As you probably know, we bought a 2013 Acura TSX Sport Wagon to replace ye olde 2000 Forester. One of the reasons why we keep cars a long time is because I rather hate the process of selling them. The Subie had too many miles to be trade-in fodder, as well as numerous issues: two dents, leaking head gaskets on both sides, intermittent stuttering/hesitation, piston slap, a driveline vibration, some weird sounds…and a transmission very slow to engage Drive first time each morning. I procrastinated for about a month, and finally put an ad on craigslist. The process was rather comical; but within four hours of the ad going live, the Forester was heading out on this flatbed. So now it’s time to tally up what it’s cost us to own it for almost 15 years. Let’s just say the last two years were the most expensive.
These Foresters sell for pretty good money hereabouts, and I suppose I could have tried to be more aggressive and not disclosed its leaky head gaskets and other maladies upfront. If they were intact, and one or two other minor issues were addressed, it might have fetched $3-4k quite readily, maybe even more (used car dealers ask $5-6k for them). But I couldn’t bring myself to do that. So I made it clear in the ad that it had issues, and priced it very low. I initially planned to ask $1900, but at the last minute changed it to $1500, after one more short drive which disconcerted me with a weird sound on brisk take-offs.
The phone started ringing the minute the ad went live. A local guy said he was heading over, and would be there in about 30 minutes or so. The next call was a slightly shrill woman with a strong Chinese accent, saying she absolutely wanted to buy it, and would give me $2000. She and her mechanic husband/BF lived in Portland (110 miles away), but they were going to the bank to get the money and drive straight down. She was adamant about wanting it and having me te other interested parties that it was sold already.
I was rather expecting to sell it to a mechanic who would then flip it, and they certainly fit the profile. But I wasn’t expecting her aggressiveness. She kept texting me: “Paul, one hour away tell them it’s sold!” “Paul, twenty minutes away; don’t sell it!”….
They pulled up in a BMW X3, and the guy gave it a look over and took it for a drive. When he came back, the response should have been predictable, but I’m so out of the whole wheeler-dealer thing: “Paul, we can give you $1500” I’m not going to repeat all the bizarre excuses, such as “I was supposed to be salmon fishing today (him)”; “I only got out $1500 from the bank (her)” But you said you wanted it for $2000, and that I should tell other buyers it was sold! “Oh, Paul, I meant my budget for a new car is $2000; I need to spend the rest to fix it up”. “The water pump is noisy” (Not). etc………..
I eventually said I would take $1900. They offered $1600. Then $1650, with lots more pleading and excuses. I finally said “$1800, but that was my final offer”. After more absurd excuses, they offered. $1700. I said no, and walked into the house. Sure enough, a few minutes later, they came to the door and said “$1750; that’s the best we can do!” I almost took it, but said “No; $1800”. And I went back in and they drove off.
I had called off the first guy, but I had gotten another interested caller, and called him back. I told him the full story, and said that $1800 was my bottom line. He said he was interested and would hook up his trailer and head over. Meanwhile, my Portland “buyers” called back, to say they had gone to the bank and gotten more money, and would buy it for $1800, and that I should make out a bill of sale for $1800 and they’d be right over. I told them someone else was coming, and had first crack at it. They sounded annoyed, but said they would have lunch, and I should call them as soon as I could.
Well, bless this other guy’s heart; I really wanted him to take it just to teach these other folks a lesson, and sure enough he did. Whipped out the cash, I signed over the title, and off he drove, while I called back the Portland folks and told them the news. They were not happy…they had wasted a whole day, drove a 220 miles round trip, and came home empty handed, all over a measly $50. I felt vindicated, and very glad that guy bought it. I’d have hated to call them back…But I was $300 ahead because of them. Thank you!
Well, now that it’s gone, it’s time to tally up the final cost of owning this car for almost 15 years and 168,734 miles. A little over two years ago, I did an analysis of the costs so far, at 150,000 miles (full story here). At that point, the Subie had cost us $35,538, or 24¢ per mile, which was about half of what Edmunds estimated the True Cost To Own for 5 years and 75k miles.
