try again…advice needed

[fullthrottlehyde]

So then, I cant post link to my car because that seems to be in breach of all sorts.

Its the White Cerb on piston heads for sale

She doesn't seem to be selling, I think (well I would) she is well priced and I get she is a cat c but I can't see why no one is interested? Im not being arrogant I am genuinely asking, is my advert poorly worded? Is she too expensive? I have tried to list everything

Happy to take any feedback,

Cheers

Ben

[QBee]

Wrong time of year.....that's all it is.
Who wants to buy a dry road performance car this time of year, Christmas 3 weeks off, money in short supply, no real chance to enjoy it for 4 months.
Try selling a house this time of year. Similar result.

It will sell better in April

[TVR8BLACK]

Possibly has something yo fo with time of year
But I bought mine in January and someone has just bought recently this month
I think the adis very good and she looks stunning.
If I was selling this car I would not mention cat c description on the ad
Your instantly turning people off.Let people ring and ask about the car then explain.
Once someones described the car to a potential buyer and have now great she is
They'll be hooked
Good luck with the sale

[GT6k]

It looks good to me but why did you start by saying you don't use it much? The advert is to sell the car not to say what you do with it. It will put some people off if you say you don't use it much. (I bought a very low usage car and had no problems) I would agree that the cat c bit could be left off. Pictures of the engine bay would be good as would pictures of the chassis.

Purely my own taste but I really dislike referring to cars as 'she' all the time and that alone would stop me picking up the phone.

[JezF]

You should definitely mention Cat C. Seems to be excellent value and better than another Cat car that I saw advertised recently.

Just remember it's a smaller market that buys Cat C cars, so you just need to be patient. Personally white wouldn't be for me but I'm sure some buyers would love it.

[Gazzab]

The advert would put me off ie the opening sentences describe problems. Then you seem to suggest it hasn't been serviced since 2012. A list of items done so long ago isn't a massive pro imho

[Griffithy]

I would be put of by:
1. The price. If it is that cheap I would think that it must be rubbish and the seller is not confident in the condition of the car. I generally rule out the cheapest cars.
2. It is not original and had a headlights conversion. What else is wrong?
3. The photos again. Have a look how some dealers do it.

[JezF]

I'm not sure I totally agree with that.

Firstly Cat C cars are always cheaper, you are either a buyer that is happy to purchase one or realise the issues with resale and buy a car that is not on the register.

Re original lights, I personally much prefer non-original lights, not only do they work better (mine are amazing with HID's on full beam) but I think they give the car a much more modern look. Yes, you may allianate some buyers, but certainly would have been a plus for me.

Edited by JezF on Thursday 3rd December 08:04

[JezF]

Ben, I think you just need to be patient. I've had hugely modified Lotuses before (Honda/Audi engines), you just need to remember that your target market is smaller but someone will come along and by the looks of it they will get a bargain.

[QBee]

As said above, the market for Cat C buyers is small.

I would buy a Cat D car without hesitation, I would just ask for an explanation and would make sure the repairs to the cosmetics were well done. I would then make every effort to get it taken off the Cat D register.

Cat C is much more serious damage, so i would want a very full explanation. Is it possible to get Cat C removed from the DVLA register - extended VOSA test or whatever? If it is, then surely it is worth your while to investigate this.

And no, I wouldn't be buying a white one either, but then I think Dire Straits are hip.......

[billynobrakes]

You must put Cat C in the advert and let people know or you can get in trouble, If it was me I would put up photos of before , during the repairs and after, plus the certificate that it is road worthy, there will be someone who is happy to buy a Cat C car but as you are finding out a Cat C car has a stigma attached and will be hard to sell, you must have known that when you bought it, as said be patient

[StarmistBlue400]

Start the ad on a positive.

Take new pictures in decent light with all pictures taken in the same place (car park, etc). A small detail but it looks better.

Space out the text a bit, make it easier on the eye.

Am I right that it hasn't been serviced since 2012 (other than the plugs being changed)? If so this will put people off, get it done so you can mention it in the ad. Also, speak to the specialist you use and ask if any perspective buyer could speak to them about it / get it up on the ramps for an inspection.

Be patient. Yes Xmas will slow things down but buyers are also off work, have more time to browse the classifieds

Good luck, lovely car BTW.

[mart 63]

QBee said:

Wrong time of year.....that's all it is.
Who wants to buy a dry road performance car this time of year, Christmas 3 weeks off, money in short supply, no real chance to enjoy it for 4 months.
Try selling a house this time of year. Similar result.

It will sell better in April

I sold 2 TVRs in 2 days a couple of weeks ago. Bought a Griff a couple of days later.So their are definitely buyers and sellers out there.

[Moulder]

I am potentially looking at the moment, what puts me off:

1/ Colour, though I can appreciate this is a personal thing.
2/ Cat C. Whilst I don't doubt it is true how could a wing repair cost more than devaluing the car by 30-40% which is the figure I would apply to a Cat C.
3/ On the point above there is another in the classifieds for 14k, so 12k would not be cheap enough for me. Maybe the other one has had less work done, but I could do work on that one whereas I couldn't un-Cat C your one.
4/ There are issues being passed onto the owner, e.g. bolster repair. I am not someone who expects a 15 year old car to be as new but I don't want it to look scruffy as I drive away in it.
5/ Photographs, the first one is good but the rest suffer by comparison.
6/ Most people are aware a Cat C is difficult to sell so will know they would be inheriting your current pain.

When I have sold before I always think there is a limited pool of (often unrealistic) buyers so it should be the best it can be. This pool will be slightly reduced by the time of year and massively reduced by the Cat C status so it may take a while for a buyer to come along.

[fullthrottlehyde]

Thanks for all the replies, Ive taken it all on board, Ill put some new pics on shortly but sadly theres not much I can do about the cat c.


Ill review the wording and see how it goes, I guess just completely listing all the info isn't the best.

If it doesn't sell now its not the end of the day, I took the car out on Sunday it scared the st out of me and I got out with a huge grin on my face, not the worst thing to be stuck with and purely from fellow Cerb owners when you see the latest pics you will agree Catc C or not she is a beautiful looking car

Thanks again

Ben