Disappoint relatives?

[Lukas]

Hi!

 

In my family, I am known as a car-guy. So relatives are asking me what I think about a car they are interested in buying or.

like it is the case now, when they like to sell a car. 

 

Recently, one of my wifes uncles asked me what I would say his Camry would be worth. It´s a 1997-model with 177.000km

on the clock in red. He had it for almost 15 years, never had any problem with it, he loved it a lot. Now he wants to sell it 

because he fell in love with a Lexus GS450. 

 

So he asked my what it is worth. I looked at the austrian used-car-pages on the internet and I fear I´ll have to disappoint him.

 

Why? Because the car is a lot more worth to him than it is on the market. He has 15 years full of fond memories with this car.

But on the used-car-makret, it´s worth just a fraction of what it is worth to him. Because no estate, no diesel, no Audi. 

And at this time of year, selling a car is not that easy too. 

 

Once, a family-member asked me what his car might be worth. I told him the truth and he was offended for month after that 

because he thought I tried to make his car worthless so that I could buy it cheap from him. 

 

Have you ever been in the situation of disappointing one of your family-members because you told them the truth about their

car? That it´s worth way less than they thought or that it´s in not-so-good-condition as they might think?

 

Lukas

[purplebargeken]

Am brutally honest. They either understand or don't. I refuse to stress over it. 

[Slartibartfast]

No, as my username indicates I've got a (well deserved) reputation amongst my friends and family as having terrible judgement when it comes to cars so I don't get asked for advice, and if I ever give it it's generally ignored.

 

On the subject of tech and computers though I'm considered something of an expert and I'm never anything less than honest and frank. I don't think there's any point in being any other way. That said there are ways and means of breaking bad news.

[beko1987]

I get the odd car related questions tbh, but most of the family I know either have pay monthly cars or company cars. Amys sister has a 52 plate A4 though, and got bum raped on the last service, I said I would do it for her next year.

 

Talking to the uncle who is chopping his zafira in for a cashcow today, he's not 100% sold on the idea, but admits it will be nice to not have to care about maintanance for the next few years. If he has a bad time, he will buy second hand next time. He certainly had an impressive range of tools though.

 

Most of the time though, I hear about the simple issues on the cars I could fix AFTER they come back fixed several hundred £ lighter...

[HMC]

In my family it's the reverse. They all have shiny new cars. I don't criticise their choices- in life, it matters to and pleased them that they are new and shiny. On the other hand they don't hold back in telling me my cars are crap. Which they usually are in fairness.

[nigel bickle]

I get asked all the time, probably because I buy (& sell) all my adult kids and family's cars.

 

I make the decisions, ( although I do listen to wants/ needs etc) but once bought- it's down to them .

 

How it's kept - some immaculate, some dire, is their decision.

 

When it comes to sell, I make them a ludicrously low offer, (which the fecund accept) & tell them market price, if they do the work. Always their call.

 

Some choose to ignore me, and that's fine. Some chose to use me,and that's fine too...

 

I don't really care.

[John F]

Hey Lukas

 

I've found that it's best to show people adverts for similar cars on eBay, etc. so they realise that it isn't me that's saying their car is worthless.

 

Even better - show then adverts from eBay.co.uk, then they'll see what low values really are!

[cros]

I would advise him to keep the Camry.

[mercrocker]

Mine all have silver Golfs and ridiculous Ovlov's with chocolate gearboxes.   They don't listen to me.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I get the odd car related questions tbh, but most of the family I know either have pay monthly cars or company cars. Amys sister has a 52 plate A4 though, and got bum raped on the last service, I said I would do it for her next year.

 

Talking to the uncle who is chopping his zafira in for a cashcow today, he's not 100% sold on the idea, but admits it will be nice to not have to care about maintanance for the next few years. If he has a bad time, he will buy second hand next time. He certainly had an impressive range of tools though.

 

Most of the time though, I hear about the simple issues on the cars I could fix AFTER they come back fixed several hundred £ lighter...

Offering to do the sister-in-law up the wrong un, is a sure fire way to piss off the Mrs, I would have thought.

[DodgyBastard]

I gave my dad a camry which he absolutely loves, my parents aren't really into cars so I never get asked any other than to fix their camry. Most people I work with drive new shiny cars so I rarely have a clue about market values.

[Split_Pin]

I agree with John F here, show them asverts for similar cars and let them decide.

[Sloth in a bowl]

I'm still annoyed at my parents for having got rid of their Volvo 850 for a pittance without offering it to me first. That was only about 8 years ago though so the wound is still healing.

[mercrocker]

^^^It might never.....I haven't forgiven my parents for emigrating in 1980 and failing to leave me their Rekord coupe, selling it to a complete stranger for £100 two days before they left the country.  I had put loads of parts on it for them, too....

[Richard]

When my dad took over as principal of a local agricultural college they had a low mileage 5 door 99 Turbo in the Motor Vehicle department. I told him to let me know when they were getting rid of it and was quite miffed when he didn't. I did get over it though.

[UltraWomble]

Ive just managed to talk Mother_Womble out of swapping her ultra low milage polo diesel for a new Up! and keeping it - I sat down and did the sums with her and she has decided to keep it and spend the money on champagne and male strippers.

[Lukas]

 she has decided to keep it and spend the money on champagne and male strippers.

 

[anonymous user]

Ive just managed to talk Mother_Womble out of swapping her ultra low milage polo diesel for a new Up! and keeping it - I sat down and did the sums with her and she has decided to keep it and spend the money on champagne and male strippers.

