Selling cars

I hate selling things.

I especially hate selling cars.

It always seems to me that when you want to buy something then they are either
a) very hard to find
b) far more expensive than you thought
c) in the wrong place
d) the most popular thing in the entire world
or any combination of all of these.

So why is that when you want to sell something you always have something which
a) no one seems to want
b) you suddenly seem to be asking far more than it is worth even though you have done your market research
c) when people do come to look at it, then they seem not to have read the description and pick holes in what you are selling.

It is hard with houses because you have so much invested in a house - money and emotion etc, but the system is there to support the sale of houses (sort of)

Cars are a nightmare. Every time we have tried to sell a car we have looked up the price, looked at what else is for sale, pitched the price and advertise. The trouble with online advertising here is that the distance from the house is done by drawing a circle on our postcode and going that distance away. Unfortunately the Severn Estuary is in the way, and the people who phone up to enquire often seem to be in Devon, which may be less than 40 miles as the crow flies, but is about a 3 hour drive on the roads.

Nic has put her Freelander up for sale. A very nice gentleman from Exeter phoned but it is too far to come. A woman came with her brother all the way from Devon (again) to look at it, and the first thing he said was 'It's not an Isuzu.' Well, no, it's a Freelander, Duh! Then he proceeded to be very rude, jammed the rooflight open so she had to go to the garage after they left to get it fixed, and then went away. A man from Ireland phoned, and I must admit I thought it would be a con. However last night he turned up on the doorstep with his brother, and bought the car! For cash!

(by the way, if any burglars are reading this, I zipped to the bank this morning to put it in there as I don't like having thousands of pounds in cash in the house)

I was amazed. She got less than she hoped, but it has gone. You always get less than you hoped, and all cars develop odd noises and quirks as soon as you put them up for sale. But it is gone. Hooray. She has also sold the other horse as the woman who has had him for two months has finally coughed up a cheque and officially bought him.

However I know that if I was buying the car I wouldn't have got such a good deal, so I have never figured out if I am just a really bad salesperson or what. I am heartily relieved that it has gone.

And in case you were wondering why I was dealing with the Irish people, it was because Nic was at a friends in Essex. This is what being a parent is all about - they are grown up and independent and you still end up doing lots of stuff for them. I hope they remember this when I am old and decrepit,

Apparently cars are really expensive in Ireland and people often come to the UK to buy them.