dont be greedy & clean your car when selling!

A

andyj007

Member
I appreciate this may press a few buttons, but just a heads up for you guys selling..
Why it pays to not be greedy..
i dont understand some people..
now i appreciate that when selling or buying a car both have got to feel they are getting a fair deal..

whilst looking for a z4 coupe, the first i looked at I made a very fair offer, we were only £200 away from each other.
i didnt want to pay more as car needed servicing inspection 2 . we didnt do the deal..

the second needed a service again ( time,not milage 3 years over) wasnt in my number 1 colour so i made at offer of 500 less.

another popped up on ebay, over priced, but none the less i offered only 500 less than the asking price, as right spec for me and colour..
it was declined.

the first contacted me to offer me car at my offer price 5 weeks later.
the second contacted me 3 weeks later to offer me car at near as damit my asking price

the third hasnt contacted me but the price has been reduced to my offer price on ebay..

unfortunately i needed a car so i purchased an 2 x1 m sport 25d as it came up and was a bonkers deal..

quite obviously I was right about my offer prices or said cars would have sold... i think people sometimes think their cars are more desirable/valuable than they are... granted if the car is mint, without a million multiple owners, low miles, doesnt need a service, it may be , but if you car does have a few things against others that do not then yours is less desirable than those.., well to me anyway. Being a bit more flexible would help shift your car. I suppose there are always those buyers that turn up and would get caught in the moment and probably buy anything... but as these cars become more enthusiast owned the chances of that are less likely..

I did have a complete bonkers viewing, i drove to bishop stortford from colchester to look at a supposedly "mint" se....i didnt want an se but it was supposedly mint.... it was filthy hadnt been cleaned in ages, curbed wheels, scuffs on front bumper and rear, and multiple door dents down both sides..... interior needed a hoover, boot was full of crap.. REALLY!!!!!!! needless to say i walked away, i was so annoyed that i essentially wasted a trip, (even gave the guy 6 hours notice i was coming to look), i texted him to tell him exactly what i though of his car selling skills & thanked him for waisting my time..

maybe its just me, but when i sell a car, i price accordingly and am fair, its immaculately presented, or the best it could be given its underlying condition condition , ive not given up looking for a z4 coupe, just got demoralised with with it all, and frustrated when cars youve looked at and made offers get re advertised for less!
so moral of the storey , for a couple of hundred pounds, 3 potential sellers could have had money in the bank..if someones got cash in their pocket, dont be greedy... i could have been in a z4, and the world would have carried on... instead ive wrote this, I dont have a z4 , and im still shaking my head over the muppet whop couldnt even be bothered to clean his car for a viewing..
all good fun really..
onwards and upwards as they say..
to make matters worse the MRs has now got so used to me having z4 coupe up on ebay, shes started looking and is now interested in getting a z4 convertible for herself... i think i may just send her to the dealership. i never thought id say this but it seems it just might be a bit easier to get a fair deal there rather than private!
 
To be honest my feeling is if you want to sell your car put some effort in and make sure that you either make it as good as possible and describe it accurately . And price it based on that. Ultimately if the price is right it will sell though. I think it's been a tough market though this year and I reduced mine by about £500 when I sold it. The guy who bought it was well chuffed with it though and said he had a blast going home.
 
On the other hand, for a couple of hundred quid, you could have had a coupe on your drive and saved yourself a frustrated post...
 
Very good post by the OP and I would have to agree.
It's not just sellers of z4 coupes but most owners think their car is worth more than it actually is.
I looked at 3 coupes recently and 2 of them were not even washed.
 
z4pilot said:
On the other hand, for a couple of hundred quid, you could have had a coupe on your drive and saved yourself a frustrated post...
Click to expand...

well this is true op, but im not frustrated, as i managed to get an unbelivable bargain car that i dint even know i wanted until it came up in a related search for the coupe. funny how things turn out..
x1 25d 8 speed auto in lemmans blue, with m sport everything, professional nav media, comfort everything, fsh 35k miles for best bit it was 42k new less than three years back and i paid 15k for it.. just been serviced too!.. and still under bmw 3 tear warranty!
goes like stink less than 6 something secs to 60 and over 50MPG! 150 road tax.. :) and the 8 speed flappy paddle auto :rofl:

