After having my car for sale for a few weeks here is what I came up with. There are three levels of car-shopping tire kickers out there. Level one =The e-mailer. This person sits in front of thier computer and masterbates to many different cars every day. He does a "circuit check" of e-bay, cars.com and autotrader every 15 mins. He has no money and makes it a point to e-mail every owner about their car. He makes it a point to ask every question that is already answered in the ad. and often ends his email with "whats your bottom line?" Level two= This person is often a highly skilled level one gradutate who no longer can climax with just an e-mail. He will first send out an e-mail and follows up with a phone call. You can spot this person easily because in the first 2 minutes of the phone call he will have told you about every sports car he has ever owned in an effort to gain clout and make you beleive he is a real buyer. Like the Level One guy, he will then proceed to ask you every thing already answered in the ad and each time you answer he will use that opportunity to compare it to one of the cars he claims he "used" to own. He will say things like "yeah thats kind of like my Porsche" or laugh and say "oh I know what you mean my Corvette also drew a lot of attention"). He will often end the phone call with an exit-phrase such as, "ok well thanks for spending all this time with me, it sounds like a perfect car, I guess its just up to the wife now". Level Three= This is perhaps the most dangerous ballbusting, timewasting j-off in existence. They have all the elements of both level one and two but that does not get them off anymore. They actually come and see the car. To touch it. To drive it. When they do, they arrive with a full aresenal of devices, cameras and various other probes. Some will bring thier wives and girlfriends. These women usually will not say a word but if you look at thier faces closely they will try and tell you in a subliminal way that this guy cannot afford anything and has absolutely no intention of buying the car. They are poor slaves sucked into the aflicted persons diseased world. You cars tail-pipes will tighten in anticipation of this sicko. These are the most demented cases of dreamers in existence because they do not have the money to complete the transaction but love the whole car shopping process. They are capable of wasting an entire afternoon of your time and even telling them that you no longer want them to buy the car is barely enough to make them leave. They will call you a few days later and offer you more than your asking price in a desperate effort to continue the car buying process.
Sounds like you are running into some frustration. I think you should take the 348 on a nice long drive this weekend and then decide not to sell. Or just have patience and set up a limited communication method so the PDTW (pipe dream time wasters) don't get too far. BT
Dealing with the retail public can be very difficult, and you always have to be on your guard. You should not let anyone drive your car without first giving you a copy of their D/L and insurance card. I never allow drivers until a deposit is made! You have to have an iron will and a firm manner. If you do not have a commercial location from which you regularly do business, you should always meet the person at a mutual location and not your home! Don't be too nice. You don't need to, and set a time limit for which you will deal with a customer if you sense a lukewarm interest.
Price the car to sell, if you try for very top dollar this is what happens. I myself would rather sell something at a fair price, move it fast & not deal with jerk-offs. I sell on Rolex's & other high end swiss watches on Ebay so I speak from that knowledge. I also just sold my BMW R1200C motorcycle in a "buy now" on ebay, was first running of listing & buyer paid in a day of close. I had that bike 3 years & sold for $700 below what I bought it for. My time & sanity is worth more to me than dealing with the "lookers". Price the car what a serious buyer will pay & it will sell. Anything above that gets this treatment...Now will it sell for very top dollar who knows, it just may but you will have this along the way & your attitude now may drive off a legit buyer. You could also sell the wheels seperate, put stock back on. That would also gain you more $$$$'s- because on the car now, may not mean a premium to a new 348 buyer (they just want a 348). All for what its worth.... Good Luck, Chris
so..what's your bottom line? kidding!!!!!! i know what you mean. my 911 cab took 9 months to sell, i dealt with my fair share of pretenders. some of them really pissed me off, others were just mild time wasters. i didn't have anywhere this much trouble trying to sell non-high end cars. john
All excellent advice. The only thing I'd add is that a 348 is a first Ferrari for many people, so I'd take the time to find out what the prospective buyer knows about the car. I know this about myself from my own buying experience - first-time Ferrari buyers are nervous as hell, usually need to look at several cars first, and need to have some faith in the seller. The first one I looked at was a local car, black/black 328, and I knew zero about them. All I did was sit in it, look around, thank the dealer, and leave. I didn't even have my checkbook with me. You can probably save some dead-end discussions/drives by chatting about Ferraris for a few minutes, and asking whether they've driven a 348 before. I just don't anyone who actually owns one of these cars who can't have a 10-minute discussion about them. It doesn't prove financial ability, but it establishes credibility. As Greg said, get a deposit (bank check) before a test drive. I was firm about that when I sold my Porsche, and would be doubly so for a Ferrari. It actually helps, oddly, to inconvenience the buyer that much, as it makes them take the possible transaction more seriously. Also, I make it clear to people that I'm busy. I'm not sitting around all afternoon waiting for you to come see my car, so let's set an appointment. Basically, I'm not available for huge chunks of time so you can take a tour of the countryside in my Ferrari. I'm courteous about this, but not "too nice" (again, as Greg said).
