Jump to content

Most stupid message while flogging a shiter


Alan Prost

Recommended Posts

Bilal sounds like a gobshite.

The older I’m getting I’m finding what puts me off cars is the people. I’ve never known a hobby or pursuit that attracts such dickheads and know-it-alls. To the extent when someone asks you about your hobby I just tell them I’m into woodworking and they shut the fuck up and I’m spared the tales about their mate whose got a Focus RS who ‘you’d really get on with...’

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Bilal sounds like a gobshite.

The older I’m getting I’m finding what puts me off cars is the people. I’ve never known a hobby or pursuit that attracts such dickheads and know-it-alls. To the extent when someone asks you about your hobby I just tell them I’m into woodworking and they shut the fuck up and I’m spared the tales about their mate whose got a Focus RS who ‘you’d really get on with...’

To be honest I rarely mention cars as a hobby to people for this reason unless it's someone I know, or for that matter my voluntary work at a preserved railway. I'll mention photography and going round old castles etc, which are both true. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Eyersey1234 said:

To be honest I rarely mention cars as a hobby to people for this reason unless it's someone I know, or for that matter my voluntary work at a preserved railway. I'll mention photography and going round old castles etc, which are both true. 

If you did mention cars it would be a surprise for then you were fascinated with base spec Astras or trying to find the elusive Lonsdale YD41. 

Many years ago my mum would tell people I was interested in cars, cue a load of shit that I really didn’t want on every occasion like whisky tumblers with vintage cars on them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've fortunately mostly been able to avoid selling cars somehow.

However, when I was selling my 75, there was crap in the engine filter and it made a weird tapping noise (almost like tappets). I was absolutely clear on the advert that this was an issue and that this was why the car was for sale a mahoosive chunk off the normal market value.

Bloke came from the South Coast to Bedfordshire to look at it by public transport. I once again reiterated that it had this issue, that I wasn't budging on the asking price.

He rocked up, looked around the car. Commented positively about the state of the car. As soon as I turned it over, he said "there's a tapping sound there. Not interested". Then spent hours getting home again. Odd.

 

Whereas when I buy a car, I look at the price on whatever platform it's being sold on. If it suits me and the car is as described, I'll pay it. I'm not negotiating. If I don't think it's a fair deal, I wouldn't have phoned you!

I bought an MR2 with a full year's ticket on it for a grand a few weeks back. It has some bodywork (and roof) issues. It was a great price for what is at minimum, a summer of fun top-down driving, breaking it and getting my money back.

She was saying that she'd been offer £200 a number of times and the usual Africans offering to pay over the odds etc.

I agreed to buy it (subject to it being what she said it was). Spoke to her on the phone, sent a 10% deposit. Apparently after we'd agreed on it, someone tried to buy it off her for more than I paid. Kept asking her address so that he could send a transporter round and give her cash. He just couldn't understand that she'd sold it to someone else, subject to collection.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, sierraman said:

The older I’m getting I’m finding what puts me off cars is the people. I’ve never known a hobby or pursuit that attracts such dickheads and know-it-alls.

This is true, often from those that should know better. There's a friend of a friend who's been in the motor trade for years and I have very little time for as he always knows more than you, and often comes out with a complete load of horse shit. I'm polite and bite my tongue, but I just don't understand what's wrong with not knowing stuff. No-one knows everything, I'm happy to learn from those who do. I've met some very clever people but there always knobheads too.

The other problem with being "into" cars is everyone expects you to advise them about buying and fixing them

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, bunglebus said:

The other problem with being "into" cars is everyone expects you to advise them about buying and fixing them

But then they utterly fail to take said advice, and then get surprisingly prickly when something goes wrong...

Oi! That £800 3-Series you said I should buy has just shat its fuel injectors - it's scrap!

What? No, I told you not to buy it under any circumstances, cos it'd clearly been ragged senseless by the twat selling it...

Well that's no use now, is it?

*Sigh...*

 

Should I buy this Ka or this Yaris? They're both the same price.

The Yaris, every time. No question.

Waaaah, my Ka's just failed its MOT on rampant corrosion...