23415324_2019089311711185_1660718258819990343_o.jpg
 
Years and years ago my brother asked me to go with him to look at a bike that he wanted to buy.
It was going to be his first bike and he didn't really know anything.
We turned up to see this pile of junk outside the sellers house, I wanted to walk away without even talking to the guy but my brother was blinkered just thinking this could be his first bike.
The guy walked us around his bike trying to talk it up when all I was thinking about was what I was going to have for lunch. At the end I butted in and said we were not interested. My brother looked at me shocked as he wanted it. I didn't hold back and told the guy all the problems I could see, also pointing out a few things that would fail an MOT even though it had a new one on it. The biggest issue I could see was that the crankcase had a bit missing at the sprocket cover, which was also missing along with the chainguard, indicators and lots of other things.
At the end the guy said how much would you offer for it as I want it gone and I said nothing we don't want it, you have wasted our time.
He actually looked very surprised that he didn't get cash in his hand.
 
thats a great storey, sadly i have a similar storey but was not as savy as you... i went and looked at a heep of srubbish xr3i back in the day on my own and purchased the car. it had a horrible noise coming from the engine, but was told it was the exhaust rubbing!
it was £4600 in 1990.
two days later i called in an exhaust garage, it was not that, 1 week later the engine blew, 1500 of ford new engine required!!

at the time it was gutting, im more cringing now, what the hell was i thinking!!!! :headbang:
i would like to say i learned my lesson there, but sadly over the years ive still made stupid impulse buys :rofl: having said that some have worked out brilliant, others not so..
 
z4pilot said:
On the other hand, for a couple of hundred quid, you could have had a coupe on your drive and saved yourself a frustrated post...
Click to expand...
+1
Surely the time and money on fuel makes any saving achieved by not buying negligible.
Unfortunately I think the OP shot themselves in the foot here and the whole post sounds like someone trying to convince themselves they have done the right thing. It also comes across as quite patronising, at the end of the day pricing is very subjective to say the very least, particularly with low volume niche models and there's plenty of members on here with vast car selling experience who don't need a lecture.

Buying the x1 instead at any price does smack of the OP not actually being that serious about the coupe. The X1 is nice, my wife has the same engine etc in a 125d but they are chalk and cheese and I can't imagine jumping into one when actually looking for a zed. Clearly his heart wasn't really set on one which actually seems to be quite unusual with this type of car. Buyer generally at the very least want a sports coupe, if not a zed then an alternative like the Cayman etc.
 
I've just sold my mum's Honda Jazz (my Dad passed away last month so she's keeping his newer Hyundia i20). I spent two days giving it a full detail and it sold to the first person who viewed it. We got a fair price for it and they got a great car, presented the way I'd like to see a car if I was buying it. If you don't want to put the effort in, sell it to WBAC, and just accept you'll get several hundreds/thousands less than you would if you put a bit of elbow grease in.

Not sure the diesel will be such a great buy. They're dropping like a stone in the used market and are about to get hammered in the budget, which will make them fall in value even more. But that's a different question and debate.
 
I try to make every effort to sell a car. Clean it inside and out.

I suppose it all depends on whether you are happy to wait to get the asking amount or you need a quick sale.

My bug bear is when things are described as perfect condition and it's dented, scratched and generally abused!
 
Preaching to the converted here - occasionally we get members joining just to sell their Zed and the advert is woeful, but usually the sales ads on here present immaculate Zeds and give comprehensive details - even showing photos of any minor flaws.
 
"Unfortunately I think the OP shot themselves in the foot here and the whole post sounds like someone trying to convince themselves they have done the right thing. It also comes across as quite patronising, at the end of the day pricing is very subjective to say the very least, particularly with low volume niche models and there's plenty of members on here with vast car selling experience who don't need a lecture.
Buying the x1 instead at any price does smack of the OP not actually being that serious about the coupe."[/i]


Bit wide of the mark there Mack, but fair comment to make...
apologies if i sounded patronising was not my attention..
regarding the Z i can assure you i was and am still serious about getting Z, i really like them..
luckily for me it doesnt have to be my only car...
i love my cars, i cherish them, clean, polish and spend far more money on them than i ever get back..
I know my cars and my engines, and have a few to play with one of my favourites is my Lotus evora ... sublime
the Z was is to be more of a daily driver, looks good, unlikely to lose any value, just servicing/ maintenance
i refuse to buy a car from someone who really doesnt care for it, has been neglected and it is unprepared..
for instance if i get a stone chip, i repair it, if it needs tires it gets them... the same brand and make across each wheel.. not some ditch finders.. i found on one car!
these cars are enthusiast owned, hardly an enthusiast if you cant even be bothered to clean your car before i come view it..


the service folders are in order, and all reciepts are kept.
i have no problem going to buy a car if it needs a service, for instance if the two id looked at if they had been serviced i would happily have paid the asking price,but instead, i was expected to take them, pay for the service, take a risk nothing else comes up... and therefore id expect them to be liitle less to buy than others comparable that were all ok..

ive already been offered more for the x1 than i paid for it when i took it to the local BMW garage for a pre warranty end check, which was the reason i purchased it.. why on earth i need to justifi it on here over a z4 when im still looking for one is beyond my thinking capicity.

