|
A week and half ago had my car up on Autotrader, a Polo 1.9CL 97/R 73K full history for £1895. Had a few calls and and the third person that looked at the car bought it. Came about 70 miles to view and was waiting outside my house when I arrived home from work. It was pouring with rain. He looked around it and found a rust spot on the sill but otherwise seemed happy, Declined to go on a test drive or look at any paperwork and after a bit of negotating handed over the full asking price. (yes I did check the notes, he even gave me £80 too much!) Broke so many golden rules about buying used cars,, looking in heavy rain, no test drive, no docs check. Luckily for him apart from some peeling lacquer and some paintwork being done previously that wasn`t brilliant he got away with a reasonable Polo. Wish I had him as a buyer for some of my other cars a few years back......
|
Ive sold various cars over the years having connections in the trade I get offered all kindas of unwanted motors.
I sold a Nissan Micra Auto F reg for £475 to a guy who didnt drive it, opened only the drivers door, didnt put it in drive until he took it away and had his son listen to the engine for all of 10 seconds, yet check no levels or unscrewed anything.
It was a sound little car so they were ok in this instance, but even so, it was a 16 year old car and they barely gave it a cursery glance. I just wish all buyers were like that although ive had many like that.
I sold a Talbot Avenger belonging to my wife to a bunch of guys who just wanted a funky car to transport their band about - my wife took them all out in it and despite it stalling ( the automatic does that when cold sometimes ), they paid full price for it anyway and when i opened the bonnet for them, I may aswell have asked them to translate russian fairytales given the look on their faces.
What made me laugh was that they had brought their technical expert who because he was alive in the 70's was apparently who they pinned all their decisions on!
Im a right pain in the rear end when I look at any car - I take a torch and a little tool kit and open and lift everything, plus all the written info that I can find from various sources on what to look for on that model - most buyers find that quite intimidating and drop the price!
I once nearly bagged a tidy series 3 landrover for £600 with half a years T&T, just that it meant driving it through Birmingham centre in torrential rain with brakes that needed sorting properly and I decided I couldnt be bothered - wish I had now, it was a diesel and I really wanted one!
|
|
There are people about like that-both times I sold my house,the purchaser came round once-on his own,no sign of their wives/families and that was the last I saw of them.
|
|
One of the reasons I like selling s/hand Mercs and BMW's is that they generally sell without any hassle - people just tend to make a cursory inspection and if the paint and trim looks good then they're happy. One with a 'dateless' plate on it will always sell very easily. This is particularly the case with buyers who've not had a Merc/BMW before - they are so in awe of the marque that they seldom bother to check the car properly. If I wanted I could palm off some real rubbish.
|
In reponse to post by Aprilia
> If I wanted I could palm off some real rubbish.
If I recall from last "trading" thread you won't show any car to anyone unless they prove they are worth of you time by showing up with a wad full of cash, and now we discover that those who actually withstand such welcoming treatment don't even check the cars they purchase, just grab them and go? How lucky can one man be. ;)
Where about do you live Aprilia if you don't mind me asking?
--------------------
[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
|
If I recall from last "trading" thread you won't show any car to anyone unless they prove they are worth of you time by showing up with a wad full of cash,
I didn't **quite** say that, but its true that I don't like messers who basically just want to play around the car for half an hour and then go for a test drive with my fuel. I think most car traders (Oldman?) will tell you that you can tell a serious buyer within minutes of their arrival. The 'browsers' will start to play with the radio and then tell you that they've seen a similar car, but with lower mileage, for £1k less etc etc . "So buy it then" is my usual response. I have no problem with serious buyers who want to check a car over properly. I either let them look at it over my pit (with inspection lamp provided) or let them book an RAC/Dekra inspection on a holding deposit.
andnow we discover that those who actually withstand such welcoming treatment don't even check the cars they purchase, just grab them and go? How lucky can one man be. ;)
I sell mainly MB - I'm not a full time trader by any means though. I only buy decent cars of the "right" spec at the right price and they invariable sell quickly and sometimes with only a cursory check. Often, if a buyer has 'missed out' on a couple of other cars, then he'll be much keener to make a purchase and not bother checking the car over as thoroughly as otherwise.
Where about do you live Aprilia if you don't mind me asking?
In the Midlands.
|
|
I also remember selling a VW Derby 1979, 12 months MOT about 15 years ago. It was a complete shed of a car, a dog had chewed most of the rear seat up but in those days anything with a long mot was worth £500. I got a full respray done the week before which cost £150 (that tells you about the quality of the job). Had the car advertised in the local papershops with my address on the card. Had a knock on the door at 9.00 o`clock at night (dark December evening and it was raining cats and dogs) Guy stood with £500 in notes wanted it to buy the car straight away. Told him to come back the next day when it was light and he could see the car properly as I felt a liittle guilty taking money from this apparent anorak of a VW spotter. When I was going to work the next morning at 7.30 another guy was waiting outside waiting to view (didn`t want to knock because it was too early). A deal was done for £500. The original chap came back at teatime and when I told him it was sold I thought he was going to cry
|
Had a wierd buyer a few months back. I sold a Nissan on ebay. A nice tidy car at a 'fair' price (on a Buy it Now).
