Discussion
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/356385039612?itmmeta=01...
I made an offer of £15k for this yesterday and never even received a reply from the vendor . I think it was all this talk of snow
that brought on a temporary bout of insanity . I know little of these but I just thought the price very strong money and now I am
thinking have I got it wrong ? I was also thinking that its Christmas and who is going to be throwing money at an old Defender
but this last part of my reasoning I think may be in doubt at least as far as the Vendor is concerned .
I made an offer of £15k for this yesterday and never even received a reply from the vendor . I think it was all this talk of snow
that brought on a temporary bout of insanity . I know little of these but I just thought the price very strong money and now I am
thinking have I got it wrong ? I was also thinking that its Christmas and who is going to be throwing money at an old Defender
but this last part of my reasoning I think may be in doubt at least as far as the Vendor is concerned .
Very well cared for example, well written and concise advert and arguably one of the best of those offered at the moment, although £15k is a very low ball offer.
It is strong money though, given the other examples, but that being said, it is the lowest mileage and cleanest of the lot.
It is strong money though, given the other examples, but that being said, it is the lowest mileage and cleanest of the lot.
restoman said:
Regardless of how overpriced it is or isn't, you offered less than 75% of the asking price - that puts you in the 'time waster' category.
Kind of agree. I'll be in the market in the new year so might be making cheeky offers myself, but you can't really complain about lack of response if you offer that little. Before the internet, it was kind of easier.
In 1991 I was looking for an MG metro Turbo.
Going rate was £1600 to £2000. And I went to see a few. Didn't even make offers on them, because usually there was something not right.
So I had a pile of Autotrader magazines going back 4 weeks. I spotted one up for sale at £2600. Out of my price range. Phoned up, confirmed that he'd take offers. Went to look, pointed out a number of issues (the main ones : front brake discs were warped and it needed new ball joints at the front)
Offered £1600. Guy said he'd take £2k
I gave him my work business card and said "if you change your mind"
I'd seen enough to know it wasn't worth £2k
A week later he phoned me. Ended up buying it fir £1700.
Sold it a year later for £1750.
My point. You need to go. View. Be nice. Point out any areas of concern. Make an offer. Be prepared to walk away. Leave it open. Leave contact details.
But also know when it is worth the price asked.
In 1991 I was looking for an MG metro Turbo.
Going rate was £1600 to £2000. And I went to see a few. Didn't even make offers on them, because usually there was something not right.
So I had a pile of Autotrader magazines going back 4 weeks. I spotted one up for sale at £2600. Out of my price range. Phoned up, confirmed that he'd take offers. Went to look, pointed out a number of issues (the main ones : front brake discs were warped and it needed new ball joints at the front)
Offered £1600. Guy said he'd take £2k
I gave him my work business card and said "if you change your mind"
I'd seen enough to know it wasn't worth £2k
A week later he phoned me. Ended up buying it fir £1700.
Sold it a year later for £1750.
My point. You need to go. View. Be nice. Point out any areas of concern. Make an offer. Be prepared to walk away. Leave it open. Leave contact details.
But also know when it is worth the price asked.
reddiesel said:
Fair comments from everyone , I was sort of half expecting the vendor to come back and maybe say
£17500 is the lowest I will take but there it is .
If it were me, I'd go back along the lines of "Sorry, didn't mean to offend with a cheeky offer, would you accept £17,500?".£17500 is the lowest I will take but there it is .
You'll get a response, which may be a yes. It may be a f
k off, but at least you'll know.reddiesel said:
Fair comments from everyone , I was sort of half expecting the vendor to come back and maybe say
£17500 is the lowest I will take but there it is .
Did you call him to discuss the car before offering? or view it and make the offer? Or just message to put a daft offer in?£17500 is the lowest I will take but there it is .
If it’s the latter then no surprise he’d not reply.
I don't necessarily think a 25% discount is a total piss take of an offer, but being there in the flesh. £15k in Rolled bank notes in your back pocket and an enthusiastic "I'll take it right now, as is", is a totally different prospect to a random online offer.
The problem with this (and people have tried it on me before) is if you agree to a knock down price, when they turn up at your front door saying"it's not as good as the photos" they'll accuse you of wasting their time and ask for more money off. Especially concerning if they come as a group and they appear to be undesirables. They know where you live and what else you have.
If you want a bargain or a particular hard to find car, you have to be prepared to put the legwork in to make it happen.
The problem with this (and people have tried it on me before) is if you agree to a knock down price, when they turn up at your front door saying"it's not as good as the photos" they'll accuse you of wasting their time and ask for more money off. Especially concerning if they come as a group and they appear to be undesirables. They know where you live and what else you have.
If you want a bargain or a particular hard to find car, you have to be prepared to put the legwork in to make it happen.
Interesting perspectives in this thread. Personally, as a seller, I’d feel more frustrated if someone came to view/test drive the car only to make a lowball offer afterward. Especially if the lowball offer is because of their budget with the car otherwise as described.
A short, polite message like: 'I don’t want to waste your time by viewing unnecessarily, but I’d be interested at around £Xk. Here’s my number, feel free to call me to discuss further' takes just two minutes to read and reply and shows where you stand. It also helps manage my expectations, especially if the car has been on the market for a while.
Did you include your phone number or try calling the seller? In my experience, serious buyers usually provide one or call, whereas those less interested often don’t.
A short, polite message like: 'I don’t want to waste your time by viewing unnecessarily, but I’d be interested at around £Xk. Here’s my number, feel free to call me to discuss further' takes just two minutes to read and reply and shows where you stand. It also helps manage my expectations, especially if the car has been on the market for a while.
Did you include your phone number or try calling the seller? In my experience, serious buyers usually provide one or call, whereas those less interested often don’t.
I agree with others that the offer was too low to expect a reply.
Reading the ad, I think the seller 'over values' the car, will be difficult to deal with and wants 20k. Does any defender cruise effortlessly on the motorway? If it has the usual defender dings the body is not immaculate. Why can't buyer test drive? Its not a supercar.
If you want one for the snow, I'd go for a scruffy but sound workhorse, sensibly priced, that you could easy move on again.
Reading the ad, I think the seller 'over values' the car, will be difficult to deal with and wants 20k. Does any defender cruise effortlessly on the motorway? If it has the usual defender dings the body is not immaculate. Why can't buyer test drive? Its not a supercar.
If you want one for the snow, I'd go for a scruffy but sound workhorse, sensibly priced, that you could easy move on again.
Blackpuddin said:
Seller insisting on doing any test drives himself rings alarm bells for me.
eBay ad said:
Test drives will be carried out by myself.
Could be taken to mean he / she will be coming with you, not necessarily driving. In any event, it's hard to imagine the owner will be able to "drive around" any issues without you noticing. It's a Defender, not a Lamborghini.Turbobanana said:
Blackpuddin said:
Seller insisting on doing any test drives himself rings alarm bells for me.
eBay ad said:
Test drives will be carried out by myself.
Could be taken to mean he / she will be coming with you, not necessarily driving. In any event, it's hard to imagine the owner will be able to "drive around" any issues without you noticing. It's a Defender, not a Lamborghini.
restoman said:
Regardless of how overpriced it is or isn't, you offered less than 75% of the asking price - that puts you in the 'time waster' category.
Agreed. I have had a few low ball offers. If they're within sniffing distance I'll humour them, but anything lower I'll counter offer, for example: asking price on an item was £180. Prospective buyer submitted £120. I counter offered £178.99. Buyer bought immediately.
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