Diesel isnt going anywhere, dont kid yourselves it is.. we convinced ourselves from all the scare mongering year or so a year back, and brought the wife new petrol car... so we have that base covered.. but petrol cars wont pull my track day car, wont run my vans, and certainly wont plough the fields...or deliver your tescos shopping and all your goods, the govt misled us spectacular on diesel 10 years back, we all jumped on board... no doubt the same thing will happen petrol again and then electric... i buy what suits me best, at the time of my needs, and what gives me a warm buzzy feeling inside.

again apologies if i sounded patronising it was not ment to be that way.. but as with all internet posts, people read things and interpret them differently

Aj
 
andyj007 said:
z4pilot said:
On the other hand, for a couple of hundred quid, you could have had a coupe on your drive and saved yourself a frustrated post...
Click to expand...

well this is true op, but im not frustrated, as i managed to get an unbelivable bargain car that i dint even know i wanted until it came up in a related search for the coupe. funny how things turn out..
x1 25d 8 speed auto in lemmans blue, with m sport everything, professional nav media, comfort everything, fsh 35k miles for best bit it was 42k new less than three years back and i paid 15k for it.. just been serviced too!.. and still under bmw 3 tear warranty!
goes like stink less than 6 something secs to 60 and over 50MPG! 150 road tax.. :) and the 8 speed flappy paddle auto :rofl:

23415324_2019089311711185_1660718258819990343_o.jpg
Click to expand...

I had a manual X1 23d MSport ... ex Press car so mega spec

Was a fabulous car .. you’ll enjoy that
 
I can feel the OP’s frustration though

I saw a lovely car online .. spoke to the owner .. seemed genuine and car was allegedly mint and had a full service history

I agreed a price based on seeing it and it being as described .... I then drove 300 miles to see it

Mmmm ... well yes it was full service history .... once

Seemed it had been laid up or hardly used for a number of years before this chap bought it and just started using it .. so it had last had its oil changed 7 years earlier !!

Also I’d specifically asked if it had any warning lights on the dash and been told it hasn’t .. yup lit up like a Xmas tree

Oh and the flanks has more ripples than a Cadbury’s flake

I discovered that my idea of mint and others ideas are worlds apart ... buying a good car is hard work at times !
 
price is the price, sure it can be strange disputing over £200 on a £5000 car, but perhaps none of these sellers were in a rush to sell, and you weren't really in a rush to buy!

I've been on the other side of the fence once, had a trader come up to view a car I was selling, he proceeded to point out all the bad points then offer a price I wasn't prepared to accept. I think he offered £5,400 and I wasn't going to take less than £5,500. to be fair I didn't really like him that much, but he's the one who'd travelled all the distance... in the end he went home empty handed.

sold it two weeks later to a nice chap from Bristol, who wasn't the least bit worried about a bit of overspray on a panel, for £5,450. sure it was only £50 more than the other guy, but I felt a lot better about it.

personally I normally only go look at cars if I'm prepared to pay the full asking price, indeed I'd never take less cash than the asking price. I'd normally try and haggle a deal, but its the sellers call at the end of the day - normally its you who go to them, not really any hardship on them if you go home empty handed. If you're travelling a long way to view a car, do it knowing theres a risk you're going away empty handed.
 
"Oh and the flanks has more ripples than a Cadbury’s flake"

:rofl: :rofl: great explanation

i think it really comes down to the add...
if you list the following that turns out untrue, you cant really expect the buyer to not want to pay what youve asked.. as the advert has misled..
if any imperfection are listed, then the buyer has a choice to view or not..

