All the hard work is done! Car ads that make me laugh.

How about the ads that show a pic of the pos they are selling and a pic of a finished show car of the same model. "Could look like this." Another favorite laugh line is: "These are worth (insert mega-buck figure) when done."

 

It doesn't really bother me if someone says "all the hard work is done." What does bother me is when people say something like, "all this thing needs is this one little part, and you can get it at AutoZone for $15 and then this thing will be a driver!" If you're selling a car with the price of something that should be good driver, and the only thing keeping it from driving is a $15 part, I think you should really do it first, and then try to sell it!

 

I hate the random crap that people stick on their fleabay titles. SCTA, GNRS, etc... any acronym that is linked to car culture. And the ubiquitous LOOK!!!!!! or as previously stated "rat rod".


Crap I forgot the recently overused term "PATINA".



Grr........

 

We should turn this into a list.

Rust free-no extra charge for rust

Selling for a friend-I'm too embarrassed to admit ownership or I never transferred title

All the hard work done-everything I do feels like hard work, like even washing it


What gets me is when folks that know better, or should, say "all original" and the car's anything but. Shitty repaint, Whitney seat covers, wrong engine, etc. Tread softly and believe 1/2 of what you see and mostly NONE of what you hear. I'm the opposite side. I'll tell you all of the fucked up stuff you might not see or ask just so you know goin in. The good stuff shows itself.

 

How about " if i dont sell it soon im going to fix it myself and drive it"
there is a reason for selling it

 

How about the term restorable" in the ad? IF you have an ashtray for a 55 Chevy that could be called a "restorable" '55 Chevy, may not be worth the time and effort but it is restorable. Another one that is becoming more common is trying to sell cars without titles and pricing them as if they HAVE a title. The seller will often tell you that you just go to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles and ask for one, no problem...

 

I'm typing this in responce to alot of comments shared in this thread that I totally agree with!!! You guys are right on the money. Ok, but with my typing skills all I can say is "all the hard work is done"

 

Ah yes, the wonderful world of used cars. If it's for sale, there is a reason for it..not always the same reason the owner is telling you either.

 

when i bought my '56 from craigslist it was called a "rat rod" in the title...but really it's all stock and just has a custom paint job of flat dark gray with orange & red flames. This was one of those guys that didn't know the difference between kustom and rat rod....just calling anything and everything a rat rod if it has custom paint, is unfinished, a little rusty, or with pitted chrome. Unless he thought the slotted aluminum mag wheels and filthy fuzzy dice he put on the car was also what makes it a "rat rod"...

Nice guy, but either way I think I might have saved it just in time...

 

yep....'just need to go to DMV'... is one of the biggies...also...A/C just needs to be recharged (right!!!)...or....needs a light tune-up...all done except for.....that kind of crap.

One I saw last month on C/L advertised some non-HAMB 2dr hdtp of 80s vintage and his tagline was 'buy it now, cuz in three years it will be a classic and the price will go up $5,000" talk about a clueless nitwit.

I've been stung doing the 'sight unseen' purchase - not real bad, because sometimes you can trip the liars up over the phone - they'll contradict themselves in subsequent questions and answers.

Basically it's always been "caveat emptor" and if you can accept the penalties of trusting a stranger, then the pain won't be so great as it will if you believe everything they say.

dj

 

"Easy fix" is the one that gets me!

 

Won't last long at this price.

 

On the buying end. "well I have the cash right now..."

Sent a guy (and his wife and kids) back to Texas empty after he towed to northern Oklahoma and then offered me $1000 less for the car than agreed on. This after talking to him on the phone for on hour describing in detail the condition of the car.

Some people.

 

This one I love, "Easy restoration"! Hahahah, there's NOTHING easy about restoration, just a lot of hard work.

Dan Stevens
dba, Steelsmith

 

Yeah the RUN WHEN PARKED one is a winner. I saw an ad on CL the other day that said that and one pic showed no hood, no valve covers and no intake manifold!

 

And how 'bout sellers who cut and paste paragraph after paragraph of the history of the make, model or year...but little to nothing about THE actual car they're selling.

 

One I remember from the local Auto Trader, about 20 years ago....

"rusted out where your feets goes"

 

The "invested" line is always interesting; did this guy build something to drive or to flog?

 

One time I had it work the other way around... the guy described the car as an accordion and that he slathered bondo over the whole thing!

Yes he did say that it ran when parked but that was over twenty years ago!!!! Hahaha...!

He told me a ridiculous low price that I'd pay for just the "title and Identification tag alone"

Got to the farm house "Aunt Bee" met us out in the driveway and proceeded to swing open the carriage shed doors and this is what we bought...






Not bad for $3,500 in 1996........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Well, after reading all these post,I Now know I am not the only one thinking WTF! When I read the crap ads put out there! I love the "Tires just need air" You get there and 20 black widows are living in the folds of the sidewalls.

 

No wonder my ads don't get any attention, I'm not using the right key words..

 

Well, I am sure he and his wife "talked about" the car and the sale all the way down. By the time he got there "they" had already decided that your price was just more than they could afford.

Sorry to be so cynical with regard to matrimonial relations but...

 

I saw one on Ebay today near me and it said mileage was 46,000 on a 1970 Caddy coupe deville and it looked very nice in the photos. Owner's phone number was listed so I called him. I asked was the mileage actual at 46,000. "No, it is 146,000 but you can't tell by looking at it". There are several bids on the car. I asked if he was going to change the ad and tell people up front or not. He said "nope, people should assume it is 146,000 miles for a car that age." That engine and tranny are worth quite a bit less with an extra 100,000 miles on them in my opinion. I asked if I could come to see it today. He said "no we are going to town all day." So, I asked him to drive the Caddy and I would meet him. "Oh no, we never drive that old car. It stays in the garage." I won't be bidding on that one. Why not just be honest?

 

I think a friendly msg to ebay on that Caddy might save someone else some hassles later .

 

I get a chuckle when looking at ebay ads that have some decent pictures
of the "all original" cars that have non-original paint colors, upholstry and
other things. In some cases, the sellers just don't seem to be very
knowledgeable about their cars.

Others certainly have warped ideas about what constitutes good
condition.

 

"just needs paint"

 

Many sellers seem to assume that rare equals rare and desireable. Sometimes an old car is rare because no one wanted one when they were new,just like now!

 

^
yep. very true. rare doesn't always mean desirable.

 

Yes, I always liked that one. I would think it would be done already if it was easy!

 

I like the "Too much to list" ads.

Too much what?

Another favorite is "Pics say it all"

Oh yeah, let's not forget that old favorite.... the ad for a "completely original" 1963 Chevy (or any other make) that shows a photo of a 1962 model, etc.