On Thu, 3 Aug 2006, at around 09:26:53 local time, Jack Williams
<jackandangie@comcast.net> wrote:
>I bought my TR6 off of ebay. The guy was really easy to work with and
>sent pictures of everything I asked about ( a bunch). He finally
>uttered the Golden Phrase "If it's not what you expected, then we'll
>call the whole deal off" and so I hit the buy it now button. I paid 4K
>for it, went to Houston and drove it home to Dallas. Before you put any
>cash down, make sure you get that golden phrase though.
Dear Jack, Aldwyn, and all,
I am currently selling a Spitfire on eBay.co.uk, and I have made every
effort to describe it accurately - even using phrases like "bodged
bodywork repairs" and "the pictures flatter her" to drive the message
home. I would rather she sold for half her true value than get into an
argument with a buyer who thought he was getting more for his money than
he actually did. There is no way on earth that I would offer your
"golden phrase" to anyone - there are so many people out there who
expect to buy a mint-condition car for pennies, and will get shirty if
they discover that they haven't cheated the seller out of a fair price
for his car. My terms and conditions state that the car can be
returned for a full refund if it doesn't match my description - and I
think that that is as far as any seller reasonably ought to be expected
to go.
Half-a-dozen different people have bid on my car so far, only two have
even bothered to e-mail me about it, and NONE have asked to come and see
it. I think they're nuts.
I bought a Triumph 2500S Estate off eBay, using "buy it now," a couple
of weeks ago. I e-mailed the seller several times, and spent a long
time on the phone with him. His advert *hinted* at some of the
problems of the car, but it was only on the phone that he actually
admitted them - the main ones being that the car had small amounts of
rust bubbling up all over the place, and the engine was completely shot.
If he hadn't admitted these things on the phone, I would have gone up to
look at the car before placing a bid. In the end, I bought it sight
unseen, as it is a rare car (only 2232 made), it was something I had
been looking for for a long time, and the price was a fair one for a car
in such poor condition. If you are going to buy long distance, and
can't get to inspect the car before you do, get someone you can trust to
look it over for you, or at the very least, spend some time talking to
the seller on the phone, and don't expect to pick up a bargain. It is
very rare that you will find a car that is actually in better condition
than described.
ATB
--
Mike
Ellie - 1963 White Triumph Herald 1200 Convertible GA125624 CV
Unnamed - 1977 Russet Triumph 2500S Automatic Estate MP6711 SCA
Carly - 1977 Inca Yellow Triumph Spitfire 1500 FH105671
Aneka - 1984 Cashmere Gold Triumph Acclaim CD SAXXDELX7BM232714
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