Has it now become a nightmare to sell a private car...?

[TonyRPH]

For a 70k mile car, it seems to have needed a lot of work?

• 4 wheels refurbed
• Rocker cover gasket
• diff input oil seal
• centre exhaust rubbers
• vanos replaced by bmw at 43k miles

Are you sure there isn't 100k missing from your quoted mileage?

These are all high mileage items, according to a colleague who owned an M5 and maintained it fastidiously.

And...

1974nc said:

....
I'm checking both maf outputs more for myself than any purchaser.
...

Yet..

advert said:

MAF readings are exactly as they should be at W.O.T

So have you checked the MAF outputs, or do you plan to check them?

You appear to contradict yourself a bit...

[eg Watermelon]

hora said:

1974nc said:

For 7k I don't know what people expect

That will be £7,000 of someones hard earned money.

A down payment on the first of many big bills as well?

Thats why people would want to make sure its had everything done when it should be as soon as its noticed.

You don't look to buy into a project car unless you are specifically looking for a project car do you?

If you were in the market for an M5 you (should!) know exactly what it costs to run and what known problems are etc and be able to afford it, simple as that. The problems starts with buyers is when you price your sough-after, high performance super saloon for Fiesta money, all sort of 'innits' come out the woodwork thinking yeah i've got £7k i'll buy this rather than a modded 1.6 Focus or whatever.

So what i'm trying to say is it would actually be better to price it higher, clean it up to within an inch of it's life and write a proper advert with proper pictures and it will go easily.

[anonymous-user]

Christ! Checked the maf readings when I wrote the ad a month ago and rechecked last week when it was warmer and found lower readings hence I'm looking at it.
Memo for future. Never ask advice on Ph as it will be used against you in future.

Yes its a 170k mile car pal, its cat b, fitted with a Ford crossflow and even that doesn't run .... that make you feel better

[maz8062]

1974nc said:

Christ! Checked the maf readings when I wrote the ad a month ago and rechecked last week when it was warmer and found lower readings hence I'm looking at it.
Memo for future. Never ask advice on Ph as it will be used against you in future.

Yes its a 170k mile car pal, its cat b, fitted with a Ford crossflow and even that doesn't run .... that make you feel better

I think you have a bad attitude. The ad is just a reflection of this.

Good luck with it.

[STW2010]

1974nc said:

I take note of all the helpful replies and useful advice but the odd 'let him without sin cast the first stone' contributor annoys me.
The car has had a minor repair. It's not cat d c or anything.


The history is all genuine and stamped with receipts. For 7k I don't know what people expect, possibly a legally binding guarantee that nothing has gone wrong with the car or will ever do in future perhaps.

I presume that you're referring to me to some degree. The only thing I would expect when spending £7k on a car is that repairs over 50% of the value of the car are known to me. As I said earlier, these repairs wouldn't put me off the car in the slightest, it's the failure to mention them that would.

TonyRPH said:

For a 70k mile car, it seems to have needed a lot of work?

• 4 wheels refurbed
• Rocker cover gasket
• diff input oil seal
• centre exhaust rubbers
• vanos replaced by bmw at 43k miles

Are you sure there isn't 100k missing from your quoted mileage?

These are all high mileage items, according to a colleague who owned an M5 and maintained it fastidiously.

Rocker cover gasket could just be a precaution. Alloys do get kerbed and corroded, so on a 12 year old car this doesn't seem unusual. Seals and rubbers being changed on a 12 year old car also don't sound worrying.

Finally....

1974nc said:

Never ask advice on Ph as it will be used against you in future.

Or, don't ask for advice if you are only happy to hear positive comments. People have different opinions

[anonymous-user]

Don't mind criticism as long as it is helpful not stuff like 'why have those parts been changed its obviously clocked'

[Fastra]

TonyRPH said:

For a 70k mile car, it seems to have needed a lot of work?

• 4 wheels refurbed
• Rocker cover gasket
• diff input oil seal
• centre exhaust rubbers
• vanos replaced by bmw at 43k miles

Are you sure there isn't 100k missing from your quoted mileage?

These are all high mileage items, according to a colleague who owned an M5 and maintained it fastidiously.

And...

1974nc said:

....
I'm checking both maf outputs more for myself than any purchaser.
...

Yet..

advert said:

MAF readings are exactly as they should be at W.O.T

So have you checked the MAF outputs, or do you plan to check them?

You appear to contradict yourself a bit...

????

What a ridiculous statement!!
ALL of those items can easily relate to a car of 4 years old and covered 50,000 miles.

[SteveS Cup]

I've sold / px'd all my previous cars and bought new ones from Pistonheads.

Because of the nature of the cars I get an awful lot of emails (I had a minty mint 106 GTI which I priced at the most expensive one of here a few years back) and I had over 150 emails!!!!

