Bidding for a car on Ebay

AliceBanned

GDB2222 wrote: »

I scrapped a Fiat Punto a while ago and got £200 for it. If that's the figure for this Fiesta, it does rather limit your downside risk!

It was a mistake buying that Fiat, only relieved by the joy of getting rid of it.

I doubt the Fiesta would be worth that for scrap. I scrapped one a few years ago and got £100 but scrap values are lower now than they were.

As I mentioned it is also the hassle. I don't get a good feeling about the people because some things don't add up so why should I benefit them and let them take me for an idiot?! If things were more transparent Imight have gone ahead but they've made no efforts to provide me with the information that they supposedly have on the car, so I am walking away.

GDB2222

AliceBanned wrote: »

I didn't buy it. I don't have loads of knowledge but I don't know anyone with more. What expectations?

Expectations that a car sold for £300 isn't a pile of rubbish.

It's unlikely to be a complete scam, as it's an awful lot of trouble to go to just to defraud someone of £300. But it is quite likely to have problems. The car is nearly twenty years old, after all.

If a dealer is selling as a dealer, he's not going to be able to sell at that price and give the usual dealer warranties. Would you still be interested in buying at £1000, though?

GDB2222

AliceBanned wrote: »

I doubt the Fiesta would be worth that for scrap. I scrapped one a few years ago and got £100 but scrap values are lower now than they were.

As I mentioned it is also the hassle. I don't get a good feeling about the people because some things don't add up so why should I benefit them and let them take me for an idiot?! If things were more transparent Imight have gone ahead but they've made no efforts to provide me with the information that they supposedly have on the car, so I am walking away.

I got multiple quotes, ranging from £100 upwards. That was a fe years ago, I agree.

iammumtoone

AliceBanned wrote: »

As I mentioned it is also the hassle. I don't get a good feeling about the people because some things don't add up so why should I benefit them and let them take me for an idiot?! If things were more transparent Imight have gone ahead but they've made no efforts to provide me with the information that they supposedly have on the car, so I am walking away.

But you wouldn't be taken for an idiot as you would realise you were taking a gamble and it would have been your choice to go ahead. You would only be seen as an 'idiot' if you went and expected a perfect car with warranty for that price.

To be fair to the seller it is only a few hundred quid, if the value was 1000s I am sure they would have been more organised with the paperwork to hand. Most people looking for a car at that price are not so worried about these things, they know the paperwork is available as it is included as part of the ebay sale so if its not there on collection, they can walk away (what difference does physically seeing it make?)

Perhaps you are better buying from a dealer so at least you have some comeback (although you only have to read posts on here to see even thats not easy). You will pay more for the car but if it puts your mind at rest it will be worth it to you.

GDB2222

I found the auction listing on ebay. To be frank, it looks terrific for £250, and I'd be surprised if the auction completes at that price. If I needed a car for not much money, I'd definitely bid for it.

If I won the auction, I would take a mechanic along to check it over before handing over the ackers. Even with some defects, it's still worth over £250.

A Ford Fiesta Finesse, if anyone else is looking for it.

EdGasket

AliceBanned wrote: »

I didn't buy it. I don't have loads of knowledge but I don't know anyone with more. What expectations?

You have done the right thing. Getting a good cheap car is as much about the person selling it as the car itself. If you don't get a good feeling, walk away.

AliceBanned

GDB2222 wrote: »

Expectations that a car sold for £300 isn't a pile of rubbish.

It's unlikely to be a complete scam, as it's an awful lot of trouble to go to just to defraud someone of £300. But it is quite likely to have problems. The car is nearly twenty years old, after all.

If a dealer is selling as a dealer, he's not going to be able to sell at that price and give the usual dealer warranties. Would you still be interested in buying at £1000, though?

Well thanks for your input but obviously I don't have that expectation otherwise I would have bought it on face value. They had half the log book missing and wouldn't let me test drive it!! Not too much to ask having the basics really whether it is a pile of rubbish or not. Especially as I made the effort to look at it before bidding.

AliceBanned

EdGasket wrote: »

You have done the right thing. Getting a good cheap car is as much about the person selling it as the car itself. If you don't get a good feeling, walk away.

Exactly and if they don't have enough goodwill to let me test drive it or see the whole logbook and service history that they claimed they had, i'd be a fool to just buy it because it looks in quite good condition. There's just no transparency, old banger or not, that is the least I expect.

AliceBanned

GDB2222 wrote: »

I found the auction listing on ebay. To be frank, it looks terrific for £250, and I'd be surprised if the auction completes at that price. If I needed a car for not much money, I'd definitely bid for it.

If I won the auction, I would take a mechanic along to check it over before handing over the ackers. Even with some defects, it's still worth over £250.

A Ford Fiesta Finesse, if anyone else is looking for it.

I wonder whether that's why they are offering to deliver it if I bought it?!


'It looks terrific' doesn't really mean much when there is no history, no test drive, and the owner isn't even on the log book or at that address. I also think with Ebay you can't easily walk away after winning a bid - not without getting a bad buyer rating anyway.


It's obvious he is a dealer masquerading as a private seller and that's just sharp practice.

AliceBanned

iammumtoone wrote: »

But you wouldn't be taken for an idiot as you would realise you were taking a gamble and it would have been your choice to go ahead. You would only be seen as an 'idiot' if you went and expected a perfect car with warranty for that price.

To be fair to the seller it is only a few hundred quid, if the value was 1000s I am sure they would have been more organised with the paperwork to hand. Most people looking for a car at that price are not so worried about these things, they know the paperwork is available as it is included as part of the ebay sale so if its not there on collection, they can walk away (what difference does physically seeing it make?)

Perhaps you are better buying from a dealer so at least you have some comeback (although you only have to read posts on here to see even thats not easy). You will pay more for the car but if it puts your mind at rest it will be worth it to you.

I disagree. It's not too much to ask, if I travelled there to see it, to be able to view the documents before bidding. I've been to dealers who have let me sit in their office looking at the service history. It's just good manners if nothing else. I thought the point with cars on ebay is you view them before bidding and then decide.


There is no real comeback from dealers so no it wouldn't put my mind at rest. They just add on £500-1000 for a warranty that is meaningless on older cars.