Projects how much do you lie to sell a car???

i just bought a 1955 T-Bird from a guy near Chicago. i live in southwest Iowa About 450 miles away, so did not go look at it. The car was on Chicago craigslist. It had kind of poor pictures, and not many of them. But I liked the car, and it did look good on the outside . It had rust in the left rear lower quarter panel, no big deal for me. i asked the guy (he said he is 78 years old) if there was any more rust. Nope, that is the only rust on the car. So I did not ask nor did he offer any pictures of the under side of the car. Of course when the car got to me, I could readily see the rust of the floors, trunk, floor supports. i did not complain to the guy, maybe he did not ever look UNDER the car! Just kinda makes me feel like there is no comrada among car guys anymore. Or am I just a sucker?? LOL I am glad I got the t-bird, will keep me busy ( and broke) the next 2 or 3 years.

 

Wowsers. Yeah, I got burnt pretty bad on a Galaxie a couple of years ago. Should have kept it and kept going with the project but the problems kept snowballing until I let it go. Buyer knew what he was getting a lot better than I did. That said, I spent a year up at Great Lakes, and nothing and I mean NOTHING is rust free around there unless it's never been outside at all!

 

"so did not go look at it. "
You really should have taken a look at it in person, I'm planning of flying out to see a car in person as it may have the same problem, but a flight is cheaper than tons of rust repair in the long run.

I try to post everything about my car as far as I know and show the pictures.
In this day in age you can always ask for as many pictures as needed, or have an agent help you get pictures.

 

Never

 

I won't lie to sell anything, my reputation is worth more than money to me.

But it seems most people who are usually honest feel it is perfectly fine and normal to lie to landlords and car buyers. It has always been that way, it's nothing new. Buyer beware, always.

 

I recently listed an OT Buick Gran Sport on eBay at a price well below market value. I must have been too honest as I listed every thing I know about the condition. I have owned it for 14 years so I know all its faults and good points. All I got was people wanting a 100 point show car(which it isn't) for a quarter of the price of one. The low ball offers and trade offers were enough to piss me off to the point of putting it back in storage for the winter in a couple months. Most people must thing a seller is either plain stupid or starving to death and has to give the car away, one guy pulled the "picker" game that I had to leave him :some meat on the bone". Another flipper dude even wanted me to load it up and bring it to him so he could look at it, with out sending a deposit first! So to answer the question, I don't lie when selling a car, I have had my fill of people who do

 

I don't lie when selling a car. I bought a car in the past that I didn't look at and the owner seemed pretty honest. There were some thing he didn't tell me about. Maybe he forgot? If I do it I can I will pay someone to look at it.

 

I never lie. Depending on how hard I'm trying to get rid of it and the asking price, I may not point out everything that concerns me, but I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability.

I used to try to list every issue, but learned that simply drove the price down. I recall a VW bus that my 2nd X owned when we got married. I hated driving/riding in it, so it had to go. I didn't know much about it mechanically and said so in the ad, but offered to show any buyer whatever I could. A buyer shows up, isn't interested in me showing her anything (and I offered; she took it as I was going to try to fool her), wanted it looked over by a mechanic of her choosing. No problem I say, as long as you pay for that. Take the bus up to the local dealer, they give it a clean bill of health (which was more than I would have done), she buys it. Back two weeks later with a list of complaints; worn brakes was the biggy, she wants her money back.

I told to take her complaint to the dealer...

 

When selling I try my best to tell the prospective buyer everything that I know is wrong with anything I sell. When I am buying I don't believe anything that im told. So far everything ive bought or sold on the HAMB classifieds had been exactly as described.

 

Yep, no lying here. And I won't buy sight unseen.

 

I like keeping cars and rarely sell. I am guilty of over honesty. I want people to know exactly what they are buying and what I think current and future issues are. I also know the market and price them right. Better to ask fair value and get rid of them quick.

 

I don't lie. I show them everything that is wrong that I know of.I let them look for the good points. Give them a no - nonsense ,non-negotiable price. if they don't like oh well.

 

No, I don't lie to sell anything, and I don't trust very many people to look at things for me either. My idea of a little rust, or other issues, may not jive with someone else's.

 

I won't lie to sell a car and I have even turned down a higher offer after I've shaken hands the the first offer. I did put buyer #2 in touch with # 1 for parts-he might have made his money back parting it out. I got my price.

40+ years a go, I heard a cousin by marriage sold a plan with a cracked airframe without revealing it. I don't know any particulars, but that still bothers me.

 

I listed a car for sale once and stated everything I knew about it..........it got back to me by a friend that a couple of car guys I know were asking why I was telling all the bad! Hmmmmmm, buy a car from them.....I think not!

If I know about it and most, not all, I do, I tell about it. Can never come back on me that I didn't.
So I don't forget I write the issues down.
Screw someone over for a few dollars, just doesn't make cents!