*Sigh...*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the problem is most people who are into cars like generic modern fast things and if they are into old cars it's Beetles, Minis or MK2 Escorts. I work with 100's of different people and although they know I'm into old cars nobody is particularly interested unless they are wanting to give me their cars, I've had 3 from 3 different people at work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My girlfriend told me the story of when she told her parents about me. 

Her: I've met a guy. Really like him. He's into cars etc

Father: what does he think of my Aston Martin? 

Her: he doesn't know you have an Aston Martin. I don't go round telling every guy I meet that you have an Aston Martin to woo them! 

 

 

For what it's worth, it is a nice car. I was more interested in his V6 Mercedes Vito though. But that's how I am 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

But then they utterly fail to take said advice

Should I buy this Ka or this Yaris? They're both the same price.

The Yaris, every time. No question.

Waaaah, my Ka's just failed its MOT on rampant corrosion...

*Sigh...*

 

My sister and i had this very conversation a month ago. Oh there's a cheap mini, those are bmw it'll be good right? 

You should buy a Corolla because you don't understand the idea of routine maintenance. 

Guess who bought herself a mini clubman for 1100 quid? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, DodgyBastard said:

A guy at work did ask me if I could do a "homer" for him. He wanted me to replace the clutch on a Corsa. I told him to fuck off.


Sent from my moto g(8) power using Tapatalk
 

A guy at my work called me sheepishly and wanted me to clean his maf sensor for him, i sent him a very clear video from youtube, he did it himself and then told me how accomplished he felt. Told me that he was strutting round his work telling everyone.

Given he is usually the sort of guy who doesn't know which end of the screw driver is which i was very proud of him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, DodgyBastard said:

A guy at work did ask me if I could do a "homer" for him. He wanted me to replace the clutch on a Corsa. I told him to fuck off.


Sent from my moto g(8) power using Tapatalk
 

For £50 or something mad like that. Like you’d spend a day of your time bent double on a driveway while he stands over you chatting shit. 

The other thing is people assume you LOVE doing jobs like swapping exhausts or cutting rusty suspension arms off. Like they’re doing you a favour! ‘What do you say to the man for letting you change the trailing an bushes on his 2003 Focus?’

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, sierraman said:

The older I’m getting I’m finding what puts me off cars is the people. I’ve never known a hobby or pursuit that attracts such dickheads and know-it-alls.

I'm doing something wrong. Cars is probably the one hobby that has the least dickheads.

1 hour ago, Gerrymcd said:

I'm "into cars" and "oh you work in IT" so I'm regularly asked which PCP/HP/negative equity "it's only 400 a month" modern they should buy or which RING doorbell they should get. 

How the fuck should I know? 

What thoroughly annoys me is that because I work in IT, garages think I know nothing about cars and an easy way to pick up some cheap cash. I know how long it takes to fit an O2 sensor, or the handbrake cables, or indeed the rear subframe.

As for charging £360 labour + VAT to change a cat, you're absolutely having a laugh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The nutcase at the garage my father in law once said that in his opinion it should be illegal for people to fix their own cars. To which I said would he be happy to pay £3,000 for fit a door, because as someone unqualified he shouldn’t be messing with doors or anything in fact he hasn’t got a degree in. 

As an aside at odds with a lot of people I’ve had 18 months where my contact with such idiots has been kept to a minimum thanks to the Pandemic. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you work in IT even if you're a software developer who has no involvement with hardware people are for ever trying to rope you in to fix their PC's or setup their wifi networks.  I used to do that stuff a long time ago so usually can fix do it but I made it a rule to only do it for very close family after a few nightmares in the past when I ended up getting the finger pointed at me for breaking stuff that wasn't me, when I was doing them a favour.

The cars thing is a bit  like this you're better just keeping out of it and tell them to buy a toyota.  That is of course unless they're intending to buy a prince engined Mini in, which case it's probably a legal obligation to say maybe you should re-look at that toyota.

Saying that my sister wanted to buy a Mini and I pointed her in the direction of a small Japanese car. She bought a 6 year old Suzuki Swift,  has it for 3 months and it's been broken all that time. If she'd bought the mini it would probably have been fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, 1duck said:

Seemed reasonable to me, nearly every car I've ever bought has been bought blind.  I rely on the seller giving an honest description, it's not like he offered 350 quid. 

