My first experience selling a car...

[Bailes1992]

Just sold my Focus.
A month just on Forums got me nowhere, so put it on autotrader last night.
In capitals at the bottom I wrote "CONTACT ME VIA MOBILE EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS ONLY. OR CONTACT ME BY EMAIL".
Reason being I work in Cardiff Prison and cannot have a phone on me during the day. I looked at my phone after work and had 32 missed calls between 7.30am and 4.30pm. 10 of which were off the same person.
I have come to the concusion that people as a whole are idiots.

Then tonight someone came to look at it, bare in mind my Focus was the newest and the cheapest of it's kind on Auto trader by quite a bit!
A 2003 Focus LX 1.6, 93k new timing belt, recent service, new brakes, wheel bearings, steering rack etc etc but covered in dents for £850.

They turned up and complained about the fact it was covered in scratches and dents? Yet I wrote it in the add?

I then brought it upto the top of the drive where the car decided to remove itself of the entire contents of the gearbox oil all over my drive.
Still got £760 for it though

Either way, next time, I will Part-Ex my car.

Bailes.

[steve_earwig]

You might not have the option of you're getting a car off a relative. Next time don't tell them about the scratches (or whatever), add 200 quid onto the price & when they notice let them knock you down 200 quid and they'll be dead pleased with themselves.

[lozz]

The car couid of been a M'inter. and theyd still try to Haggle on the price,
Idont bother advertising cars on autotrader /ebay etc anymore,
its not worth the Hastle they either want them for peanuts, or dont Bother turning up, Too many timewasters,

Iprefare the old Method, Sighn in window,


Idont think youve done too bad on the price there considering the "oil -leak"

[Gary406]

when i was selling my 52 plate golf tdi. i had numbers of calls offering stupid prices and at stupid o'clock at night and mornings.

selling cars private is a right pain in the backside for sure. the world is full of idiots

[lozz]

When isold my celica
ihad people ringing six weeks later,

asking if it had sold, the add had been Removed,

Seems people Wait and see if the car has had trouble selling- and then they offer you half of the asking price,
Very crafty-cheeky trick, this is why ialways use a sim card idont use much in a Pay as you go phone,

[FarmerPug]

i have to say I've sold a few cars on gumtree, the first being a toyota carina 1.6 i put it on when i got home from school at 4pm it was paid for and away by 7pm, took it down once it was sold and no silly calls, I've done it for a few other cars and they have sold without hassle, my uncles transit took a while to shift though.

[Welly]

In the last 5 years......

I sold the Honda Integra through the owners club, a really nice lad bought it for track days.

The MX6 was sold through the owners club to a classic car race marshal (really really nice guy offered me the full price) it was going to be used as his daily drive and as a pace car at weekend events

The first BMW was sold on Autotrader - people were nearly fighting over it.

The second BMW went the same way (made a £50.00 profit on that after having it 3 months - missus didn't like it).

The 406 went on Autotrader and a French guy bought it - it was the best he'd seen and begged me to hold it for him, he loved it, we drank coffee outside and chatted politely with him and his (French) mate - it was very civil and I agreed to knock £50.00? off or something and he took it away

I think the key thing is being open and honest, have the car really clean and put in a long description of the sale (even though AT tell you not too).

Bailes - why did it spit the GB oil out?

[mjb]

I just chuck mine on ebay with a starting price of the minimum I'll take. Cash on collection only. Plenty of messages asking for it at a ridiculous price, but they can just be ignored. When the auction's over you've got your price and if they try to haggle, send 'em packing

[sirwiggum]

Welly - is there a Honda owners club you could recommend?

Selling a car is a headmelt. Particularly cheap cars. Didn't have too much hassle selling the other half's fiesta but she was looking good money for it. A couple of timewasters, then someone who was genuine bought it.

Gumtree with a cheap car is a nightmare recipe for the idiots to crawl out from under their rock.

Texts with silly offers (despite the ad saying NO TEXTS). People phoning "whats the least you'll take for it?" COME OUT AND SEE IT and then they offer a silly offer anyway.

Even if you try and be upfront about obvious faults, they ignore you, then, they offer silly money anyway.

Then, you'll see it readvertised on gumtree with a healthy margin added on, and a "full service history and recent timing belt change reciept" appear out of nowhere! Chancers!

I will never use gumtree again to sell (or indeed buy - too many dodgy motors) a car.

[Doggy]

At least you shifted it for more or less your target price, reasonably quickly, the alternative:

next time, I will Part-Ex my car.
Bailes.

Translates to: "next time, I will pay a rediculous premium for the car I'm buying, so I can enjoy the illusion I sold them the old one".

I don't think you did too badly.

[seanoconnell87]

Selling cars is always a pain. I've just sold my old Primera and I'd a fella call me straight after it went up on Donedeal saying he'd come out and take a look at it for half the selling price if I asked him nicely. A lot of weirdos out there. Had a few offers on it for the price I wanted but was waiting on a replacement log book so couldn't let it go. Found the log book yesterday and sold it to very decent guy that came the whole way down from Dublin on the train with his young fella.

[Welly]

Welly - is there a Honda owners club you could recommend?

I joined Honda Evolutions (had to pay as it was owned by a girl, Sammy?, who ran the forum as her daily job! ) there's lots of knowledgeable people on there. You may find there's the usual struggle of getting yourself known and whether or not you can really be bothered to fit in. They have loads of meets though so I suppose that helps get to know them.