This is pretty funny! I take it you've never sold a Ferrari, because you didn't post #4: the guy that actually buys the car. When you sell it, please be sure to post about it! Ken
Well I bought mine without a test-drive. Just did a visual, listened to the motor, got copies of all maintence receipts/title, talked to the mechanic who did the 30k service, carfax and I wired the $$. I sold my P-car TT the same way, the guy had the shop that maintained it do a PPI, buyer was out of state, we negotiated over the phone and he wired the $. Fortunate I guess...
Ecoloqua You had me at hello. What a great thread. I handle 5 retail car sale lots. Welcome to my hell. This is why I thank god every day we do not sell high end cars. Good Luck....Best Wishes. GQ
ecoloqua, Great friggin post. Man-o-man do I have some of my own stories for you. Anyhow, you really nailed it. Luved the whole thing. I wish you the best in your future dealings with buyers. I hope you find your level four.
What car are you selling? I'm not smart enough to be at any of those levels, but I am interested in buying a Ferrari. I'm guessing it is higher than my budget. Anyone want to guess how much I have to spend? Gene
That is a well thought out depiction of tire kickers & extremely accurate. What about the guy that tries to talk you down & then says i ll think it over . Its beyond hilarious . You could do some stand up comedy with that material . No doubt . Great Post .
My last collecter car I sold had so many tire kickers I could not deal with it anymore. I took it to the local dealer and he offered me 3000.00 less than what I wanted for the car. It was the best 3000.00 I ever lost. I'm sure some of you can relate!
Here's a tip. When someone says they will pay XXXXXX, don't say yes or no until they have answered this question: "Is that a real offer with real money becuase if I say yes, that is an offer and acceptance which is a legally binding contract?" Sometimes sellers screw up by asking for offers and then they are mad when a low one comes out of a person who is still unsure. At that point, a potential buyer is lost. Like Bullfighter said, many need to be cajoled, reassured, etc. to get to a comfort level where they will actullay negotiate seriously. When buying, I never make an offer, even when asked, until I am sure I want to buy and I will perform on it. Dave
I am the same way. I will NEVER allow someone to test drive my car unless they show up in a car that is an "equal". Or it had better be darn close and have them show up dripping of money...... I just don't have the time or patience to try to sort out the tire kickers from the buyers....
Take the good with the bad. I know I can be a pretty huge pain in the ass as a buyer and would probably come off at least in part like your description(s). I have bought and sold and you just have to have a little patience and maybe a sense of humor. If its a good car and priced fairly someone will step up.....eventually.
You would have lost me (and I assume many others). I normally show up in a pickup with a tee shirt and jeans. No rolex or jewelry. I deal with rich people day in and day out. You can't tell by what they are driving/wearing. In fact, bling is often a contraindicator. Someone may be hocked to the gills. Dave
I would not have qualified in buying your car. When I went to buy the 348 I was with my family in a KIA minivan with about 60,000 miles on it. After we agreed on price I left a deposit check with Spongebob Squarepants printed as the background. I would look more at the questions and demeanor of the person who is looking to buy rather than the car they drive up in. BT
great thread. I love to shop for AND buy cars but dislike selling them for all of the above reasons. Reality is, I bet most of us see some part of some transaction in your list!!! I know I do. Since I live well off the beaten path, I only get serious buyers when it comes to looking but all the email types you described for sure! Last collector car I sold turned out to be a guy who has a second home up here and saw the add on Craigslist in his home area. Great guy, easy and fast sale. Hope you sell soon.
Awesome post. I particularly love "so, what's your lowest price?". I tell people there is no point talking about price until they see the car. Once you see it, you can explain to me why it's worth less than my ask. I'm gently trying to sell my beloved Esprit S4s. Finding a buyer willing to pay a few extra dollars for a ultra-maintained car with 6 years worth of records is a little, um, challenging. Everyone seems to use a miles/value matrix. I originally thought my fellow enthusiasts would be the best source but I've found that they're the worst when it comes to value perceptions. They end up with low-mile garage queens and spend a ton of money/effort bringing them up to spec.
Yes, very frustrating. You did miss 2 more: 1) The Investor. He claims that he is so rich that his "Financial Consultant" told him he needs to spend more of his money. You know, " you are so rich that why would you pass on your multi-gizzilon dollar estate to your kids ?" It is time to live a little. He is a Mover and Shaker, and he will consumate the deal in the next couple of days when his business partner buys him out. You know this guy as he asks you: "What do you feel the most comfortable with, a Cashier's Check or should I wire into your account?" Mind you he has never even negotiated the price. 2) The Replacment Guy (had this with P-Cars, F-cars are pretty hard to total). He bust your balls on every nuance of your car. He is quick to chime in with generic statements like: "Oh yeah mine did that", and "oh gosh the first time that 'mine' did that it scared the heck out of me". Their exit is what really kills me: " yep your pristine, immacualte, concourse show winner with 2K original documented miles is nice, and BTW it is the EXACT same color combo as my 'old' car, but I am going to keep looking for the RIGHT one.