So what about the last two-plus years? Here’s a rundown of the costs from 150,000 to 168,734, over a 28 month period:
Gas: 780 gallons at $3.25/gal, rough average cost: $2,537
Insurance: Liability only: $668
Two oil/filter changes: $60
Four new Michelin tires at Costco, pro-rated for premature wear on 88k mile tread wear warranty: $200 (full story here)
New battery (discount store): $65
One rear wheel bearing R&R: $230
New rear struts (as a result of a minor accident in the snow): $390
Turn front rotors (warped) $16
Knock sensor (Ebay) $10
Registration two years $86
Depreciation (I valued it at $3000 previously) $1200
Total cost: $5462
Cost per mile: 29¢
So the cost per mile jumped some from the previous 24 cents. The reasons were because of higher gas costs, the bigger dent and broken strut (my fault), and the resultant low final selling price. Without the last two, it would have been a bit less than the previous average per mile.
Here’s the grand totals for the various categories over the life of the car:
Depreciation: $16,200
Insurance: $4,628
Registration: $ 474
Gasoline: $16,037
Maintenance: $1,765
Repairs: $1,896
TOTAL: $41,000
Cost per mile: $0.24
Despite the higher cost per mile in the last two years, it still averages out to 24 cents per mile. No complaints there.
The Forester was a great car for us, very reliable and never once stranded us or caused us any serious unexpected problem. We avoided the head gasket issue until the last year or so. The only real repair costs of any significance ever were three rear wheel bearing, a well known weakness on these cars as well as two replacement front axle shafts. These were all done professionally. The only significant maintenance cost was the 100k timing belt and water pump, in addition to tires oil changes, filters, and two sets of spark plugs.
The interior of the car has held up quite well, despite it being a kiddie hauler in its early days, and other abuses. The body felt very solid yet. There’s no question that there’s life in it yet after some repairs, which is what the buyer will do, who’s also a mechanic.
We had debated spending some money on it and driving it another five years. But every time we slip behind the wheel of the TSX, in those big comfy heated leather seats that move automatically to their respective positions depending on who’s opening the car, any such thoughts are long gone. Never mind the driving experience; what a difference between the two. It really is nice to get a new car every once in a while, even if it took almost 15 years. We loved you Subie, but we don’t miss you anymore, especially that clattering piston slap on cold mornings. Adios!
Sweet looking car. I’ve always loved the first generation Subaru Forester. I’d buy one if I didn’t already have a car.
Second generation (2003-2008) is pretty sweet too. (We have an ’06 5-speed, and an in-law put 200K miles on her new ’03 before trading it in for a ’14.)
It is interesting how some cars have the ability to create passionate attachment, while others, like this Forester are objectively good, yet are not missed when sold. Kinda like former girlfriends…some leave a huge hole in your heart, while others just go away.
We’ll treasure the memories, but the new car is so much nicer….
It’s so true, for me the memory of my first serious girlfriend and my first Saab seem to be forever linked. Came into my life at the same time, only one was worth keeping for 200,000 miles. A Forester seems more like the bisexual birkenstock wearing art student you met at a college party. lol
The ad was for $1500, she promises $2k to wait… then … $1750 is offered, then you walk and the eventual buyer takes your story for certain and pays $1800? What? Huh? Ad price changed? Is everyone stoned?
Yes, it’s in the water here. 🙂
Oops; I forgot: I pulled the ad as soon as she called. And when I called that guy (the eventual buyer) I told him very clearly what had happened,: I had been besieged by calls, and had obviously priced it too low. And I told him the details of that $2000 “buyer”. Full disclosure. He understood clearly and still wanted it.
If the sale hadn’t gone through, I would have re-posted the ad with a $2000 price.
This is really similar to when Jerry sold his 5-speed (!) Previa a few years back. He priced it fairly, and a guy in Portland called and said he’d be right down. He and a few friends made the two hour trek down and then low-balled, to no avail. They wound up going home empty handed over the same $50 difference. There was plenty of interest in the van, so Jerry had no compelling reason to listen to a bunch of low-ballings and hagglings.
No clue what makes these people tick. What’s best about Paul’s example is that not only did the Portland couple waste all day, and gas, and go home with nothing, but they helped Paul make an extra $300. Love it!
While the advertised price was $1500, an offer of $2000 was made with a request to reject lower offers, so the price is changed. Then they who made the offer try to back out, offer less, ultimately lose for $50, or $200 less than the first offer.
The new vehicle is probably not next centuries model though.
