Private car sales and the lure of "CASH!!!11!"
Discussion
Good lord. I mean, I'm selling a lightly barried E36 M3, so I do expect it.
But really? Every single message it seems asks for "Bes'price" for "Cash today!!"
How else do these muppets think I'm going to take money from them? I mean really? I've just had two texts in about 10 minutes by one particularly rabid chap who is a CASH BUYER and needs a car TODAY OR TOMORROW!
But really? Every single message it seems asks for "Bes'price" for "Cash today!!"
How else do these muppets think I'm going to take money from them? I mean really? I've just had two texts in about 10 minutes by one particularly rabid chap who is a CASH BUYER and needs a car TODAY OR TOMORROW!
Ah, couple of years ago I was selling a Nova SRI as a restoration project (ex autotest car) and was astonished at not just the language used in ridiculous CASH offers, but the calls and ebay messages from "lads" just wanting to chat about "is wickid innit bro, i'm gonna..." instead of wanting to make an offer!
It truly is hilarious. My "CASH BUYER" has gone quiet now I've revealed that my "best price" doesn't accord with his notions of affordability. Much like the chap on eBay who submitted a best offer of £2000. On a stated price of £3500, which is pretty bloody cheap anyway. He's upped it now to a massive £2200 which I don't feel inclined to take.
I've got another bloke interested in the car who e-mailed me using full sentences, hasn't discussed cash straight away and sounds vaguely normal on the phone. I really want to sell the car to him.
I've got another bloke interested in the car who e-mailed me using full sentences, hasn't discussed cash straight away and sounds vaguely normal on the phone. I really want to sell the car to him.
I don't mind it per se... Advertising a car at £3500 generally would mean an acceptable price of £3000 to most people. I'm just waiting for one of these pillocks to agree a price and then turn up and try to chip it down.
Much, in fact, like the pillocks who came from Manchester-Bristol to view my RX8- All faults and foibles fully declared and with a price agreed with the clear caveat that it wasn't negotiable any further. Long drive back!
Much, in fact, like the pillocks who came from Manchester-Bristol to view my RX8- All faults and foibles fully declared and with a price agreed with the clear caveat that it wasn't negotiable any further. Long drive back!
carreauchompeur said:
I don't mind it per se... Advertising a car at £3500 generally would mean an acceptable price of £3000 to most people. I'm just waiting for one of these pillocks to agree a price and then turn up and try to chip it down.
I'd agree with you.Sadly the bloke whose car I looked at last week doesn't 
Firstly. The lies from the advert.
FSH - err no. Stops in '08 nothing since, save for 1 MOT (With hindsight, I suspect the mileage has been massaged somewhere too!)
TAX/MOT till April '12 - Err No. Both expired now!
2 or 3 scuffs on bumpers - going to need both resprayed and the rubber trims replacing!
Also gonna need 2 rear tyres (£300ish) and a few other little things.
Secondly the negociations.
eBay, but willing to remove. Start price of £3,4. Reserve of £3,8. Say how about a deal. Says he'll see what happens on eBay.
Car gets no bids.
Gets relisted. No reserve, start price of £3.
Phone him up say if I come with cash any chance of a deal. Yes he says. Think great. Should be £3-3,4ish
He phones back 3 mins later and asks how much I will give him.
I reel off the faults and he says. I don't want to let it go for less than £3,6
Felt like saying "Mate, no one wanted it at £3,4 why should I pay even more!"
Told him, I'd get back to him. He said "Ive got someone coming tomorrow". I said "fine let them"
Cue a phone call from him today saying "oh they couldn't come in the end"All this pissing about has put me off the car. So he can keep it for all I care
In other news. Another car. "Couple light dents to arches" fails to mention they are rusty and bubbling nicely. Guy keeps telling me "£150 will sort it" I suspect not mate. Not for a proper remove-the-rust-properly job, not a filler-it-and-paint-it bodge. Tells me many times, 'lots of intrest keep turning down bids' Bids that aren't even that derisory IMO. Also like him telling me "oh clutch is fine" yeah ok mate, I won't bother ACTUALLY CHECKING IT THEN
Having sold a car and various car bit recently (having not done so for 6 or so years) it seems to have a real pain in the arse. You're lucky if someone even makes an offer. It's always 'what's your best price?'. If you actually get an offer it's usually half the value of whatever you're selling.
