Phil 87 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Sorry if this isn't the right place for a thread like this. I've been trying to sell my Fiesta for a while now (link in signature) but I don't seem to be getting any interest even after lowering the price several times. I had one offer at £5,500 which is way too low, so I'll probably just end up selling it to WeWantAnyCar next week, got a quote for just under £6k. I don't think I'll trust Glasses Guide again, their price was about £6,900 for private sale. Everyone says you get more money selling a car privately, but that doesn't seem to be true for my car. I wonder if people are put off by the 1.6 engine, like they think it's not economical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E5GDM Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Someone will buy it, just not at the price you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeccaaCat Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Have you taken it to shows or advertised it on forums?? I'm selling mine this year, I'll be asking for £8000, probably more, but I'm taking it to Ford Fair and advertising it there, will also be advertising at car meets etc so that I'm getting it across to like - minded people and I also won't be in a huge rush to get rid of it so will hang on until someone gives me what I want. If you're patient someone will offer you the money, but I appreciate that not everyone can hang onto a car forever. Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Are you getting a new car?, if so trade it in and always go 3rd/4th week of the month and you'll get a better deal as most are desperate to hit there targets. Sent from my HTC One X using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PumpkinSteve Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I just think people don't necessarily have a large sum of money for car buying, most probably buy with finance, or if they are paying cash they'll buy from a dealer for peace of mind. I've tried selling privately before and failed, I ended up selling to WBAC but did get a fair price. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 87 Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 Have you taken it to shows or advertised it on forums?? I've not had much time to sell it, just put it on Autotrader, eBay and Motors, and the only forum I've advertised it on is this one. I'm sure when I come to sell my ST in a few years I'll do what you suggest, if I have time. Are you getting a new car?, if so trade it in and always go 3rd/4th week of the month and you'll get a better deal as most are desperate to hit there targets. Yes, picking up my ST in about a week I hope. The dealer will only give me £5,500 for mine, and they already offered me an amazing price for the ST so they won't budge on the part-ex price. I just think people don't necessarily have a large sum of money for car buying, most probably buy with finance, or if they are paying cash they'll buy from a dealer for peace of mind. I've tried selling privately before and failed, I ended up selling to WBAC but did get a fair price. I think you might be onto something, this made me think, why on Autotrader are there so many more dealer ads than private ads? At the moment they have about 850 Fiestas for private sale vs 16,000 from dealers. Do the dealers really have that much of a monopoly on the 2nd hand market? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeccaaCat Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I think you might be onto something, this made me think, why on Autotrader are there so many more dealer ads than private ads? At the moment they have about 850 Fiestas for private sale vs 16,000 from dealers. Do the dealers really have that much of a monopoly on the 2nd hand market? I reckon it's purely because they offer the option of finance. My OH has over £15000 on finance but can't even get a £50 overdraft from the bank so imagine trying to get a loan to buy a car lol Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRookie Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 May I as a recent Focus buyer join the discussion? :) When I was looking for a Focus recently a friend of mine who is in car trade (not Ford-related though) have told me to simply ignore private adverts. I asked him why and his response was that there are several scams active right now - the finance scam (HPI would pick on it), VIN cloning (to pass HPI check) and logbook loan scam (HPI won't pick this one). In short he told me that if I were to buy a car below 2000 I'd be fine but as I wanted 4 yo Focus I should only stick to main dealers. Which I did and bought my car from TC Harrison (not sure if they are any good though :)). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandyCat Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 An 09 Fiesta with decent mileage will retail for over 7k yet they will only offer you 5 in PX. Damned annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeccaaCat Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 They have to make a profit I'm afraid! And if you're one of the lucky people who get to buy cars at cost price + £200 it's not a bad thing hahah :p I was offered £5500 for mine P/X so that's an absolute last resort for me. I'd rather keep the car for a year lol. Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 87 Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 When I was looking for a Focus recently a friend of mine who is in car trade (not Ford-related though) have told me to simply ignore private adverts. I asked him why and his response was that there are several scams active right now - the finance scam (HPI would pick on it), VIN cloning (to pass HPI check) and logbook loan scam (HPI won't pick this one). I never thought of that, I'd be reluctant to buy a car privately anyway, but if I ever do I'll be sure to have a good luck at the VIN. Wouldn't it be easy to spot if it's been tampered with? For one thing it's under the windscreen on the Fiesta. An 09 Fiesta with decent mileage will retail for over 7k yet they will only offer you 5 in PX. Damned annoying. Very annoying. Actually one dealer offered me £7k for it as a part exchange, but they wouldn't budge at all on the retail price of the ST, so it was a pretty bad deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRookie Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 I never thought of that, I'd be reluctant to buy a car privately anyway, but if I ever do I'll be sure to have a good luck at the VIN. Wouldn't it be easy to spot if it's been tampered with? For one thing it's under the windscreen on the Fiesta. A guy I work with have lost 11K when he bought used BMW X5 privately. According to him, the sale went "by the book" - he met seller at seller's house, the address was correct, the car had VIN in 3 places and all VINs were the same; HPI gave it all clear, And yet couple of days later he was visited by police who confiscated the car as VINs were forged, BTW if my car-trading friend is right, the logbook finance companies not obliged to report loan to HPI. Which mean scammers can sell a car with outstanding finance on it without being spotted by HPI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlynnZS Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 It's scary about all those scams. I think also people are reluctant to buy second hand cars privately because cars are so much more complicated and controlled by electronics these days, with the buyers having less knowledge of how the car they are