Cool story, and very intersting to see the total cost of a car like that. I try to not worry to much (or try to forget) the cocst of my cars, but as I have mostly bought cars close to their end, and been the last owner, I have kept the cocsts very low, until recently. Almost three years ago I finally caved in a got a car loan, and a (for Norway) quite new Honda CRV, which I intended to keep for at least 10 years, considering its mostly bulletproof mechanics. That plan ended abruptly on the 30th of November when an old man in a Mitsubishi Space Star unfortunately totalled. Even with a decent insurance payout, the running cost, and parts like a lowering kit and adjustable Konis, was more or less only spread over 2.5 years of ownership, but the car also proved to manage a small overlap crash, and saved my whole familys lives, so the money certaily weren’t wasted. (epsecially considering we ‘could very easily have been driving a much older cheaper car at the time)
Congrats on the TSX by the way, I haven’t commented here in a while, but I still read your stories regularly, and the whole buying and driving it home trip (and the looks of the car) were great 🙂
Great story. I love the part about the transaction. In my experience, it is usually easier to buy a car than to sell one, but you had it priced aggressively and it had a lot going for it. There are few things as satisfying as walking away from a deal then having the other person come crawling back to meet your last position – after you have already made another deal. I suppose I shouldn’t enjoy that as much as I do.
It is possible to drive more cheaply, but probably difficult to do when buying new. You certainly cannot complain about 24 cents per mile. I can’t wait to get the fifteen year figure on that Acura. 🙂
Sounds pretty much like our experience with a 2005 Outback, except at 186,000 we were well on our way to our second head gasket replacement…
As for the piston slap, it’s what makes a Subaru…a Subaru. 🙂
We went thru the same wheel bearing/axle maladies…and God FORBID you don’t change all four tires each and every time you get tires. The AWD acts weird and handling gets a little squirrelly if you don’t.
What bothers me is the seeming indifference of Subaru toward correcting the head gasket issue, endemic to all 2.5 engines from their mid-90’s inception thru 2010, when a new design 2.5 went into production. Long-term durability, over multiple hundreds of thousands of miles, is supposed to be a Subaru selling point. At least GM intake gaskets eaten by Dex-Cool could be replaced by a superior quality product that would stand up for the remaining life of the engine. In contrast, Subaru head gaskets seem to be an unspoken maintenance item, every 100,000 or so, just like the timing belt at 110,000 miles.
The Outback was traded in a month ago for a 3-year-old, loaded, Equinox LTZ. We love it and unlike the Scooby, I can actually stretch out in it. It feels as solid at 90 MPH as it does at 55.
Uh, no, we don’t miss our Outback either.
Congrats, Paul, especially in the fact that you got it done in only one day!
I spent about a month trying to sell my 1979 Chevy K20 a few years back. One father/son combo really, really wanted it, but wouldn’t cough up another $100 (I had already lowered my price by several hundred and had reached my bottom line). They called back a few days after I had sold it and were really disappointed – I pointed out if they really wanted it, $100 wasn’t that much of a difference (in the bed were extra good doors and plenty of other OEM parts that were easily worth $100 that they could have sold off).
It can be a very emotionally-draining experience, that’s for sure . . .
Last summer our daughter decided to relocate to LA from MA. She wasn’t going to take ‘her’ ’98 Outback Sport with her, as it wasn’t worth the cost of shipping. So I gave it a final bath by hand, drove it down to our local mechanic and had him give it a solid once-over while he changed the oil.
The next day was a beautiful sun-soaked August Saturday in Berkshire County. I took a pair of scissors and cut out “$2,200” from blank white stock and parked it across the street where a neighbor was having a tag sale. I taped a copy of the mechanic’s estimate on what it would take to address some otherwise ignored issues (chiefly long-gone struts) and figured that if someone wanted to buy the car and spend the extra $1K to make it happy again, they’d end up with a great AWD deal in advance of the weather.
Sold it within the first 30 minutes it was on display, to a little old lady and her little old pals. No arguments, no dickering, just a perfect transaction.
Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, someone else’s Subaru.
“Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, someone else’s Subaru.”
Today’s winner! 🙂
Thang Queue! Other than one rear bearing blowing out, it was a decent own. One of the few Soobs I’ve had that didn’t blow a gasket, though it hadn’t reached the mystical mile lifespan yet.
Do I win something from the Shameless Commerce Division?
Wow, fun story…sort of. This is why I don’t try to sell my own cars anymore, people can be so ridiculous. What an ordeal. I’m no negotiator, and I probably would have caved, and kicked myself forever after. Good for you for sticking to your guns, and btw, I admire your upfront honesty, I would have done the same. Geez, we have a workhorse ’06 Mercury Mariner with 85K miles, great shape, sort of testing the waters for a new car, maybe we should bring it to Eugene, sounds like the Oregonian market is falling all over itself for small SUV’s. Hope you enjoy another 15 years in the new Acura!
I am a pro saleman–not cars, but some basic principals must apply:
Qualify leads: You can save yourself lots of time and heartache by per-qualifying leads. If you sense you have a tire kicker or low-baller on the line, end the call.