I'm sure there are a few (not me) on here who would volunteer in order to supplement their incomes

[Junkman]

Recently, one of my wifes uncles asked me what I would say his Camry would be worth. It´s a 1997-model with 177.000km

on the clock in red.

WUD U ACCPT 150 CSH 2NITE M8? OR SWOP 4 ORENTIL RUG?

[New POD]

I'm still annoyed at my parents for having got rid of their Volvo 850 for a pittance without offering it to me first. That was only about 8 years ago though so the wound is still healing.

 

Ah, during the Scrappage scheme, both my Dad, and my sister pissed me off big time.

 

The facts.

I had a VERY rusty R Reg mk3 astra. I think someone had parked it in the sea maybe. Cost me £900, and it was worth £300 max.

Sister had a low mileage 2 owner W reg fiesta with 1.25 Zetec (bought because I told her not to buy a 1.3 OHV one)

Father had a 1 owner 51 reg 90K Focus 2.0 Ghia estate in (I kid you not) special order white. it cost him £18K cash

 

Both were intending to trade said cars in for a newer version of the same car.

I suggested to both that, if they sent me the money (both of them not needing finance), I could buy the car they wanted and trade the astra in on the scrappage scheme, and then after a couple of hours swap cars with them.

 

Would they do this ? No. Too complicated. My dad actually lied to me a week after I suggested it and told me the gearbox had gone on the Focus whilst they were waiting to trade it in. I found out last night, that actually the clutch had gone.

 

The wound on my grandad's allegro vandom plas that my uncle scrapped rather than take my £500 offer hasn't healed and that goes back to 1993

[Station]

And I always thought saying 'comes with 15 years worth of my memories that nobody else cares about' in an advert adds money into the selling price.

[fred]

Luckily my old dears, when it comes to cars is - repair it till it is being held only by the grace of God and only after much trying to glue  it back together with spit and camp coffee

will it be rendered to the bridge. But then will find another 5 odd year old quality piece of Chod to worship

 

Although my other relatives are cunts

[hairnet]

ridiculous Ovlov's with chocolate gearboxes.   They don't listen to me.

are you svm's faither

[Semi-C]

It's relatives/friends/colleagues that disappoint me.

 

IF they engage in motor related conversation with you, the advice or assistance you offer is usually discarded, along with the "not everybody wants an old banger"/"modern cars are more reliable"/"I can't afford to keep getting an older car fixed"/"at my age I shouldn't be driving around in something like that" etc parting jibe.

 

Until, there's an issue with their new albatross sorry, car. Then they're interested in what you can help them out with.

 

Humbug!

 

"I don't know anything about modern stuff me, just rotten old sheds. Had you have bought that Vauxhall Viceroy instead of this Juke...."

[colino]

Golden rule, don't buy or sell (or seriously comment on) cars or houses from family or friends.  Just don't.

[New POD]

Colleagues who say "The money you're on, you'd think you'd have a decent car"  to which I reply "The money you spend on your car, I'm putting three times that into my pension pot, so I can retire at 55"   (I'm not actually putting that much in, but they don't have to know that  I am spending it on coke and hookers)

[JohnK]

Colleagues who say "The money you're on, you'd think you'd have a decent car" to which I reply "The money you spend on your car, I'm putting three times that into my pension pot, so I can retire at 55" (I'm not actually putting that much in, but they don't have to know that I am spending it on coke and hookers)

I travel to different locations on a daily basis and as the senior manager, have the shittest car on the block. The minimum wage floor staff all have nearly new cars on tick, they think I'm a bit crazy rocking up in the 405.

 

As for cars and relatives/friends - I just don't get involved. I used to be asked all sorts but it came back to bite me in the arse once, so everybody can fuck off and make their own decisions.

[pshome]

Mrs pshome told aunt visting for the first time that she will be picked up at  the airport in a 'classic'. Me showed up in Dinin racing Tagora and auntie looked a bit disappointed.

[UltraWomble]

Colleagues who say "The money you're on, you'd think you'd have a decent car"  to which I reply "The money you spend on your car, I'm putting three times that into my pension pot, so I can retire at 55"   (I'm not actually putting that much in, but they don't have to know that  I am spending it on coke and hookers)

I have a mate same age, similar income, exactly the same as that - he is wedged up to the eyeballs with a loan to pay for his 2003 Discovery ES something or other with leather and this and that and the other (cost him well over £10K) - keeps banging on at me to get something similar or a new this or new that - the difference is I'll be mortgage free in 5 years with what Im lobbing at it - he won't. Once Ive got rid of that millstone then perhaps I'll spend a bit more on cars.

Perhaps.

 

Though if Im truthful, driving around in a 11+ year old car which Im not rightly arsed about if it gets dented or damaged makes me happy and less stressed than driving around in something that cost tens of thousands that I would be constantly worrying about when parked up in Asdas car park.

 

No, I think when the mortgage is binned off it will be find some storage somewhere and just buy more old chod, maybe even get the Xantia fixed up ( needs strut tops welderizing). I keep looking on Right move for a garage/workshop locally to buy. Pissed off that I missed a lock up garage at 8 grand a few years ago. Hey ho.

 

My mother asks me about cars, and so does my mother in law - thankfully my MIL ignores most of what I say.

[New POD]

One of my Nephews is an estate agent, and across the whole group, he is the highest selling negotiator, both in terms of number of houses and amount every month. Thing is he drives a S Reg 1.0 micra, which his sister gave him, and which his bosses find embarrassing.  He's had comments about the "Unprofessional" image.

His response ? "Well image how many house I could see if you got me a company car"