The figaro is going (on ebay if any of you are out of your freaking minds in the market) and she’s had an approach from a german bloke who seems to buy/sell motors a fair bit. Looks legit, has made an offer, low at the minute but there are a few competing and she’s gone back looking for more. What to we need to check – he’s looking at bank transfer by the sounds of things – as the seller that sounds pretty low risk? Offer’s ab it ;ower than some others but turn around looks like it would be quick – funds cleared before collection etc? Are we about to get monumentally bummed or what?

Thanks in advance I look forward to hearing your positive and encouraging advice

24 hours until a bank transfer can’t be cancelled

link?

For background info – bank transfer is a very common way of doing that sort of thing in germany.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blue-Nissan-Figaro-classic-retro-style-classic-convertable-car-1991-used-daily-/161632244455?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item25a20852e7#ht_594wt_1251

You asked for it.

Cranberry, Ampthill cheers, worth knowing

Not really all that relevant to your question, more of a general observation really.

Why do people selling cars list a load of things that need fixing, and then tell you that the parts are really easy to buy, dirt cheap, and take seconds to fit ?

If that was me selling, and it was that easy, I’d be doing it myself and getting a greatly improved price for a car that’s all sorted.

Why do people selling cars list a load of things that need fixing, and then tell you that the parts are really easy to buy, dirt cheap, and take seconds to fit ?

If that was me selling, and it was that easy, I’d be doing it myself and getting a greatly improved price for a car that’s all sorted.

Because when dealing with car’s that old you’re really selling it to the person who values their time the least and values the finished car the most (or doesnt mind the faults in the first place, but he’s bidding/buying gainst people who do). Take my MG, it needs a complete suspension rebuild all round.

Cost of Parts £800
Time taken ~4 hours per corner
Value added ~£1000.

Clearly it’s not worth me doing in order to sell it unless I value my time at under £12.50/hour, and it’s not an MOT failure so could be sold, but anyone buying is mentaly knocking off the £800 it’ll cost off the value of a perfect car plus whatever they value 2 days of their time at.

If it’s a financial decision rather than a hobby (i.e. your selling it) fixing classic cars is never going to make you money.

So to paraphrase your last sentance:

If that was me selling, and it was that easy, I’d be doing it myself and getting little or no impovment in the sale price for what probably turned out to be a lot of quite expensive work [s]a greatly improved price for a car that’s all sorted[/s].

Back to the MG, a good one (mine) is about £4k, a really absolutely fantasticaly mint one £6k, a show winner £10k+, the difference is you could probably spend £40k+ to get from an alright one to the show winner. It’s a law of diminishing returns, but the starting point is in the past before you even bought it.

Nail on head a mint figaro 8-9k tops to get ours like that 5-6k doing the work yourself getting someone else to do it 10-12k – but also it’s an enthusiasts game so as a fellow enthusiast you don’t want to be giving out BS about condition. Have a look in the classifieds here and you’ll see comments of a similar nature (this or that needs doing but CBA etc)

Take my MG, it needs a complete suspension rebuild all round.

Not really the type of things I was talking about.

I’m talking

“Trim piece missing, dead easy to fit and costs a few quid on eBay”

“One hubcap missing, £4 each via eBay”

Stuff like that.

I like “XYZ is broken, will be fixed by the end of the auction”

So why mention it at all then?

Just an example as ive got a box of springs and dampers waiting in the shed and the CC is still smouldering. But even once that’s done there’d be 20 other £5 jobs to do, and there’s little chance it’ll actually add any value. On a 2 year old Audi maybe a £5 bit of trim is all it needs to make it imaculate, on a 20yr old car you’re selling into a market that either isn’t bothered about a scratched bumper or knows what it costs to replace, so it goes to the person who can repair it cheapest or cares least about the fault.

Eh? So a 2k car + 1 £4 quidhub cap is now worth what? Let’s say er….mmmm….ahhh….£2k? Have a word.

Anyway I am about to get sausaged by this bavarian?

Eh? So a 2k car + 1 £4 quidhub cap is now worth what? Let’s say er….mmmm….ahhh….£2k? Have a word.

I was “having a word” and just trying to help a bit.

But you don’t seem to like it.

Just saying that a few simple things like re attaching trim and hubcaps etc. cost a few quid and half an hour of your time, and maybe they won’t increase the value, but less negatives to mention in the listing, may mean more people interested in buying.

And certainly less things for a buyer to use when haggling with you.

Just saying that a few simple things like re attaching trim and hubcaps etc. cost a few quid and half an hour of your time, and maybe they won’t increase the value, but less negatives to mention in the listing, may mean more people interested in buying.

And certainly less things for a buyer to use when haggling with you.
I agree entirely, its similar to selling used bike parts for example if 2 people are selling a used XT derailleur at the same price both in good working order , 1 is covered in crap and generally looks poor in the pictures, the other has been cleaned and nice photos taken which is going to be more attractive to prospective buyers?

Saying that the last 2 cars(Kangoo Van & Renault Modus) I bought were both pretty much mechanically sound but poorly presented, dirty inside and flat paint, bits of trim damaged etc, but bought cheap because of this which is fine as I’m the kind of person who doesnt mind spending time fixing them up especially when I ended up selling the Kangoo for a profit.