When enquiring about a car..

[DWDarkWheels]

As a buyer.
I never, ever, enquire about a car unless I'm serious about it.
If the car is advertised for more than I'm prepared to pay, I'll not even enquire about it. I'd be wasting everyone's time.
When I enquire about it, it's to ask to view it, not ask a load of questions that I can answer myself by looking at the car.
I never, ever talk money until after I've looked at it in the flesh. I'll pay what something is worth, not the lowest price I can screw someone for.

As a seller.
Pet peeve 1. "Is it still for sale?" texts. Ask the second question you have in mind, please. If it's not for sale, I'll tell you that. Some of us choose to stay on PAYG, so text tennis eats into my credit. I'm not skint by any means, but it can take an evening to pass on the information you could have gained in a 90 second phone call.
Pet peeve 2. People talking money without viewing the car (or any other item for that matter). How do you know what a car is worth if you haven't viewed it. "What's your best price?" or "Will you take £x" makes me think you spend the evening hunting out desperate sellers so you can make a quick buck for yourself, so will not get a reply from me.
I hate advertising stuff for sale and hate getting contacted about it, 'cos chances are it'll be a gouger.
Genuinely interested buyers who play a straight game get a deal from me.

Sorry, I felt the need for a rant

 

[corsacj]

I text first, mostly because I'm busy or if I'm back at home theres feck all service. Definitely texting with your spelling and punctuation correct makes a difference, and I normally apologise for not ringing and if the car sounds decent ill go out of the house and get some decent signal and ring lol.

I sell a good whack of parts/cars online and as per this thread "much 2nyt m8 fr d motr" or similar normally wont yield much of a reply.

If something goes on too long, I'd stop replying and if theyre genuinely interested they will make an effort to ring and view

 

[chrisd1]

A genuine buyer will make a call and come view the car... txts is now way of life, but soon know the difference between a waster and genuine txter.

The only thing i hate, and never do myself, is talk money on the phone... come and view it then talk... unless it's over in England or something it's a bit different

 

[Ian A]

The last few times I've sold anything meaningful, before I answer the any of the person's questions, I ask, "Are you genuinely interested / going to buy this?" If their answer is anything other than a definite yes, I don't really respond. Wasted too much time giving detailed descriptions to people who are just nosey.

Also would usually drop a text first asking if the car is still available and when's convenient to call.

 

[Überdub]

Easier to ask direct questions and get direct answers while some um and ah on the phone.

Some people who are genuinely alright write their texts in semi-txt spk; a pet-hate of mine. Shifty buggers usually sound shifty when answering questions. I'd usually text someone to ask if they're free to discuss their advertised car/ item. I treat texts as a way of contacting someone unobtrusively first.

Plus you have a text log to read through and compose questions

That sentence made me cringe a little. I'd try to put the most relevant information in the ad and make sure the photographs are of useful quality, so for me, the next step is to find out a few things by phoning and anything else by viewing. A heap of questions needing written answers would grind my gears and put me of offering discount that I might extend to someone else.

 

[Nazor]

Talking money over the phone or text is something i hate. If i see a car and i see the price if i decide to call I need to be happy that i can afford the car within a few hundred of the listed price.

Someone recently came to look at my car and started off by making a very low offer - not much haggling later i told the person my absolute bottom price on the car and they decided to come up a little but not enough - the deal wasn't done. I told the person to have a think on it and if they wanted it we could do a deal at the bottom price i mentioned - i then got a text today offering less than his first initial offer. I mean what kinda BS is that - made me laugh I have to say.

 

[RoniN]

With regards to the "What's your best price?" "whats the least you'll take" or the "give you £1000 cash today" (for a car advertised at £2000ono) texting brigade I only reply with "price is negotiable upon viewing" and you never hear back from them again because their timewasters imho.

