Selling

[Bren]

Why has selling a sub £1k become so difficult?

 

Is it because there are so many of them? Do buyers expect more for their money?

 

You would think with the reigning in of credit that people would be after cheap motors - but maybe that's the issue - for many it is hard to get hold of £1k in cash.

 

Discuss.

[Ian_Fearn]

Fashion and finance mate. 

 

I always used to rely the few months remaining rent to sell my old cars. Now this new tax thing is out I suspect i'll either have to keep em or scrap em.

[dave21478]

The internet is a great way to advertise further afield, but its also a problem.

 

There is a growing number of people who see the anonymity of the net as an excuse to not have any manners....allowing them to make commitments to view or buy and then back out with no explanation or apology with no risk of recriminations.

It also gives people too much choice.....People see your car and then see ten others just like it that are cheaper. They cant tell from the ad what their real condition is, but just assume yours is overpriced.

 

Travelling 100+ miles to buy a sub 1k runnabout was unheard of before the internet, but now people will happily do so to buy a cheaper car elsewhere.

[lisbon_road]

The no shows drive me mad.  I've had texts saying 'I'm just leaving' and that sort of stuff.  Do they ever show?  Mind that isn't restricted to sub £`1000.  I think there is a problem with selling some low cost cars in that people would really rather be buying something else and hence they change their minds suddenly.  Still plain rude though.

 

These days, the kids just seem to want a new car.  I've seen a few recently buy new or newish cars and say there's no point saving for a house as it is just unobtainable. 

[Junkman]

Travelling 100+ miles to buy a sub 1k runnabout was unheard of before the internet, but now people will happily do so to buy a cheaper car elsewhere.

 

I travelled 400 miles to get my first car in 1983, which incidentally cost pretty exactly the equivalent to a bag, but in D-Marks.

Back then, there was no internet, computers were something NASA had, even faxes were in their infancy.

Telephones were grey bakelite, and firmly connected to the house via a maximal three metre long cable, longer was not allowed.

All my friends, and many other contemporaries we knew, were happy to travel hundreds of miles for the right car.

OK, these were the 80s, and it was all about individualism and non-conformity, so car choices among young people were quite

colourful, even literally.

 

Why this doesn't work nowadays?

 

Because everything turned to shit, including the majority of people. That's why. And nowt else.

[Lord Sterling]

As has been said, many people think the net has given them some sort of anonymity and therefore an excuse to be rude thinking it makes them seem dominant and therefore knowledgeable (I've seen this before, what they like to call a "go getter" attitude, which is just bullshit really)

 

People also seem to create thier own rather ill-informed ideas about how to buy cars. They look at things on telly and think they can get a few hundred quid off a car because it has some small scratches/dints. They'll try anything hence the rise in attitudes of "can I have £xxx amount knocked off because I've travalled/will be travelling xxx amount of miles"

 

Generally a lot of non-car people and those who think they are "car people" don't really understand that when you buy a cheap/second hand car, it won't be new and shiny like in a dealership, you don't get all the pompe and bullshit that goes with buying from a dealers, you'd be very lucky to get a cup of tea and somewhere warm to sit in some cases. These kinds of people do not arm themselves with real down-to-earth knowledge and are not open-minded enough to learn about the world of buying second-hand cars, it's all new, new, new these days and certainly your average car buyer today won't want to lose face amongst their peers who all have financed-up-to-the-arse Blandoboxes.

[Junkman]

Then comes the entitlement.

I have 200 quid, I want a car that has a MoT, five years of tax, is not red, blue, yellow or green, has enough space to ferry my three obese bastard children to the nearest

McVomit, aircon is a must (in England, of all places), and it must be guaranteed to be reliable, so it mustn't be old. And it must impress my neighbours.

Because I'm born. Hence I'm entitled to this.

I forgot, it must also be good on ye olde OMGMPG, so it must be a diesel with lots of power, otherwise overtaking might be risky.

[twosmoke300]

Indeed . A customer of mine needed a car quick as his failed the mot badly . I said I've got a nice passat tdi you could have for 1200 ( worth about 1600 ) cos I won't need to advertise . His first words were " it's gotta have warranty " I decided that I didn't want to sell a car to him and talked him out of it .

