EBay wanker

[Peter C]

Having sold the Merc 300TD this morning, I was on the look out for a suitable replacement motor. One car on my shortlist was a BMW E36 six pot estate. One was offered via EBay locally, a '97 323i (2.5), 9 day auction, 3 days left, starting at £900, no bids. In the pics it looked good and the seller made it sound like a decent motor.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1997-BMW-323I-TOU ... 25626a0160

 

I made arrangements to view the car this afternoon.

 

What a pile of shit. Lacquer peeling all over the gaff, rear boot lid is a different colour to the rest of the car and rusting nicely along the bottom edge, various paint flaws througout and more polish residue within the door shuts and on bonnet rubbers than in an Autoglym factory.

 

I didn't even bother starting it up. Told the seller it is not what I am looking for and started making my way towards my car, the pristine 230E. At this point matey suggested that he's selling an old car and that I shouldn't expect anything better. I told him that my Merc is twice as old as his ropey BMW and is near mint. Just because a car is old it shouldn't mean it's buggered.

 

Whoever bids and wins the Bimmer will be seriously pissed off when they see what they've bought.

 

I hate EBay!

 

Rant over.

 

Peter C

[pogweasel]

Sub-£1000 car in not perfect shocker. Thousands homeless!

[Peter C]

Sub-£1000 car in not perfect shocker. Thousands homeless!

 

Compared with what has happened in Japan recently, I thought my story was front page news.

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Why did you bin the Merc then? It looked lovely.

[Guest]

To be fair on him, it still sounds pretty good for a £900 car with 155K that he states to be in "good" condition.

[scruff]

Why is he a wanker?? He hasn't said it's mint has he?

 

Anyone who buys a car blind and then whinges about it afterwards is a bigger wanker IMO, just because it's on Ebay makes no difference. Would you call someone a tosser if it was in the Autotrader and you'd gone for a look?

[Station]

I had the same thing selling the Astra, including offence that I had dared to being the bloke interested up from his location on a car that I'd listed as not being perfect. Sorry Peter, that story reminds me of most of the buyers I had!

I've never seen a photo that isn't misleading, intentional or not!

[carlo]

I have a certain empathy here, but at least yours was local. I went 150 miles to collect a 405 which was so removed from its description as to be comical. Guy was apologetic when I refused it, obviously knew how bad it was. Ebay is a minefield.

[pogweasel]

If I'd been him, I'd have offered you £900 for your mint mercedes, waited for the inevitable offended reaction, laughed a bit and told you to swiftly go forth...

[Skinley]

What were you expecting from a 14 year old, 150k+ car?

[pompei]

I think I'd have been hacked off too if I'd been given a load of (probably dishonest) flannel from the seller. Some old cars are lovely, some are dogs, doesn't mean the seller should try and pass off a scabby canine as a Crufts winner

[fotorabia]

I put the Viva up at $1..it reached $1071..but i had a sneeky feeling that sumtink wasnt right..buyer was on 1st Trade Me sale..was an international student..and then lo and behold..emails later in the week and sez the deals off..so Im keeping it..sod em..woz 2 cheep anyway..

[Peter C]

Why did you bin the Merc then? It looked lovely.

 

After my limo black E200, the 300TD felt too agricultural (for a Merc). I knew there was profit in it for me if I sold quickly, hence the sale.

[Peter C]

To be fair on him, it still sounds pretty good for a £900 car with 155K that he states to be in "good" condition.

 

Having spoken with the seller before viewing, I was assured that the car is in great condition. In the photos it does look great, but in the flesh, it's a complete pile of rusting shit.

[Peter C]

Why is he a wanker?? He hasn't said it's mint has he?

 

He did on the phone! I was promised a lovely looking car.

 

Anyone who buys a car blind and then whinges about it afterwards is a bigger wanker IMO, just because it's on Ebay makes no difference.

 

The idea of EBay is that the seller paints a clear picture of the car, spec, condition, etc and the buyer has faith in the system and buys without viewing. I've done this before and was let down, which is why I always view before bidding.

 

Would you call someone a tosser if it was in the Autotrader and you'd gone for a look?

 

The difference between Autotrader and EBay is, that on EBay you bid to buy. Once you've won the auction, the car is yours. Looking on Autotrader, you are not entering into a contract before seeing the car.

[Peter C]

Ebay is a minefield.

 

Agreed.

[Peter C]

If I'd been him, I'd have offered you £900 for your mint mercedes, waited for the inevitable offended reaction, laughed a bit and told you to swiftly go forth...

 

Ehh? What does my mint Merc have to do with a ropey old Bimmer?

[Peter C]

What were you expecting from a 14 year old, 150k+ car?

 

Something half decent perhaps? I've bought older cars with higher mileage in far better condition for less money.

[Peter C]

I think I'd have been hacked off too if I'd been given a load of (probably dishonest) flannel from the seller. Some old cars are lovely, some are dogs, doesn't mean the seller should try and pass off a scabby canine as a Crufts winner

 

Precisely! If the seller was honest and told me the car was less than perfect in the first place, I would not have wasted my time and his driving all of 5 miles to see it.

 

Fortunately, the car was located just around the corner from my house. I would have been proper pissed off if I had driven for hours to see the car.

[Alexg]

The world of car buying is full of idiots who over-promise. I went to view a Maestro Turbo a few years ago that boldy stated in the description headline 'Good Condition, 1yrs MOT' . On viewing I was greeted by a rotten basket case in need of restoration with no MOT!

 

I now turn up expecting the worse, and budgeting as such...

[Angrydicky]

A few years ago my dad won an E220 estate on Ebay and we went on the train to London to collect it. Upon arrival there were a couple of notable faults not mentioned at all, namely the rear self-levelling suspension was knackered and there were two bald tyres and one that was cracked all around the sidewall. I pointed these out to the seller and he knocked off £150 straight away! My dad still bought the car, although it needed quite a bit more than £150 to sort it out. Then again it was only £600.

[theorganist]

I had a similar problem with the Allegro with the very smokey engine. He told me that if it wasn't for the weak Synchro (for weak read virtually non-existant) on second he would have "retailed" it on his classic car website. He did not mention the clouds of smoke on start up, the leaking clutch or the leaking radiator!!

 

Three times that car was on e-bay last year (with three different sellers) and there was not one mention of the smokey engine, nor the leaking radiator!

 

Obviously it is partly my fault for buying a car unseen and I don't think I will make that mistake again!

[HereHareHere]

Tediously, I can only agree with both sides of the argument. Any eBay Motors bargain which sounds too good to be true invariably is. That said, I'm always really fugged off when I have to go and confirm that first-hand.

 

All I really wanted to do was bump the title of this thread, which LOLs me up like a good 'un every time I see it.