The junk for sale on e-bay

walshy66

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These are only my personal experiances but like to know how other people have gone on??
I set out 18 months ago to buy a 500/560 SEL .I now own one and am very pleased with it in its 1st month. However I didn't buy it from what a lot of people believe is the holy grail of car buying , E-bay. I got mine privately, &local to me , advertised on a classics web site.

My experiences with cars offered on ebay was not good. Maybe its the type of car I was looking for , a big old luxury saloon (I also looked at plenty of similar aged Jags, so its not a MB specific problem).

I found the majority of cars to be some if not all of the following:-
  • Dishonestly described (major faults ignored)
  • Owned for a few weeks (indicating part time traders)
  • In a far poorer condition that the marque/price would suggest
  • Selling for far more than I would pay
  • Relisted regularly with a variety of excuses
why it wasn't collected

The rare good cars weren't in auction and carried ridiculous prices as "Buy It Nows".

So there you have it, my own woes about Ebay.
Would love to hear from other folk. Was I unlucky or is Ebay, what I suspect it to be, in that its a good place to get rid of junk at good money.
Bet the scrapyards are almost empty these days, because some of the stuff I see sell on ebay looks worse that the stuff that used to end up in breakers yards!!
 

television

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There is a lot of truth in what you say,,and many have been brought to our attention:shock::shock:
 

ncooper

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Hello,

I found just the same when looking for a 190.
Just as you did,I eventually found one on a classic car website and it was only 10 miles away.

Regards,
Nick.
 

Alex M Grieve

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These are only my personal experiences but like to know how other people have gone on??
I set out 18 months ago to buy a 500/560 SEL .I now own one and am very pleased with it in its 1st month. However I didn't buy it from what a lot of people believe is the holy grail of car buying , E-bay. I got mine privately, &local to me , advertised on a classics web site.

My experiences with cars offered on ebay was not good. Maybe its the type of car I was looking for , a big old luxury saloon (I also looked at plenty of similar aged Jags, so its not a MB specific problem).


I found the majority of cars to be some if not all of the following:-
  • Dishonestly described (major faults ignored)
  • Owned for a few weeks (indicating part time traders)
  • In a far poorer condition that the marque/price would suggest
  • Selling for far more than I would pay
  • Relisted regularly with a variety of excuses
why it wasn't collected

The rare good cars weren't in auction and carried ridiculous prices as "Buy It Nows".

So there you have it, my own woes about Ebay.
Would love to hear from other folk. Was I unlucky or is Ebay, what I suspect it to be, in that its a good place to get rid of junk at good money.
Bet the scrap yards are almost empty these days, because some of the stuff I see sell on ebay looks worse that the stuff that used to end up in breakers yards!!

Sad but true walshy. I think you are just describing a cross section of the human race and, without controls, I can't imagine that e-bay could be anything else.

Perhaps even worse if trust is required?
 

Micman

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Totally agree with your experience.

I have never yet purchased a vehicle from ebay, or any of my immediate family - as you say they are often overpriced and badly described. I tend to stick to dealers or word of mouth from friends and family for a private sale.

I have however used ebay to sell vehicles, my wifes car, and I helped my father in-law use it to sell two of his old cars.

From a sellers point of view it is great - it doesn't cost alot to advertise and it reaches a massive audience. It was far better than using autotrader or similar, who only seem to generate calls from traders or other 'we'll sell your car for you' chancers.

The crazy thing I found on ebay is people would make offers without even seeing the car!! There are plenty of people out there that think all cars of the same age and model are identical and don't seem to use any common sense about considering the condition, mileage, service history etc etc.

:lol:
 

antijam

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Agree with all you say Micman. I too have never bought a car on ebay (although I have bought lots of 'stuff'! :D) and am amazed too at the number of people who appear to buy without seeing the vehicle.

I did sell my MGBGT this way a couple of years ago and this did go to a buyer on the other side of the country who didn't want to see the car before bidding.

I tried to be scrupulously honest about the cars history and condition - it was well past it's prime, as I had restored it some twenty years earlier - and was pleased to receive very positive feedback after the sale. I do have to say that I wouldn't have bought the car without seeing it first myself.
 

BarryF

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I have bought a couple of very nice Merc's on eBay, both for very sensible money. I think ebay, like everything else these days, attracts its fair proportion of dodgy people. As always its a case of buyer beware. The saving grace of buying a car on eBay is that when you turn up to get it and its nothing like described, you can reject it and get your money back. This assumes that you are buying fromm someone with sensible feedback and that you weren't silly enough to pay for the whole thing before collection. How many cars have we looked at on Autotader and the like described as mint only to find they are dogs. I wont even start to talk about house descriptions and Estate agents. Anyway thats my tuppence worth.
 
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walshy66

walshy66

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Seems a lot of folk agree with me on this.
I fairness I have bought a car off ebay, a Fiat Marea estate for my wife 4years ago, and she's still running it. It was a 1 owner , low mile minter ,sold by the owners son and has been a cracking car but :-
* That was 4 years ago before ebay became as popular
* I didn't hand a penny over until I'd viewed and test driven it
* It was a "Buy It Now" , so like an old fashioned fixed price sale, still haggled tho!

