Buying a car these days

[Frank Beck]

It is increasingly frustrating to deal with many "buyers" these days. I have a hunch many are dreamers or time-wasters, not buyers at all.

Decades ago when a car was advertised a buyer called the seller, there was discussion, and a decision was made whether to move forward or not. If it was local one would simply drive out and look; long distance created more of a challenge. My point is that many current shoppers don't understand that it has to be mutually beneficial; a buyer has to have skin in the game to be taken seriously. Simply requesting a butt load of photos does nothing to earn credibility. If possible be willing to offer a deposit up front to secure the car or offer some other way of assuring the seller that you're serious... besides boasting about how many Porsches you've owned in the past or that your grandfather owned one just like the seller's car and you've always dreamed of owning one. No one cares.

Newsflash: Sellers want the easiest deal possible. Whoever makes the process the most convenient and enjoyable will most likely end up with the car.

The ones that I laugh at are the local guys who ask for more photos. If you're too lazy to drive across town to personally inspect the car, I'm sure as heck not going to reply to your inquiry.

Our new policy on consignment cars in our showroom is as follows: Buyers are free to inspect the car in the showroom, pour over paperwork, and kick the tires to their hearts content but if they want to drive it we need to agree on a price, write a contract, and they need to put down a deposit. After that they can drive it and have a PPI done. If the car isn't as we represented or they believe it's not for them, they're free to back out of the deal with a full refund of their deposit or renegotiate the price.
When prospective buyers object to this or they become offended I wish them a good day and we part company.

Moral of the story: Don't be surprised when cars are "sold out from under you". You probably didn't try as hard as the other guy.

[Fubawu]

I see a lot of this Frank, I would add there are many buyers looking for cars who seem to have unrealistic goals. Due to this they never pull the trigger. Maybe they enjoy the hunt more than the car??

[Frank Beck]

Maybe they enjoy the hunt more than the car??

Absolutely!

Car shopping as entertainment can be done at someone else's expense. Certainly not mine.

[BrentF]

I agree with all you have stated, however what also needs to be acknowledged is that the potential audience for a given car is much larger today than it was in the past, given the internet. However to gain access to that larger audience requires the seller to make a modest investment in a comprehensive set of photos.

[Xavier PJB]

I would agree, as am a internet/remote buyer I would also ask for proof of the seller motivation to sell and make sure the car is precisely described. And if I sens a a risk, then I drop.
I wish I could fly easily and see the car in person.
I have had even bad experiences buying a car with care, but not enough 2 times. Sellers lied and I was not caring enough. going to court is painful and costly.

I am also selling things and sometimes cars remotely (amateur), and I accept to put effort/time into the selling exercice - I accept that being part of the game - and yes sometimes it P.... me off.


X

[beh911]

So I'll stay sorta on point here:

I hear ya, Frank, on the flaky buyer side, but so much has changed for both buyer and seller since the days of phones mounted on walls and the occasional answering machine. Many would argue that authentic, honestly represented cars are difficult to find now as the ease of testing the market has never been so simple for the "casual" (and sometimes, unscupulous) seller.

It used to be you posted an ad in your local newspaper classifieds and hoped for a response from someone else local. If you were a marque devotee, then maybe a national, monthly publication to go along with the club word of mouth.

It used to be that the type of cars on this group's collective mind were not priced anywhere close to where they are now. Splashing out the equivalent of 4 years of private college for a garage bauble, semi mass produced car is a fairly new phenomenon and changes the calculus for both sides. Opportunity costs are higher, is my point.

It wasn't always this easy to misrepresent a legitimate offering or offer. Now it's a click of a button on a screen to buy (on marketplaces that back the buyer more than the seller), the heart pounding, five second, edit of a seller's ad to stretch the truth juust a wee bit, sometimes on something that fits in the palm of your hand. The power and simplicity make both sides wary, and sometimes sloppy, is my point.

With that, I do marvel at the asking prices of our old cars and their parts and memorabilia these days. The lack of understanding of the deleterious effects of stale inventory, as crap sits and bumps or relists over and over. It affects the buyer's mindset, as the supply overhang catches up with more fickle, discerning demand. The ESR FS sections are jokes.

So the "sending someone more photos" activity is the result of the above situation

[dporsche74]

Yeah agreed most ppl are a pain in the butt, especially American D- bags are the worst,, pic collectors and naggers and such.,.. probably where the infamous Sheridan wy guy bitterness stems from too...

[chapron67]

I suggest the SELLER invest in a compelling set of detailed photos with a deep description of the car with as much history as known. Also that the SELLER invest in a 3rd party PPI and also present that for all to see --- add this to the price of the car if you must. Full transparency. Then a buyer can purchase from abroad, next door, where ever.

BringATrailer has changed the way great cars are finding new homes... and mostly within 1 week... because of a worldwide audience and realistic reserves. And, obviously because experts (and non-experts who think they're experts) can opine on the car which is usually valuable for both buyer and seller.

[BrentF]

That's an excellent observation about BAT. The two things that makes BAT work for buyers is the abundance of high quality photos (and often videos) that accompany each listing and the invaluable input provided from marque specialists, allowing the less knowledgeable buyer to become comfortable about his/her prospective purchase. Add to that the wide following that BAT has from prospective buyers, means sellers are getting excellent execution on BAT.

[Fubawu]

Brent
The pissing contest auctions create works well too. I've seen a lot of cars sell there that would languish on most classified forums. Shows an uneducated buyer to me.

Not meaning to sound harsh but some of the cars are selling well over market value. All the buyer has to do is head over to EBay . Case and point 997.1 GT3