Why do people take it so personally?
Why do people take it so personally?
Author
Discussion

jamoor

Original Poster:

14,506 posts

245 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
I recently went to view a couple of cars, one I had a look around, didn't even bother test driving it as it was a bit of a nail with patchy history.

The other, I discovered a fault during the test drive, it wasn't major but it was enough to put me off.

The former guy got a bit irate, the second guy however accused me of being a test pilot and not knowing what I was talking about, surely as a buyer of a used car it's my right to see and test a car and ensure I'm 110% happy with the condition before parting with my cash? The second guy literally acted as though I walked into his living room on christmas morning and set fire to his grand kids christmas presents.

I've sold numerous cars, sometimes people have come, had a nosey around and not bought it, or changed their mind after a test drive. I've never asked why or really cared about it. Is this normal behaviour or something?

alfabadass

1,852 posts

229 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
Never happened to me, both buying and selling.

Dunno why the guy got irate...he probably knew the fault was there.

When people raised stuff with cars i've sold, I've been up front and explained!

J4CKO

46,879 posts

230 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
I was buying a cheap MK3 Golf GTI once and I had a look round it and it was an utter heap, devoid of any redeeming feature, described as mint and looked ok in the photo which I suspect was some years prior, water in headlamps, rust, stereo missing, seats looked like a messy murder had occurred, wet carpets, smoky engine, battered body, scuffed wheels, shagged ditchfinders all round. I politely said it wasnt for me and thanks for your time, he got shirty and demanded why I didnt want it, I just said it wanst as good as I had hoped, he said what did I expect for £800 so I said a better car than this. Anyway, he presses me for the reason so I outline each fault and he dismessied me as a messer and too fussy, I got shirty back and said it was scrap, he really didnt like that biggrin

marting

668 posts

204 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
How did you approach the situation?

If there's something off with a car I was looking at, I'd probably just say I'd call them later as I've got another one to look at. Much less likely to cause offence than telling them you're not interested in their tatty motor.

quiraing

1,649 posts

169 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
Around 10 years ago I had a 1984 BMW 528i manual e28, A660 ESS, in henna red, leather, and elec sunroof, TRX 390 alloys with nearly new 225 tyres.

Car was a bit faded and required minor work as had been off the road for 2 years but still was very sound. It had had £1200 of engine work the year before, and had gen 92K on the clock with fsh. Paid £5300 for it in 1989.

I advertised the car in local paper for £400 and got absolutely no replies.

Eventually advertised it as "FREE to good home, requires minor work".

A young couple came to see car and the lady said "I don't think we want it as I can see through the wheels that the brakes are rusty - you didn't tell us that on the phone - we have young children, you're wasting our time".






Edited by quiraing on Wednesday 12th December 21:54

SR20

133 posts

168 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
Oh dear, some people are a little attached to their cars it seems, and maybe having a hard time letting them go, or taking ANY criticism.

Lordglenmorangie

3,071 posts

235 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
quiraing said:
Around 10 years ago I had a 1984 BMW 528i manual e28, A660 ESS, in henna red, leather, and elec sunroof, TRX 390 alloys with nearly new 225 tyres.

Car was a bit faded and required minor work as had been off the road for 2 years but still was very sound. It had had £1200 of engine work the year before, and had gen 92K on the clock with fsh.

I advertised the car in local paper for £400 and got absolutely no replies.

Eventually advertised it as "FREE to good home, requires minor work".

A young couple came to see car and the lady said "I don't think we want it as I can see through the wheels that the brakes are rusty - you didn't tell us that on the phone - we have young children, you're wasting our time".
That is classic, and unfortunatly common amongst the great unwashed of Britain today.

Free dosnt mean free anymore it's their right

aka_kerrly

12,505 posts

240 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
SR20 said:
Oh dear, some people are a little attached to their cars it seems, and maybe having a hard time letting them go, or taking ANY criticism.
Not really. It's more a case of overzealous sellers describing cars as being in far better condition than they really are which as a buyer is very annoying. Or it could be that the buyer has overly high expectations for the condition of a cheap car often leads to one party potentially becoming annoyed with another, especially if for example you have taken time off work/traveled/incurred costs.

FRA53R

1,077 posts

198 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
quiraing said:
Around 10 years ago I had a 1984 BMW 528i manual e28, A660 ESS, in henna red, leather, and elec sunroof, TRX 390 alloys with nearly new 225 tyres.

Car was a bit faded and required minor work as had been off the road for 2 years but still was very sound. It had had £1200 of engine work the year before, and had gen 92K on the clock with fsh. Paid £5300 for it in 1989.

I advertised the car in local paper for £400 and got absolutely no replies.

Eventually advertised it as "FREE to good home, requires minor work".

A young couple came to see car and the lady said "I don't think we want it as I can see through the wheels that the brakes are rusty - you didn't tell us that on the phone - we have young children, you're wasting our time".

Edited by quiraing on Wednesday 12th December 21:54
I would have quite literally bitten your arm off for that car, the one thing I say is that given the way that they were willing to approach the situation they were unlikely to love it or even take care of it as it would have deserved. What happened in the end?

