575 on BAT

I need to bring a trailer each day for my
Old Range Rover Classic

Never knew there was a site to get it to start

 

The $15 a year is pretty much free so you should definitely pony up for it if you enjoy/use this site. I'm sure you can imagine it's not free to keep a site running and, in addition, whether the sponsors cover the costs or not is irrelevant. Everyone should pull their own weight. What exotics Rob has is also irrelevant since he might have money from other ventures.

I do agree that opening the auctions to non-members might help but at the same time that might cause some issues regarding payment/trust/etc.

 

It costs money to run every website I frequent but the advertisers pay the bills. Look at all the pesky sponsors we have to deal with and cant criticize at all hint hint mike @ yellow compass with his awful tactics. I tried to have him sell my car, what a jerk, very sneaky guy tells you one price then changes it up on you for no reason after agreements. Look at how he does all his listings not disclosing pricing and awful tactics/games, there are so many people on here with complaints about him we have a little dialogue going on in DM about it. So Fchat makes plenty from sponsors like that and advertisers that Im not paying $15/year to use it. Hell I was recently banned for saying a salvage title DB9 wasn't worth $45k the seller was asking and state my case on why $30k was probably a decent price and after I was banned FOR A WEEK the seller dropped the price to $35k and sold there or below, so although in the end I was right, I still was banned by someone paying. I frequent 20-30 sites a day, Im not paying to use them when they're profiting through advertising. I donated a few hundred to wikipedia when they asked for it bc theyre a donation only site and I frequent it alot. This site has a business model and is part of a large network of sites, not sure why you're acting like its a charity like wikipedia.

I love Fchat and if they need help paying the bills I'd donate but this site makes plenty of money and I just dont see the added benefit of the $15/year package with that said, we should still be able to bid bc we would then be paying Fchat if we won a car or sold a car.

 

I'm not acting like it's a charity but to me this site is worth $15 a year, even more actually. I frequent other car forums and no other comes close to Fchat. I guess that doesn't really defend my point and if the sponsors pay enough to cover the costs then you have somewhat of a point. Regardless, I'd like to know I did my part.

In regards to the sponsors, as far as I know you're not allowed to criticize on their for sale ads. However, you are allowed to start a thread in whatever section you see fit in case you'd like to have a discussion about shady tactics (I agree with you 100% on that one) and/or the price of a car. Please correct me if I'm wrong there.

 

That is correct, I didn't criticize mike per se, I just asked him to post the price on his street legal 355 challenge car and said his tactics are just ridiculous bc every car he posts starts the same way "make me offers I wont post a price" best price blah blah blah then a week or 2 late he posts its KRAZY im giving this away for $129k you can buy now and pay me in may 2024 then itll be $109k and on and on and he never wants to post the price so I just said any serious buyer, like me, doesn't want to play guess the price of such a rare car, post it and ill make you an offer......and boom blocked. Then i got a flood of messages from guys who tried selling their car with mike, I tried to earlier as well, its the same thing he wants you to call in, send tons of pics and docs, you agree on a price then it comes time to actually do it and he'll give you 10-15% less than you agreed on. He's a sponsor I get it, he helps keep the lights on but the number of messages i got about him was 10+ from other guys, thats not good when serious buyers/sellers have so many issues with 1 guy.

The guy with the salvage Db9 was the same issue, he was asking $45k for a wrecked DB9 that was fixed nice, I actually wanted one bc I need to keep a cheap car to keep my exotics insurance low since you need a daily driver. Currently I use a $5k lincoln town car and throw liability only on it to have cheap insurance on my exotics with state farm. Anyways the seller was asking $45k for a high miles, salvage title db9.....I posted a link to multiple ones for sale on ebay with lower miles, no salvage title asking the same price and said the car is prob worth $30k if good ones are asking $45k......7 day ban.......Im just saying the mods are really hard on people on here, so to me, I can't donate $15 and then get banned twice within a few weeks for doing nothing "bad".

 

Totally worth it. As a member (Rosso) prior to sponsor, the wealth of information from this site was enough for me to be a contributing member. The classified are the best classifieds in the world, at least for parts.

Sure, the site is for profit - so what? My only issue is I wasn't smart enough to think of it myself so instead I work 70 hours a week

 

Completely agree with Dave. Subscription costs recovered by 5x or so on first parts buy. The information available here is unparalled. AlfaBB is a great site and yet nothing at all like the knowledgeable contributors here. Bradan's photo seminars on repair, TazandJan's almost encyclopedic knowledge of Ferrari minutia, and the list goes on. Finally, and not least, this is the singularly most supportive community I've ever run across whether it be cars or otherwise.

When someone says "you ought to join a support group", they are talking about this place!! This is the poster child for a gathering of "enablers"!!!

 

I get all that but like I said I think the issue in your case was posting your complaints on their actual for sale thread, you're not allowed to do that. I'm pretty sure you can start a thread elsewhere though and vent your complaints and you won't get banned for that.

Before that rule was introduced many for sale threads here turned into ****storms.

 

I still have a Range Rover Classic in my yard. I have a new distributor cap, wires and plugs.

It is raining, it will not start. My friend Lucas says it will run when the sun shines. bring a truck, it is too heavy for a trailer. Hahaha

You guys are funny

I am serious, it blocks the garage door to my 575. My ferrari has become an unknowing victim of Lucas electric

 

I don't think you're understanding. I know exactly where I'm going (in the "current auctions" ) and there is NO such information. People are confused by the setup and perhaps not many are speaking up. That's maybe why the auctions have not been successful. Do we need to pay a $15 membership to join or see the auction?? Is there another secret link that I'm missing?? If so that's not stated explicitly anywhere that I've seen. I can tell you this, if I'm not going "to the right place" there are many many more than are in the same boat as I am, they're just not posting about it. I love this site but this auctions section needs reworking.

 

Well since you asked......

First, I'm just a lowly user so I cannot participate (but I buy alot of parts from forum vendors so I'm not a total ****** (well except to my wife's family, but they're a bunch of Alabama hillbillies...LOL), even though you are currently running a car that I would bid on....but probably not win because of the issue of enthusiasts over valuing their own cars. I would be more interested in a no reserve auction.

Second, there area couple of things you could do to give you an edge over most auction sites:

1. Require PPIs for all cars put up, and post the results and who did the inspection...give us some confidence here, we aren't professional auction buyers, and we are all buying blind.....most of us can't afford a mistake because we are buying to own, not re-sell.

2. Team up with a financial institution to provide financing. I have a shade over $100k in my car fund at the moment, but I have $200k taste, so I either wait and keep saving or get a loan.

 

The common finace companies are pretty well discussed - IMO, Penfed is the best. I've heard Woodside discussed and I contacted them at one point - the rates are nuts but they focus on long terms. Not something I would ever do. I finance only when it's cheap money - not going to buy something I can't afford just coz I can get ridiculous financing.

 

Good, now all you need to do is use some Jedi mind trick to get the Boxer owner to sell me his car for $200k and you have your first sale

 

You must be from Europe or something.....that's totally 21st century un-American talk...LOL

 

so if i am looking at the auction correctly.. there are no bids, opening bid is $200k but that wont meet reserve ?

 

If you don't get any no reserve cars it'll never get off the ground, each auction will be like the last, high reserve, no bidders, unsold lots.

 

BAT ensures the reserves are low before accepting the cars to auction if they aren't no reserve. You are also not a major car auction. You have to differentiate and make as much effort to gain traction as you can. No reserve auctions allow for there to be a buzz. Right now you have barely a peep about your new venture.