Why aren't my cars selling?

"MentalJuggernot" (MentalJuggernot) 01/29/2014 at 09:55 • Filed to: None

0

43

Hey guys,

I've had both my cars listed for awhile, and haven't had many hits on them...are there any glaring shortcomings that I'm missing or are they just purely undesirable?

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/4297679330…

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/4260998797…

NoahthePorscheGuy > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 09:58

0

I don't see anything glaring, but I think you should show some photos of the Boxster with the original wheels because the current ones might throw some people off. Also maybe take some photos of the Compressor in daylight? If all else fails ebay/autotrader is probably more efficient.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:02

1

A) No one wants a mercedes C230 so your market is limited

B) Can you deliver the Boxster to Michigan?

Mattbob > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:02

1

Maybe add bullet points on the boxter ad. Reading through it to parse useful information can be annoying. Also, bitches love bullet points.

Sn210 > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:03

0

Your Porsche ad looks good and I'd say you have it priced right. Maybe you should try daytime pics of the Merc? Also include a shot of what the cracked taillight looks like?
Good luck

Casper > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:04

0

Desirability is probably the biggest issue. The cars just aren't going to be the popular selections when searching CL... and the Porsche maybe a bit over priced depending on the going rate for your area. For around here that's a bit high.

Both cars are going to take a while to reach a niche audience. Either college kids who want the brand name or someone specifically enthusiastic about the cars.

Squid > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:04

0

It took quite some time to get my sisters 03 taco 4x4 with all the TRD goodies sold. The merc might have trouble selling because of the miles. You might want to try listing it in san diego and LA to try and get some more hits. The boxster looks nice but it is still a niche vehicle and may take some time to get it gone.

How long have you been at it? it can take some time to get rid of cars, it isn't some magical potion and they are gone unless you have a car made from unicorn balls.

I don't have much more other than suggesting to list it up in LA and SD maybe even rivertucky. Hopefully you get lucky.

efme > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:06

0

Boxster: you put 78 miles. thats one thing. I personally dislike it when people do that since most will likely know what they want. I agree with the stock wheels point. I don't like those wheels at.all. List maintenance done and what is wrong with the car. are you priced too high or KBB?

C230: List the mileage so it is searchable... again. Take some pictures during the day time . Interior looks dirty too. List options, when last maint was done on everything since you have a bazillion miles on it.

Lastly, drop the price. you're likely too high and I'd be surprised if you can squeek $2500 out of the MB

xx45xx > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:08

0

got sisters or a girlfriend put on in a bikini and have her drive it while you take pictures. hell it could be your mom just dont make it wierd. boobs=page views

Dunnik > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:09

1

I don't see any glaring mistakes either but...

Pictures: are very nice, almost too nice. More car pr0n than car ad. I'd take some more detailed, close-up pictures of things like the engine bay, console/dash, backseats, trunk, wheels/wells.

Text: For the Porsche, it reads more like a car ad in a magazine than a car ad on Craigslist. Maybe the 15 second attention span of Craigslisters is taxed by your ode to your Boxster. Perhaps drop the "enjoy the wind in your hair as you cruise down Sunset Strip" type language and go for a short bullet point list of the car's best features.

Otherwise, yea, certainly compared to the usual Craiglist ad with its borken Engrish and caps, your ads are top-notch.

MonkeePuzzle > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:18

0

I have no idea about your market, but re. your ads.

I prefer bullet points to longer paragraphs

I don't see any engine pics, and the pictures for the merc are a little dark

I always include the VIN, and if possible run a carfax and include a copy of that too.

ssidd47 > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:21

0

I'm going to second a lot of the calls for more detailed pics and bullet point of your automotive amenities.

Try also cross listing on Ebay motors and cars.com. I helped sell my uncle's car and having I got more hits from Ebay than I did from CL.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:31

0

Daytime pics.

Throw the original wheels back on the porsche (or at least provide pics of them)

Mathias Rios > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 10:46

0

I love the Kompressor! Nice price too.

Korea Miéville > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 11:09

0

To be honest, both ads would be tempting to me! If I lived in your area and hadn't already bought a car a few months ago, I'd probably be giving you a call.

If I'm going to nitpick, though, I admit that the Boxster listing makes me hesitate, as a theoretical buyer. First, I want to see more detailed, full-daylight photos of the exterior and interior, showing the condition of the seats, visor, the top, any indications of sun or moisture damage. Your photos are great looking, but sometimes that can backfire if the closer details aren't there, since it gives the impression of trying to dazzle me in order to distract from some defect.

