Oh no! Autotrader thinks I'm a trader...

[r.welfare]

Right then, for some unknown reason I'm having trouble offloading the wife's Skoda Fabia now the baby has arrived. You'd think that a 7 year old supermini that's done under 100k, is based on VW mechanicals, with a very full FSH, has ice cold a/c and the ability to do 50mpg without sweat would be worth every penny of £1,995 - with a new MOT I might add - but in over a week of the thing being on an eGay Classified Ad, I've had only one person interested and they blew me out before they were due to see it, having found another car local to them.So, in the meantime I've bunged it on Gumtree and Adtrader, and was going to put it on Autotrader, when the website tells me that I can't have a private ad, I've got to have a trade one. Racking my brains, I have perhaps sold 2 or 3 cars through Autotrader in the past 12 months (and only one was mine!) so that's probably why they are considering me a trader.Registering t'wife and reinputting the ad - you have to put in the registration - wasn't enough to circumvent the "oh no, you naughty trader" message. Doh. Will I end up with loads of f**ktards trying to get cheap credit or part exchange Kia Mentors if I go with a "trade" ad? I s'pose there's only one way to find out, but would be useful to know if anyone else has been similarly "affected" and knows a way round it.

[mirafioriman]

I went to Carlisle Auction today with a friend that is in the trade. One thing is for sure cars are worth nothing. Today there were cars as new and newer than your Skoda being bid up to only under £1000!

[Cavcraft]

I do believe if you accidentally use another mobile phone number for the advert you should be able to list it on Autotrader. It certainly used to work apparantly as a mate of mine was always at it.Your car should sell as you say but we're entering the 'funny season' now: holidays looming is the main killer because people just don't have too much folding stuff at the moment.

[Split_Pin]

I'd persevere.My mate is a mechanic at Arnold Clarks, and his garage is mobbed as more people shy away from newer cars and MOT and service their existing ones. The showroom is in dire straits however...I reckon your motor is just what someone is looking for whose existing car is fubared and they dont have the cash for a newer car. I had another friend who bought a ten-year old Skoda for his wife and they were delighted with it.IMO you will get the usual prannets phoning you up and wasting your time regardless of whether you are private or trade on A-T, I had that prob with my private car sale a while back. One shoddy company even called my dad a prick when he politely declined their offer to secure several buyers for my car, for a fee of course. It was only a Corsa too lol.

[Milford Cubicle]

Have you not found Gumtree any good? I used it to advertise my Scorpio, got a couple of non-timewasting calls within 2 days! Excellent.

[pogweasel]

I had a 0% success rate with autotrader when trying to flog the LPG astra at a very low price... you'd think folk would be queuing up for stuff like that given the current climate... but I suppose they all have something to sell too... which ISN'T fetching good coin, so probably ain't bothering. Flogging the Focus on Ebay only generated £10.50 in bids before Er Indoors decided to gift it to her parents ( )... at least the corsa I now have to flog is BANG ON skinflint & learner driver territory. Given a clean-up (don't think it's been cleaned since we gifted it them in '03) it should make some dinara....

[mk2_craig]

Remember ten years ago, when major publicity was being given to the high level of UK new car prices relative to European countries? The personal import craze and subsequent reductions by dealers to regain lost trade? I truly believe the collapsed market for metal like the Fabia is a ripple effect from this particular phenomenon, even the "first car" buyer is as likely to go for a new Punto on finance than a 2 grand mid-life motor. Shame

[pogweasel]

Still mugs though. Once they get in the 'loop' it's quite hard to get out of. And there are still DOUGNUTS out there who will hand over their life's worth for the prestige of 'new'.My mate has a Rover 620D on it's last legs. He earns maybe 15K after tax and his Mrs has a poxy part-time job. I know they are skinted so I offered them our focus at 'mates rates'.... he'd rather buy 'new'. So an ex-demonstrator-sat-in-a-field too-small Mitsubishi at £200 a month for 6 years + £4000 baloon payment.... or £1250 on a straight, ample focus wagon that you own straight off? WHAT A KNOB. Thing is, he always bleats on about how I have 'cool toys' to play with while he's on the never-never. Some folks, eh?

[Cavcraft]

Don't bother me too much sometimes. Look at this way, they're probably the same tits who pay way over the odds for a house that a) isn't worth what they stumped up for it and they can't really afford anyway. Just as the house prices are going to crash (hopefully) so will the market for over-priced shit cars in dealers, then we all benefit. Sorry to anyone tied down to a big mortgage by the way but first time buyers are fucked these days.Pog, did you get the pm ref. the Corsa? I'd definately Auto Trader that one when it comes to it.

[r.welfare]

Put it on Gumtree yesterday and had a call from a fella Oxford way last night; hopefully coming to look at it this evening. Funnily enough though if it went on Autotrader it would be the cheapest 2001 1.4 16v Comfort by a couple of hundred, which is why I was keen! Never mind, it's just sat in the garage so it can always stay there until holiday season is over...

[Guest greenvanman]

Put it on Gumtree yesterday and had a call from a fella Oxford way last night; hopefully coming to look at it this evening. Funnily enough though if it went on Autotrader it would be the cheapest 2001 1.4 16v Comfort by a couple of hundred, which is why I was keen! Never mind, it's just sat in the garage so it can always stay there until holiday season is over...

Gumtree's worked out pretty well for me since I got rid of my eBay account, I have to say. I haven't sold any complete vehicles but lots of scooter parts, there's been way more interest than ever I had via eBay. One bike I bought for £200 to break for its bodywork, I've since made over £300 selling the left over bits. No Paypal, no fees and - so far - no knobheads. Bonus.

[Hertz]

Right then, for some unknown reason I'm having trouble offloading the wife's Skoda Fabia now the baby has arrived. You'd think that a 7 year old supermini that's done under 100k, is based on VW mechanicals, with a very full FSH, has ice cold a/c and the ability to do 50mpg without sweat would be worth every penny of £1,995 - with a new MOT I might add - but in over a week of the thing being on an eGay Classified Ad, I've had only one person interested and they blew me out before they were due to see it, having found another car local to them.So, in the meantime I've bunged it on Gumtree and Adtrader, and was going to put it on Autotrader, when the website tells me that I can't have a private ad, I've got to have a trade one. Racking my brains, I have perhaps sold 2 or 3 cars through Autotrader in the past 12 months (and only one was mine!) so that's probably why they are considering me a trader.Registering t'wife and reinputting the ad - you have to put in the registration - wasn't enough to circumvent the "oh no, you naughty trader" message. Doh. Will I end up with loads of f**ktards trying to get cheap credit or part exchange Kia Mentors if I go with a "trade" ad? I s'pose there's only one way to find out, but would be useful to know if anyone else has been similarly "affected" and knows a way round it.

I had this problem when I used to "do a bit" with Autotrader. I then went onto Loot and advertised for free, then they started to charge What's this Gumtree, is it based down south or nationwide?

[r.welfare]

It started off as a London thing (presumably because Loot started charging?), now there are "hubs" for most major cities in the UK and beyond. It's free, you can have up to 3 pictures, and the option of a Google Earth map to where your postcode is. Although I would only advise ticking that option if the car is tucked away in a garage, for obvious reasons...The fella has given me a deposit for the Fab' - we agreed on £1,800 with a new rear exhaust and MOT - so hopefully he will return with the remaining cash at the weekend. If not I've got £50 in my skyrocket and will readvertise the car anyway