Have you ever refused to sell a car to someone?

[The Vicar]

Just that really! If yes, what were the circumstances?

I ask because I find myself in a bit of a dilemma. I’ve advertised my Figaro for sale and have had a few inquiries from, inevitably, women, who seemingly - and I say this with every respect - just see a cute little convertible car. This it might be, but my short stint with it has made me realise that it is too, at the end of the day, a 34 year old hard-to-find-parts-for import that really needs a sympathetic owner able to keep up with eventual, inevitable and regular maintenance. I think anyone going into Figaro ownership without this in mind will be left sorely disappointed and out of pocket quite quickly. 

Certainly, I could just sell the car to the first person who shows up with the cash and be done with it, but I think if someone were to show up, obviously buying with their heart and not their head, I mightn’t be so quick to take the cash and hand over the keys. 

Boh..maybe I’m overthinking it! 

On another occasion a few years ago, and on a lighter note; I was selling an immaculate, 1 owner, low mileage with FSH, 1997 Corolla liftback for the princely sum of 1200 quid. I had one guy in particular who, after three viewings and reams of text messages exchanged, I told to FO. To be fair to him, he wasn’t just looking for a cheap little banger; he was an enthusiast specifically looking for a Corolla lift back like mine. He wasn’t happy with the tiniest of tiny imperfections that showed up on his very very detailed inspections, or that the service history wasn’t main dealer (on a 1997 car, in 2018), and finally, the Halfords battery under the bonnet. The battery was the straw that broke the camels back and I suggested that he look somewhere else. He tried still to continue (this was all via text message), and I just told him that I wouldn’t sell it to him for any amount of money. Pic of said Corolla for posterity:

So, any experiences?

[Rust Collector]

Try listing either a late 90’s Subaru Legacy or Civic VTi for not a lot of money on marketplace or gumtree. I don’t think I’ve ever told so many people to fuck off in my entire life as I had to when I advertised those two.

I think they may actually be the last cars I sold, before just accepting that I’d dump everything behind the stables once I was done with it - sub £1000 ‘enthusiast’ cars must be the worst thing in the world to sell, in my opinion.

[Volksy]

  On 09/01/2025 at 11:16, Rust Collector said:

Try listing either a late 90’s Subaru Legacy or Civic VTi for not a lot of money on marketplace or gumtree. I don’t think I’ve ever told so many people to fuck off in my entire life as I had to when I advertised those two.

I think they may actually be the last cars I sold, before just accepting that I’d dump everything behind the stables once I was done with it - sub £1000 ‘enthusiast’ cars must be the worst thing in the world to sell, in my opinion.

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Years ago I had an Escort Flight Estate. It was a one owner, low miles, FSH car. But was giffer dented all over and a bit 'doggy'.

Advertised it on Gumtree etc. with six months test at £295 as it was in the way and not something I liked. 

 

Jeez, as @Rust Collector said, there was a constant flow of complete morons and tyre kicking chancers rocking up to look at it. I sent it to Frag a couple of days later just to avoid the idiots. 

 

[danthecapriman]

I’ve done it with a Volvo 244 I had to sell. 
It was a bloody good car, with low mileage and it was solid as a rock. Unfortunately at the time they weren’t particularly valuable so there was always a real danger from certain types buying.

Sure enough, I had it on eBay and a banger racer won. Luckily though his truck had broken down so he couldn’t collect for a few weeks which, after a few days of the auction ending, I used to make my excuse of losing my storage and the car must go now. Which he accepted and no more was said. 
In the end the car went to someone on here and it’s actually still on the road now which backs up how good a car it was/is.

Some things I really don’t like the thought of being ruined. I know once you sell it you can’t pick & choose what the new owner does etc etc but a car like that should not have ever been destroyed! I did take a slight loss on the sale price doing that but seeing the car right was more important to me.

[New POD]

I refused to hold onto a car for a woman who came on the bus, and was due to take her driving test the following week, but didn't have the money for even a deposit before payday which was 4 days away. 

Fiat 126 for £350 iirc. 

[The Vicar]

  On 09/01/2025 at 11:16, Rust Collector said:

..sub £1000 ‘enthusiast’ cars must be the worst thing in the world to sell, in my opinion.

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Any cheap Alfa Romeo!

