How many good morals should i show after a private sale?
Discussion
I think the fact your asking us here what our opinions are shows you have good morals, most wouldn't ask any one elses opinion.
Sounds like the buyer isnt necessarily the hands on type so may find classic bike ownership a bit testing no matter what you say but agree with other comments, a query the same day(s) after purchase may warrant some advice but 5 months after, no way.
Very easy to load plenty of attitude into a text, id call him to explain your stance on it...
Sounds like the buyer isnt necessarily the hands on type so may find classic bike ownership a bit testing no matter what you say but agree with other comments, a query the same day(s) after purchase may warrant some advice but 5 months after, no way.
Very easy to load plenty of attitude into a text, id call him to explain your stance on it...
The Garelli was priced correctly, restored by probably the top Garelli sports moped man in the country. £5,000 was spot on for the bike in question.
I will not even try and explain old bike prices however, as they have made no sense to me for a very long time. EG there is a sports moped on sale for £12,000 in Uxbridge, west London at the moment. It is very overpriced in my view but he may well get £9,000+ for it, i would certainly pay £7,500. EG why anyone would pay £35,000 (!) for a 1970s Triumph 750cc triple is anyone's guess but that's what one fetched around Christmas. Rarity of bikes that at their time were icons seems to be the factor. (Plenty of other very rare bikes still fetch nothing hardly.)
As far as the Garelli is concerned he's told me 2 separate dealers will vouch that the electrics have significant faults but i have gone with the majority opinion and politely said that i am sorry that faults have appeared but those bikes used to go wrong from new, never mind half a century later. I suppose his argument is that a fully restored bike should have fully restored electrics, ergo they should not be going wrong in the first 5 miles. I've bought several classic bikes lately and have found seized calipers, leaking forks, all sorts, it's part of buying an old bike, you have to accept that servicing and repair is a forever thing not once a year at the dealer.
I will not even try and explain old bike prices however, as they have made no sense to me for a very long time. EG there is a sports moped on sale for £12,000 in Uxbridge, west London at the moment. It is very overpriced in my view but he may well get £9,000+ for it, i would certainly pay £7,500. EG why anyone would pay £35,000 (!) for a 1970s Triumph 750cc triple is anyone's guess but that's what one fetched around Christmas. Rarity of bikes that at their time were icons seems to be the factor. (Plenty of other very rare bikes still fetch nothing hardly.)
As far as the Garelli is concerned he's told me 2 separate dealers will vouch that the electrics have significant faults but i have gone with the majority opinion and politely said that i am sorry that faults have appeared but those bikes used to go wrong from new, never mind half a century later. I suppose his argument is that a fully restored bike should have fully restored electrics, ergo they should not be going wrong in the first 5 miles. I've bought several classic bikes lately and have found seized calipers, leaking forks, all sorts, it's part of buying an old bike, you have to accept that servicing and repair is a forever thing not once a year at the dealer.
dc2rr07 said:
Cylon2007 said:
CoreyDog said:
If I was in your shoes and they came back to me a few days later, maybe even a week, I'd be inclined to help in some way (Pay for parts or something).
Since it's been nearly 5 months though, wouldn't entertain anything. You have no idea how the bike has been stored, you don't know if this is first time he got around to looking at it or has been riding it daily.
This, tell him to jog on he's taking the piss Since it's been nearly 5 months though, wouldn't entertain anything. You have no idea how the bike has been stored, you don't know if this is first time he got around to looking at it or has been riding it daily.
Grindle said:
Tiggsy said:
Private sale from JANUARY????? Seriously???
It's the first time he has used the bike.Are you a dealer offering a warranty? (No).
Do medieval motor bikes sold privately have some kind of guarantee? (No).
Do you know what happened to the bike in the past 5 months? (No).
There you go, if the above does not spell it out to you then you should probably send him a cheque for £,5000 (maybe get your wife to deliver it to him naked and ask him what else he wants!).
This thread sounds like a wind up.