Know what you want to get from the transaction, layout the rules in the ad: This Forester example perfectly exemplifies the issues inherent with getting squishy on price. Adding “First $1500.00 cash at my door gets the car” could have saved the hassles.
Great points, Henry.
Also: in order to determine the sales price you may want window shop for a near new car and get a trade in offer. CarMax or another large dealer should suffice. You don’t have to go any lower than their offer.
No Carmax in Oregon, yet.
So how do you put a dent by the tailgate like that? Your Scooby sure looks small on that trailer, I wonder what they are going to do with it?
I believe he was playing in the snow a bit and the rear end took off.
“As you probably know, we bought a 2103 Acura TSX Sport Wagon…”
You got a 2103 Acura? Wow!!! What’s its maximum altitude?
I haven’t kicked in the jet thrusters yet, but I do know what its maximum velocity is on the ground.
125 is plenty fast, too bad we can’t really use that speed. What was the Subie’s Vmax?
I think you’ll find the 2013 Acura’s ceiling is 14,130 feet. (Link here)
Ask my son Ed; maybe he knows. I never found out, as it didn’t inspire me to. But it’s seen 110 a few times.
I’d like to get back up on Mt. Evans; last time was in 1965, in our Dodge Coronet. There were a few cars on the side of the road that didn’t make it; probably doesn’t happen nowadays. Our old Ford used to get vapor lock at very high altitudes. I remember sitting on the side of the mountain roads, waiting…
The real cost of owning a car always surprises me. A few years ago, I sold a 2000 Jetta for the same price I had paid for it three years before. I had put new tires on it but performed no repairs. “I got three years for free!” I thought. But when I tallied up insurance, gas, oil changes, tires, etc., I found I had spent $9000 to drive 28,000 miles–32 cents per mile. So I somehow more per mile than you did, even with no depreciation.
Because Volkswagen.
Well, no. There were NO repairs and NO depreciation. 32 cents/mile was the minimum possible to keep any car on the road in that time, assuming new tires.
That cost is in fact cheap. Like mFred said, most people have NO IDEA of what it costs to drive a car. My own car cost me $0.42 CDN per km last year, which translates to about 23 cents a mile in US dollars. Dirt cheap since it is old and doesn’t depreciate much. This year will be more as it needs tires and soon brakes.
Well insurance can vary a lot depending on the location and driver. Tire costs can also vary significantly based on size, category, and brand. Also you didn’t get the full use out of those tires so that can skew it significantly if you spent a lot on them.
Good points… Boston insurance rates + $1,000 for Michelin tires that I didn’t wear out.
Yeah $1000 for tires that you only got a small fraction of their useful life out of, assuming they weren’t Max or Ultra High Performance tires definitely skewed you cost per mile. Though if the person knew what a set of Michelins cost that probably factored into the price you were able to get for it. On the other hand to some people if they are black and sort of round they are all the same.
I know I’d pay more for a car with a set of Michelins with 50% tread than I would for the same car with a set of brand new el cheapo tires, since the Michelins would probably last longer, stay round until the end and probably give much better traction too. I figure the OE Michelins on my wife’s car would last 150K if I drove them until the very end of their legal life based on their wear so far.
One time I was selling a refrigerator for $150. A couple called and came out to look at it, then started to nit pick it, and offered me $75. Then $85. Well, OK, how about $100. Best we can do is $120. I was annoyed with them and said no. I told them someone else had called after them and was coming to get it. They got in their car and drove to the turnaround at the end of the street and parked. Sure enough, the second looker pulled up. They looked it over and gave me $150 cash. I made sure I held my hand out so they could see me get the cash. I would’ve even taken less just to spite these folks. Just like the woman from Portland.
That was an entertaining story. You meet the most interesting people with Craigslist…
Also, thanks for the cost analysis. I have made it a habit of keeping a spreadsheet for each vehicle in the family. It really helps in making decisions. I do not tally up insurance, registration fees and fuel. Insurance is more depending on the driver than the vehicle and I estimate yearly cost of fuel. my biggest cost is depreciation with a fairly new car or repairs with older vehicles. I am guessing the sweet spot for low cost motoring is buying a 5 to 6 year old car with about 100000 miles and driving it to about 170000miles.