Cheers

 

[collyirwin11]

Had a young fella ask me to drive the untaxed, uninsured car from Belfast to Derry and meet him half way to let him "have a look at her"

He couldn't get the simple fact that the car wasn't moving from my house until sold or test driven

Had the same issue when selling a car for my friend. Fella asks if ill meet him at a set location, i said "sorry, i dont really wish to drive the car any great distance as I'm not insured to do so", explained the circumstances of the sale that it was a friends car, he had moved away and insurance had lapsed and I was merely selling it, he replied "ah ok, well can you meet me (another location which was even further away from me) then?" I repeated my above statement! The thing for me was that I wasn't even that far from him and he wanted me to bring the car to him incase he got lost finding my house!!

 

[Smurf.]

IMO not accepting texts is pretty silly nowadays to be fair. Get with the times 90% of people would text first then ring...

I'll sell to the other 10% then.
So how would you go about buying a car out of a dealers? Text hursts etc?
Theres alot of ads stating ' no texts please '

 

[gsmith]

If something's for sale text message phone call make little difference to me. Many a cheap car I've had has been sold within a few texts. I find with the more expensive stuff you'll get a message or 2 and if the buyer is genuine usually you will get a call. I know off a guy who has only ever bought cars an organised times to view purely through text messages simply because he doesn't like to talk to people on the phone if something's for sale it doesn't take much effort to reply via a text you'll get tyre kickers through phone calls as much as texts.

 

[johnboy888]

I can't see a problem in texting asking if a car is still for sale and if it is then ringing.

my own problem at the minute would be wanting a new (to me) car but not knowing exactly what. a car might seem ideal on paper but when for example sat in the driving position might not suit me therefore I would not buy it - would that make me a timewaster albeit unintentionally ??

 

[Eager]

I can't see a problem in texting asking if a car is still for sale and if it is then ringing.

my own problem at the minute would be wanting a new (to me) car but not knowing exactly what. a car might seem ideal on paper but when for example sat in the driving position might not suit me therefore I would not buy it - would that make me a timewaster albeit unintentionally ??

Nop. Ya view a car to see if ya like it. Bit like walking around a shoe shop. Try the shoes on, if ya like them ya buy them.

.

If a seller can't hack this then they should trade it in at a dealer

But trying on shoes ya know ya can't afford is another story

And if possible waste a dealers time. Not a private individual. That's what dealers are there for, among other things


From a different angle. It's always the buyer gets labeled time waster. Perhaps the car is crap and mis advertised, only time waster is the seller there. Probably some how still manage to call the buyer the time waster though. Like the s14 I flew to England for a while ago that genuinely had newspaper in the sills, zero boost etc.

 

[Lyons]

IMO not accepting texts is pretty silly nowadays to be fair. Get with the times 90% of people would text first then ring...

I sold my TT to a guy in his 40's that did all communicating via text. I was convinced it was going nowhere, but stuck with it because you just don't know who is on the other end.

 

[johnm]

I would text a couple of times to get info on it, then call.
I've agreed to buy and a price for motors before solely by text. Its just handier than having to make a call.
Most people use whatsapp too, so can send photo's for free (and generally quicker) on it if you have WIFI, so no text charge if your worried about that.
When your doing other things its a lot more convienant.
I seriously hate talking on the phone too, things do my head in.

If it was something i was really interested in I would call though, and im same as only a couple it seems. I would give my 'around this amount' price just so the seller knows what to expect when I land up. If they dont like it, no problem.
then when I get up would haggle a bit more .

Always find just taking out the cash on the first good & low offer works 99% of the time.

 

[Sonny]

I enquired about my first Megane, it had just been traded in. Dealer told me to come up and have a look if I wanted but it hadn't been cleaned/serviced yet. Called up, it still had the previous owners botle of BPM in the footwell, a paintbrush set and two tins of paint in the boot. Took it a drive and it was 100%, dealer said I could have it for £xxx less if I wanted to take it today (i'd have been happy to pay what he was asking). Discount paid for service items and few tanks of petrol

RenaultSport Megane, enquired on their website, received a text asking when I was available to test drive it. Arranged a time, turned up, car sitting just washed in a well lit shed an left me to nosey around it then took it for a decent test drive around some back roads in Comber. Agreed to pay his asking price and picked it up the next week, also called up a second time before collection just to have another nosey at it

Working with dealers = bliss

Only ever bought runabout ***** privately, selling privately = "mch u tke cash da nite mucker?"