J4CKO

46,879 posts

230 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
quiraing said:
Around 10 years ago I had a 1984 BMW 528i manual e28, A660 ESS, in henna red, leather, and elec sunroof, TRX 390 alloys with nearly new 225 tyres.

Car was a bit faded and required minor work as had been off the road for 2 years but still was very sound. It had had £1200 of engine work the year before, and had gen 92K on the clock with fsh. Paid £5300 for it in 1989.

I advertised the car in local paper for £400 and got absolutely no replies.

Eventually advertised it as "FREE to good home, requires minor work".

A young couple came to see car and the lady said "I don't think we want it as I can see through the wheels that the brakes are rusty - you didn't tell us that on the phone - we have young children, you're wasting our time".



Jesus, gift horse, mouth !

You could have scrapped it and got more.



Edited by quiraing on Wednesday 12th December 21:54

4key

12,108 posts

178 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
I have never travelled to view a car and told the seller that i didnt want it, i normally come away with a bargain after telling them what i think its worth and why.

KM666

1,757 posts

213 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
Its happened to me as a buyer, went to see a cheapo 106 a mates dad was selling, scuffy as anything and had a suspicious HGF looking oil splatter on the underside of the bonnet and alt of oil around the head. Anyway I ragged it up the bypass which he wasnt happy about and told him i'd think about it, he asked me why I wasnt buying it there and then. I offered the son £50 for it.

Anyway heard he'd sold it to some lass a few weeks ago for £400 and the HG failed on the way home.

g3org3y

22,491 posts

221 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
[redacted]

VinceFox

20,566 posts

202 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
"thanks very much for letting me have a look, i'm going to pass on this one though, cheers".

Repeat until committed to memory.

quiraing

1,649 posts

169 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
FRA53R said:
quiraing said:
Around 10 years ago I had a 1984 BMW 528i manual e28, A660 ESS, in henna red, leather, and elec sunroof, TRX 390 alloys with nearly new 225 tyres.

Car was a bit faded and required minor work as had been off the road for 2 years but still was very sound. It had had £1200 of engine work the year before, and had gen 92K on the clock with fsh. Paid £5300 for it in 1989.

I advertised the car in local paper for £400 and got absolutely no replies.

Eventually advertised it as "FREE to good home, requires minor work".

A young couple came to see car and the lady said "I don't think we want it as I can see through the wheels that the brakes are rusty - you didn't tell us that on the phone - we have young children, you're wasting our time".

Edited by quiraing on Wednesday 12th December 21:54
I would have quite literally bitten your arm off for that car, the one thing I say is that given the way that they were willing to approach the situation they were unlikely to love it or even take care of it as it would have deserved. What happened in the end?
Sad ending mate.

I didn't have room for it at the time or the time to spend on it due to work (was starting self-employed-business). It was at my parent's house and they wanted it out as they had just retired.

Breakers-yard-guy opened BMW doors, used "claw-type" lifter, lifted it over my dad's garage, and dumped it in his skip. At that time there was a charge to pay for disposal of tyres so it would have cost me £24 to watch this happening. However, I kept the TRX alloys and advertised them separately in local paper ("excellent Avon Turbospeed 225/390 metric tyres, 4000 miles, cost £360, original sales receipt available, offers").
No takers, not one call. Gave them to a guy with a Mk2 Granada 2.8i for £20 to get them out of the garage.

Wish I had just stored it but cest la vie.

FRA53R

1,077 posts

198 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
quiraing said:
FRA53R said:
quiraing said:
Around 10 years ago I had a 1984 BMW 528i manual e28, A660 ESS, in henna red, leather, and elec sunroof, TRX 390 alloys with nearly new 225 tyres.

Car was a bit faded and required minor work as had been off the road for 2 years but still was very sound. It had had £1200 of engine work the year before, and had gen 92K on the clock with fsh. Paid £5300 for it in 1989.

I advertised the car in local paper for £400 and got absolutely no replies.

Eventually advertised it as "FREE to good home, requires minor work".

A young couple came to see car and the lady said "I don't think we want it as I can see through the wheels that the brakes are rusty - you didn't tell us that on the phone - we have young children, you're wasting our time".

Edited by quiraing on Wednesday 12th December 21:54
I would have quite literally bitten your arm off for that car, the one thing I say is that given the way that they were willing to approach the situation they were unlikely to love it or even take care of it as it would have deserved. What happened in the end?
Sad ending mate.

I didn't have room for it at the time or the time to spend on it due to work (was starting self-employed-business). It was at my parent's house and they wanted it out as they had just retired.

Breakers-yard-guy opened BMW doors, used "claw-type" lifter, lifted it over my dad's garage, and dumped it in his skip. At that time there was a charge to pay for disposal of tyres so it would have cost me £24 to watch this happening. However, I kept the TRX alloys and advertised them separately in local paper ("excellent Avon Turbospeed 225/390 metric tyres, 4000 miles, cost £360, original sales receipt available, offers").
No takers, not one call. Gave them to a guy with a Mk2 Granada 2.8i for £20 to get them out of the garage.

Wish I had just stored it but cest la vie.
That is heartbreaking, but in that situation there's just nothing for it, if no-body will take it there's nowt you can do frown

quiraing

1,649 posts

169 months

Wednesday 12th December 2012
quotequote all
True.