Thoughts on selling cars privately

[Davidc]

Sorry to hear of your experience. What a time waster. I'm selling my 4200 at the moment and concern for that type of behaviour from potential buyers persuaded me to put mine on one of the online auctions, Collecting Cars. This, in theory, avoids the type of experience you're just been exposed to. I've not seen your car so not sure if it's suitable for one of these sites but worth considering.

 

[Wanderer]

He sent me a good morning text and asked to meet at the DVLA to make the exchange within half an hour. As I’m leaving he calls and asks if I could help drop the car off at a garage to win some time...

At this point I ask him what it is exactly that he wants to do at the garage because I haven’t got time to wait around if he wants to have it further inspected and I also will not be leaving the car for anyone to touch until the car belongs to him and I straight up ask him whether he’s really buying the car or messing around- he reassures me that it’s just for logistics and that he wants the car and understands that no one will be working on it.

I stupidly agree and get to the garage as planned- 10 minutes go by and he hasn’t shown up. Call. No pick up. Another 10 minutes. Call twice and still not pick up. I text him telling him that I’m giving him 5 more minutes and if he doesn’t show up I’m not selling the car to him. He calls me back straight away and apologised for missing my calls and says he’s stuck in traffic and only 5 minutes away.

Another 20 minutes go by and still no show. I start the car to leave but then he miraculously appears. I park the car and tell him to hurry up because I’ve got meetings scheduled for the day and need to be back home. He says no we still need another hour because he wants to have the car inspected.

Told him that this wasn’t what we agreed on and that he was not serious about buying the car. He begs to just let the mechanic have a look at the report and give him an estimate on parts. Mechanic says that he hasn’t got a radiator and that he needs to order it. Man turns to me and says sorry don’t want the car anymore because I might have issues with sourcing spare parts if anything goes wrong.

I felt like a complete numpty at this point and called him a liar and a child and told him to F off.

Didn't you say car was in Kuwait and not available for sale in UK. How does DLVA fit in? Just puzzled!

 

[ofenomeno99]

Didn't you say car was in Kuwait and not available for sale in UK. How does DLVA fit in? Just puzzled!

Haha yes the local Kuwaiti DVLA equivalent !

 

[ofenomeno99]

Sorry to hear of your experience. What a time waster. I'm selling my 4200 at the moment and concern for that type of behaviour from potential buyers persuaded me to put mine on one of the online auctions, Collecting Cars. This, in theory, avoids the type of experience you're just been exposed to. I've not seen your car so not sure if it's suitable for one of these sites but worth considering.

100%. Not worth the time and effort

 

[Wanderer]

Did two stints at DVLA Swansea (Morriston), or 'up the hill' as the locals call it. They employ the thickest Welsh people ever and that's saying something. No one does any work and the highlight at lunchtime was a walk around the cemetery next door where there was at least a bit of life.

 

[ofenomeno99]

Reminds me of my time on a nuclear power station in UK, we used to give away the older PC's when replaced to locals who perhaps couldn't afford one, spend ages wiping the hard drive to MOD standards, reinstalled Windows For Workgroups, Office 4.3 all licences given away, even took it down the the persons address in the site van.

Anyway this one time I took it down to this guy's house, DEC 486DX25 15" monitor, still pretty decent for the time and the guy looks at it and says 'Does it not come with a printer?'

I was livid, cheeky fecker!

Beggars should also be choosers

 

[ofenomeno99]

What a t055er... good you kept your cool.. must have been close to kidney punch...

Yes really had to keep my cool especially with all this happening in the midst of the summer heat of Kuwait (50 degrees) but I’m glad I avoided selling the car to him because I feel he would have been the type that would have expected a full personal warranty with an option to refund

 

[midlifecrisis]

Yes really had to keep my cool especially with all this happening in the midst of the summer heat of Kuwait (50 degrees) but I’m glad I avoided selling the car to him because I feel he would have been the type that would have expected a full personal warranty with an option to refund

Phone him up and tell him the SportsMaserati have placed a fatwah on him, should he ever step on UK soil. What a time waster.

 

[Paulg390]

Sorry to hear of your experience. What a time waster. I'm selling my 4200 at the moment and concern for that type of behaviour from potential buyers persuaded me to put mine on one of the online auctions, Collecting Cars. This, in theory, avoids the type of experience you're just been exposed to. I've not seen your car so not sure if it's suitable for one of these sites but worth considering.

And that’s another vote for Collecting Cars from me too. Selling my Euro spec Peugeot 205 Rallye on there as can’t face the “what’s your best price”, “can we go for a 30minute test drive as I’ve never driven one of these before” , “can you stay in for days, so I can not turn up as arranged” brigade...

 

[3leftovercrest]

has anyone had any experience in selling on Collecting Cars?

Thinking about using them for one of my cars.

Cheers!

Stu

 

[midlifecrisis]

has anyone had any experience in selling on Collecting Cars?

Thinking about using them for one of my cars.

Cheers!

Stu

@MAF260 is selling his GS on collecting cars and he's no fool. It's an auction site but to defeat the last minute eBay style ninja bids the auction extends for 2 more minutes so bidders can respond.

 

[Ewan]

has anyone had any experience in selling on Collecting Cars?

Thinking about using them for one of my cars.

Cheers!

Stu

There are at least three SM forum cars for sale on there currently (4200, GS, and 205 Rallye).
A friend of mine sold his red 1986 Porsche 911 on there about a month ago and got a good price. He was happy with the service and outcome.
Out of interest, which of your collection are you thinking of selling?

 

[3leftovercrest]

Hi Ewan,

thanks for the feedback.

