What is it about timewasters when car selling?

[SeanyK]

Hey folks, something always bugged me, since putting the Golf up for sale, I have had 3 people just completely waste my time, ranging from can't afford it (why view it?) to just rude.

Is it a VW thing... When i've sold other cars i've had the usual tyre kickers but you can spot them a mile off, is it that people WANT to be able to afford the car, but can't? And so they almost pretend to have interest just to re-assure themselves 'one day I can drive a car like that'

... It's a rant! But just get's on my nerves, when I want to buy something, I just do it!

...Rant over, but share your stories! 

[andrewparker]

Yeah, it's totally daft. I'd just never express interest in a car I wasn't seriously interested in buying, whether via a private sale, or through a dealers.

I had people offering me money for my car, even before they had seen it, then vanishing completely and not having the decency to tell me they were no longer interested. May be they never were.

I actually don't think I'd try and sell privately again - it gives you a very bad impression of the general public!

[SeanyK]

Yeah i've had that before mate, not this car, buy on my last car a guy spent 3 days texting me to get a price haggle, agreed on one, then he vanished!

No wonder people trade it in, so much less hassle, even when they offer silly money lol

[andrewparker]

...a guy spent 3 days texting me to get a price haggle, agreed on one, then he vanished!

Yeah, exactly the same happened with me. Got some story about needing to buy a car by the weekend, he was stretching himself to the max, then after finally deciding I'd accept what he was offering I never heard from him again! Totally bizarre.

[MAT ED30]

Don't get me started on this  had one guy buy a car from me on eBay  he only lived 10 min from me so could view the car at any time he wanted before bidding,he won the car came over and tried to haggle the price down so I told him NO way you bid it's your fault  so he said no I don't want it so said fine  . Stuck the car on an owners site the same day and within 5 min of my add I get a phone call can I view it now your only 20 min away,so lad turns up at 11 at night and loved it and left deposit that night and picked it upnthe next day and I made £500 more than I did on the eBay auction  happy days for me and the lad was so happy with the car.

[Greeners]

Try doing it for a living!!! 

I tend to take most of what people say with a huge dose of salt until I have the readies in my sweaty palm!!

Certainly not worth getting to narked about!   

[PDT]

I avoid selling on pistonheads, too many kids calling and asking if you want to swap your £13k VW for a tatty 1998 Saxo with lots of tat stuck to it.

Or timewasters that come and spend 2 hours looking at the car and seem totally sold, haggle a price but then say something like: "when the compensation from my accident comes through I will have it"

[Ifti]

When I was selling my ED30 I had one guy turn up in his TTRS, saying he wanted a 4 door - tried to haggle the price down too much though.
Then I had a professional golfer - I think I scared him when I took him out for a drive though, as he swiftly asked me to pull over...... lol

[B3n]

Try doing it for a living!!! 

+1 Still makes me mad just thinking about some of the idiots I have spoken too in the past. Especially when you arrange to go in to meet a customer on your day off cos that is the only day he can make it for him not to turn up Or even have the decency to call to let you know.

And dont even get me started on the times when the RS4 and R8 were launched