[IronStar]

I've never sold a car because I don't think anyone would actually appreciate the sort of cars I drive, and would inevitably drive them into the ground and sell for parts/scrap.

I told some pushy moron that wanted a 50E discount on a 300E car that called 10 times in 3 days to FRO when selling my brother's Stilo though. He would've been happy with 250 as he wanted to scrap it for less anyway, but this guy was so pushy and annoying I wouldn't sell it to him for any money after being pestered so hard. Also the number of people that called asking "does it have MOT?", "is it rusty?", "does it run?", "does it have a title?" and "does it have a battery?" On an ad that read "No mot, starts and runs but has an oil leak somewhere, VERY rusty sills, no battery. I have the title but it's really a parts car. Needs to be trailered away." and the most detailed and honest photos of a 300E car imaginable, with a photo for every bad bit, really made me want to frag the fucking thing myself.

[Rust Collector]

  On 09/01/2025 at 11:30, The Vicar said:

Any cheap Alfa Romeo!

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About 2 or 3 years ago there was an Alfa Romeo 33 being sold for something like £200 on a Facebook group I’m in, as a ‘save it from scrap’ type of project.

There were potential buyers* posting comments asking if it had any rust…

[Soundwave]

I've only ever PX'd cars, never sold them to the general unwashed. Yes, you don't get quite as much but at least you expect price fuckery with a dealer, and are prepared for it. Easier than dealing with people.

[sierraman]

Unless it was something of massive sentimental value like the car you were conceived in or something extreme like that then my thoughts are who gives a shit. If they’ve got cash in their hand and they understand that if it blows up in 10 minutes they’re completely on their own etc. 

I don’t sell cars anymore so it’s not a problem I’ve got to dwell on but I’ve refused people to view before on account I don’t like their tone or they’ve just annoyed me from the get go with sob stories or expecting a discount as they’ve to travel from wherever. 

[sierraman]

  On 09/01/2025 at 11:16, Rust Collector said:

Try listing either a late 90’s Subaru Legacy or Civic VTi for not a lot of money on marketplace or gumtree. I don’t think I’ve ever told so many people to fuck off in my entire life as I had to when I advertised those two.

I think they may actually be the last cars I sold, before just accepting that I’d dump everything behind the stables once I was done with it - sub £1000 ‘enthusiast’ cars must be the worst thing in the world to sell, in my opinion.

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Just above phone salesmen, car enthusiasts must rate as people generally I will avoid like the plague. I’m interested in cars but I’d say many people that describe themselves as ‘enthusiasts’ are insufferable bores. If you publicly announced you were a Ford enthusiast let’s say, you’d get a metric shitload of absolute morons talking bollocks about the Cosworth their dad never had, folks quoting all sorts of ‘facts’ just to make conversation and the absolute worst the ones that fiddle over piffling details like the one above with the battery being non standard. I like Fords but what really puts me off are the absolute helmets they seem to attract, especially at car shows. 

[Rustybullethole]

In short no.

I appreciate the fact that as an owner you could be picky about the next custodian and wish the best for a car you've cared for though its my belief that when its gone it's gone. 

That said at least 50 % of my old motors have gone over the bridge. Always a sad day mind.

 

Spotted this down the alley from the mechanics near  were im working yesterday.

I fear its end of days.

 

 

[bramz7]

No, but there are many I wish I had. Like the guy who commited a hit and run the very same day I sold them the car, and didn't have a licence. Great!

 

The BMW I now own will never ever ever be for sale on anywhere public. 

[Cheezey]

When I was selling my second MX5 I had put in the advert ‘no test drives without proof of insurance’. 
A young guy turned up with his uncle to view it. He was desperate to buy it but couldn’t drive it as no insurance. I took him out for a run with me driving. In a quiet industrial estate I forced him to drive it. I couldn’t sell him a car he had never driven. 
With my 307 I had two guys trying to get £1500 out of local cash machines there and then unsuccessfully. I didn’t like the vibe and chased them. A local couple I’d put on hold came soon after. I knocked £100 off and I was happy to wait until they went to the bank on Monday as they were easier to deal with. 

[wuvvum]

  On 09/01/2025 at 10:52, The Vicar said:

Just that really! If yes, what were the circumstances?

