Used Car Selling Rant

[RustyBucket]

I bought my CB7 in order to save money on fuel because my Infiniti Q45 is a ferocious gas pig. As soon as I bought the CB, I put the Q45 up on local classifieds in the hopes of a quick sale. That process has turned into a long drawn out process of lowballers, flakes and other annoyances.

Part of my problem is that I bought this car on the Prairies and took it with me to the East Coast, where cars don't typically last more than 10 years. This means that people are too cheap to pay decent money for anything more than 10 years old, despite the fact that it came from somewhere where they don't salt the crap out of the roads.

It looks like I may finally sell the Q tonight for the same price I bought my CB7 for, which is less than half what I paid for the bloody thing 2 years ago. (My CB7 is 2 years older, in similar condition and the new price was probably half what the Q went for new) This is assuming, of course, that this buyer doesn't flake out on me. At this point, I am taking this less than ideal offer because it will finally get the car gone and also mean my wife will stop bothering me about it.

What the hell has happened to calling back when you'll say you'll call back? What has happened to paying a fair price for something when you know it is worth it? When I bought my CB7, I paid the seller his asking price, because, while it was a bit on the high end for the age of the car, I was paying the price for condition, not age. It was a fair price for a solid, clean reliable car with decent mileage.

My only consolation is that I have managed to save about $1200 in fuel costs since I have bought my CB7.

[WilliamW]

It's called a recession. Good money is hard to GET so people don't want to shell it out. Can't say I blame them. If someone really want's your car, they will pay the decent price your asking for.

[King James]

Its not just the recession.....people are just cheap bastards....Everyone wants to get the best deal possible

The drastic lowballing does get out of hand though....I was selling my civic a month ago and I constantly would get offers at a 3rd or half my asking price.

[Night Wolf]

there are cheap people out there that want new car quality at junkyard car prices. Ive dealt with them.

[LinX]

Yeah, people are facing hard times right now but to be honest, most people on craigslist are fucking cheap bastards with no sense of proper business etiquette. When I sell on CG I have a no bullshit attitude and I'm very blunt. It's first come first served. I don't call you back, you call me back. You pay cash and you figure out how to get the item off the property. All too often there are flakers and lowballers. Selling my motorcycle was a 2-week nightmare. I had people telling me they'll meet up and they have the money in hand, blah blah blah. One thing I've learned is that if people really want something, they'll conform to your price and schedule. Many times people just sell because they really need the money but I can tell you right now, I sold my bike without losing a single penny on it because I was patient. If it sells, it sells. Ironically, the actual sale was the quickest transaction where the buyer checked it out and bought it on the spot. No haggling, no bullshit appointments over the phone, just showed up and bought it.

[wed3k]

it's called not having the right car for the market.

around here, small little commuter cars and 4x4 trucks sell.

you also need to be able to present your item properly, most don't have good pictures or descriptions.

Ive had quite a few people come by and buy a vehicle on the first time.

[1990accordex-r]

Try local car forums, they usually know low balling is annoying and what the car is actually worth.

[h22sparkle]

When you go to sell a car you let the know no low-ballers if they ask if you still got the car ask them do they have the cash.

[LinX]

it's called not having the right car for the market.

around here, small little commuter cars and 4x4 trucks sell.

you also need to be able to present your item properly, most don't have good pictures or descriptions.

Ive had quite a few people come by and buy a vehicle on the first time.

hey wed3k,

A while back you were selling these black honda mugen shirts. Just wondering if you still sell them? I still got mine and I love that thing. 100% polyester means no wrinkles = no ironing.

[phatdoughnut]

I bought my CB7 in order to save money on fuel because my Infiniti Q45 is a ferocious gas pig. As soon as I bought the CB, I put the Q45 up on local classifieds in the hopes of a quick sale. That process has turned into a long drawn out process of lowballers, flakes and other annoyances.

Part of my problem is that I bought this car on the Prairies and took it with me to the East Coast, where cars don't typically last more than 10 years. This means that people are too cheap to pay decent money for anything more than 10 years old, despite the fact that it came from somewhere where they don't salt the crap out of the roads.

It looks like I may finally sell the Q tonight for the same price I bought my CB7 for, which is less than half what I paid for the bloody thing 2 years ago. (My CB7 is 2 years older, in similar condition and the new price was probably half what the Q went for new) This is assuming, of course, that this buyer doesn't flake out on me. At this point, I am taking this less than ideal offer because it will finally get the car gone and also mean my wife will stop bothering me about it.

What the hell has happened to calling back when you'll say you'll call back? What has happened to paying a fair price for something when you know it is worth it? When I bought my CB7, I paid the seller his asking price, because, while it was a bit on the high end for the age of the car, I was paying the price for condition, not age. It was a fair price for a solid, clean reliable car with decent mileage.

My only consolation is that I have managed to save about $1200 in fuel costs since I have bought my CB7.

Sounds like you are sour because you over paid for your cb, I don't really care what kind of condition an old vehicle is in I am not paying more than what its real value is due to age. In a sense, you are screwing your self if you want to sell it later down the road.

But you know what they say, you can sell anything for the right price to anyway who is a collector or hobbiest.

[RustyBucket]

Sounds like you are sour because you over paid for your cb, I don't really care what kind of condition an old vehicle is in I am not paying more than what its real value is due to age. In a sense, you are screwing your self if you want to sell it later down the road.

I don't feel like I over-paid for my CB; I do feel like I may have overpaid a bit for the Q, but at the same time, when I bought it two years ago, I felt like I got a decent price.

The big problem with the prices really is that I bought the Q in a city where used car prices are higher and I was selling it in a city where used car prices are lower. I really would have been better off selling the Q last year before I moved to the East Coast.

Accord prices are all over the map locally, including CB7 prices. I did some checking with Canadian used car values and I paid toward the upper end of what an EX-R is worth, but still below the max. The only work this car has needed was a valve cover gasket and some minor surface rust spots.

it's called not having the right car for the market.

Yep, that's probably been the biggest problem. When gas prices are high, nobody wants to buy a 17 year old V8 Luxo-Barge. The reason I was selling it (gas prices) was the same reason a lot of people were not interested in it.

At this point, I can't help but look back at when I bought the Q and think of the other options. There was an R33 Skyline GTS-T for sale for only a few thousand more (a good deal) that I decided not to go for. I can't help but think I would not have been in this situation if I had bought the Skyline.

It's all over now, though. I let the Q go for the same price I bought my CB7 for. It was just under half what I paid for it two years ago, but I will still be coming out ahead in the end since my fuel expenses are less than half what they were before.

Oh well, life goes on. I may not have gotten all the money I would have liked out of that car, but it's one less BS worry in my life that I didn't need.

Besides, now I have money to buy tickets to go visit family at Christmas.