I've never not sold the car to the first real viewer... If someone doesn't sound like the buyer on the phone I will try to put them off of it... if they persist then maybe I've judged them wrong and it's worth my time meeting them.

I actually sold one car to a lad in Scotland and I met him half way... He hadn't seen the car, his dad had DVT so couldn't do too long a drive and he put a deposit in my account... Met him in a car park, father and son both petrolheads and off they went with it!

[Gwagon111]

People responding to AT adverts are universally s in my experience. "what's your best price mate", "I've only got X you won't get a better offer", fk off you s.

[TonyRPH]

1974nc said:

Yes its a 170k mile car pal, its cat b, fitted with a Ford crossflow and even that doesn't run .... that make you feel better

Ford X Flow eh?

I'll take it!!

They were just some constructive comments, based on those made by a colleague.

It wasn't intended for you to take said comments to heart like you did.

Lighten up man!

[JeS10]

It is easier said than done, but selling on an owners club is always the most pleasant way to sell, I find. Then again its a much smaller audience, and would likely take ages to shift, so not much use. Most replies will simply be 'nice car... if... then it'd be mine'.

People aren't quite so anonymous that way though. Pistonheads/AT/eBay and, the worst, Gumtree will attract all sorts because it offers anonymity. The trouble has worsened in recent times, not merely because people don't have much money but because people are wanting to make money. My worst experience was selling a mint Volvo 244. It was collected by a nice Irish chap, who knew loads about it, and made all the relevant checks - and paid, £50 less than askign price. An hour later 6 blokes turned up to persuade the money back. Think I only managed to keep £100 in the end, because they didn't count it. Police didn't do anything, but then what could they do? You live and learn.

[CO2000]

1974nc said:

Yes its a 170k mile car pal, its cat b, fitted with a Ford crossflow and even that doesn't run ....

Sounds like a 7k Mk2 Mexico/Harrier

Seriously though how many Car ads list previous accident damage if its not Cat C/D - about 0.00001 % ??
If its only asked about after a 400 mile trip to view it & then disclosed there is nothing wrong with that.

[anonymous-user]

Apologies if I've been a bit tetchy but I feel like a criminal now and that's not me at all.

[Biker's Nemesis]

It looks a nice straight car for not much money.

Some of you lot are just being tts for the sake of it.

[k-ink]

Taking everything into account I guess it has to be worth a gamble at five grand to someone. I'm sure it will sell eventually.

But as others have said I'd edit the advert. Remove all the gushing nonsense. Just list (some of) the facts. Leave it at that.

[TonyRPH]

Fastra said:

TonyRPH said:

For a 70k mile car, it seems to have needed a lot of work?

• 4 wheels refurbed
• Rocker cover gasket
• diff input oil seal
• centre exhaust rubbers
• vanos replaced by bmw at 43k miles

Are you sure there isn't 100k missing from your quoted mileage?

These are all high mileage items, according to a colleague who owned an M5 and maintained it fastidiously.

And...

1974nc said:

....
I'm checking both maf outputs more for myself than any purchaser.
...

Yet..

advert said:

MAF readings are exactly as they should be at W.O.T

So have you checked the MAF outputs, or do you plan to check them?

You appear to contradict yourself a bit...

????

What a ridiculous statement!!
ALL of those items can easily relate to a car of 4 years old and covered 50,000 miles.

Wheel refurb on a 4 year old car? Unlikely... (and yes, I know the OP's car is older than 4 years, so a fastidious owner is likely to have wheels refurbed anyway, on a car 10 years old - no qualms there).

The BMW V8 rocker cover gaskets are known to start failing (weeping) around 90k miles.

A diff oil seal should last for 150k miles + - but I do concede that early failure is a possibility.

Exhaust hangers again can last for many, many miles.

BMW Vanos failures are common around the 100k -> 150k mark.

As previously stated, my comments were based on those of a colleague who ran an M5 for about 6 years.

I have also owned several BMW's myself - and I'm well aware of what fails and when.

So my statement was far from ridiculous.

And I am emphatically not implying that the OP's car has done more mileage than claimed

[anonymous-user]

[quote=k-ink]Taking everything into account I guess it has to be worth a gamble at five grand to someone. I'm sure it will sell eventually.

As much as 5k! Cheers pal...

[steve singh]

1974nc said:

k-ink said:

Taking everything into account I guess it has to be worth a gamble at five grand to someone. I'm sure it will sell eventually.

As much as 5k! Cheers pal...

If it's £5k let me know !

[STW2010]

1974nc said:

Apologies if I've been a bit tetchy but I feel like a criminal now and that's not me at all.

That has certainly not been my intention, so apologies if any of my posts have done this

[anonymous-user]

Will do lol.. just nipped out to put some fuel in for a weekend drive and had half convinced myself it must be like some on here say..' an old scrapper' but you know what, it isnt.. its a great drive and I will be sad when it goes!