Comments on Cars for Sale

[Carbon]

I have seen a few For Sale posts where the seller gets upset when people comment on the condition of the car or the price.

the latest one here: http://www.bmwfanatics.co.za/showthread.php?tid=72456&page=2

Being a BM fanatic we opt to advertise here first so that a fellow fanatic can appreciate the effort put into a project.
Interested buyers will be furnished with all the necessary information, like the parts on back order from BMW Germany (no stock in SA) - paid for already.

My last vehicle I sold here about 5 years ago was an E28 M5(still regret it) which sold to a fanatic before hitting the gum or olx. This is the reason I opted to advertise here in case there were interested parties on the forum, not for critics to offer negative or opinionated views of the vehicle.

Pls guys try to take the sellers effort, capital outlay & sentimental attachments into mind before creating a negative vibe on a post.

Thx to those who have inboxed me & called for further information as a personalized approach is always better when dealing with our beloved BM's

Just my 2c worth on here.. and ive said it before, I think many have said it before. And I dont know the seller or seen the car in the flesh..

Until some of you have stripped a car to bare shell, professionally resprayed it , bought all new spares, sourced hard to come buy spares and put a car together, even a e30.. you'll be surprised what a build can cost.

My 530 is now very close to 300K excluding my labour of around 180+ hours and im still looking for a thing or 2, including a new Viscous Fan which currently Germany only, no stock and at R3800. I can get the newer one for R1500 but then its not original type, will need to fit a newer water pump and yar yara yara

R110k for the car so far is not bad, a e30 in kak condition will set you back 50-70k and you will not spend less than 100k to get it pristine or close to this.

Like I say, seller makes the price and buyer decides if hes willing to part with cash for what he wants or is getting.

If its not what you like, cool, if its too much money cool, just don't knock those out there spending big money, saving these cars. Comment on the good and stop always pointing out the small stuff. If you want the car then you can negotiate with the seller on all the bad points to get the price down.

When an add is posted up, with only the good pictured and a high price tag, then buyers get suspicious. I guess I am just more used to for sale sections on classic car forum where people are more open about the car and take pictures of chips/rust/dings/scratches and place them in the add.

"Perfect showroom condition" adds leads to the forum members pointing out flaws to protect other members from getting caught thinking the car is perfect.


Look at these for sale threads, open about the condition and a high price... Nothing wrong with that.

'74 2002tii
Ebay link to add
Link to pictures



Or this one:2002 For sale


If you don't want the forum to comment on an add, post enough evidence so that everyone can see there is nothing hidden.

 

[Xack]

Whilst I agree with what your views are, regarding, being open to "negative" comments, because not one seller will complain about positive things said about their cars, adopting an attitude of saying that, "be prepared to be criticize blindly "and completely based on what you can see on the computer, tablet or phone screen in front of you is just a tad unfair in my book. Jumping to conclusion with regards to the quality of work carried out on a car based on pictures, unless it looks horrendous is also unfair towards the seller posting pictures of the car he's hoping to sell. Or are we gonna keep criticising whatever gets posted for sale on our forum like "IDOLS JUDGES". Whilst you may not be interested in buying what's being offered,but see it fit to pass judgement, by sharing your "opinion", you are in fact making the seller's chances of selling his car slimmer with every negative comment. Can you imagine what would happen if on Gumtree, Autotrader and OLX, people could simply sit at home and criticise every thing that was posted in hope of a sale to happen, these websites are successful, simply because if your are interested you will have to get off your ass, call the seller arrange to meet and see the car Up close and personal. I think people opt to advertise whatever they've got to sell on "our" forum, because of how forum members behave maturely and how our administrators seems to have found the sweet spot with regards to administrating members using the forum/making comments and posting threads. Even though sometimes I don't agree with what gets allowed and what gets sensor ed there appear to be some sort of balance. So in conclusion ....if you don't want the forum to make NEGATIVE comments, try and post as much pics as possible....if youve got no intention of engaging the seller to go view the car, or potentially buy the car, keep your negative comments to yourself, try enquiring by asking questions and give the seller a chance to respond. This is not only a buyers based forum, so to say we are trying to protect each other by dissecting every picture posted by potential seller is simply unfeasible. What message are we sending to potential sellers on the forum? If you are really interested in buying somebody's car, make an effort to contact them, arrange to see it and then you are certainly qualified to shared your opinion with those who have not seen it up close and personal, be it negative or positive.

We've already reached a point where we no longer see any maintenance, motor builds, or technical threads being posted regularly anymore, something this forum became known for and attracted an international audience as a result. Please Let's not taint our buyers/sellers threads with this "be ready to be judged if you post here" attitude.

This post is in response to what Carbon posted yes, but whilst your intentions are obviously good and with pure intentions...let's not for get that there are two sides to buying and selling on this forum.

 

[ET was here]

before posting a comment ask yourself

is it hurtfull or negative, if so, will it add value to the discusion, if not keep it to yourself

 

[Carbon]

Xack, a Seller has very little risk compared to the buyer. That is exactly why so many people prefer to buy new. But now you can't buy a e46 M3 new, and many people come here to buy an "enthusiasts car" in hoping that it is better maintained than the average car out there. The seller does not need protecting.

Also, pictures are in most cases very flattering to a car. Its not like a car that looks like crap in pictures turn into a show car in person. The other way around is way more likely.

Its not about judging, its about making sure that the people are informed. When I see a 2002, I will inform the people of the discrepancies as it greatly affects the price to fix them. Most people just don't know 2002s well enough to know the difference between a 100 point concourse car and a 50 point well restored example, yet the one is worth 4 times as much.

People should not make it so personal. If you want to sell a car with the banner of being an enthusiast owner, as many do here, then at least take many pictures and give an honest description.

9 out of 10 for sale adds (if not more) receive praise from the members. Its not like no-one gets to sell anything. I think our section is one of the best places to buy and sell. Some just take offense much to quickly when all could have been avoided by a more detailed add.