Rich_W said:
carreauchompeur said:
I don't mind it per se... Advertising a car at £3500 generally would mean an acceptable price of £3000 to most people. I'm just waiting for one of these pillocks to agree a price and then turn up and try to chip it down.
I'd agree with you.Sadly the bloke whose car I looked at last week doesn't Firstly. The lies from the advert.
FSH - err no. Stops in '08 nothing since, save for 1 MOT (With hindsight, I suspect the mileage has been massaged somewhere too!)
TAX/MOT till April '12 - Err No. Both expired now!
2 or 3 scuffs on bumpers - going to need both resprayed and the rubber trims replacing!
Also gonna need 2 rear tyres (£300ish) and a few other little things.
Secondly the negociations.
eBay, but willing to remove. Start price of £3,4. Reserve of £3,8. Say how about a deal. Says he'll see what happens on eBay.
Car gets no bids.
Gets relisted. No reserve, start price of £3.
Phone him up say if I come with cash any chance of a deal. Yes he says. Think great. Should be £3-3,4ish
He phones back 3 mins later and asks how much I will give him.
I reel off the faults and he says. I don't want to let it go for less than £3,6
Felt like saying "Mate, no one wanted it at £3,4 why should I pay even more!"
Told him, I'd get back to him. He said "Ive got someone coming tomorrow". I said "fine let them"
Cue a phone call from him today saying "oh they couldn't come in the end"All this pissing about has put me off the car. So he can keep it for all I care
In other news. Another car. "Couple light dents to arches" fails to mention they are rusty and bubbling nicely. Guy keeps telling me "£150 will sort it" I suspect not mate. Not for a proper remove-the-rust-properly job, not a filler-it-and-paint-it bodge. Tells me many times, 'lots of intrest keep turning down bids' Bids that aren't even that derisory IMO. Also like him telling me "oh clutch is fine" yeah ok mate, I won't bother ACTUALLY CHECKING IT THEN
t i looked at after travelling long distances really pissed me off. Hanging bodywork, fuel oil and water leaks, shagged interiors, the lot. All stuff that was denied over the phone or hoped wouldnt be noticed. Some proper a
holes out there.Been on gumtree a while and in local paper for 2 weeks ~(only £1000 worth of GTV)
Offers of p/x with something hopeless. A whole hatful of arranged appointments with NO-ONE turning up.
Only inspection was a bloke who didn't have the cash lined up (£1000!!!!!).
Deeply disheartening experience
Offers of p/x with something hopeless. A whole hatful of arranged appointments with NO-ONE turning up.
Only inspection was a bloke who didn't have the cash lined up (£1000!!!!!).
Deeply disheartening experience
Actually I bloody am. And he was an oceanographer, funnily enough. Who wants to buy his dad a present. Although he did cock up slightly calling the car a 'piano'!VinceFox said:
Lot of this thread reminds me of when i was looking for a decent e36 m3, a reallŷ hard car to find a straight one of at the best of times. Some of the utter, utter st i looked at after travelling long distances really pissed me off. Hanging bodywork, fuel oil and water leaks, shagged interiors, the lot. All stuff that was denied over the phone or hoped wouldnt be noticed.
Some proper aholes out there.
It took me nearly a year of looking at cars (granted not every week) before I found and bought my E30 M3. So take heart and keep looking t i looked at after travelling long distances really pissed me off. Hanging bodywork, fuel oil and water leaks, shagged interiors, the lot. All stuff that was denied over the phone or hoped wouldnt be noticed. Some proper a
holes out there.
On a related note. I know eBay is full of messers, but not allowing people to bid with less than 50 feedbacks is retarded. (I only have 47 and the last 3 were for tools so does that mean I'm more or less likely to pay for a car?
) Same as "won't end before auction even for cash" If I make the effort to turn up and SEE the car, does that not intimate a level of seriousness that you don't get from faceless internet bidders? And lets not get into people that don't respond to messages through ebay. Or like one seller, don't appear to be able to speak ENGLISH in replies. I asked "What colour is the interior as there's no pics on the advert?" the response "the material is not letter" 
To the guy above. DO NOT USE GUMTREE. Like Loot before it, it atracts people with not even 2 5ps to rub together! So the genuine to messer ratio is very heavily one way!
Edited by Rich_W on Saturday 4th February 21:43
When my S2000 goes on ph classified there will be a link to a flikr page with over 30 high res photos of the whole car and decent close ups of all the little marks etc.
