I just need a Moan!

[Andy - a15cro]

I hate time wasters! 
 

had a bloke, via his son asking to view the TT I’m selling, left me standing at work last week until after 7pm with no message that they were not turning up. The arranged for the dad to come today, so off I trot into work. He turns up in his big Merc,  looks interested, but then starts bringing up issues that just don’t exist. I gave him full disclosure, he even had a drive to then make an offer £8k less than the advertised price. He then went up to £2250, which is still less than I would accept. He asked a question which I said I would find out off the previous owner, which I promptly did and I've just messaged his son as requested.  He’s now come back with £2k again? He knows my lowest. A 63yr old guy acting like he’s never made a decision in his life over a 20yr old car. I entertained him for over an hour, while he told me about his bike etc. 🤯 if he didn’t want it he should have just said. 
 

Moan over, thanks. 

[Glen_I]

I feel your pain. I think we have all been there. My pet hate is when they make offers without even seeing what they are attempting to purchase.

 

I remember a Civic Type R we were selling some yrs ago, I had just put 4 new Bridgestones on it and the same prat kept phoning and making silly offers and then he said 'tell you what mate, how about you stick the old tyres on and then will you accept my offer', at this point my patience is finished and he is told 'tell you what, how about you do one!!!' 

 

We went through a spate off leasing cars as my wife would get a allowance,  have to say it was pleasure not having to deal with selling cars and the idiots it seems to attract.

 

My everyday road car has done 2k miles since Jan 2020, this is normally 7-8 weeks mileage, but since Covid  I am working from home and to be honest we have had so many redundancies that there is only about 80% of the staff left so I don't think we will return to an office so I need to really sell it but......I am dreading the idiots hence its still sat there!!

 

Is this just another sign of how people's principles have changed?

 

If I say I will buy something then I will stick to my word, and if I say I will be somewhere at a given time then I will also be there.

[Steve (sdh2903)]

Just tell em to bog off. If you want the car it's £££ or don't bother contacting me. Some people are just a********s when it comes to buying cars. I tend to be overly honest when selling to cover my A*** but some use that as a list to knock the car even though most buyers wouldn't even notice. 

 

The last used car I bought I arranged to go view it, the guy must have text me 6 times throughout the day to check I was still going and when I got there he apologised as he'd had so many timewasters not show up. 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

I blame the downside of a lot of the (US in particular) car shows, it seems every one thinks they’re Tricky Dicky now, without realizing that the shows are essentially all set up, with prices already agreed. So everyone thinks they can give an insulting opening offer and get away with it, rather than get a fat lip, as they would more likely do in the real world!

[Glen_I]

7 minutes ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

I tend to be overly honest when selling to cover my A*** but some use that as a list to knock the car even though most buyers wouldn't even notice. 

Likewise, I am the same, in fact people say I am to honest.

 

I remember we had another Civic Type R that I told a bloke over the phone it's in great condition but there was one 'car park ding' on the rear arch however we have owned it since new. He arrived and said where is the dent as he couldn't see it, I showed him and he just smiled and said thanks for being honest, gave me asking price as he said there was nothing to knock me on price wise.

 

That's how it should be, easy and fairly painless!

[Glen_I]

5 minutes ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

I blame the downside of a lot of the (US in particular) car shows, it seems every one thinks they’re Tricky Dicky now, without realizing that the shows are essentially all set up, with prices already agreed. So everyone thinks they can give an insulting opening offer and get away with it, rather than get a fat lip, as they would more likely do in the real world!

Agree, Wheelers Dealers is another prime example.

[DamperMan]

I just work on the principle, if they want the car they will buy it, there and then... no time wasting.  As soon as they start the silliness.  I make it very clear I’m not interested.   If they make a silly offer take it lightly as it’s just a game.    
 

I was selling the wife’s Corolla and 4 Irish sounding guys arrived.. told me it had been a right off...   BS. It was worth Half the asking price.   Slightly intimidating but I just locked it and made it clear if they want it this is the price if not move on. 

 

My old Vectra diesel.   A Eastern European guy arrived in a BMW, blacked out windows.   He looked briefly in the Car, then looked me menacing in the eye , asked if it was any good like a Bond Villain.   My answer.. it’s never let me down in 70k but could blow up tomorrow for all I know.    The envelope  came out of his pocket , paperwork done and his rather fancy lady friend got out the BM and drive off. ... it’s a game!    