The really sweet spot is when you can find a 10 year old car, a reliable brand, with really low kms, less than 100,000 if possible. I bought an 11 year old Acura three years ago with only 66,000 km on it. I was ridiculed here for spending $9000 on it. Fast forward three years and I have not spent a dime on repairs in three years, have 114,000 km on the car it it is still worth $6000 in my market. I have depreciated the car for business use at 20% a year, which has given me a $2000 tax credit. Thus, my true depreciation is only $1000 in three years. That’s cheap, especially with the performance and comfort of the car. My total cost for three years has been only $12,200, or about 25 cents a km. That is dirt cheap.
Despite the fact that cars don’t automatically blow up at 100K like they did decades ago there is a significant depreciation at that magic mark so if you are going that route buy one with 105K on it and if it uses a rubber band make sure it was already done along with the rest of the 100K service it that can cost well over $1000 on many cars.
Oh, yes, of course. There seem to be a lot of cars on the market just a few short miles in front of a major service. That should be part of the price negotiation as much as verifying that that service was done as scheduled if you choose one above the magic number on the odometer.
In fact I would rather by a car in need of new tires, struts and other wear parts at a price low enough. Then I do those jobs with the quality parts of my preference. That way I don’t have $12 brake pads and prime well tires…
And to canucknucklehead: we have to be real: most motorists can’t depreciate their vehicles on the tax forms.
I agree I’ve seen too many cars where they are advertising new tires that are the cheapest possible tires they could find. I’d rather buy one with bald tires that are only good enough to drive it home on since to me that is all cheapo tires are good for.
Probably most of us have interesting stories selling used cars.
Sold my minty 98 Civic last fall. By the book, it was due for a timing belt, interval is 7yr/105K miles, mine was 8 years old, but only 45K miles, and original shocks were pretty loose. Otherwise perfect at 110K miles, smooth strong engine, no oil drips, no wierd noises, good tires and battery. Priced it low as no a/c and manual trans limited it’s prospects.
One woman called and offered about half what I was asking. I laffed right on the phone. Three others called and said they were coming to look at it. Of the three, only one showed, and he didn’t have any money.
Decided to keep the car and pulled the ad after 2 weeks. Next evening, the one guy who had showed to look at it called “You sell the Civic?” I explained that I had decided to keep it. He came up with the money. When he picked up the car, I asked how he was comming with the Subie he had on Autotrader. He said two or three had said they were comming to look at it, but never showed.
Even at garage sales, some will dicker to the last dollar, just so they can feel like ‘they got a deal’.
I like the above story about selling the fridge and making sure the lowballer saw cash exchanged.
Garage sales are terrible for low-ballers. My mother was at one once and heard a woman dickering over a $0.25 brassiere.
Insert low-baller/athletic supporter joke here: ____________________
Low ballers at ‘op shops’ are the real scum. I think your goodwill stores operate on the same basis; the more credible ones actually divert the money to charitable causes. I can’t believe it when I hear someone trying to negotiate with a little old lady volunteer for something that is already incredibly cheap.
I walked on buying an Oldsmobile Aurora once over $20.
You got to draw a line in the sand somewhere.
Well, when you’re talking about 50% of the NADA value… 🙂
The guy was a total curbstoner that I probably shouldn’t have been dealing with in the first place, but I wanted an Aurora. We agreed on $2080. As I was counting out the money he goes “You know I don’t think I’m going to let this go for less than $2100” I hesitated, he gives this lame smirk and says “You aren’t going to walk over $20 are you?”. I decided that yes I would.
Day before that I walked on a mint ’99 Intrigue over $300. That one was actually harder than the Aurora because I really liked that particular W-body.
I can just imagine how that smirk melted away. That alone should have been worth the $20. Well done on that!
+1
“You aren’t going to walk over $20 are you?” Wow, just wow! Gotta tell you that I have never been a violent person – just never. However, someone pulling that kind of crap…I would have to resist the VERY strong temptation to forcefully punch the guy in the nose. I am serious. OK, I’d probably do my best to calm down and then respond with something like “I could never own or drive a vehicle that had been owned by someone so sleazy, slimy and scummy. Can’t do it.” Or, maybe I could do my best to stay fairly calm, look the guy straight in his eyes for about 5 seconds just glaring at him, then turn around, walk away and drive off in my car. I find his (unacceptable) behavior downright evil. Or, at the very minimum, HIGHLY provocative. That’s just so provocative that some people “carrying” – though NOT your law-abiding concealed carry permit holder – might these days pull out a gun and pop him one. OK, back to your personal account. That guy was deliberately messing with you. Just a lowlife scumbag, who if he had a little more education would probably be your stereotypical “crooked lawyer.” I fail to understand why people put forth the effort they do to demonstrate they have absolutely no class, ethics, principles or morals. Oh, wait, I shouldn’t be talking about our politicians like that! Excuse the little rant.
