Bad experiences with private car sellers

motorguy

1DayAAT wrote: »

I had been dealing with the brother of the girl who's car it was, and he had told me to text when I leave as he was going to be at a wedding. He replied to that text just before I left, saying that all was good and they'd see me soon. At no point was it ever suggested that anyone else was coming to look at it in this 1 hour time frame and I assumed it was a given that they'd hold someone off very briefly in order for me to get there. It is 99.9% certain that I would have bought and couldn't have sounded more keen. Just needed the obligatory test drive and yadda - as any smart folk should.

Yeah thats very annoying then. When i'm selling the arrangement i make is once someone is travelling, then noone else gets to see the car until they do.

Stoke

Has anyone ever bought a car that the previous owner actually left drugs in? My mate bought a Pug 206 from some rather shifty lad on Gumtree. He wasn't there, but his dad was, so he paid the money and took the car. Next day, he found a massive bag of weed in the side pocket of the door, and a small bag of cocaine under the back seat, along with a load of (what looked like) stolen stereos in the rear footwell. Despite telling the police they were probably stolen, they didn't want to know.

1DayAAT

Blimey Stoke!!
bet that kid wasn't too thrilled at his dad letting it go before it was 'cleaned' lol
No, the most exciting thing I've found is an (un-used) tampon and a disco divas CD.

DUTR

motorguy wrote: »

Yeah thats very annoying then. When i'm selling the arrangement i make is once someone is travelling, then noone else gets to see the car until they do.

I remember years back I was after a Corrado, saw one and arranged to travel from Birmingham to Buxton, got there and the seller was not there :mad: I left a note to say I had been, the guy had rung the next day to say he would be in, as it happened I had to look at one in Sutton in Ashfield, if it wasn't what I expected then I may travel across, the seller was then saying why don't I look at his and then look at the other, I reminded him that I already had planned to do that, thankfully the Sutton in Ashfiled one was suitable and a deposit was made prior to completing the sale.

Stoke

1DayAAT wrote: »

Blimey Stoke!!
bet that kid wasn't too thrilled at his dad letting it go before it was 'cleaned' lol
No, the most exciting thing I've found is an (un-used) tampon and a disco divas CD.

The kid had gone to work apparently. I drove my mate round at about 9pm to the lads house (only live about 20 minutes away on the other side of the city), but it was quite dark and it was just a case of pay the money and drive it away kind of thing. It was only the next day when he looked properly that he found the weed and when cleaning it out the cocaine under the back seat. I have a feeling the lad who owned the car had some rather shifty !!!! going on in his private life.

worried_jim

Stoke wrote: »

Has anyone ever bought a car that the previous owner actually left drugs in? My mate bought a Pug 206 from some rather shifty lad on Gumtree. He wasn't there, but his dad was, so he paid the money and took the car. Next day, he found a massive bag of weed in the side pocket of the door, and a small bag of cocaine under the back seat, along with a load of (what looked like) stolen stereos in the rear footwell. Despite telling the police they were probably stolen, they didn't want to know.

I bought a 1991 Rover 214si in 1995 as my first "proper" car (yes hg did go). On driving it home from the dealer (Reg Vardy) I found a used syringe in the back, apparently the valeter was diabetic and had a funny turn in the back when cleaning it and didn't realise it was left in there. Would rather have found a bag of Nigella though.....

fivetide

Usual issue is a car looking ok in the pics.

Went to see a VW Bora TDi as a work mile muncher. Low miles, FSH, one owner apparently.

Called about it. Guy seemed genuine but did say there was a mark on one side that 'needed a smart repair if you want a perfect car'

Despite there only being pics of one side of the thing I went to see it. Only 30 miles so no hardship but still.

arrived and it is a shed. Yes one owner - Ogilvie so millions of drivers. Massive scrape over the wheelarch where someone had turned too sharp on a post. Filthy inside. glovebox hanging off. Bits of undertray hanging down and mayo under the pil cap and a temp gauge that didn't move in 20 minutes of idling.

Chap to be fair left me looking round it and came back to see if I wanted to take it out.

I just said "lets not waste anymore of my time eh?" andtoddled off. Utter berk. I only stayed so long because I couldn't believe the state of the thing.

colino

fivetide (and others) you do realise that most three year olds coming in to independents probably looked like that when they were bought from auction or other source before they were made ready for sale? You've got to look through the grime to get the potential out of them.

AdrianC

1DayAAT wrote: »

They lived over an hour away so I text in the morning to say I was leaving and an ETA. I was about 30 minutes from their house when I received a text to say that the car had just been sold in cash!!
Why did they let anyone come and view it when my appointment was set up, let alone sell it to them! :eek:

...and...

And don't even get me started on the timewasters I had when selling my car. Eventually it went to a really nice couple, smooth as can be, but not until about 10 idiots had given me the runaround! This business seems to be a magnet for arrogance, timewasting and hassle

So you're complaining that somebody had a couple of potential buyers in parallel - whilst simultaneously complaining that many potential buyers are timewasters.

Can you see the slight problem here?

If you only had one potential lined up at any time, you'd then have a mutter about the fact that you'd "wasted several days" lining another viewing up after a timewaster.

Sure, you think you're a sound guy who isn't a timewaster. But how does somebody who doesn't know you know that?

mojod

Over the years, bought 3 cars on eBay without any problems. Lived in Spain at the time, got one there - fine, and two others where I flew to UK to complete purchase and drive back home.

In the main, people are good - but a good set of messages before committing normally is enough to let you judge what is best to do. If it doesn't "feel right", leave it.