I phoned the scrappy and cashed in the tax.Got about £108.
I have had many nightmares selling, and trying to sell cars. But then I've also had some very strange sales which worked.
Many years ago now I had an MR2 for sale, had a good description of it and a chap called so I went through it in great detail. He said he'd come for a look 10am Saturday morning. At 9.45am there was a knock at the door so I got the keys, and answered the door. The chap handed me the asking price in cash. I asked him if he didn't want to actually get in/test drive the car etc first and he said no thanks he'd had a look around her already.........
Many years ago now I had an MR2 for sale, had a good description of it and a chap called so I went through it in great detail. He said he'd come for a look 10am Saturday morning. At 9.45am there was a knock at the door so I got the keys, and answered the door. The chap handed me the asking price in cash. I asked him if he didn't want to actually get in/test drive the car etc first and he said no thanks he'd had a look around her already.........
Ive sold my last 3 cars private, yeah it can take a while and you meet some crackers along the way, but still you only need the right person to turn up and your quids in. Reckon my last 4 yrs of motoring has cost me around 3.5-4k in depreciation and side stepping all big bills. Buying and selling private furnished this! When you account for 2x M3 and a mk2 rs focus that's pretty good going.
Weirdest thing to happen to me has to be someone 150 miles away transferring £19k into my bank account after one brief phone conversation and a few short emails. Had to have a word when the guy came to pick up.
Another time had a guy drive from south England to central Scotland after winning my car on eBay, stay in a premier inn overnight then refuse the car on something he hadn't read in the listing, just drove off and asked me to wire his deposit back to him.
Few nut jobs out there but it keeps things interesting
Weirdest thing to happen to me has to be someone 150 miles away transferring £19k into my bank account after one brief phone conversation and a few short emails. Had to have a word when the guy came to pick up.
Another time had a guy drive from south England to central Scotland after winning my car on eBay, stay in a premier inn overnight then refuse the car on something he hadn't read in the listing, just drove off and asked me to wire his deposit back to him.
Few nut jobs out there but it keeps things interesting
Edited by C8LNJ on Wednesday 17th October 20:22
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