He wanted a full dealer type warranty for a year on an underpriced 12 year old car ! What planet are these people on . ? I told him I would stand by it if anything major happened in the first 2 months but that wasn't good enough .

[sierraman]

I struggled to sell a £300 mondeo a while back, had 9 months test on it. People are idiots these days, they would sooner skint themselves buying iPads and a corsa in finance than have the dubious honour of having a banger. I think for a lot of these people the dawn of realisation comes when they have kids, houses etc that running a brand new Audi isn't the be all and end all in life.

 

Saying all that at least it means there's no shortage of desperate people selling shite for an attractively low price!

[Cavcraft]

Lots of reasons, I suppose. The oft talked about 'television mentality' is one (i.e everyone wants something for nothing) plus the moron factor (lower price cars, lowest common denominator buyers) and the ones who never cease to amaze me, the ones who want a sub £300 car who, when offered something that's great VFM say 'oh, my cousin's rabbit's first owner's dad had one of them, the wheeltrim fell off' etc.

 

At the moment another big, big factor is that people have forked out for summer holidays, the kids are back at school and Christmas isn't that far off, so there's a natural slump at this point anyhow. I've even notice fairly priced small cars struggling to sell at the moment, and that's a big hint at the current market. You just have to sit there and wait, really, for every seat there's an arse so it's just a matter of being patient and ignoring the 'best price' wankers you always get.

[twosmoke300]

And no I dont want to swap for a fucking stomp pit bike or an xbox !!

[sierraman]

How can people text you and put 'Giv u £150 tnite m8' without actually seeing the car? I would feel obliged to chuck a handful of filings in the oil filler cap before I sold it for their paltry offer.

[Mr Lobster]

For all these reasons, when I come to sell my Seat it'll be either here, p/x'd or bridged. Selling a relatively quick car for sub £1000 fills me with TEH FEAR.

[fordperv]

I used to love buying motors out of the bargains section of the local paper back before everyone had the internet, that has long gone now so I don't buy the local paper anymore

[Cavcraft]

How can people text you and put 'Giv u £150 tnite m8' without actually seeing the car? I would feel obliged to chuck a handful of filings in the oil filler cap before I sold it for their paltry offer.

 

 

Because they're doing it to you and everyone else that they can. Whoever (stupidly) agrees to their offer will be the one they go to, but even then half of the idiots don't bother, and even if they do they'll still expect to get it cheaper again.

The very best thing you can do with these wankers is just to ignore them. The reason I don't put my phone numbers on adverts is because I like to exchange a few emails first because that's free: you can generally tell within the first few mails if someone is a dickhead or not, and (for arguments sake) ten emails cost considerably less than ten text messages or 'phone calls.

[gordonbennet]

The ones that really boil my piss are those who reckon they want to buy my car, but they've seen a lower mileage newer model higher spec in every way in better condition for less money than mine....so FRO why don't you and buy the thing, and get me one whilst you're there...they get the right hump when i refuse to discuss anything further and go back inside.

 

The other ones, who conversation on the phone ends abruptly is when the second question is ''what is the lowest price you will take''.

 

I don't really sell my motors any more, the Outback will stay till it's scrap, my old MB's have all been bought by my indy workshop for a fair price, can't be doing with people any more, the arse holes are breeding.

[panhard65]

I had a call the other night about my Hotchkiss. It is up for sensible money so I thought I better not tell him he had rung me half way through my dinner. Anyway he seemed a nice enough bloke very interested with lots of ideas what he wanted to do with it. After about 1/2 hour on the phone he has arranged to come and see it the next day. I told him it is stored in my garage for the winter now and a bit of aggro to get out if he wasn't serious. This he understood and was still really keen. Next day about 8am I get the text. "I am really busy today and have storage and finance issues can I give it a miss for now" Bloody pain in the arse that was, I had already been on Leboncoin looking for a replacement and had found a lovely Panhard Dyna.

[sierraman]

I think part of the problem is with sub 1k motors is its possibly within the grasp of Jeremy Kyle candidates. Hence you get idiots that really haven't thought it through amongst others who genuinely appreciate running a cheap car and are realistic.

[vulgalour]

If I had lots of money I'd make you all happy by purchasing all your sub-£1000 cars with no hassle.  You may need to make me a decent cup of tea, but beyond that I wouldn't kick up a fuss.