"I'm very sorry to hear of the trouble you are experiencing with your bike - I wish you the best of luck in resolving the problems with your bike as soon as possible"
That was my final reply to the guy who angrily texted that that the gear selector had stopped working 2 weeks after buying my bike.
That was my final reply to the guy who angrily texted that that the gear selector had stopped working 2 weeks after buying my bike.
Grindle said:
Tiggsy said:
Private sale from JANUARY????? Seriously???
It's the first time he has used the bike.He's having a laugh.
Interesting.
I bought a car off a respected member of another forum, where there is a culture of describing the actual faults very clearly.
And for buyers not arguing much about the price. As the price is designed to sell.
Anyway It was along way away and I got a lift of a bloke I worked with, who pissed off home before I'd even knocked on the door, so i was committed to getting a taxi to the station. And a train 120 plus miles, at a cost of £60 at least.
The car was described as not rusty, (it was abit) one dented door. (Looked worse in real life but MEH) and a small oil leak. (Later worked out that they all do that do to blocked breathers which blow the cam cover seals)
With full history. It had lots of history, but some big gaps.
It was on the test drive that i really should have backed out. On braking it pretty much turned left. He suggested that there was obviously a problem with the brakes, as it had been stood for a while, and knocked 15% off the price yo cover new pads and discs.
I then drove it 600 miles over 4 days, and bought new pads and discs front and rear, and got very scared that it might have head gasket failure.
I handed it to a mobile mechanic who fitted the brakes, declared the head gasket symptoms as breathers blocked mate( and cleaned them.out, and declared the turning left on braking, as wishbones.
It was like a different car.
Over the next 6 months I replaced cam cover gaskets, coil packs, serviced it with OE brand parts from a dealer, and found a door in the right colour. And eventually my wife said "It's not as s
t as I thought it was"
I've now taken the miles from 163K to 215k spent more money on it, and can't imagine selling it, despite some new spanner light issues.
I met the guy at a meeting and whilst pissed around the camp fire, we had a laugh.
As I said. He never actually lied. The car was basically okay, but needed the same spending on it as it cost me, and therefore was not exactly the bargain he'd made out.
He just laughed.
I agreed. Buyer beware. I knew that if it went tits up I could weigh it in or sell it on and only loose 300 quid. So I'd justified buying it on the basis that if I got a month out of it, I'd be happy.
He couldn't believe that 3 years on, I've still got it and still spending money on it.
We also discussed the warranty.
The end of the road, or until it breaks down. Which ever comes first.
I still think he's a bit of a tt, but i knew all the risk was mine.
I bought a car off a respected member of another forum, where there is a culture of describing the actual faults very clearly.
And for buyers not arguing much about the price. As the price is designed to sell.
Anyway It was along way away and I got a lift of a bloke I worked with, who pissed off home before I'd even knocked on the door, so i was committed to getting a taxi to the station. And a train 120 plus miles, at a cost of £60 at least.
The car was described as not rusty, (it was abit) one dented door. (Looked worse in real life but MEH) and a small oil leak. (Later worked out that they all do that do to blocked breathers which blow the cam cover seals)
With full history. It had lots of history, but some big gaps.
It was on the test drive that i really should have backed out. On braking it pretty much turned left. He suggested that there was obviously a problem with the brakes, as it had been stood for a while, and knocked 15% off the price yo cover new pads and discs.
I then drove it 600 miles over 4 days, and bought new pads and discs front and rear, and got very scared that it might have head gasket failure.
I handed it to a mobile mechanic who fitted the brakes, declared the head gasket symptoms as breathers blocked mate( and cleaned them.out, and declared the turning left on braking, as wishbones.
It was like a different car.
Over the next 6 months I replaced cam cover gaskets, coil packs, serviced it with OE brand parts from a dealer, and found a door in the right colour. And eventually my wife said "It's not as s
t as I thought it was" I've now taken the miles from 163K to 215k spent more money on it, and can't imagine selling it, despite some new spanner light issues.
I met the guy at a meeting and whilst pissed around the camp fire, we had a laugh.
As I said. He never actually lied. The car was basically okay, but needed the same spending on it as it cost me, and therefore was not exactly the bargain he'd made out.
