Should I knock the door?

[sierraman]

He said they 'were' solid.

I don't know, I drove them when they were new so I can't say about that.

[smellmycheese]

I really, really despise people knocking on the door asking if I'm selling stuff, no, otherwise it would have a for-fucking-sale notice on it.

 

 

I've never actually had one, but if I did that would be how I felt about it.

Wrong. Sometimes people are giving it some thought and the knock on the door makes their mind up. I bought a lovely original mini last year by a note on the windscreen, the owner rang me and said she was sick of it being vandalised as she had no off street parking so yes it is for sale. I also waited in mcdonalds car park for the owner of a lovely e23 to come out, told him I'd love to own it, gave him my number and he rang the next day saying he'd had a think and maybe it was time for something newer! I've still got that one five years later and a couple of months ago he seen me out in it and followed me home in his new micra saying he was made up to see it still going etc....

GET KNOCKING

[Matt]

I would put a letter through the door rather than just turn up that way they can deal with it in their own time rather than being put on the spot and having to work out what your deal is there and then.

[Cavcraft]

Perhaps he has a better car in the garage?

Let's be honest, it's unlikely to be a worse one.

[sierraman]

Let's be honest, it's unlikely to be a worse one.

He might have a Vectra in the garage so let's not jump to conclusions

[John F]

Or a Lonsdale YD41.

[twosmoke300]

Let's be honest, it's unlikely to be a worse one.

Never a truer word spoken

[Rusty_Rocket]

I have a real variety of cars at my gaff most of the time, from 1960s-modern and the only one that anyone is ever interested in is the bloody 1995 Discovery.

Almost every month someone knocks and asks if the 'JEEP' is for sale.  It doesn't help that it sits over in the corner for most of the time so I'd imagine they think it's a spares/ repairs vehicle that I will give away for nothing, but even so.. 

The fact is, it's fully road legal and I use it sparingly, mainly for moving heavy stuff/ towing trailers and I don't think I'd ever sell it to someone who thinks a Land Rover is a Jeep.

[M'coli]

That Yugo:

 

H766 FTJ

✓ SORN

 

Incorrect tax status?

✗ No MOT

Expired:
10 April 2007

Incorrect MOT status?

WarningIf you've just bought this vehicle the tax or SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification)doesn't come with it. You'll need to tax it before driving it.

• Vehicle make:ZASTAVA
• Date of first registration:March 1991
• Year of manufacture:1991
• Cylinder capacity (cc):1372 cc
• CO₂Emissions:Not available
• Fuel type:PETROL
• Export marker:No
• Vehicle status:SORN in place
• Vehicle colour:WHITE
• Vehicle type approval:Not available
• Wheelplan:2 AXLE RIGID BODY
• Revenue weight:Not available

[Eddie Honda]

"YUGO SANA SEMPRE LS"

[stephen01]

I'll have a proper read later but seems 50/50 so far, I'll probably opt to send a letter, last time I knocked for one 18 months / 2 years ago the woman had a mini rant at me. (car still there) I can see why, I've worked for a lot of older people and it's amazing how easily people can become intimidated by the smallest of things and that's not my intention.

 

and if some people think this thread is crap / a waste of time have you seen some of the shit of late?

[Lankytim]

You should take a friend, one of you talk about the Passat, the other can rifle through drawers in the house looking for valuables/knickers etc

[bramz7]

Notes occasionally work, I've seen countless stories of how people have acquired old cars from elderly people that way, as long as you word it pleasantly and not overly SELL ME THIS NOW HERE'S MY MOB ETC, it should be met with a good response. in fact that ZX TD was acquired by the guy I bought it off through a note. 

 

I also had the only owner of a TZI BX offer me it down the phone, but he was unsure of value/if he wanted to restore it so advised him to think about it but said it's worth fairly decent wedge in the condition he described. I'm not one to con people. 

[Lord Sterling]

Hmm. Thinking about it. I've never been door stepped about selling my car but my sister did once have someone in the door asking about my forlorn looking E-reg 825 Sterling when it imploded it's engine. I left it outside like the 1980s on the road with flat tyres and moss growing around it. I was out at the time.

 

I don't knock doors but do leave notes. I only knocked a door once when I never got a response and I didn't want to buy the car, just help out with a few bits. I ended up owning the car later on anyway!

 

When I had my first 827 I was cleaning it out on the road when some chap pulled up in a KV6 825 Sterling asking me if I wanted to swap my car with his as he wanted my car for the towbar (thinking about it, he probably wanted my car as it was rarer)

[davocano]

I had a rear-ended Mk1 Cavalier sitting in my parent's front garden in 1988 (autoshite is prompting so many memories tonite) and a couple of salty-lookin' dudes door-knocked and offered me £30 for it; I accepted as I was sick of looking at the fucking thing TBH.

 

Three months later, the postman woke me up at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning to deliver a recorded letter from some London council about an unpaid parking ticket for the aforementioned Cavalier.

 

Don't doorknock; post a letter through the box. It's much more civilised.

[davocano]

^ Having said all that, a YUGO SANA? Doorknock away!

 

Do what you think is right.

[stephen01]

I actually have no use for it (this wouldn't stop me buying it)  but see so many cars disappear and then find out they've scrapped them or paid to have them dragged away, literally just up the road from this car one of the houses I was working at next door had a very nice if not green Renault 5 on the front I asked the people who  I was working for about it and was told that they'd never sell it and one days its going back on the road, 12 months later it disappeared it must have sat there 5 or 6 years easily, I was working back for said customer and they said one day it just went out of the blue and they never said why.