My wife’s ’04 Forester had only 135k or so on it, but it had nickel-and-dimed us enough in its final year – a real disappointment. We had the new car picked out, lined up a deal that made everyone happy, and just had to wait a day for the right one to be relocated over. Meanwhile, we took the Forester on one last quick trip, wherein one of the rear bearings started roaring.
Back at the dealer two days later, all paperwork was signed and hands were shaken. As we exchanged keys, the salesman smiled, “I don’t remember hearing that wheel bearing last time you pulled in. You guys are lucky it’s the end of the month.”
(…as if we didn’t plan it that way.)
The whole head gasket issue does seem to be the luck of the draw. Our (now departed) 2000 Subaru Legacy went though two sets of head gasket replacements, and two clutch replacements. Otherwise, we loved that car.
Those people from Portland got what they deserved. They offered you a deal that was very good for themselves, then screwed themselves by trying to weasel. I recently found a 96 Tercel for my niece. It was advertised on Craigslist for $2300. What was cool was the seller was right down the street from me, less then a mile away. The car was as advertised except for “really cold AC”, as it never was equipped with air. When I pointed that out I could tell from the look on his face he did not realize that. The weather has been cold so I think he thought the vent was air. The car was from California and he had the title signed over to him. It had 157k and had a sticker on the belt cover that t-belt and clutch had been replaced at 110K, The oil was clean, the car had no dents, the interior was perfect and only the clearcoat was coming up on hood, roof, and trunk lid. Common on these cars. Ran perfect. I offered $2000 he said $2100 I said OK. I had $500 on me. My niece went to her ATM and was able to get $500. I went to my ATM was able to get $1000. I told him I would give him the other $100 in the morning, he could hold the car until then. He said don’t worry about it, I’ll take $2000. Done deal. 2 used like new tires for $80 installed and good to go. 2 days later she said the starter was not working. I stomped on the clutch pedal a couple of times and it started right up. I bypassed the clutch switch and it has been perfect since. No BS, good car, fair deal. Just like the good old days.
Yes, it happens. I sold my wife’s Prizm, in need of a radiator and front brakes for $700. This did not even cover the last repair we had but I thought of how the buyer might approach this. A car that runs was worth about 1 grand at that time. So I priced it to give the buyer an opportunity to get it done at 1 grand. They tried to dicker a few bucks lower but I said: “The first $700 will take it, not $650, $700.”
I want a fair deal when I buy and I want a fair deal when I sell.
When did Oregon bump the registration? $86 for two years; I remember $20 a year.
Had an enjoyable time selling the eponymous 86 Chev. Listed it for $2200, had lukewarm interest for a while, including one fellow, (let’s call him Al for ease of storytelling) who offered $1500. I never told him yes or no but just sat on it for a while.
After a week or two another fellow (let’s call him Tim) came over to look at it and test-drove it. He offered $1700 so I knew I had something going now.
I called Al, said “Tim is offering $17”, so Al thinks for a moment and says “$19 then”.
I call back Tim and say “well another guy is offering $19, what do you think?” So he hee’d and hawed about it for a bit and then said he could probably do 2-even.
So, hang up, call Al again and say “other guy is up to 2-even, what do you think?” So he thinks a little longer this time and says “21”.
Back on the phone with Tim: “No, can’t go that high”. I say, thank you for your interest, call back Al and say “you’ve got it”.
Next morning he comes back with a money order and the 86er is gone.
I don’t care what anyone offers me on the phone. I don’t hold anything for anyone. The car is for sale to the first person with the money.
In most cases, this is the best practice. But in the example, it worked out better because the seller pulled the ad when it turned out to be too low.
I always wonder what the yahoos that screw around in this manner over buying something finally end up with, particularly when their antics result in the loss of what was actually a pretty good deal in the first place.
He did make out OK this time. But most the time they either don’t show or don’t buy. And someone that would have bought it has bought something else.
I wish I could get in the minds of idiot like that. But then, if I did I might start acting like them.
It only worked out because there were a number of interested potential buyers. Someone calling from a distance needs some assurance that there will be something to look at. With a $500 premium to hold it as sold makes sense. What is not clear is if the woman asked about the “issues” or if they made some assumptions. After looking at the vehicle they could say that the issues were not as expected and walked away. But in this case they seem to have come with the idea of paying the asked price and the $500 premium was a gambit to prevent someone else getting it first.