buying works than they might have had 20 or so years ago, buyers feel they have more peace of mind buying from a dealer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 87 Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Yes I agree about having more peace of mind buying from a dealer, the extra cost is worth it for the warranty alone. As for buyers having less knowledge of their cars than they used to, I think a lot of drivers out there simply don't care, they don't maintain their cars at all. They might know how add washer fluid, and maybe how to check the oil. It just goes to show how far the technology has come, when some people manage to drive a car for a year or more without even thinking about maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeccaaCat Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 My mum is a prime example lol. She bought a KA for £1600, it had weird dents in the back that looked like someone had driven into it and then it had been beaten out lol.. but anyway something happened so my OH took a quick look under the bonnet. No coolant. My mum said 'oh what's that? Do I need to top that up?' Then she tried to give it to me for my first car (which I politely refused), and a few months later the engine went bang. She now has a vauxhall meriva, the tracking has been out since she bought it and the wheel bearings have gone twice but she still hasn't done the tracking. I told her to take it to merrityre- 'no ill just take it to kwik fit'. I wonder now how she's been driving for 30 years! We spoke about getting my little brother a bike for his 16th, I've decided to take the lead on this one and buy it for him (for my own peace of mind!) And I won't be buying privately either. Sent from my SM-G900F using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingy94 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 As said above, i think its because of finance and all the warranties you get with cars now from dealers. If you buy from a private seller you have nothing to come back to as its sold as seen so it puts many people off that idea! I think in order for you to be able to sell your car you will have to drop the price even though you know its worth more. I know a few years ago cars were up for sale outside houses all the time but you just dont see that very often now as people are trading in at dealers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake90087 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 You could advertise it on more sites such as Pistonhead classifieds, or car and classic. It will cost money though. You can even stick the sticker in the window? It will sell though, but people like dealers so much more than private. I don't see it as I take any car I look at on a long test drive and look over every bit of it like a hawk and look through every piece of documentation and service history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEK Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Slightly off topic but I seem to be having a bit of difficulty in selling my Focus at the minute, it's been on AutoTrader & Gumtree for days now and not one phone call! I feel it's reasonably priced and both adverts do stand out with lots of info on the car but it still surprises me, even with my old Bora that I sold earlier on in the year I was averaging 2-3 different calls a day regarding the car and it sold within 4 days. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 87 Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 I think at this point I'm unlikely to get an offer that will beat the quote from WeWantAnyCar (£5,935), especially if I lower the asking price any more. Even then, it's not worth the hassle taking someone for a test drive, haggling and then counting £6k worth of cash and finding my way to the bank to pay it in. Slightly off topic but I seem to be having a bit of difficulty in selling my Focus at the minute, it's been on AutoTrader & Gumtree for days now and not one phone call! I feel it's reasonably priced and both adverts do stand out with lots of info on the car but it still surprises me, even with my old Bora that I sold earlier on in the year I was averaging 2-3 different calls a day regarding the car and it sold within 4 days. Sounds just like my experience. My car is at a much lower price now than anything similar, but I've not had one phone call in over 2 weeks of having it for sale. Just one very low offer through an eBay message. It's been a learning experience that's for sure, I was quite optimistic when I put it up for sale but I'll expect a lot less when I come to sell my next car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nighthawk Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 With advertising, you have to get it right like wording, pictures or even timing to differentiate from someone who's selling theirs cause it needs work doing or it has hidden damage. The price can be a pain, too cheap and people will be suspicious especially if it drops quickly like your in a hurry to get shut of it. Sent from my HUAWEI Ascend P2 using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Once you get that amazing ST you'll be giving it away without a care in the world Sent from my HTC One X using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEK Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Sounds just like my experience. My car is at a much lower price now than anything similar, but I've not had one phone call in over 2 weeks of having it for sale. Just one very low offer through an ebay message. It's been a learning experience that's for sure, I was quite optimistic when I put it up for sale but I'll expect a lot less when I come to sell my next car. If anything, I thought that bank holidays like these would be the best time to advertise anything such as a car online as most people are off work and their is a better chance of more people on the look out. It's odd, I've even dropped the price of my Focus by £100 as well. I've found in the past as well that when you do finally get a phone call from someone interested in a car out of the blue, the next thing you know you get loads more come in the bus loads all at once. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 87 Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Once you get that amazing ST you'll be giving it away without a care in the world Yes, although I will miss this car, I always look forward to driving it even when it's just commuting. But yes the ST will be on a different level, I'm sure I won't be able to stop myself from smiling every time I see it :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 My wife's due to change her '09 Fiesta Titanium next 12 months and she's looking at B-max Titanium and the ST and am 100% sure it'll be the ST no contest !! Sent from my HTC One X using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossbclarke123 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Well I was thinking about selling my car in September, settle the options finance as I would be quids in. Put a bit back to start a new option agreement and have a free holiday. Reading this I guess that won't be the case, and back to the dealer to chop it in! Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Ford UK Shop
Sponsored Ad
Name: eBay
Ford Model: FordUK Shop
Ford Year: 2024
Latest Deals
Ford UK Shop for genuine Ford parts & accessoriesDisclaimer: As the club is an eBay Partner, The club may be compensated if you make a purchase via the club
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.