[Chris2cv]

I once left a note on a 2cv that was clearly not being used, about 6 months later, got a call saying you can have it if you want, but needs to go this week! Unfortunately, just couldn't get it collected, so probably went to the scrap. Was a bit of a heap, but plenty of savable bits. It was pre facebook, or being on here, or I would have offered around.

 

  My Grandad had a Morris 8. He bought it second hand at around 10 years old (1948) and valued the car enormously. He worked very hard to get it, and so while they would take it on holiday, they would only use it for the journey, walking everywhere once at their destination. It was garaged every night, having been dried then covered with blankets. He kept it until the early 80's, still looking pristine, when one day a bloke walked past and said "Oi Grandad, do you want to sell that!" (actual words according to family stories) and Grandad said, "I don't really need it, have it for what I paid, £50!"   We were shocked, he kept that car all those years then just got shot with no warning. These things are rare but they really do happen.

 

 We actually traced the car a few years ago. It hasn't been on the road for a long time, but certainly still looks savable. Doubt I'd get it for £50 though!  

[anonymous user]

Quite a while ago someone knocked on my mother's door asking if they could buy the car sitting on the drive, she said yes. The car, a Sunbeam Talbot 90 belonged to my brother not her, he was OK about it, in the end.

[egg]

I'd do the letter too. As noted by the OP, you can spook elderly folk very easily even when you have the very best of genuine intentions.

 

Too many bloody scare stories on daytime TV.

 

Asking directions these days gets a weird look!

 

Part of the problem is most of us don't know our neighbours, even by sight!

[Felly Magic]

Is someone going to put a letter through the letterbox where that Hugo Agogo lives?

[strangeangel]

If it was me I'd drop a note through and let them decide (or ignore you? Who knows) in their own time.

 

That said, I wouldn't even waste the back of a pizza menu on that thing. Now the Yugo...

[purplebargeken]

Letter, defo.

[Hendry]

Recent experiences tell me that I think you should just do it. 

 

This is a true story which happened just last week, my mate got an 04 plate BMW 320i E46 2.2 M54 engine from the breakers he frequents, 1 owner from new, original dealer plates, sticker, tax disc holder, 2 keys, original plastic key blade, history, M Sport aerodynamic bumpers, cream interior with wood trim for £200, he had been after a local Ayrshire registered 3 series for ages, this one had been owned from new by an old guy who was now about 90 (no idea his age but he was elderly anyway) who stayed round the corner from my mates high school.

 

Basically the old guy had bought a new car, parked up the BMW in his driveway, it was just going to rot away, someone knocked on his door and asked if he wanted to scrap the car, tipped the wink to the breakers, my mate went down last Friday and clocked it just in and asked if he could buy it, a few hours later and the forklift wouldve wrecked it, absolutely nothing wrong with it, needed 2 springs but otherwise for a 13 year old BMW it was completely original, had a good pedigree (local car, 1 owner from new, bills etc.) and was in good nick and a perfectly usable car nearly got cubed had it not been for my mate saving it, same thing could happen to any car, and while a late 90s Passat getting scrapped is no great loss, waste not want not and all that jazz. 

 

Only thing I will say is from that pic the tailgate looks pretty rusty below the rear window, if its that bad whats the rest of it like? 

[Ghosty]

Only thing I will say is from that pic the tailgate looks pretty rusty below the rear window, if its that bad whats the rest of it like? 

 

TADTS, happens to Octavia wagons too.

[Cavcraft]

"YUGO SANA SEMPRE LS"

 

Isn't that a quote from Che Guevara?

[bunglebus]

Plenty of 3B Passats around, MoT'd estates are about £250-350. All the same, worth asking about as despite not everyone loving them they are good, solid, reliable cars. Unlike the 3C that replaced it.

[bigfella2]

I am kind of going through this presently, seen a car that's not really moved in two years, and I see it every time I ride past on my push bike. Not really brave enough to knock on the door, and I don't think it's fair to put the owner in that position especially of there not expecting it.

So today I posted a letter, a very sweaty letter at that, as I had done 8 mile on my MTB before I posted it and had it in the back pocket of my lycra. Hopefully my bodily fluids won't put them off too much.

[New POD]

I once knocked on the door of an old woman, (75 plus in a nice area of town) who had a J reg Mini Cooper and said "Hi, here's my business card*, I really like your car, if you ever come to sell it, please phone me"

 

I also knocked on the door of a bloke, who had an AX GTi and said something similar. 

 

With the mini, she contacts me 18 months later to say she's buying something more suited to be age, and has been offered £300 in PX by the garage, and what do I think. I stupidly didn't think to offer her £500, because I was very stressed at work, and couldn't work out where I'd put it.  But I offered her advice on selling it and put a couple of mini world magazines through her letter box, telling her that she was to take not less than £1500.

 

Similar with the AX. Blokes son rings up to tell me he's giving up driving and did I want it. Again I didn't fancy becoming a car dealer, so foolishly pointed his son at the "French" Scene and told him he'd get at least £1500 if he put it on ebay.

 

I am so stupid.

 

* When I say business card, I mean one that had my work details and my job title as Manufacturing Engineer, so I guess they knew I wasn't a car dealer.

[mk2_craig]

Just think of the karma POD. So you didn't make a few hundred quid out of each car - not the end of the world eh?