Wasted morning viewing a Tatty W211 E320 CDi

[Druk]

KH - I think you need to hold out for a forum member's car to come up for sale. From my experience these have been my best cars with the easiest buying process.

But don't count on it. Several years ago an Owners-Club forummer was selling a 300-24v S124. I'd spoken to this fellow several times over the previous year and had even given him a full set of baroque alloys. He assured me the car was in immaculate condition and we agreed a price. I caught a train from Edinburgh to Kings Cross then another to a Thames coastal town.
The guy was over half an hour late picking me up at the station despite my phone calls. and the car was filthy and full of his kids rubbish including one dirty sock stuffed down the passenger seat. There was a huge rust scab at the fuel filler flap and the car hadn't even been washed. When I took it for a run the oil warning light came on after a mile or so and the engine was breathing heavily from the filler cap. Basically just a pile of junk. I had to demand my deposit back and almost fight for a contribution for my train trip home. Up until then I had counted this fellow as one of my friends.

Where's the smiley with the donkey ears when you need it?

Trust no-one where real money's concerned.



.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Trust no-one where real money's concerned.

Whenever I sell my cars (normally twice a year) I probably do myself out of half a dozen sales because of my honesty.

I've bought and sold a few items on this forum and every transaction has been perfect, although I do have to put up with dreamers at times offering offensive amounts before I get to a genuine offer and from there it's fine.

Whenever I call about a car, I always emphasise that I'm very particular in my standards of the condition of a car; when someone says the car is mint, it needs to be fresh of the production-line mint and if I turn up to view this supposedly 'mint' car and it's not as described, I'll be very upset and we don't want an upset car buyer, do we?

It's usually after this point that they actually start telling the truth...

 

[bpsorrel]

Maybe because I'm in the trade (and have been all my working life) I always part ex my cars (wasting a huge amount of cash!) and never bother selling or buying privately. I guess it's that old adage of decorators not doing their own houses!

Am I unique in this or are there other folk in the motor trade who do the same?

 

[Dieselman]

Maybe because I'm in the trade (and have been all my working life) I always part ex my cars (wasting a huge amount of cash!) and never bother selling or buying privately. I guess it's that old adage of decorators not doing their own houses!

Am I unique in this or are there other folk in the motor trade who do the same?

They probably buy he cars you have traded in cheap, pay the valeter £20 to get them perfect, then sell them for a lot more privately.

 

[bpsorrel]

Yeah!! Exactly what happened to my S211 I part ex'd for the CLS. The guy who bought it got a seriously nice car and paid a fair bit more for it than I got... But, that's my choice for being a lazy b***er!

 

[Pringles]

You're taking your dad to test drive a car with you....??

I always take my wife as she takes no prisoners and asks the sort of questions that make sellers quake with fear.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

You're taking your dad to test drive a car with you....??

So what exactly were you trying to say when you made this comment? why shouldnt I take any member of my family?

 

[bpsorrel]

Me too! She also spots things I don't! Eagle eyed SWMBO!

 

[et0609]

So what exactly were you trying to say when you made this comment? why shouldnt I take any member of my family?

Good question.....I lost my dad 3 1/2 years ago and I wish he was still around because I would be taking him with me each time I looked at a car. He was a mechanical genius and would have been completely honest with me.

 

[bes1110]

You're taking your dad to test drive a car with you....??

Seems sensible and perfectly normal thing to do. Always a good idea to have someone who's judgement and knowledge you can trust, if that's your dad well fine take him.

 

[st4]

Make me an offer for the shed...LOL

 

[Howard]

10p

 

[nullogik]

You're taking your dad to test drive a car with you....??

I take my dad with me to view cars. Whats wrong with that? Its always good to have someone there to give you an unbiased and honest second opinion.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

I think he was attempting to make some kind of joke that I still have to have my Dad holding my hand or somthing.

 

[gtvlusso]

Interesting thread;

As a seller I have had a few phone calls about the ML, mostly dreamers and timewasters. I had one lady caller who had a very strong Welsh accent, almost difficult to tell what she was saying.

Her opening comment was 'Is it worth me coming to see it?'

my response; 'I have no idea, that is entirely up to you. It is what it says in the ad and I am happy to clarify or answer any questions on the phone, what would you like to know?'.

<<silence>>

'Okay then, i'll get my husband' she retorts

<<silence>>

Husband comes on phone, very strong Welsh accent too, sounds like a beaten man......Wearily he asks every question as answered in the ad, I be polite and clarify everything for him and suggest he does a google search for comparable models and to call me if he has any further questions.

Another call from her later that day, first question;

'Is it worth me coming to see it?'

My reply, once again - 'I have no idea how far you have to drive to see it or how desperate you are to buy a car - it is your decision and I can fit in with any plans you have if you would like to test drive it.'

Talk about making it my problem....jeez!

 

[Pringles]

I think I would have told her that it was definitely not worth seeing (she sounded hard work).

 

[Rory]

I had to demand my deposit back and almost fight for a contribution for my train trip home.

If you're travelling along way it would be ideal of the dpeositi situation could be reversed and the seller paid the buyer a deposit to come and see it which would be refundable if they'd lied!

I just can't buy used cars, as I did when I was younger, it's just too much hassle. I watched several friends of ours (who could easily afford to buy new cars) buying bangers for their kids when they finished uni and thought 'bugger that' and steered my kids towards new ones (which they paid for themseves, more or less).

 

[joecash]

i've seen loads of low mileage cars - you know the ones -only 64k - but with seats or heel marks in the carpets that look like 264k - and they have the cheek to say genuine mileage! I could name name the garages and the so called "private sellers" but i won't for obvious reasons! As they say if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it probably is a duck. Same with "low mileage" cars

 

[joecash]

cant beat full service history as a starting point