He just laughed.
I agreed. Buyer beware. I knew that if it went tits up I could weigh it in or sell it on and only loose 300 quid. So I'd justified buying it on the basis that if I got a month out of it, I'd be happy.
He couldn't believe that 3 years on, I've still got it and still spending money on it.
We also discussed the warranty.
The end of the road, or until it breaks down. Which ever comes first.
I still think he's a bit of a t
t, but i knew all the risk was mine. EazyDuz said:
Djtemeka said:
Jog on... 
Literally, if the state of that moped is anything to go by.5 fkin months, OP just ignore/block. Or reply 'Who is this?' Then elaborate and say you're someone else who bought a used phone and simcard.
hman said:
"I'm very sorry to hear of the trouble you are experiencing with your bike - I wish you the best of luck in resolving the problems with your bike as soon as possible"
That was my final reply to the guy who angrily texted that that the gear selector had stopped working 2 weeks after buying my bike.
Old bikes go wrong. Very old ones more so. The gear selector admittedly could be a hassle sorting but one of my recent purchases has seized brakes up front on one side. It happens.That was my final reply to the guy who angrily texted that that the gear selector had stopped working 2 weeks after buying my bike.
No Rallycross this isn't a wind-up, move on if you have nothing relevant to say, i'm sure your mum has your tea ready by now.
Grindle said:
crofty1984 said:
Eff my holes! There's trying it on and TRYING IT ON. What the giddy fridge is he thinking? 5 months? The electrics probably don't work because he's let the battery go flat.
I get your point entirely. There is no battery btw.Can't believe you had the brass neck to sell him a shonker of an old motorbike for £5k and it doesn't even have a battery!
There's nowhere to put one, i do get your joke though!
The Japanese FS1E and SS50 mopeds were light years ahead of the Italian bikes on quality and also had proper electrics and a battery. But all that mattered to a spotty 16 year old was how fast it went and the 4.8 bhp FS1E and 2.5 bhp Honda (about 3.5 bhp with the throttle slide altered to effectively de-restrict it) were way down on the lighter 6-7 bhp Italian stallions of the day. The Italian bikes were often tuned to 10 bhp and were very nippy for a moped in that tune but ate plugs and ate pistons for fun.
A sports moped guru from Hertfordshire put a tuned 114cc Honda single in a Honda SS50 sports moped to finally end the 2-stroke victories on classic moped runs about 20 years ago and almost 18 bhp put the smelly oilers in their place. Until he was sussed out!
I've not heard from the fella for a while, i think he's realised it's buyer beware.
The Japanese FS1E and SS50 mopeds were light years ahead of the Italian bikes on quality and also had proper electrics and a battery. But all that mattered to a spotty 16 year old was how fast it went and the 4.8 bhp FS1E and 2.5 bhp Honda (about 3.5 bhp with the throttle slide altered to effectively de-restrict it) were way down on the lighter 6-7 bhp Italian stallions of the day. The Italian bikes were often tuned to 10 bhp and were very nippy for a moped in that tune but ate plugs and ate pistons for fun.
A sports moped guru from Hertfordshire put a tuned 114cc Honda single in a Honda SS50 sports moped to finally end the 2-stroke victories on classic moped runs about 20 years ago and almost 18 bhp put the smelly oilers in their place. Until he was sussed out!
I've not heard from the fella for a while, i think he's realised it's buyer beware.
SpeckledJim said:
There's nothing moral about giving your money to a chancer.
Arguably if you give him money, you're teaching him to carry on behaving like that toward other people, so perhaps a case could be made that the moral thing to do is actually to NOT give him your money.
This is the majority verdict. I've got 2 bikes with faults i failed to notice when i bought them, namely shot fork seals and seized brake calipers. The inside of one of the tanks is corroded too, all more fkg expense but i can hardly go back to the seller. They're old bikes. I wanted them so i had them, knowing they're not going to be fault-free for long.Arguably if you give him money, you're teaching him to carry on behaving like that toward other people, so perhaps a case could be made that the moral thing to do is actually to NOT give him your money.
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