 

There are so many absolute BARGAINS out there at the moment, and not just worthless old crocks that I make the mistake of wanting, genuine actual real life bargains.  It makes me sad that I have shallow pockets and very short arms.

[Caffiend]

I'm not even going to try the official 'sell your crap to greedy idiots' sites when I look to move my BX TZD on next year. I'll see if any of you nutters want to swop with something suitable for a daily drive - as the BX is. It'll be funner that way.

[plasticvandan]

it aint sold till the moneys in my hand,until that moment i make as little effort with "buyers" as possible

[vulgalour]

Potential Buyer: wot's the matter, don't you want to sell your car, mate?

Potential Seller: to you, no.  No I do not.  *sets about car with hammers because of the futility of it all, sets PB on fire*

[RoadworkUK]

It's the mobile phone mentality.

 

A phone is a £25 per month, all inclusive, hassle free proposition (unless you're a lying chancer when you sign up and then get stung for megabux when you exceed your data allowance etc), two years down the line it magically becomes a new one and you start again

 

A new Humdrum Liability (or similar model) is a £199 per month, all inclusive, hassle free proposition (unless you're a lying chancer when you sign up and then get stung for megabux when you exceed yourmileage allowance etc), three years down the line it magically becomes a new one and you start again.

 

Trouble is, there are quite a lot of people who have immediate access to £300, but they want that to buy them a complete vehicular solution. They don't want to have to pay out for maintenance, maintenance or repairs until renewal time comes up in three years time. Plus I KNOW MY RITES and the internet is full of lawyers.

 

My 825 will be with me until the day I die and then I'll be buried in it (cheaper than a coffin). The A4, alas, because it has A TURBO and is German, I'll inevitably end up selling it for way over book to some scene twat who will later sue me for everything i'lll ever earn.

[EssDeeWon]

There are plenty of mongs out there ready to possibly buy your car but I have to say after recently looking for a nice well looked after sub grand car.....there are literally pages and pages of used crap that should be bridged up for sale @ 8 or 9 hundred quid, and usually with dealers

 

There are genuine cars out there for £800 and there are some genuine buyers out there with cash on the hip but you need to sift through all the rubbish to find them.

[Bren]

Our fiesta has 54 k on the clock with s/h up to 44k.

 

The aircon still works, in fact everything. The wheelarches are good, in fact is one of the cleanest mk I V fiestas you will see.

 

I put it up for £875 ono. Not a sniff.

 

No doubt some fucktard expects me to let it go for £350.00

[TimothyClaypole]

I had it when I sold my van, guy came to look poked at it etc. His missus was there moping as he said she was "ill" - stay at home then?

 

Made a piss take offer via email which I turned down and eventually sold it to another two guys who'd traveled a long way and having seen others knew it was in better condition than anything else. 

 

The first "buyer" had spent half the time crying that he was dreading selling his smaller van as he was going to get molested on the price etc.  Irony. 

 

They then emailed a few days later with a better offer but still rubbish which I took great delight in telling them it was sold.  

[Pete-M]

I've not bothered advertising my ST170 because I can't be bothered dealing with the mouth-breathing fucktards it's bound to attract.

I'll keep it and see how long it lasts only being used once or twice a month.

[Bren]

I've not bothered advertising my ST170 because I can't be bothered dealing with the mouth-breathing fucktards it's bound to attract.

I'll keep it and see how long it lasts only being used once or twice a month.

The ST170 is a cracking car - my brother had two brand new examples.

 

Only problem was at the time the wheels were highly sought after by scumbags - my mother disturbed a couple of shithouses taking the wheels off my brothers car while it was on the drive. They dumped the two they had taken off and fled. Cheshire police admitted it was a huge problem at the time.

[EssDeeWon]

I like the ST170 three door in grey, but again looking for a well kept looked after example down here in essex was too much to ask for.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Agreed; it appears most of the populace are retarded, however it's usually pretty easy to spot them. As yet I've not had much trouble buying or selling the few cars I've been involved with.

I have set up a few car boot sale stalls and that has bordered on ultraviolence a few times. I've had maniacs on the verge of attacking me for not selling my stuff to them for peanuts!