Road side car sales

mike65

Anyone else notice a jump in the number of cars sat on verges and in driveways with a "For Sale" sign on the windscreen?

The cars in question include all types but a suprising ammount of 00 and newer reg plates on display, so cars costing maybe 10,000 upwards sat there
waiting to be hit by the unwary or at least sprayed with gravel/dirt/rocks.

Did anyone here ever use this 'cost effective' method?

Mike.

stevenmu

Yeah, I've noticed that too, especially the amount of higher value cars. I can understand for the lower end of the market, with cars under say €1000 where people aren't too fussed about the details. With the higher value cars though I'd have thought most people buying privately would be more interested in details that aren't immediatly apparent from looking at the car, ABS/traction control/airbags etc. This means you'd have to call in to ask about the car and have to listen to a whole sales pitch when it may not even be close to what you're looking for. Much easier to just use B&S/Autotrader/Internet etc to come up with a short list of cars meeting your needs to spend your time on.

Also, I'm not sure why but I'd be very suspicious of buying any car being advertised for sale like that.

jayok

I have never used this "cost-effective" method but I can see the merits. First of all people actually get to see the car. So while some cars look ick in photos they can look well in real life. Secondly, if the car is placed in the right position you will get more attention that a whole year in CBG, Buy and Sell or the Evening Hearld.

I supposed in reality it is now different to what dealers do. Stick a car on the forecourt and let people pass by and hopefully look at it. The optional extras like traction control, bypass most people and those looking for them will generally know what cars have / have not got them.

As an aside on private sales. I used to have a 04 Civic Type R and the missus has a 03 1.6 Civic purchased for €36k and €18k respectively. We were looking to change to a more family orientated CRV and approached the dealers for a tradein of two cars for the one. The cost of a new CRV was €42k (diesel one we wanted). The second hand-value of the CTR was about €30k and the other Civic was about €14k. So in reality I expect to trade the two in for one with only a small loss on the trade-in value. What do you think the best trade-in offer I got was? €35k!!!! :eek: Basically the missus car was going to be traded in for €5k. Upon harsh questioning one dealer admitted he needs to make about €4,000 on each car and my transaction would have netted him €12k. Not bad for a days work. Suffice to say I told them where to shove it. I have since sold the CTR and gotten cash for it.

Why, oh why do we use car dealers?

Eoin

stevenmu wrote:

Yeah, I've noticed that too, especially the amount of higher value cars. I can understand for the lower end of the market, with cars under say €1000 where people aren't too fussed about the details. With the higher value cars though I'd have thought most people buying privately would be more interested in details that aren't immediatly apparent from looking at the car, ABS/traction control/airbags etc. This means you'd have to call in to ask about the car and have to listen to a whole sales pitch when it may not even be close to what you're looking for. Much easier to just use B&S/Autotrader/Internet etc to come up with a short list of cars meeting your needs to spend your time on.

Also, I'm not sure why but I'd be very suspicious of buying any car being advertised for sale like that.

I'm not sure why would you be suspicious either actually.

The problem with buy and sell, CBG, newspapers etc is that people have to be looking for a car in the first place, and probably quite a specific idea of what car they want. If your car is out there in the public it may appeal to people going past who may have not have been thinking of buying that type of car, or even any car at all until they saw it.

It is free & easy to do and doesn't have to be an alternative to the other options - it can be just another option.

When I was selling my car, I left a for sale sign up in the rear windows, and got as many calls through that as I did in a three week run in CBG.

bazz26

mike65 wrote:

Anyone else notice a jump in the number of cars sat on verges and in driveways with a "For Sale" sign on the windscreen?

The cars in question include all types but a suprising ammount of 00 and newer reg plates on display, so cars costing maybe 10,000 upwards sat there
waiting to be hit by the unwary or at least sprayed with gravel/dirt/rocks.

Did anyone here ever use this 'cost effective' method?

Mike.

Have noticed this alright especially since the price of fuel started spiriling out of control over the last couple of months. This must be a factor also.

whippet

I advertised a 00 golf last year for a friend in B&Sell and Carzone, did not get one call over two weeks. Eventually I stuck a Phone number in the window and parked it on the grass outside the house (friend had left the country so didn't need the car), I reckon I got 12 interested parties in two days (both calling to the house and on the phone)

The car was sold on the second day.

subsequently my brother and father have sold cars the same way.