I have been following Collecting Cars closely and like the site... simple but cleverly effective

What am I thinking of selling? The 22b.... fancy freeing up some space for a late 60’s/early 70’s Maser....

Stu

 

[Davidc]

There are at least three SM forum cars for sale on there currently (4200, GS, and 205 Rallye).
A friend of mine sold his red 1986 Porsche 911 on there about a month ago and got a good price. He was happy with the service and outcome.
Out of interest, which of your collection are you thinking of selling?

It’s my 4200 that’s on Collecting Cars now. Will report back on my experience after the auction.

 

[Davidc]

As promised, my experience with selling on Collecting Cars. Over all, pretty good and straight forward. They recommend getting a professional photographer to take the pictures. I opted to do my own which were okay but probably not as good as they could have been. They then drafted the text based on an online form they ask you to fill in. you get to adjust the text as appropriate. I found, perhaps understandably, that they were pushing for a low or no reserve so there was a bit of haggling over this but once agreed the auction then went live. For my car, very little happened for the first 5 days and the price was stubbornly stuck on £5k. In effect, everything happened in the last 3 hours of bidding. CC called a few hours before the deadline trying to push for me to remove the reserve or lower it and again at 10 minutes before the auction end time “to encourage more bidding” in their words or to ensure revenue for CC depending upon your viewpoint.
After the auction had closed, a simple email giving the winning bidder’s contact details was received. I also go a text from the guy within the hour which started the communications for payment and collection. So, all pretty straight forward and painless. I’ve now got the funds and am waiting for the collection.
I would like to have got a bit more for the car but it met it’s reserve and I didn’t have to deal with lots of time wasters and test drives which may have been a difficult thing with the current pandemic. Would I use the service again? Yes, I think I would. I hope this helps anyone else looking to sell their car and considering using one of the online auction sites.

 

[philw696]

Thanks for taking the time to update us with all the details from your experiences.

 

[ofenomeno99]

Good to see that there is some positivity coming out of this thread- on the contrary and after my initial terrible experience, I sold the car to an enthusiast who paid for the car in full after a 5 minute test drive and was happy to leave the car with me for the weekend until we were able to transfer the registration over to him.

 

[rockits]

Bit of thread resurrection on this one. I am interested in buying a car that is on Collecting Cars at the moment. After some discussion on the PH TVR forum and some digging/thinking has any one ever bought car that was listed on collecting cars?

After doing a fair bit of digging/thinking I am really not feeling it is a great process to buy a car as a buyer. In essence the suggested process is you don't view, see or drive the car before you bid and agree to buy. The sellers details are not divulged until the auction has finished. Collecting Cars take the 6% buyers fee immediately the auction ends from your credit card. This is a transaction fee for using their site and in no way are they responsible or liable for anything that happens after this point. They send over the details to each sides and let them get on with it. Their jobs is done and the buyer has paid the 6% site usage fee immediately.

If the sale doesn't go through for whatever reason they keep their fee and the buyer loses this fee. Now unless the car is sold cheap I am not sure I see the point as a buyer. It is a private sale so the same as buying from Ebay, PH, AT or any normal traditional car ad site. Except with those you have not paid a 6% upfront in effect.

As a seller you take the pictures and provide details for the ad. They never see or appraise the car, seller or buyer. If you use their photographer you pay for this extra. There are loads of T&C's that they get their 6% one way or another from buyer or seller if a live listing is started and you try to pull out at any point.

Not sure I would look to buy a car on there although I might sell one as long as a reserve was set also set high enough.

Anyone bought one on there or have any thoughts?

 

[Wattie]

Bit of thread resurrection on this one. I am interested in buying a car that is on Collecting Cars at the moment. After some discussion on the PH TVR forum and some digging/thinking has any one ever bought car that was listed on collecting cars?

After doing a fair bit of digging/thinking I am really not feeling it is a great process to buy a car as a buyer. In essence the suggested process is you don't view, see or drive the car before you bid and agree to buy. The sellers details are not divulged until the auction has finished. Collecting Cars take the 6% buyers fee immediately the auction ends from your credit card. This is a transaction fee for using their site and in no way are they responsible or liable for anything that happens after this point. They send over the details to each sides and let them get on with it. Their jobs is done and the buyer has paid the 6% site usage fee immediately.

If the sale doesn't go through for whatever reason they keep their fee and the buyer loses this fee. Now unless the car is sold cheap I am not sure I see the point as a buyer. It is a private sale so the same as buying from Ebay, PH, AT or any normal traditional car ad site. Except with those you have not paid a 6% upfront in effect.

As a seller you take the pictures and provide details for the ad. They never see or appraise the car, seller or buyer. If you use their photographer you pay for this extra. There are loads of T&C's that they get their 6% one way or another from buyer or seller if a live listing is started and you try to pull out at any point.

Not sure I would look to buy a car on there although I might sell one as long as a reserve was set also set high enough.

Anyone bought one on there or have any thoughts?

Well it doesn't seem like the process is very supportive of the "blind" buyer so whilst I have bought many a car without seeing it i think i'd pass on the "Collecting Cars" approach from the info you've given.

 

[rockits]

Agreed Wattie, seems like a good business and process for CC primarily, followed by seller next then buyer last. Who buys a car blind these days for any reasonable money without even seeing, driving or getting it inspected first. You even get more than that at a traditional physical car auction. Unless you are buying from a dealer with warranty which could work OK.

Mine is a weird one as it wasn't hard to work out from the sellers nametag who the seller was. A bit of googling around and I was able to contact him direct. I could go and view, drive and inspect the car but it is half the way up the other side of the country and I would need to do it by Friday which isn't going to happen.

Can't see this business surviving much longer. Good concept to an extent but flawed in process and what it offers in reality.