Loosing the will to sell a car.

[Vince70]

Is it just me but is it better to just bridge your car rather than sell it these days.

 

I put my beautiful old Audi A4 up for sale the other day and the phone hasn't stopped ringing I think I've had over 100 calls on the old girl.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/audi/a4/audi-a4-base-------------------1995/3185726

I saved the car for the first person who phoned as Saturday was the earliest day for them to get over plus I wanted them to see the car in daylight as I've nothing to hide but what a nightmare it's been.

 

Once they arrived the guys wife tried pulling the car to pieces and started asking stupid questions such as does it hold a full tank of fuel and looked over it for about an hour and then took it on a test drive and ragged the nuts off the old girl, I've never ragged it from cold myself and Expected someone else to treat my old pride and joy with a bit of mechanical sympathy.

 

And when the buyer stalled the car it was my fault as it must be a faulty clutch and it needed a new one ( I had a new one fitted 5000 mile ago and it drives superb )

 

Then I got into trouble as his wife went through the comprehensive history of the car and I had put one of the past MoTs in the wrong order.

 

 

And as the deal was finalised about an hour and a half later after reading through every last bill the wife started crying and said we haven't got the money on us as their in debt with the bank and her sister was ill. And have now given me a £100 holding fee on a £500 car.

 

I'm wishing I just let someone else have the car now as a young lad wanted it and I said I would give him 1st refusal once the couple had seen the car.

 

So have any of you had any nightmare stories when selling old cars.

 

Is it just me but when buying sub £500 cars I just pay and go and that's it.

 

They seemed nice enough people but I know when I buy something cheap and cheerful I will make sure I have all the money with me before I buy the vehicle and I'm not just saying it but from my buying experience if someone offered me a car in the condition and mileage of my old A4 for that price I would take no prisoners and snapped their hand off.

[gordonbennet]

I hope this ends well, but my experience of such people is that this is just the start of a headache.

 

I suspect most shiters are decent people who's word actually means something, unfortunately out in the real world live millions of others who's word (and Christ can they bullshit) means bugger all.

 

So many times in the past i've had people default on me one way or another,  until the last ten years or so when i finally admitted defeat, i always tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, what a twat i am.

 

Now when we sell something its SWMBO who does the biz, she takes no prisoners and has an uncanny knack of spotting the turds on the phone so they get nowhere near.

[carlo]

I had all sorts of trouble trying to offload my 406 Coupe, eventually gave it away effectively to the first sensible (club member) I encountered.  Have already decided when I get bored with the Xsara Estate it will either be part exchanged or scrapped.

 

Your couple sound a nightmare, I'd be tempted to say the engine's exploded and give them their deposit back to avoid further inevitable hassle.

[colino]

Please call them up and return the £100.  Their next step will be they need the car but can't afford it all or some other shyster piece.

As a privateer, never hold a car or take a deposit.  Cash really is King (all of it) and the first deal is really the best.

Incidentally the first sign of ragging the car is when you ask the test pilot to pull over and return the keys (never be out of the car when the keys aren't under your control), then give them directions to find their car/bus stop from there.

[Bamboocarman]

Vince; sorry I couldn't be in Sussex to coincide with the sale and to have a look.

 

However, cos of the kind of bother from arse buyers you've outlined, for the last few years, if I've a cheap car to dispose of it goes to friends or the scrapper; clean and simple disposal.

 

Wishing you all the best with the sale fella, K.

 

P.S. thought it was the blue 'un you were selling (?)

[HillmanImp]

Aye, you should have told them to jog on. Sounds like this will be a nightmare. If you sell it to them you will probably get an angry phone call from them in 6 months time as it needs a new tyre or something with them demanding some money back from you.

[AlabamaShrimp]

As colino says I would call them saying the car is dead in some way and give them back the money. They sound like a nightmare. Is they ever did pay for the car they would definitely call you within a few days with a problem* either expecting you to fix it for asking for money back

[Anglevan]

I had a similar experience with an old lancer. Ended up taking various bits off and fragged it. I'd give the second lad ago. If he buys it with no hassle give the first couple the deposit back. Not worth the pain.

[Vince70]

Well I've decided to sell both as my 0 hour job contract finishes on the 24th and I've no more work lined up in the foreseeable future So I was talked into selling both really.

 

The blue one failed its ticket yesterday (only on track rod ends and a CV gaitor so it's booked in for repair and a retest on Tuesday then I will sell it.

 

My drive is quite small and is a real pain to park an A4 on so I'm going to just have my fathers A3 as it will be easier to park, plus a hatchback is a bit more practicable.

[Bamboocarman]

PPS: yes, they're gonna take the piss, these people, so refund their deposit and maybe tell them the car has developed a fault or something; their hassle / lies / tales will only get worse.

 

I've bought a few cars 'unseen' in recent years, usually via Fleabay, and have always honoured my commitment with full payment in cash; pay and drive away, no quibbling.

 

Lots of people are just plain crazy or angry these days, can't figure out what's wrong with them.

 

When my 106 comes up for sale next year, it will be on here only; if there's no sale, it's off to 'Rewarding Recycling' for a smooth transition to automotive Valhalla.