I ask because I find myself in a bit of a dilemma. I’ve advertised my Figaro for sale and have had a few inquiries from, inevitably, women, who seemingly - and I say this with every respect - just see a cute little convertible car. This it might be, but my short stint with it has made me realise that it is too, at the end of the day, a 34 year old hard-to-find-parts-for import that really needs a sympathetic owner able to keep up with eventual, inevitable and regular maintenance. I think anyone going into Figaro ownership without this in mind will be left sorely disappointed and out of pocket quite quickly. 

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I have to say I'd do the same in your position.  "A priest sold me a dodgy car" is the sort of thing the local papers would lap up - probably a leading article together with a photo of an angry-looking woman holding an NCT failure certificate.

[JJ0063]

Not for caring type reasons, but alarm bells - lots of times.

Its the one single positive of FB marketplace, I’m happy to admit I have ignored or fobbed off LOADS of people over the years not even just cars, anything I’m selling that I get a timewaster or dodgy type vibe from. A quick vet of someone’s FB profile or search the name to see their posts on groups etc takes 2 mins and can save a lot of hassle. 

[artdjones]

I've often refused to sell a car  to people without enough money.

[barrett]

  On 09/01/2025 at 10:52, The Vicar said:

I ask because I find myself in a bit of a dilemma. I’ve advertised my Figaro for sale and have had a few inquiries from, inevitably, women, who seemingly - and I say this with every respect - just see a cute little convertible car. This it might be, but my short stint with it has made me realise that it is too, at the end of the day, a 34 year old hard-to-find-parts-for import that really needs a sympathetic owner able to keep up with eventual, inevitable and regular maintenance. I think anyone going into Figaro ownership without this in mind will be left sorely disappointed and out of pocket quite quickly.

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I thought a Figaro was just a K11 Micra? Surely just about the easiest car to maintain I'd have thought, and seemingly loads of Figaro specialists/dealers out there (or there were a decade ago)?

[artdjones]

  On 09/01/2025 at 13:23, JJ0063 said:

Not for caring type reasons, but alarm bells - lots of times.

Its the one single positive of FB marketplace, I’m happy to admit I have ignored or fobbed off LOADS of people over the years not even just cars, anything I’m selling that I get a timewaster or dodgy type vibe from. A quick vet of someone’s FB profile or search the name to see their posts on groups etc takes 2 mins and can save a lot of hassle. 

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If I'm selling (or buying) something on Facebook I always look up the profile first. I don't even answer buyers with totally anonymous recent profiles.

[lesapandre]

I won't sell anything low value, modern and knowingly dangerous  - I scrap stuff it's not worth the hassle.

[captain_70s]

  On 09/01/2025 at 13:25, barrett said:

I thought a Figaro was just a K11 Micra? Surely just about the easiest car to maintain I'd have thought, and seemingly loads of Figaro specialists/dealers out there (or there were a decade ago)?

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K10 Micra.

Parts supply is surprisingly good due to the enthusiast market bringing in stuff from Japan and having bits remanufactured but they've now moved from being retro to being genuinely old and a lot are now at the stage of requiring plenty of welding and engine rebuilds.

[Shite Ron]

The first car I refused to sell was a mk5 Cortina 1.6GL which I bought at auction just after I passed my test, it was Champagne Gold which I still believe to be the best colour on these. A boy in my class in Technical College was from a family of Taxi drivers and made a genuine good offer for it but as it’s fate would have been a respray in black with a white bonnet I politely declined. I also had someone wanting to ‘buy’ my Daimler 4.2 a few years later, he was offering me his dole money every week as payment and I had to collect the money each week! Some I wished I hadn’t sold to so called friends include an SD1 which was cheap but had problems which were fully disclosed to the point where I said several times that I had other cars more suitable for sale if they wanted reliable transport and this was not the car to buy. They bought it regardless at a very low price then came back asking for money when it played up. A complete tosser who I have not had anything to do with since.

[AnthonyG]

  On 09/01/2025 at 14:02, captain_70s said:

K10 Micra.

Parts supply is surprisingly good due to the enthusiast market bringing in stuff from Japan and having bits remanufactured but they've now moved from being retro to being genuinely old and a lot are now at the stage of requiring plenty of welding and engine rebuilds.

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For someone who knows what Figaro’s are, and accepts their pitfalls, it would be fine. I guess values are rising as most were bodged in the late 00s due to 10-15 years of UK weather and the resulting rampant rot and numbers must be reducing fairly rapidly as these examples get scrapped (this winnowing process may have already happened for all I know).