Second, your language about loving the car and being reluctant to part with it telegraphs the message that you value the car way too much to be swayed into giving me a bargain. Not necessarily a deal breaker for me assuming the price and condition accurately reflect the market value, but you're not going to get as many bites from the typical Craigslist buyer. I don't know if I would change this, though, if you're serious about keeping lowballers away, but it probably is a factor in the lack of response.

So basically, my impression of that listing is that you're losing the bargain hunters who just care about price, but there may not be enough detail to draw in the buyers who care more about the condition of the car.

For the C230, I guess there are a couple of what for me would be red flags. One, the lack of daylight photos automatically makes me wonder what the seller is hiding. Two, I know you're in Orange County, but a 8-9 year old C-series with 241k miles that is leaking oil...for the average buyer who doesn't do their own car repair/maintenance and isn't looking for a fixer-upper, this could be daunting enough to make them move on to other listings that might be higher priced but offering better condition and lower mileage.

I don't know if I'm representative of the average buyer, but when I'm looking at cars on Craigslist I tend to be extremely wary, so it doesn't take a whole lot to put me off of a listing, and the reasons can be mysterious. Sometimes a lack of polish in how it's written puts me off, but sometimes too much makes me think the seller will be a pain in the ass to deal with!

With the car I ended up buying last November from a Craigslist seller, the listing text was almost laughably sparse, and the photos were taken inside a closed garage — why??? But what drew me in was that it was brutally honest about the defects, with close-up photos of every dent and scratch, and the description was plain but straightforward about the overall condition. It didn't need to sell me the car, just make me feel it was worth my while to check it out.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 11:21

0

I'm with a bunch of others in saying that you should list bullet points. It makes the ads easier to read. It's also easy to make the ad look really good with some basic HTML, so if you know HTML, that's excellent. If not, there are plenty of good guides online. This is the one I use. I never put anything crazy in the ads but some bold, bullet points, or italic text in the right places can help.

Also, it's a good idea to get some more pictures of the Benz during the day. The blue on it is beautiful and daytime shots will definitely help that. You may also want to do a good detail on the car before you take some more pictures. Add one of the engine bay. If it's relatively clean (like enough to verify the valve cover gasket oil leak but not "steam cleaned and degreased") then that's very good. I'm also with the others on the "List mileage as searchable," idea.

The Porsche looks good as is. If I had an extra 10 grand and could fly out to visit my aunt in Cerritos for a few days to pick up the car I would definitely consider it. My wife loves convertibles. I like sports cars and the color blue. That said, I'd suggest a picture of the engine bay, just to show how clean it is.

If you have had major service done to the vehicles, list what was done, when, and where. If you have records — especially if you've got them in a binder or book — add a picture of that book. What kind of wheels from a 911 are they? They look sort of like the Australian-made ROH wheels from the 90s Firehawk and Impala SS, so some clarification may be in order.

If there are known issues with the vehicles, and they have been fixed make note of it. Make a note of any recalls that have been done, because some of the interest in these cars is going to come from enthusiasts. If you've recently had the cars run through by a mechanic, make note of when and where that was done.

That's about it. I've had some good experiences selling cars on craigslist, and some bad ones.

Meatcoma > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 13:05

0

but I've found that these wheels keep the car more planted.

why did it need to be more 'planted'? — Reword or remove this.

Meatcoma > Meatcoma 01/29/2014 at 13:12

0

There are some cosmetic flaws (cracked taillight and foglight) as to be expected of a car with wear and tear

Instead of expected, change to 'There are some cosmetic flaws (cracked taillight and foglight) and it also needs a valve cover gasket change to stop a small oil leak, these are the reasons I am selling below kbb. The paint and leather are in good condition.'

Also add a daytime pic of the car, people think you are hiding something if you only have pics of the car in the dark, I see you were going for the sunset, but you are selling a car not the photo.

911e46z06 > MentalJuggernot 01/29/2014 at 19:09

0

Cuz it's winter. Wait til like April, and people will be lining up to look at that Porsche.

MentalJuggernot > Mathias Rios 01/30/2014 at 00:37

0

Thank you! I'll honestly take 3k for it now if you're anywhere nearby, may be worth it to ship it?

MentalJuggernot > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 01/30/2014 at 00:37

0

Agreed - will upload daylight pics and standard wheel pics as well.

MentalJuggernot > 911e46z06 01/30/2014 at 00:38

0

It was 90 degrees here last weekend! SoCal doesn't really have seasons ;)

Or at least, that's my thinking lol. But yeah, I think you're right.