In most cases, I would think if you had one interested looker per day you would be doing good. So if you don’t expect anyone else, a distant caller should get a chance to see and make a deal before selling to someone who calls later, but the first caller should be on the way.
The worst car sales experience was with my Fit, which I sold in 2011. When I bought it, I was a low financial moment and got a total stripper, no a/c, no keyless, nothing. It was a standard to boot, too.
I was not going to let the car go for less than it was worth, which was $10,500 at the lowest. However, this is the point where people really consider, “Should I pay $10,500 and pay a high interest rate, or $16,000 at 1.9 percent?” Not that many people have $10,500 cash on hand and experience of many years has told me that is the hardest price to sell at, especially a manual transmission.
In the end I sold the Fit for what I wanted for it, but it took me six weeks and a real load of time dealing with freaks, idiots and dreamers. Like Rob B so correctly stated, the item goes to the first person with money in hand.
I bought myself a new car this week, so I had to put the Oldsmobile up for sale. So far I have had two calls from some outfit in Texas that claims they will buy my car “like Carmax”. Please…
I hate scammers…
However, if any of you are looking for a nice clean Oldsmobile… 🙂
Was it TexasDirectAuto? They’re HUGE down here in Houston…a coupe of dozen folks I know have bought from them, all pleased.
They took over an old AutoNation lot; the several times I’ve visited they’re always packed. They run shuttles to and from the airport for folks who’ve flown in to pick up a car or sold their car and need to fly home.
http://texasdirectauto.com/
It might have been. But I know there is no way they would give me what I want for the car, and I’m not traveling to Texas for it anyways…
I must be lucky.
I sold my 1998 5-speed manual Outback with 217k miles in 2009 for the asking price ($4000) in cash to a guy who was going to use it as an AWD ski beater (he had a 2wd Tundra and a BMW 3-series).
No drama at all.
Great ending to that story Paul. It’s an example of why many people trade cars in instead of selling them privately I’m sure.
I have tried selling a few of my cars but never seem to get anyone really interested. The exception was two Corvettes, the first an 84 and then an 86, both of which I bought used. By trading you always have a car. When I was trying to sell my old car, I did not buy something else first, thinking that I would probably need to trade in to get rid of the old.
Congrats on the sale Paul, and thanks for the insightful story. I hope you and the wife enjoy the nice new Acura
Selling a car privately is a really big hassle where I live. A roadworthy certificate is required for a car to be road legal every time the title changes hands.
As a seller you have two choices:
1. pay for the roadworthy inspection and all of the required repairs.
2. sell the car without the certificate, making it the responsibility of the new owner.
Obviously, it’s much easier to sell a ready-to-go roadworthy car than one that requires an unspecified number of repairs to achieve road-worthiness. An older or high mileage car is likely to require more than a bit of work. So if the car is worth very little, the cost of the repairs can make selling it with the roadworthy an exercise in pointlessness. Of course there’s no way of knowing exactly what needs to be done until you pay for the inspection, and then there is very limited time to do it regardless of what is required. Never mind if you have to wait for the parts needed to complete the repairs.
That’s why I drove my perfectly functional but high mileage Ford Festiva (Aspire) to the junkyard where they handed me $250. The highest quote I could find. Some wreckers didn’t even want it! It wasn’t worth much more than $1000 with the roadworthy, and I knew it would have needed a few things to pass. It simply wasn’t worth the hassle to me or a potential buyer. I miss buying and selling cars in Western Australia and the US!
While that could’ve been much worse (I could write a book on my used car selling stories), dealing with people like that is why I am willing to throw away hundreds and even thousands trading in now. Actually, I think I’m just going to keep leasing cheap compact cars from now on to avoid all of this crap, even if the price per mile is more like $0.40 to $0.50. But I don’t drive much…
There is “frugal” and there is “cheap”, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s people who are cheap.
There is “frugal” and there is “cheap”, and if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s people who are cheap.
There is a different term for the sort we are discussing “chisler”
I have sold 2 cars via Autotrader. Donated one. Sold one to a used car lot. Traded in 5. The general rule is I’ll sell a car myself if it is 100% healthy. Trade in if it has issues….like the Taurus X that was on the verge of a power steering failure and the beginnings of a rod knock, because I don’t want someone comming after me a month later.
Right on. I’d feel guilty not disclosing problems to private buyers, but the dealership can take whatever crap I roll up in.
When I leased my cheap-o stick-shift Jetta last month, the POS Saturn Aura I traded in literally stalled when I drove it in to take delivery. It was intermittent enough that the dealership staff hadn’t noticed on the test drive… but with 207,000 miles they were going to auction that thing off in a hot second anyway.