I had someone over me over £1k less and then say it was "top book price mate" which book he was reading I don't know!

 

[Graham2]

I had someone over me over £1k less and then say it was "top book price mate" which book he was reading I don't know!

@Jas Lad ?

 

[Peadar]

I've sold many cars through texts, £20k+ cars which started by text. Any seller who doesn't reply to texts is just turning away potential sales. Texts in everyday life wind me up no end tho, like people who I have a convo with over text for hours which could be sorted in a 30 sec phonecall! All that texting back and forth does my head in.

The only time I would talk money on the phone is if the car is in England etc.. or more than a 4hr drive away.

What boils my blood is the 'what's the lowest you'll take' people. They get told the price I have it advertised for. If somebody's standing looking at the car a deal will be done. I've had people offer me 3-4k less than advertised on a good few occasions, usually from dealers in England. They get told to f*ck off.

 

[Coog]

One or two messages asking if it's still for sale and when's the best time to view, etc is different than sending enough texts/emails to decide whether a car is 'scrap' or not. I very much doubt that many of us would entertain a textathon with someone asking that many questions.

I think I'd also stop replying, even if it was a cracking motor. Would just think it's a piss take or someone with very little to be at. Certainly if they call me I'd happily discuss it though because 9/10 times those are the ones that turn up to view.

 

[Steve]

I sold my TT to a guy in his 40's that did all communicating via text. I was convinced it was going nowhere, but stuck with it because you just don't know who is on the other end.

Same with the Vrs, I didnt want to lose out a the sale. The string of texts was a serious length, but he showed up with cash and drove away in it.

 

[Ant]

when i was looking at getting the 3series/z4 recently nothing annoyed me more than not being able to email a few questions/get an answer back, generally theres generic questions to be asked that may not have been filled in with the advert
"when was it last serviced/next service due, mot/tax, has "insert common fault" been repaired before"
people are busy email/text means you can reply when you're free (or in a meeting trying to look busy), alright ring up to arrange a viewing but answering a few questions is no big deal.

(texting "whats your lowest price?" or equivilent is of course moronic, i'd never bother talking money over email/text especially an initial contact)

 

[mx5 turbo]

I wouldn't have a problem asking someone what sort of money they would take for a motor if their price is ono. If their description is accurate I would know in my head a max price I would pay, so why waste my time and theirs going to see it if I wouldn't pay what they want for it. All dependant on an accurate description in their ad, if i show up and it's not as described id most likely walk away as they are probably lying about other things. i dont mind recieving one or two texts if selling, and dont mind telling someone my minimum amount as I know it will wein out any time wasters who don't have the cash.

 

[KyleR]

I work evenings 5 days a week. When I'm in work I am unable to take/make calls and therefore my only chance to contact or be contacted is when 90% of the population is in work and possibly can't make/take a call. I'll happily send/receive texts regarding an item for sale, but only to an extent. If I'm selling, I don't want calls, I want texts/emails so I can reply in my time, if I'm buying I want to make a quick call to show I'm serious about it.

 

[Coog]

I've told people minimum price before and they've turned up only to use it as a base to begin bargaining from! Then got all offended when told to wise up! Now they get no response or told a completely different price, which is generally something mid way between what I'd actually take and what it's advertised for. 99/100 times the ones asking about price in a text don't buy the car anyway. I honestly think they send the same text out 50 times that day because one or two times when I did reply they text/rang back asking which car it was! WTF?!

When buying I would ask if the price is flexible then go from there. Negotiations work much better when you're in front of someone with cash willing to take the car away there and then. Text/phone bidding will only get you so far and puts you in a poorer position come actual purchase time IMO.

 

[euge07]

hate selling a car in this country , it is a nightmare.

@Eager why would you be texting @Conor about his car for sale asking for photos etc if you were only curious about it and not intending to buy??

Hate when selling anything and you get texts asking if its still available or best price and as soon as you reply you never hear back

 

[Lee]

The thing that annoys me the most is sellers who just assume everyone is a timewaster/can't afford. In that case, I'll just take my cash elsewhere.