I am getting a different reaction on here to the same question I asked on a Jaguar forum tho which is interesting. The Pro-Con % was directly opposite, with most people thinking ebay was great. I was looking for an XJ40 at the time hence being on there.
I still love the older Jags and recently sold a lovely XJ12 so go easy before you slate them. I know their build quality/reliabilty problems are well documented, but the sound of that 12 cylinder 5.3 litre engine is a thing to behold
 

Alex M Grieve

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Seems a lot of folk agree with me on this.

I am getting a different reaction on here to the same question I asked on a Jaguar forum tho which is interesting. The Pro-Con % was directly opposite, with most people thinking ebay was great.

But then you did say they are Jaguar drivers, did you not? :rolleyes:
 
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walshy66

walshy66

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I knew you couldn't resist!! Well I looked as well at Jags on ebay and not impressed with stuff I saw.
I am FUSSY though when buying and sometimes over-cautious but not always a bad thing.
Tell you what though,you can say all you want about the marque or the driver, but when it comes to turning heads, there's a clear winner.
I've been to a couple of shows since I've had the 500 SEL, with a friend in his XJ40 4.0 litre Soveriegn. Bear in mind the lad paid £500 for it and the XJ40's get slated for not being a proper Jag, but his car was the one everyone was asking questions about. Purely based on the looks , the Jags turn the heads, the Merc will get you home though!
 

littlebrooklyn

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I don't think it's just eBay that are like that.

We paid a lot of money to buy a classic car from a reputable restoration specialist and were totally and utterly misled :shock:

The car wasn't serviced before we bought it and even though it had just passed it's MOT the servo played up on the way home and the next day the car wouldn't even start as all the carbs and other bits and pieces were not working properly :shock:

We eventually found out that this reputable dealer doesn't just sell cars that they have personally restored, but also just sells other people's cars on a commission basis, which is something we were not aware of.
 

The Hooded Claw

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I have to say I have bought LOADS of Cars over E-bay BUT........... I find that "You pay for what you get" ............I have never nor would ever spend over £1500 on an "E-Bay Car"

I'm looking at a Ford Probe 24 Valve V6 1995 on an "M" plate just now, its about 15 miles from me & will probs go for about £300 with 9 months ticket & a few months Tax

IF it runs to the end of its MOT that would calculate out at £7.89 per week

Something like that IS worth a PUNT on E-Bay

The dearest Car I have ever bought from E-bay is actually my current Merc E Class 240 (pic Attached) It was up for sale by a guy who lived just 750 Yards from me, had a 12 month Ticket & was "Acceptable" in its present condition (Coincidentally it had been MOTed by the guy that does ALL my MOT's & I knew him well, before parting with any cash I zipped round to see Andy & asked him about it he gave it a clean bill of health)

I've done just over 3500 miles in it since July 7th so it was worth the £1150 I paid for it 2000 on a V Plate with 12 months MOT

merc1.jpg


merc2.jpg
 

Juddian

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Had a bad experience on ebay the other way round, advertised my exceptionally low mileage and condition 124 diesel.
I was totally truthfull and expected the same, had my eyes opened and wouldn't dream of selling or buying from that source again.

Some dishonourable bod bought it on a buy it now, only to fail to turn up...in a way i'm extremely pleased as the car had been so good i wanted it to go to an equally caring home (this must sound quite bizarre to most folks who treat cars as white disposable goods), and he obviously didn't deserve such a good car.

I also had to fend off the most banal trick questions from folk who must think the world is inhabited by equally dishonourable people.

So my indy bought it from me for the same price and sold it to a regular customer who babies it as much as i did...quite a result really.

I know some have good results from ebay, buying or selling and good luck to them, don't know how i'll buy or sell a used car in future.
 

The Hooded Claw

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To be fair I too have had "Problems" with buyers .........

I sold my W202 on E-Bay to ....(how do I put this politely) some not english Taxi Drivers from Colchester.....for (I Think) about £1650...they drive up from Colchester & offer me £1000 ......after over half an hour of haggling they're up to £1350.

Got completely ****ed off then & said "look £1650 or NOWT" we then gets up to £1400 at which point I leaves em outside & goes in fer me Tea

After several minutes of knocking at my door I answer it with "You got the £1650"???

"£1595" to which I reply GET LOST.........& they drive off

Now bear in mind these guys have driven from Colchester to Lancashire to, well basically shaft me. 2 hours later I get a phone call from them saying .......OK £1650 it is ...........They come back & give me an envelope with the cash in & ask for the keys

I count the cash ................£1400!!!!! I count it again ........£1400!!!! "Oh dear we must have mis counted" Out comes another wadge of notes from thier back pocket

I count the cash .........£1550!!! I count it again .......£1550!!!