 

Fingers crossed for you, K.

[purplebargeken]

Yep, tell them something on the car has died and you are returning the deposit PDQ. They will hassle you to death if you sell it to them. 

 

Sell it to the young lad and point him in the direction of the forum.

 

I'd have told them to FRO.

 

Ken

[Mr Lobster]

They sound like a nightmare. For your sake give them the £100 back now. Even if they manage to find the other £400 (unlikely) you'll get endless grief if it does so much as blow a bulb in the next six month.

 

I've only ever had one problematic buyer. Selling the red R4 for £2700 through a forum, a guy came up and spent a couple of hours (!!) going over it before telling me how much needed doing but he'd think about it. He later offered me £1k through the forum on account of the amount of work he reckoned it needed. Obviously he got told to GTF and it sold on eBay for £3k the following week.

[Rusty_Rocket]

We've all been there Vince.  Last car I sold was on here- no worries that way.  If not, I would have most probably run it down to the local auction house and let it go through for £whatever!

You get the most hassle from selling cheap cars I'm afraid- although they attract decent types like shiters, we are very much in the minority.  Most other buyers are totally desperate, skint and have a credit rating worse than America- probably from signing up to a new car on the tick and getting it snatched back after the 2nd payment   .  Not people you want to deal with unfortunately.

Sell it to someone else (who actually has some money) and when Mr & Mrs loser return, give them back their £100.  It looks like a bloody good car for the money.

[Bamboocarman]

Bought a nearly new Panda 100 a few years ago, from a nice fella in Swindon; I was impressed by the low mileage, quality and provenance of the car, so paid a fair price, cash, when I went back to pick it up a week later. Vendor told me that previous to my visit he had had some Fiat arse 'expert' looking over the car for an hour or two and telling him how much needed doing £££ to get it up to standard. I had bought this car for almost trade money, and when it was chopped in for the MR2 (bought sight unseen) I got my money back (almost unheard of for me); so, picky experts / nut jobs = FRO indeed !

[UltraWomble]

Out of interest and Wombling slightly off topic what do these do to the gallon?

 

Sorry to hear about your pain selling the car. Hope it works out OK.

[hairnet]

if youve not already only give them a few days then money back

 

you aint carcraft or arnold shark

 

tell them to FRO

[Vince70]

I get a good 30 to the gallon out of the old girl...

Everything you guys are saying is exactly what my father told me to do he's been around a lot longer than I have lol..

 

At the moment he's trying to grab my phone off me and as he wants to make sure that the couple come back and collect the deposit.

[purplebargeken]

Let him grab the phone please.

[Bamboocarman]

Careful with your phone call; maybe a couple of malevolent psychos (are they from Hastings?) who will return to do unpleasant things, etc.

[Mr Lobster]

Ring them and tell them something's gone wrong and you'll give them the £100 back. Then ring the other lad and tell him to get round sharpish with £500 and it's his.

 

Job done.

[Junkman]

 

...the wife started crying and said we haven't got the money on us as their in debt with the bank and her sister was ill.

 

That's the very moment when I would have told them in typical Junkman lyrics to resort to a location outside my field of vision.

[Vince70]

The couple came all the way from the other side of Brighton so did about 20 quids worth of juice getting over my place.

[Cavcraft]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I'd have told her to take the £100 back and come back when she had the money. That way, you force her hand: she probably wouldn't buy it after that, but you can't lose as you've offloaded a timewaster and someone else can buy it.

 

You're trying to sell a car, not run a bloody help centre for penniless depressants.

[Junkman]

The couple came all the way from the other side of Brighton so did about 20 quids worth of juice getting over my place.

 

Is that your problem even if you stretch your imagination?

[dave21478]

As above, give them their deposit back before selling it to someone else - its just safer that way. The white lies of telling them the car has died will pale into insignificance if you sell it to someone else then tell them later - knowing my luck the second buyer would be their next door neighbour or something, or they would turn up with the missing £400 just as you shake hands with the other guy.

 

If you do actually sell it to them, have a receipt printed and ready - I would probably google exactly what to write on it as I believe "sold as seen" doesnt really cut it any more.

[Lankytim]

Did you stipulate a time frame for full payment?

[Vince70]

I've sent the guy a message saying can he pick the car up on Tuesday..

If he doesn't make it by Tuesday a fellow shiter is having the car, so a collection thread may follow.

 

It already has the Autoshite sticker in the back window

[Junkman]

On a 500 quid car you should never accept a deposit. It's cash and drive, or no cash and walk.

I can't possibly describe how much I hate people being shilly-shally about what is already a more than fair offer.

 

Sell that car to someone who really wants it and give those people their 100 quid back.

And don't say sorry or some such nonsense, because you aren't.

[Squire_Dawson]

There are many arse holes in this world. As soon as you get rid of these two, good. Put it down to experience.

[Mr Lobster]

It already has the Autoshite sticker in the back window

 

Please please please remove it if he actually does manage to scrape the money together. 

 

We really don't need a new member asking how to enact the Sale of Goods Act on a private seller because their £500 Audi has blown a tail light bulb and how do they get their money back / take the seller to court.