I find the canvasers mutch more iritating than the dopey txting buyer.
Why then I have put NO CANVASERS in red at several key parts of the ad are you still phoning me morons.
I actualy stated in the small print of the ad for the last car I sold that I reserved the right to verbaly abuse any canvaser who ignored my no canvasers wording.
4 hours after the ad went live the first of the spacktards phones me.
Hello I'm calling about the car ( I'm only selling one car but it could be somone sniffing to see if I'm a trader shifting bad stock out the back door I've done the same before )
Yep the focus what would you like to know ?
We can sell it for you we have buyers waiting for sutch a car
Realy did you read the whole advert text
Yes
So you read the words no canvasers at least 3 times
errr yes
Did you also read the small print
err yes I think so
Right you have confirmed to me that you have read the whole advert text including the small print and you have understood it is that correct
ummm yes I think so
And you are canvasing for a company not related to the one I am curently advertising with corect
aaahhh yes
Then as per the small print I'm exercising my right.....
A torent of verbal abuse flowed towards the hapless canvaser that would have made a chav blush after about 1/2 a minuite all I had was click brrrrrrrrr
I find the canvasers mutch more iritating than the dopey txting buyer.
Why then I have put NO CANVASERS in red at several key parts of the ad are you still phoning me morons.
I actualy stated in the small print of the ad for the last car I sold that I reserved the right to verbaly abuse any canvaser who ignored my no canvasers wording.
4 hours after the ad went live the first of the spacktards phones me.
Hello I'm calling about the car ( I'm only selling one car but it could be somone sniffing to see if I'm a trader shifting bad stock out the back door I've done the same before )
Yep the focus what would you like to know ?
We can sell it for you we have buyers waiting for sutch a car
Realy did you read the whole advert text
Yes
So you read the words no canvasers at least 3 times
errr yes
Did you also read the small print
err yes I think so
Right you have confirmed to me that you have read the whole advert text including the small print and you have understood it is that correct
ummm yes I think so
And you are canvasing for a company not related to the one I am curently advertising with corect
aaahhh yes
Then as per the small print I'm exercising my right.....
A torent of verbal abuse flowed towards the hapless canvaser that would have made a chav blush after about 1/2 a minuite all I had was click brrrrrrrrr
I guess I've been lucky - I've sold 2 cars in 2 weeks, both within days of advertising them. Bang them on at a fair price with decent pics and a full description and they've both gone to the first person who turned up to see them One (BMW) went for the full asking price (and what I'd paid 2 years ago!) And the other ,a diesel Volvo I put up at £1,300 and was happy to take £1,200 for (CASH!!!)
I did get some moronic phone calls for the BMW though.
Oh ,and the buyers negotiations for the volvo were hilarious:
"Well, I like this car and it's got 140,000 miles on it ,but there's another a few miles away.. It's got 210,000 miles on it but it's only £1,100"
Me: *blinks* "Well mate, if you want to save £200 for an extra 70,000 miles be my guest!"
I did get some moronic phone calls for the BMW though.
Oh ,and the buyers negotiations for the volvo were hilarious:
"Well, I like this car and it's got 140,000 miles on it ,but there's another a few miles away.. It's got 210,000 miles on it but it's only £1,100"
Me: *blinks* "Well mate, if you want to save £200 for an extra 70,000 miles be my guest!"
I am sure buying and selling privately used to be a much pleasanter experience than it is now (perhaps I am wearing my rose tinted specs)
A few years back I sold an Alfa and I had so many tossers waste my time. These 2 prats from Devon drove all the way to see the car in London and turned up at 6am, they then found an imaginary dent and get really agro about it then they proceeded to insult the block of flats I lived in. After they were done being mental they offered me £1000 under asking and tried to sell at as a good deal for me as the made up dent would cost more than that to repair. I went back to bed and they drove 200 miles back to devon with out a car. idiots.
I did sell it in the end but boy was it painful.
A few years back I sold an Alfa and I had so many tossers waste my time. These 2 prats from Devon drove all the way to see the car in London and turned up at 6am, they then found an imaginary dent and get really agro about it then they proceeded to insult the block of flats I lived in. After they were done being mental they offered me £1000 under asking and tried to sell at as a good deal for me as the made up dent would cost more than that to repair. I went back to bed and they drove 200 miles back to devon with out a car. idiots.
I did sell it in the end but boy was it painful.
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