Agreed it's a fair enough response from the potential buyer.

Even if the response is a grammatical nightmare.

The problem with the approach is often £800 then becomes £600 when they turn up. It's like a DFS double discount. If he had made it clear in the first message that's how he operates I'm sure it would of been OK.

Something like.  If your car is as described then I'd like to offer £800 for the car. This saves any awkward negotiations at the time of viewing. If it's not for me then we'll leave as friends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/11/2021 at 8:13 AM, sierraman said:

For £50 or something mad like that. Like you’d spend a day of your time bent double on a driveway while he stands over you chatting shit. 

The other thing is people assume you LOVE doing jobs like swapping exhausts or cutting rusty suspension arms off. Like they’re doing you a favour! ‘What do you say to the man for letting you change the trailing an bushes on his 2003 Focus?’

then tell everyone that will listen the engine had been smoking and knocking since you fitted the clutch 

used to get it when telling people i paint cars ....eyes would light up and "id like my shitbox respraying m8"  ,yeah off you pop to the garage then like everyone else 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Agila said:

Agreed it's a fair enough response from the potential buyer.

Even if the response is a grammatical nightmare.

The problem with the approach is often £800 then becomes £600 when they turn up. It's like a DFS double discount. If he had made it clear in the first message that's how he operates I'm sure it would of been OK.

Something like.  If your car is as described then I'd like to offer £800 for the car. This saves any awkward negotiations at the time of viewing. If it's not for me then we'll leave as friends.

The bad grammar is a big red flag. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/06/2021 at 08:44, sierraman said:

The nutcase at the garage my father in law once said that in his opinion it should be illegal for people to fix their own cars. To which I said would he be happy to pay £3,000 for fit a door, because as someone unqualified he shouldn’t be messing with doors or anything in fact he hasn’t got a degree in. 

As an aside at odds with a lot of people I’ve had 18 months where my contact with such idiots has been kept to a minimum thanks to the Pandemic. 

 

On 11/06/2021 at 06:51, Gerrymcd said:

I'm "into cars" and "oh you work in IT" so I'm regularly asked which PCP/HP/negative equity "it's only 400 a month" modern they should buy or which RING doorbell they should get. 

How the fuck should I know? 

My wife assumes that I know about computers, because I can create a simple macro in excel. 

Bloke at work thinks I'm brilliant, because I showed him how to put Today's date in by pressing Ctrl and :

at the same time. 

I really know nothing. I'm a user of IT and I've googled a few things.  

Bloke next door has me down as an engine expert, because I had the intake manifold and cam covers off on my V6 omega, to stop the oil leak.  

Luckily, all the information is available on how to do that, on the net.

As for replacing a door.  @MikeR helped me replace the dented rear passenger door on my omega. I think it took about 35 mins. 

The door came from a scrap yard in the right colour with the correct trim, and just required 2 pins removing, and an electric socket unplugging. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I must just be old fashioned then.

Normal rather than old fashioned.

On the first message it had all the hallmarks of a fuckwit.

Who knows if the deal would of gone well or not. I believe they would of gone lower once then got there and done a double discount. 

Might of paid £800 and bought it or decided it wasn't for them.

2nd message from them was better though and I'd of messaged back to see if they wanted to see it. Then it would be £800 take it or leave it, no negotiations. Both parties then know where they stand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

I must just be old fashioned then.

Well, I suppose I'm the same - I don't hold with this 'make an offer, get it accepted, then view the car and use your offer as a baseline for chipping away further on the price'.

Perhaps this chap would have been as good as his word, and ponied up the £800 without demur once he'd verified the car was just as described.

In which case, he should be stuffed and put in a museum as a dazzling rarity...

My stance has always been "come and view it, then we'll talk about moving on the advertised price."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the car is as described there's nothing to chip later. 

The whole you have to see the car before buying stinks of the car is shagged but the seller is covering themselves with the old "you saw it b4 u bought it m8" 

If someone demands you see the car before offering a price that's a massive red flag for me.

Do you guys just not do ebay auctions? Because I'd imagine most bidders don't go view the car before bidding and rely on the description. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...