It was intermittent enough that the dealership staff hadn’t noticed on the test drive
Ditto the intermittent hitch in the power steering of my Taurus X, and the rod knock was faint enough that you needed quiet to hear it. And the tach didn’t go nuts until you drove it with the headlights on for about 10 miles (I traded it in during daylight) and I had exercised the folding second seat in case they tried it, because the mechanism tended to jam if it wasn’t used frequently. They put it right on their lot, asking $5K more than they gave me for it and it was sold in 2 weeks.
Dumped the Escort at a used car lot. Sounded OK when everything was warmed up. On first start of the morning, it had a rod knock that would shake your teeth out until oil pressure built up. I checked their web site for a number of days after I dumped it, the Escort never showed up. Either they already had someone looking for an Escort, or they started it the next morning, heard it, and said “we gotta dump this car”
When I leased my cheap-o stick-shift Jetta last month,
With the gas four banger? iirc, timing belt needs to be changed every 60K miles/6 years. I briefly considered an 01 Jetta for a beater, then realised, it has that same 4 banger, it’s 13 years old and has 127K on it…guess what’s due.
Yes, it has the good ol’ 2-point-slow. Sounds like a coffee grinder and is only slightly quicker than a ’85 Chevette, but the rest of the car is very nice and for $197/month I can’t really complain about any brand new vehicle.
I would not want to own one as a beater. 60k seems excessively short for a timing belt interval. I have no personal experience but according to the interwebz, all Jettas self-destruct in your driveway and eat your children when you hit about 80K miles. Still, I’m debating a purchase after the lease because the buyout price is a tantalizingly low $9,600 – far less than any other 3-year-old car with 35K. Probably shouldn’t, but I guess I’ll just wait to see how I feel about it in 2017…
…the good ol’ 2-point-slow. Sounds like a coffee grinder and is only slightly quicker than a ’85 Chevette,
I had the dealer put the accessory bodyside molding on my Jetta wagon, so while it was in the shop overnight being done, he handed me a 4 cylinder auto Jetta sedan. I really hated to try to keep up with traffic as the engine complained so loudly.
The alternative to the 2.0 in the sedan now is a 1.8Turbo, instead of the old 5 cylinder…but when I see “new”, “innovative” and “VW” in the same sentence, I run away as fast as my feet can take me. Next year’s wagon having the 1.8T, vs this year’s having the 2.5 made up my mind as much as the impending repairs on the Taurus X.
Still, I’m debating a purchase after the lease because the buyout price is a tantalizingly low $9,600
I keep debating the extended warranty on my Jetta. I have until the three year warranty is up to decide, so I’ll procrastinate until then, and if the car has been troublesome by then, I’ll leave it behind.
…all Jettas self-destruct in your driveway and eat your children when you hit about 80K miles.
VW reliability seems to be real spotty. That 01 Jetta I considered had only had one owner for all it’s 127K miles/13 years. I see others with half that mileage that have gone through 4 owners.
I see a lot of VWs with 150K-200K miles, so they will make it. Don’t know if it’s a matter of meticulous maintenance, or fanatic owners that refuse to give up on them, or what.
I get very sentimental with my cars; I have a tendency to keep them a long, long time, and love to recall the adventures in each of them. Thus, the Trooper is now delegated to summer duty up north (actually my daughter was more upset about me possibly trading it in since I bought it when she was born…).
My Audi 5000, with it’s overheating nasty self, barely crept in to the dealer when I bought my Nissan truck….I had no problem tossing them the keys on that one.
When the Nissan hit 250k and my daughter had been born thus needing 4 doors and airbags, I put my truck on the side of the highway and not 30 minutes later I had a buyer (these are the days before CL). It was a SE-V6 king cab manual, and apparently it was a hot commodity south of the border. They tried dickering, but I knew it would sell for my not-unreasonable price of $2000 (it needed tires and a distributor).
Gone.
I do regret letting my wife trade her Highlander in on the Edge – she got $8000 with only 110k miles It was a base 4 cyl, but I loved driving that thing except for the lack of power seats. Perfectly sized for what I was looking for last year as I shopped.
Here in 2021 (referred from your cost-per-mile post), your selling story is an entertaining one. I don’t relish selling privately, but still prefer it to trade-in haggling as part of buying its replacement.
It was different in the pre-CL, pre-internet, newspaper want-ads days (where everyone freely gave out their phone number), for sure…