Anyway, the buyer came (lived about 60 miles away). The car was outside and covered in rain droplets. He gave it a cursory look over and I pointed out a couple of small scratches - 'no problem' he said. He pulled out a wedge of cash ( £1900) and as he was about to give it to me he paused and asked to see the spare wheel. I showed him the spare (which happened to be unused) - he checked it carefully and handed me the cash. The strange thing is he didn't check the other four tyres, or the engine or gearbox! Luckily for him he got an A1+ motor. There are a lot of odd people about.
|
|
so many people i lift the bonnet for say "what you showing me under there for? i havent a clue ! " i respect them for there honesty by not poking and touching things. [ unlike people who take oil cover tops off when running and touching ht leads when its running]
|
I think a lot of buyers these days try to read the seller much more than look at the car.
When I sold my 2.0 litre Xantia the buyer did negotiate a bit on the price but was happy to buy the car after his wife test drove it with me. he looked after their 1 year old son in his car whilst we were out. This was despite the fact that he found the coolent to be low. We just topped it up before they left and he was fine. He phoned me up a few days later to tell me that all was well with the car and they were very pleased with it.
I sold my Fiat Regata to an owner of a taxi firm from further up the west country. He and a friend poked about a bit and made me a good offer. They actually complemented the car as being in very good condition. "It needs a bit of welding for the next MOT but you'v definitely looked after it" he said. Again, he didn't take it for a test drive, but just ran the engine. I had just changed the clutch cable and had inadvertently left a breather hose disconnected. I opened the garage door to get a screwdriver to refit it and they saw my VGC Morris Oxford peep out of the garage. Their attention was not on the car they were buying. Beather hose was connected and th car ran fine. They offered the cash and took it there and then.
H
|
|
|
|
>>..he paused and asked tosee the spare wheel. I showed him the spare (which happened to be unused) - he checked it carefully and handed me the cash.
Possibly suffered a flat on the way home after a previous purchase and found the spare unusable!
Funny how these things stick with you - I always walk around my car in the morning because once I found a milk bottle had rolled under a tyre during the night - my neighbour thinks I'm mad.
|
no Bill Payer what it does is give you a good indication of the care and service attention of previous owner/s
if tyre was bald it means previous owner was skimpy with servicing and tight with money.
if tyre was new then its been well looked after and the owner had new tyres as and when needed.
i personally use it as a barometer when buying and i always watch the customer when they check this item and many times you can see the greed in their eyes that they "feel" that they have got one up on you and you forgot toswap it whereas it is actually one of my slick sales aids.
|
"if tyre was bald it means previous owner was skimpy with servicing and tight with money.
if tyre was new then its been well looked after and the owner had new tyres as and when needed"
Not the whole picture, oldman. I am skimpy to the extent that when a pair of tyres needs renewing and my spare is unused, I buy one new to match it and put the better of the used pair in the boot. Don't see it as a virtue to send a used car to the graveyard with an unused tyre underneath (and by then unusable).
|
|
Talking of little dodgy ploys, a late, former MP was said to have the habit of swapping the sound battery of cars he had just sold, for an old, failing one. As he dealt in Bentleys and the like, it seemed hardly worth his trouble! Maybe a habit from his financially leaner days, before he inherited.
|
give you a good indication of the care and service attention of previous owner/s if tyre was bald it means previous owner was skimpy with servicing and tight with money. if tyre was new then its been well looked after and the owner had new tyres as and when needed.
Yes, but the point is he didn't check the other four tyres!
|
|
yes aprilia it wasnt lost on me
|
Is it entirely unreasonable to assume the guy cast a sharp eye over the other tyres as he walked round the car, without drawing attention to the fact? The only way to see the spare is to open the boot, or whatever but the others are in full view .
I would of course look at the tyres of a car I was considering buying, but I doubt if I would inspect them all closely all the way round. There are more important things in a car. Any grave tyre problem would become apparent soon enough. Not too lethally one would hope.
|
My younger brother is currently looking for a cheap banger as his first car, and I have the feeling someone could be posting on here soon with an amusing anecdote. He is enthusiastic about cars but knows nothing about them.
He was looking at a Nissan coupe on ebay which looked a bit of a nail; he didnt see the potential problem with the fact that he lives in Sheffield and the car was in Manchester, but the MoT ran out before the auction finished. Then he was on to me about a Fiat where the listing said something about the ECU. I said "what, its had a new one?", he said "no, it needs a new one".