 

 

 

 

 

[Dommo]

I'll always try a car here, then an owners club before relenting and offering it to the great unwashed on facebaytrader. I used to do quite well on pistonheads but that's certainly no better than the masses now... aside from the higher asking prices there!

 

I did it the wrong way round with the C1 I sold and put it on pistonheads before an owners group. It was a 2007 30k mile car for £700, it was already ridiculously cheap and yet I was still fielding calls asking what my best price was (which is a ridiculous question to ask). In the end I put it on an owners group on Facebook and had a deposit in my account 9 minutes later.

 

I think the selling hassle is why I've got so many cars, it's much easier to buy than it is to sell! I've committed to selling 3 over the next few months... Lord save me!

[Blatman]

On 10/04/2021 at 20:18, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

I blame the downside of a lot of the (US in particular) car shows, it seems every one thinks they’re Tricky Dicky now, without realizing that the shows are essentially all set up, with prices already agreed. So everyone thinks they can give an insulting opening offer and get away with it, rather than get a fat lip, as they would more likely do in the real world!

 

Completely agree. 

 

On 10/04/2021 at 20:27, Glen_I said:

Agree, Wheelers Dealers is another prime example.

 

Met Mike Brewer at Le Mans in 03 or 04. I didn't warm to him... 

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Some years ago I sold my wife's Fiat 128 Panorama for £200 to a geezer with his bird who arrived in a rather flash, fairly recent, Ford Escort XR3i convertible. The Fiat had always been maintained assiduously and had a new timing belt and clutch in recent times. He hummed a haa-ed until eventually he paid up and left - for five minutes until he came back to use the 'phone (before mobiles were common). A catastrophic cam belt breakage had blown the engine.... of the Escort! I honestly didn't laugh while he was there. 

[NigelO]

I've been half-heartedly trying to sell my Fiat Coupe. It's cosmetically a bit shabby from front-end stone chips and a couple of surface rust bubbles, but it is mechanically excellent (I work part time for an Italian car specialist, so I get mate's rates on work). It's also running the same power as a Ferrari F40, so it's fairly rapid, which I pointed out in my ad.

 

My adverts are brutally honest, so that I don't get accused of hiding anything.

 

However, two potential buyers have baled out becuase the paintwork is a bit shabby and one decided not to go ahead because he though the car was too fast....

 

Makes you wonder if people actually read the ads or just look at the pictures

[Glen_I]

I worked at at a Alfa/Fiat dealer about 20yrs ago (was it really that long ago???).

 

The timing belt used to be a good 'little' job to do.....hence they used to come up for sale just before the 72k timing belt replacement.

 

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

30 minutes ago, Glen_I said:

I worked at at a Alfa/Fiat dealer about 20yrs ago (was it really that long ago???).

 

The timing belt used to be a good 'little' job to do.....hence they used to come up for sale just before the 72k timing belt replacement.

 

 

It was a 'little' enough job on the 128 Panorama (1976 MY). I did it in a couple of hours. The clutch would have been a DiY job too but for the fact I was very busy and my daughter wanted the car for going to school. A local workshop, one I had good experiences with before, was very reluctant to touch an aging Fiat, but when his mechanic saw it he was amazed at its general condition. I bought it from a Ford dealer in Maidenhead who'd taken it for part exchange and was looking to auction it. The previous owner was the wife of a chartered engineer and he'd really very well cherished this little Fiat and I got it with <9k miles for a few hundred quid. It was only because I had bought my ex-company Princess from the firm for the book value only that I sold the Fiat. That was the mistake... bl**** Leyland! 

[Glen_I]

The Fiat book time used to be something like 17hrs which was due engine/transmission having to be removed, but we would give the customer the option of removing engine/transmission and check the condition off the clutch (Fiat advised this) or we could do it in situ with removing engine mounts and using a couple of tools we had modified to fit in the very narrow space still.

 

This could be done in about 7 hrs....funnily enough every customer would say 'well my clutch feels fine, so let's have the cheaper option please. 

 

I wonder how many would've charged the full amount knowing it was possible to do in situ??

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

The 128 was a simple car with a SOC four cylinder 1,100cc engine with loads of space around it. In fact the spare wheel was stowed in the engine compartment! An experienced mechanic could replace the cam belt on that car in under an hour. It sounds as if progress has been negative where ease of access comes in! 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Man On The Clapham Omnibus
correction