MentalJuggernot > MonkeePuzzle 01/30/2014 at 00:38

0

Thanks for your feedback! I think the prices are very reasonable based on what I see around me.

MentalJuggernot > NoahthePorscheGuy 01/30/2014 at 00:39

0

Duly noted, I think eBay may be the next stop - I've cross posted on a number of forums already.

MentalJuggernot > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/30/2014 at 00:39

0

A) There's gotta be at least one!

B) We could definitely arrange shipping!

MentalJuggernot > Casper 01/30/2014 at 00:46

0

There's a Boxster going for $500 less with 35k more miles, and this is a trend so I think the prices is right. C230 I priced high so that ridiculous lowballers would be deterred lol

MentalJuggernot > Mattbob 01/30/2014 at 00:48

1

Mathias Rios > MentalJuggernot 01/30/2014 at 00:49

0

I have a friend who may be in the market. I already have my hands full with two old German vehicles, but as a Benz owner I can recognize that high miles doesn't mean trashed if the car was well taken care of. I will forward this ad to my friend.

MentalJuggernot > efme 01/30/2014 at 00:55

0

Will do, I'm priced reasonably for my area. Wheels are off of an 82 911, but duly noted on all your points. MBZ is just high to scare of low ballers, thanks for your advice!

MentalJuggernot > Squid 01/30/2014 at 00:56

0

Good ideas - Usually it stops me from cross posting but I'm sure I can work around it.

MBZ for a few months, Porsche for a few weeks. What do you mean rivertucky?

MentalJuggernot > Dunnik 01/30/2014 at 00:57

0

Interesting points. So funny that there's a sweet spot between writing thoroughly and like an idiot lol. Thank you for looking and the compliments!

MentalJuggernot > Meatcoma 01/30/2014 at 00:58

0

Good calls - thank you for your feedback!

MentalJuggernot > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 01/30/2014 at 01:04

0

Didn't they remove the ability to do HTML ads? I;ll give it a shot though. MBZ bay looks good, just dusty - Porsche bay is covered by the rear! Rims are from an 82 911. Thank you for all your other points, I'll make the changes and some great ideas there.

MentalJuggernot > Korea Miéville 01/30/2014 at 01:06

0

Thank you for the lengthy response! I appreciate the effort you put in. I totally get what your saying, seems like everyone has some great points and you hit them all. I'll make those changes and great insight to you as a buyer.

Squid > MentalJuggernot 01/30/2014 at 01:09

1

Good ol' Riverside. You never know when a meth dealer is trying to move up-scale. . .

It looks like there actually is quite a bit of competition for the boxster on craigslist so you really need to make your add really concise and clear. But like I said I had my sisters truck up for a good month and a half before I took it down and she put it back up after a few months and it was up again for another two weeks before she sold it.

I do think you will have a dificult time selling the MBZ and that is strictly due to mileage. Hopefully you can find a way to unload them. You might want to try autotrader at this point though as those ads tend to reach a wider spread of potential buyers.

911e46z06 > MentalJuggernot 01/30/2014 at 04:37

1

I know dude, I'm in San Diego, and I watch the national news every day just to laugh at the weather reports. But still, people don't buy convertibles during winter.

Mattbob > MentalJuggernot 01/30/2014 at 07:29

1

image got nibbled

Casper > MentalJuggernot 01/30/2014 at 09:50

1

Then you will just have to sit and wait on them. At $10,000 you are competing with newer, as good or better performing cars that don't have the Porsche logo. A lot of people still have the mentality to avoid used German cars unless they happen to be a German car enthusiast.

If you aren't in a rush to unload them, just hold on to them at a price you want and wait for the right enthusiast to come along.

MentalJuggernot > 911e46z06 02/01/2014 at 05:53

0

Where in sd? My lady is in law school there, and I work in Oceanside.

MentalJuggernot > Mathias Rios 02/01/2014 at 05:54

0

Cheers buddy!

Mattbob > MentalJuggernot 02/01/2014 at 19:37

1

Now that I see the image, it is amazing.

911e46z06 > MentalJuggernot 02/02/2014 at 22:25

1

I'm in East County. I think the weekly El Cajon and La Mesa shows start up in like March. That would probably be a good spot to hang a sign in the window of the Porsche if it hasn't sold by then.

MentalJuggernot > 911e46z06 02/03/2014 at 03:34

0

Good shit, thanks buddy

MentalJuggernot > MentalJuggernot 02/04/2014 at 00:43

0

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/431736…

Redone Mercedes ad - feedback?