Anyway to sum up it took over 4 hours to get £1650 out of them......After they have departed I go over to the local shop for some Cigs & BUGGER ME they have given me £200 in "Old" bank notes (Managed to exchange em at the bank the following day though)

Out of pure Idle interest I recently put the reg No in the DVLA database ( I sold this car in 2004 with 3 months Tax on it) Guess what ...........................................NEVER BEEN TAXED SINCE
 

Rappey69

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I have a lot to do with a quad site and buyers use auto trade,ebay and everything else to source machines.
The one thing that seems to be rife is vehicles being described in "superb condition" only to travel a fair distance to see it and find it its a comlete shed!
the point here being its not just ebay.
Must say i know of many others who have bought machines off ebay and they have been immaculate and even better than their descritions !
 

johno2004

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When i was looking for my SLK32 AMG there was one advertised on Ebay as a minter low mileage at a reasonable price, It was 100 or so miles away so i travelled to view it and when i got there it was mint and low mileage but it was a bog standard SLK 320 !!!!!. I was furious to say the least and a few choice words were exchanged.

On the other hand i bought a set of Audio APS 30 version 7 maps for my Satnav which are not the current one but far more current than the 2002 Maps that came with car and got those for £18 which is a massive saving on the crazy prices MB want for the latest maps which exeeds the price of a good Top range TOM TOM.

I think basic rule with Ebay is not rush into any purchase and hold out for the right car and always view before considering bidding or buying as a good one at right price will come along.
 

brianbrian

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E.Bay private or forecorts when you buy a second hand car insist on a full M.O.T. not 9months as it is a thing that dodgy car sellers do and get away with, have a full years dodgy M.O.T. from a mate or relation in the garage, park the car up for 12weeks then sell it as you can not sue the garage or the seller for selling a dangerous car or get D.V.L.A. involved after this time, this is a dangerous loop hole, so what do most people do try and sell it on so the responsible people make a lot of money and get a way with it . Hope this helps
 

Micman

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I'm looking at a Ford Probe 24 Valve V6 1995 on an "M" plate just now, its about 15 miles from me & will probs go for about £300 with 9 months ticket & a few months Tax

IF it runs to the end of its MOT that would calculate out at £7.89 per week

Something like that IS worth a PUNT on E-Bay


Yes, agreed. I had one of them once - a lovely car that never really took off over here, it was all a bit too big and american for the UK. Shame as the 24v was a lovely smooth cruiser and a real head turner in it's day. All i'd say is that being a 24v it was a bit thirsty and I also found (at the time) that some of the parts were expensive as Ford didn't hold much stock in this country, everything had to be ordered in from America!

But for £300 that is alot of car.:lol:

ps. I'm sure you know this anyway, the Probe shares much of it's underpinnings from the Mazda MX6, making it in my experience pretty reliable. The Probe is what the MX6 should have looked like.
 
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walshy66

walshy66

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Thats a hell of a selling story mate. I'm not surprised though, the worlds not as nice a place as it was when I was growing up and just getting involved in cars 25 years ago.
I would have loved to have been there, to see it and no worries I'd have given you some support. Looks from the pics of your car , your coastal, Fylde Coast by any chance? Fairly close to me thats why I mention it. Your E240 looks a good buy by the way.
 
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walshy66

walshy66

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Thats a hell of a selling story mate. I'm not surprised though, the worlds not as nice a place as it was when I was growing up and just getting involved in cars 25 years ago.
I would have loved to have been there, to see it and no worries I'd have given you some support. Looks from the pics of your car , your coastal, Fylde Coast by any chance? Fairly close to me thats why I mention it. Your E240 looks a good buy by the way.
To be fair I too have had "Problems" with buyers .........

I sold my W202 on E-Bay to ....(how do I put this politely) some not english Taxi Drivers from Colchester.....for (I Think) about £1650...they drive up from Colchester & offer me £1000 ......after over half an hour of haggling they're up to £1350.

Got completely ****ed off then & said "look £1650 or NOWT" we then gets up to £1400 at which point I leaves em outside & goes in fer me Tea

After several minutes of knocking at my door I answer it with "You got the £1650"???

"£1595" to which I reply GET LOST.........& they drive off

Now bear in mind these guys have driven from Colchester to Lancashire to, well basically shaft me. 2 hours later I get a phone call from them saying .......OK £1650 it is ...........They come back & give me an envelope with the cash in & ask for the keys

I count the cash ................£1400!!!!! I count it again ........£1400!!!! "Oh dear we must have mis counted" Out comes another wadge of notes from thier back pocket

I count the cash .........£1550!!! I count it again .......£1550!!!


Anyway to sum up it took over 4 hours to get £1650 out of them......After they have departed I go over to the local shop for some Cigs & BUGGER ME they have given me £200 in "Old" bank notes (Managed to exchange em at the bank the following day though)

Out of pure Idle interest I recently put the reg No in the DVLA database ( I sold this car in 2004 with 3 months Tax on it) Guess what ...........................................NEVER BEEN TAXED SINCE
 


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