I keep trying to give him the benefit of my (very limited) experience, but I'm hoping he's not going to lose patience and buy something dodgy. He's more interested in what stereo its got in it than what tyres are on it!
|
|
So let him buy a complete dog and he will learn a valuable lessoon wont he? Im sure most of us on here have done it and learnt from it!
|
Yes I agree Stu, he would learn from his mistakes.
I've bought a couple of cars with my heart rather than my head, but despite the repair bills I've still got good memories of them!
;o)
|
Private buyers buying s/hand cars
>>
count yourselves lucky that the buyers of your cars were not like those encountered by this seller:
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4633...0
i.m.o. the tale should be preserved in google's archives for posterity.
also reported here (if ebay should delete the entry at some point)
www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/26/ebay_email_trauma/
|
count yourselves lucky that the buyers of your cars were not like those encountered by this seller:
I've seen a few of those on ebay, seems to be a new sport. As in the Pug 406 that Dynamic Dave posted. www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=36821&...e
If the seller posts something witty or amusing, it seems people descend on it in droves and bombard them with silly questions. I wondered whether they post on one of the ebay forums, to alert each other to such listings where the seller seems to be up for a laugh?
|
I remember when I was 18, I bought a 2 litre Renault 21 TXE with the digital dashboard ( which all worked coincidentally! ). I did a straight swap for my Sierra 1.8 auto which had started to smoke abit with a dealer.
What i didnt know, was that the Renault had been sat in a storage yard for two years, had a battery stuck on it, MOT'd and stuck on the forcourt.... so of course there were issues!
Within 5 miles, the oil filter exploded and that was as far as the car went for about two months while my dad and I stripped down the top of the engine and cleaned out the incredible amount of gunge in the head, by hand, cleaned it all up and replaced the gaskets, then flushed it through twice with engine flush and changed the oil twice in two weeks.
After that it drove like a dream and I got an indicated 125mph which was pretty good for an old heap of rust! Prob the most fun car I ever had, but a baptism of fire for buying cars on impulse!
|
Also remember as a buyer having seen some sharp practices.
Went to see a Fiesta near Heathrow once. Could see it was a dog at 50 paces but because I`d travelled thought I`d have a look and wind the guy up (he had definately described a different car) Had a look at the paperwork and asked why the log book adddress did not match the sellers address. Said his old dad had died the week previously and he was selling it to pay for the funeral. As he was talking I noticed an auction lot description from several days previous of the same car in the glove box......
A car with sagging suspension er no it had the wrong size wheel on.
A photocopy MOT, wouldn`t have been so bad but it was for a different car
An xr3i only it was a 1.6L with some spoilers and xr3i seats
etc etc
|
talking of dodgy deeds dun dirt cheap
back in the 80"s a mate of mine used to "diesel" every car to make them shine,it was fine so long as punters didnt come to view in the rain...................
|
|
'diesel', om? You mean rub down the paintwork with diesel fuel?
|
|
yes lud he ragged the whole car with it .................they used to look mint till the windscreen got covered in the rain
|
|
Must have smelt a bit too....
|
|
worst bit was when you touched them,hes not in the car business anymore cant imagine why,oh and the only reason he sold any cars was because he bored his customers to the point of getting them to buy just so they could get away from him
|
|
my favourite is soft paint - walk round the car digging your fingernail in the paintwork and you can find the panels that have been recently resprayed. Looked at a vehicle recently and I asked on the phone " has it had any paintwork done recently" answer = no nothing at all. Went to see the vehicle and there was a big side panel that was soft. I spoke with the owner on the phone (it was a car lot) and he said yes " its been resprayed on that side" as a result of being driven into a four poster ramp when brand new. Age of the vehicle? = 2 years old!! hmmmm
|
I have just now sold the final remnant of the car lot that I owned/rented out. (never do business with friends).
I can say with my hand on heart, and every true trader will recognise it (OM stand up) that while every seat has a bum for it, there are a lot of people that view but will chatter (to their friends) but never buy.
.*********
Cars are the second largest expenditure of most families, so why take the advice of your local billy no mates just because he has permanently grease stained hands? As Roy said, say what you see. If you dont like it, dont buy. If you have a problem, take it back. A trader will fix it cheaper and quicker than you can and take it on the chin. Most want the next buy, and the next customer, not a problem cluttering up the yard.
|
|
My FIL just sold his car in Brighton to 2 guys from somewhere up north. The arrived at 2330, checked over the car, and he told them about a few problems he knew about. They paid full whack and took it away. Next day they called him up to tell him, great car, but the pump failed this morning - no powersteering brakes etc! They didn't mind though, think they saw it as a project!
|
|
|
|