FSH means that...stmmped book with reciepts, not that its over due a service from three years back, and its not fsh if your local gaareg has done an oil change only. whens its due an unosection at BMW! . if its stamped by tom dicks garage in no man lands then a receipt to back up would be good, or at least the MOt certificates to indicate it lived in the same area as the service garage.
immaculate condition means that, a scuff, rip in seat leather, stone chips are not immaculate. better to list as great condition for age, minor stone chips, and scuff in rear bumper, (with photos to highlight) its all about expectations..
one of my cherrished cars is immaculate, the others id class as fantastic condition with little wear commiserate with age.. one or two small stone chips, , immaculate interior, FSH all receipts & old mots.. all documented in a nice folder etc etc..
considering some z4 i looked at, i think i can safely describe my cars as "showroom new condition.... " :D

oh and ONO means you will take an offer... not £25 off a 10k car
 
andyj007 said:
"Unfortunately I think the OP shot themselves in the foot here and the whole post sounds like someone trying to convince themselves they have done the right thing. It also comes across as quite patronising, at the end of the day pricing is very subjective to say the very least, particularly with low volume niche models and there's plenty of members on here with vast car selling experience who don't need a lecture.
Buying the x1 instead at any price does smack of the OP not actually being that serious about the coupe."[/i]


Bit wide of the mark there Mack, but fair comment to make...
apologies if i sounded patronising was not my attention..
regarding the Z i can assure you i was and am still serious about getting Z, i really like them..
luckily for me it doesnt have to be my only car...
i love my cars, i cherish them, clean, polish and spend far more money on them than i ever get back..
I know my cars and my engines, and have a few to play with one of my favourites is my Lotus evora ... sublime
the Z was is to be more of a daily driver, looks good, unlikely to lose any value, just servicing/ maintenance
i refuse to buy a car from someone who really doesnt care for it, has been neglected and it is unprepared..
for instance if i get a stone chip, i repair it, if it needs tires it gets them... the same brand and make across each wheel.. not some ditch finders.. i found on one car!
these cars are enthusiast owned, hardly an enthusiast if you cant even be bothered to clean your car before i come view it..


the service folders are in order, and all reciepts are kept.
i have no problem going to buy a car if it needs a service, for instance if the two id looked at if they had been serviced i would happily have paid the asking price,but instead, i was expected to take them, pay for the service, take a risk nothing else comes up... and therefore id expect them to be liitle less to buy than others comparable that were all ok..

ive already been offered more for the x1 than i paid for it when i took it to the local BMW garage for a pre warranty end check, which was the reason i purchased it.. why on earth i need to justifi it on here over a z4 when im still looking for one is beyond my thinking capicity.

Diesel isnt going anywhere, dont kid yourselves it is.. we convinced ourselves from all the scare mongering year or so a year back, and brought the wife new petrol car... so we have that base covered.. but petrol cars wont pull my track day car, wont run my vans, and certainly wont plough the fields...or deliver your tescos shopping and all your goods, the govt misled us spectacular on diesel 10 years back, we all jumped on board... no doubt the same thing will happen petrol again and then electric... i buy what suits me best, at the time of my needs, and what gives me a warm buzzy feeling inside.

again apologies if i sounded patronising it was not ment to be that way.. but as with all internet posts, people read things and interpret them differently

Aj
Click to expand...
I appreciate your not going to agree with me but im not sure where you going with most of the above, other than to effectively repeat your first post justifying your buying decisions.
The heart of the matter is in your original post you basically didn't buy for the sake of £200. Money you've probably wasted most if not all of on fuel now anyway with further viewings etc not to mention your time and hassle. You mention nothing about it being the condition of the car involved. Just that it was ready for a service, which isnt huge money.
I honestly cant see how anyone wouldnt regret that decision now. Yes hindsight is wonderful but on reflection it is a mistake. However you've been given a second bite of the cherry, if he's now offering it to you at what you would have paid a few weeks back and your still in the market, why haven't you bought it?

Buying the x1 makes alot more sense now you've told us the zed is to be a second car etc. The way you initially explained yourself in the first post didn't. You said you were in the market for a zed but couldnt get one that you thought was the right price, you needed a car so bought an X1 that you thought was reasonably priced. It did come across as one or the other, not that you were in the market for two vehicles.
Not sure where I went wide of the mark based on what was initially written.
 
Completely agree with you on this one, prices need to be reflective of current market value which at the moment is low.... it really is a buyers market currently and there are plenty of coupes to choose from given their low production volume!

Personally I think you should advertise your car at a higher price but you need to be negotiable on the price... advertising at a low price can actually put buyers off as it may elude to the car having undeclared issues, and instead offered as 'a bargain' or 'priced to sell' whereas it's actually a total shed! We all know if something appears to good to be true it often is...
 
Glad you are happy with your purchase OP, not the car I would have picked personally but you had your reasons which is fair enough.

I had that engine in my 123d back in the day so I know it well, I didn't keep it long though it didn't excite me enough to keep it.

totally different car to the Z4 though so you can't really compare.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy the new car and hopefully one day you will get a coupe :)
 
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