For anyone who wants a small cute convertible, if I was the @The Vicar I would be emphasising quite frequently it is effectively a 40 year old Datsun (which the very first K10s were badged as) and a Mini or Beetle convertible would be ‘easier to insure/get repaired/MoTed’ etc. 

If they still want it after being told that two or three times, let them buy it. 

[comfortablynumb]

I was sat in my MK3 escort cabrio in a layby polishing off fish and chips when a bloke literally skidded to a halt in front of me, leapt out and started insisting that I sold the car to him on the spot!

It was one of the most weird Conversations I've ever had, I kept telling him it wasn't for sale, and he kept telling me it must be!

I think I ended up telling him to go forth and multiply, just to get rid of him!

it's not as though it's a pristine example, it's scruffy as hell

 

[bunglebus]

Trying to get rid of the father in law's old A Class was an experience. Had a car full of (I think) Turkish blokes all trying to look at different things at once and be distracting, cane it up and down the road and generally piss me off before I told them to go away. The caravan enthusiast who did buy it tried his luck saying it had various things wrong that I definitely didn't, tried to get money off because of how far he'd driven - said it was a shame he'd had a wasted journey and started to head back indoors before the cash appeared. 

I also tried very hard to avoid banger racers and drifters buying my Sierra, it went to Ireland in the end (from Essex) to be a tarmac rally car, guy was good as gold and drove all the way here and back to look at it before arranging transport 

[bangernomics]

Never. If I want it to go and someone wants it at the right money then it is gone.

[Missy Charm]

No, but a dealer once refused to sell a car to me.  It was an odd experience.  

I went, alone, to look at what the dealer claimed was an 'immaculate' late Ford Escort saloon.  On arrival, it transpired that the car was, indeed, almost pristine.  It wasn't greatly expensive, either, so I asked the dealer for the keys in order to take a closer look.  He refused, flat out, on the basis that he wanted the car to go to the 'right person'.  It was one for a collector, apparently, and, like a Yorkie bar, not for girls.  

That wasn't the end of the matter, however.  The dealer, having told me I couldn't have the Escort, then asked if I'd be interested in a Puma he had on the forecourt.  I said 'no', on the basis of preferring cars of a slightly larger size.  The dealer insisted I view it, which I did, and then test drive it, which I also did.  Test driving the small Ford was something of a revelation; I fell for the car, sorted insurance over the phone and drove away in it after handing over the readies.  

Now, as already stated, the Escort really was a bit special, condition-wise.  The Puma was also pretty damn good.  It was a one-previous-owner job, with said previous owner being the wife of a Ford employee; there was a full service history and it had the 1.7 engine under the bonnet.  On top of that, it was in remarkable condition for its age - a year or two younger than the Escort - and keenly priced - the dealer was happy to deal, in that respect.  

For the life of me, I can't work out why he wouldn't sell me that Escort.  It was a cheap car that was less of an enthusiast's job than the Puma I actually bought.  The Puma was probably the trickier one, as an ownership prospect.  Never mind.  

[Split_Pin]

The first person to be able to string a sentence together, turn up and pay as close to the asking price as possible can have it.

Once you sell a car you lose the right to care about what happens to it.

I've sold many cars to 'enthusiasts' who get bored of it 6 months later, it gets sold on a few more times and then scrapped. I stopped caring after that.

If you do care about what happens to it, keep it. That's why I've held onto my 75.

Those people looking at the Figaro might not have a clue how to look after it but if they pay the money, let them have it.

 

[Schaefft]

The V6 Renault Safrane that was for sale on here ages ago. It wasn't mine at that point anymore but I made an attempt at helping it sell for very cheap. Somehow a banger racer was the only person seemingly interested in it, he actually got mad that I wouldn't sell to him. Some cars just deserve better so the buyer does make a difference.

Aside from that the typical morons on FB that would immediately dismiss themselves by being morons on FB.

[Homersimpson]

  On 09/01/2025 at 11:47, Rust Collector said:

About 2 or 3 years ago there was an Alfa Romeo 33 being sold for something like £200 on a Facebook group I’m in, as a ‘save it from scrap’ type of project.

There were potential buyers* posting comments asking if it had any rust…

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Probably better to ask if the rust has any Alfa