Am i expecting too much? Car buying/searching.
Discussion
Currently I am looking to purchase a new car.
Nothing overly flash or new but I am increasingly surprised at the ads I am looking at for cars approaching £5k where the owners have just photographed them "as is".
No polished paintwork, Hoovered, dusted and cleaned interiors. Most are not even washed and show weeks/months of road grime.
I just sold a 2004 Citroen and I spent an entire day cleaning and polishing EVERYTHING. it looked like a new pin when I took the photos.
I cant believe people are that lazy? As the title suggests maybe I am just expecting too much.
Nothing overly flash or new but I am increasingly surprised at the ads I am looking at for cars approaching £5k where the owners have just photographed them "as is".
No polished paintwork, Hoovered, dusted and cleaned interiors. Most are not even washed and show weeks/months of road grime.
I just sold a 2004 Citroen and I spent an entire day cleaning and polishing EVERYTHING. it looked like a new pin when I took the photos.
I cant believe people are that lazy? As the title suggests maybe I am just expecting too much.
No, you're not. If you buy a car that is nice and shiny, you can assume one of two things. The owner loves their P&J, or they're trying to distract you from the rear of 3 series welded clumsily to the front of an A4.
I do read the adverts that are all in caps, have bad photos etc, but I'm already forming an opinion of the owner and assuming things. Like the care and attention put in to the advert roughly correlates with the care and attention put into other aspects of life. Like oil changes.
I do read the adverts that are all in caps, have bad photos etc, but I'm already forming an opinion of the owner and assuming things. Like the care and attention put in to the advert roughly correlates with the care and attention put into other aspects of life. Like oil changes.
Dr G said:
There's a lot of crap out there at 5k and not the margin to justify really going to town on adverts/photos.
Not that there's any excuse for a downright awful advert or photos of a dirty car.
No, but there are reasons sometimes. e.g. on a Tuesday you decide you want to sell your car - it's filthy. But you work during the day and it's dark when you get home. Do you wait a week to put it up for sale just to wash it first?Not that there's any excuse for a downright awful advert or photos of a dirty car.
No you probably just take some pics as is and use those.
richb77 said:
Currently I am looking to purchase a new car.
Nothing overly flash or new but I am increasingly surprised at the ads I am looking at for cars approaching £5k where the owners have just photographed them "as is".
No polished paintwork, Hoovered, dusted and cleaned interiors. Most are not even washed and show weeks/months of road grime.
I just sold a 2004 Citroen and I spent an entire day cleaning and polishing EVERYTHING. it looked like a new pin when I took the photos.
I cant believe people are that lazy? As the title suggests maybe I am just expecting too much.
I prefer to see them 'as is'. I'm very wary of a newly valeted car.Nothing overly flash or new but I am increasingly surprised at the ads I am looking at for cars approaching £5k where the owners have just photographed them "as is".
No polished paintwork, Hoovered, dusted and cleaned interiors. Most are not even washed and show weeks/months of road grime.
I just sold a 2004 Citroen and I spent an entire day cleaning and polishing EVERYTHING. it looked like a new pin when I took the photos.
I cant believe people are that lazy? As the title suggests maybe I am just expecting too much.
300bhp/ton said:
No, but there are reasons sometimes. e.g. on a Tuesday you decide you want to sell your car - it's filthy. But you work during the day and it's dark when you get home. Do you wait a week to put it up for sale just to wash it first?
No you probably just take some pics as is and use those.
In my part of the country we have car washes in petrol garages. Wonderful invention. Just pay a few quid, drive in and the machine washes, dries and polishes it for you at any time of day or night. In fact in a couple of disused garages we've even got some "illegals" or "clandestines" or whatever you want to call 'em who'll wash and clean the inside and outside of your car for you for a tenner. Take's them ten mins on your way home from work.No you probably just take some pics as is and use those.
Actually on that point in the summer one of these "illegals" outfits has bikini clad lasses washing the cars and a sign outside saying "Best Hand Job in the area"
300bhp/ton said:
Dr G said:
There's a lot of crap out there at 5k and not the margin to justify really going to town on adverts/photos.
Not that there's any excuse for a downright awful advert or photos of a dirty car.
No, but there are reasons sometimes. e.g. on a Tuesday you decide you want to sell your car - it's filthy. But you work during the day and it's dark when you get home. Do you wait a week to put it up for sale just to wash it first?Not that there's any excuse for a downright awful advert or photos of a dirty car.
No you probably just take some pics as is and use those.
I keep my cars clean but make the extra effort when selling.
As someone else has stated I read bad ads and look at photos of dirty cars but it lends an awful lot to the image of care that has been lavished (or not) on that particular car.
As for little margin on a £5k car. My Citroen was £1800. It looked like new when i photographed it. No harm in TRYING to sell your car rather than expecting someone to come and "do you a favour".
ColinM50 said:
300bhp/ton said:
No, but there are reasons sometimes. e.g. on a Tuesday you decide you want to sell your car - it's filthy. But you work during the day and it's dark when you get home. Do you wait a week to put it up for sale just to wash it first?
No you probably just take some pics as is and use those.
In my part of the country we have car washes in petrol garages. Wonderful invention. Just pay a few quid, drive in and the machine washes, dries and polishes it for you at any time of day or night. In fact in a couple of disused garages we've even got some "illegals" or "clandestines" or whatever you want to call 'em who'll wash and clean the inside and outside of your car for you for a tenner. Take's them ten mins on your way home from work.No you probably just take some pics as is and use those.
Actually on that point in the summer one of these "illegals" outfits has bikini clad lasses washing the cars and a sign outside saying "Best Hand Job in the area"
BTW - I'm not saying this is right, just a possible reason why.
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