 

I've never lied to sell a car if anything I'm probably too honest. Honestly that car wasn't that far away you should have gone and looked at it. A few years back I drove 1000 miles round trip California to Washington, pulling a trailer to buy a car. When I got there it was not as described. He took pictures of the good but failed to mention the bad. After inspecting the car I told him no thanks. He got irate with me and started yelling at me telling what an idiot I was to drive that far and leave with an empty trailer. I kindly told him that was none of his F#@*ing business and left. I made it home very late that night but it was a nice road trip through beautiful country

 

Never! Not worth it! I have been lied to, and have been neglected to tell me something. Buyer be ware!

 

Wont do it, and the cars I’ve bought people have been honest, and down right liars!!

The Buick I bought was about 3 hours away from me, called the guy up and we spoke for over an hour about the car, pretty much described it to a T
Was defiantly worth the trip to go get it.

I have also had people meet me in parking lots with the “cherry” car...... looked like something that was chewed up and spat out, then waxed !!
“ it’s a cherry, it’s a peach! You won’t find one better”
An o/t 80’s 6 series bmw m6 that looked like 3 cars welded together by a drink blind guy!!

That shit pisses me right off, don’t lie you will always get found out and it doesn’t usually end well for any one.

 

There are damn few things in life that I hate as much as selling a car, truck, motorcycle, whatever. I’m not good at it, pretty much not a people person, and hate dealing with the strokers. I’ve never made a profit selling anything with wheels. I never lie, always tell them too much because I don’t want to deal with their shit when something goes wrong.


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Only Scumbags lie to sell a car. At this years NSRA Nats a guy from TN parked near me with a ratty 65 or 66 Corvette and put a $42,500.00 for sale sign on it. What he didn't know is the guy he got the car from over a year ago is a friend of mine. I asked him hows the underside? He replied I never looked. Has anyone owned a car for over a year and never looked under it?
Fortunately no one was dumb enough to buy that POS.

Gary

 

A sucker NO lazy YES. You did not do your homework. Did you go look at car or bought it sight unseen. I won't even sell a car without the buyer looking at it. I have even gone as far as paying for gas for the buyer if he feels I misled him(or her) and they didn't buy the vehicle. No I don't lie to sell a car or part, my name and reputation mean more to me that 30 pieces of silver.

Pat

 

When I sell, I show all the bad bits, even the ones you cant see. Most buyers are just looking at the car with that "I,m in love, I gotta have it " look in their eye, and are not really listening or understanding what you are saying anyway.
So I have done my bit, and can sleep at night. Hell, I have even sold beaters and someone points out some rust, etc, and then I say, "wait till you see this bit, it's 10 times as big as that! And the oil leaks put the Exxon Valdez to shame!"
I have bought a couple of cars unseen, but had someone check them out for me (A bit difficult to fly across the globe from here), and they showed up better than I thought.
Ancient Chinese proverb- "If man bullshits enough, one day he will drown in it"

 

I hate selling cars. I can't / wont lie about anything and answer all questions honestly. If you lie they will find out sooner or later and then you have a bad name.

On the other hand, when I buy, I wont buy sight unseen and I expect to get somewhat less than the whole truth about the car I'm buying. That's most always been my experience. I do remember buying a car once that was exactly as represented. I was told by the seller it was a piece of shit, and it was, but I wanted it anyway.

 

I won't lie about anything I know wrong. The one thing I might lie about is how much I paid period. I have bought lots of cars unseen , Im a big boy , if I get took its my fault. Bought a 62 galaxie a few years back , really nice car run like a striped ape , 2 days later I put it on my lift, block cracked both sides from freezing. I drove it like that til I found another motor.

 

I have never, nor will I ever lie to sell a car.

I have never called anybody on items found on any car I've bought that weren't up to description..I take full blame for not inspecting it closely enough.

Once cash has been exchanged, it's my car whether it's a good or bad deal.

There is only one opinion of condition buying a vehicle that matters..that's yours, to form that opinion you need to inspect it in person, or be willing to accept whatever you get.

 

If I do not personally look, or have someone I trust look, I don't buy.
It's way too easy to get burned on a car. Not that the person is a liar or trying to mislead it's just one persons idea of good shape or doesn't need much may not be my opinion.

Case in point,
This old fellow I knew who has since passed at 98 years young had a 1958 Chevy pickup he purchased brand new and it spent it's whole life on his farm it was beat, scratched, dented and barely any wood left in the bed but it served it's purpose many times over.
He decided to "Freshen it up a bit" That included a 1/2" sheet of plywood screwed down to any existing bed wood that would take a screw and a Earl Schieb $199 Special this week only paint sale.

I don't even think they washed the truck first and did not do any bodywork whatsoever ....just paint, paint over every dent and scratch on the truck.
After he passed his son was trying to sell the truck and the big sales pitch was "New Paint Job"

 

No, bad karma, it will come back and bite you

 

I don't lie, but I also don't volunteer bad stuff about what I am trying to sell unless asked. Then I answer all questions truthfully.

 

It’s all about perception, to some who have never restored a car don’t really have an idea on what is good or bad. Only solution is to physically look at the car.


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I wouldn't ever lie to sell a car or anything else.

The truth is easy to remember. HRP