WTF? I love being treated rudely! (I don't)

[Deja Q]

Sheesh. Before putting my car up for sale, I checked out the Kelley Blue Book value (you know the 'Blue Book'):

Retail value is $5085-$5300.

Trade-in value from a dealer is ~$2850.

Average private sale is $3500.

I'm selling it for $4000 or best offer. (1995 Toyota, with 85000 miles on it and is in great condition.)

A person inquired about it yesterday, tried it for a test drive and said it handled nicely, seemed polite and friendly. She talked to her son later. I got a call this morning and she left a voicemail, which was flat out rude, saying the price was too much for 'an almost 10 year old car'. (I even volunteered the phrase yesterday that I'd be willing to lower my price...)

I've always thought it was a bit much but Toyotas retain their value, right?! Even Kelley thinks so, so what the heck is the problem?! (and I did ask a couple of people some advice on pricing this thing.) But you'd think, with the phrase BEST OFFER on the sign, that I'd get an offer instead of a rude response.

:grr: :mad:

I should have picked up the phone... or maybe I'm glad I didn't.

[Deja Q]

1. I also looked at carsoup.com

I don't know what that person was saying, but her son who told her the price was too much can shove it where the sun don't shine. I saw the prices for Toyotas on carsoup.com and my price is far lower than anyone else's.

x(

[radwriter0555]

2. another very good site is edmunds.com

for setting a value.

And hey, if they don't want to buy, they sure don't have to, right?

[Deja Q]

3. They can choose to say 'no'...

But I would not be rude to such people and it's clear they never bothered to look at going rates.

Compared to the others on the market, mine's almost a GIVEAWAY.

In other words, that person was uninformed. Probably a freeper-type as well.

Thanks for the link. My car is still being sold for A LOT LESS than any of the others.

[politicat]

7. Toad, love, they're trying the all american, be rude and get what you want

ploy.

It works like this: Person A sells something. Person B wants it, but is under the impression that the American Way is to get it for half of wholesale with no sales tax and an under the counter rebate of up to 80%. Person A is willing to be reasonable, but still must needs make some sort of funds in the bargain. Person B wants something for nothing.

Person B insults or otherwise handles Person A in a terrible manner, hoping to make Person A cave in. Since we Americans tend to be closet masochists anyway, you'd be surprised how often this works.

Ignore bad behavior of that nature.

Believe me, if you were closer, I'd be handing you the 4 grand.

Pcat

[Bogus W Potus]

11. You have no proof they're a freeper

What does not wanting to buy a carhave to do with being a freeper? Is anyone who pisses you off automatically deemed a freeper? I guess there are a lot of freepers in the world then.

That lady who cut me off downtown. She must be a freeper.

Or how about that guy who was talking on his cell phone at the Shrek 2 movie? TOTAL FREEPER.

Get real man.

[Deja Q]

13. You're right. They're only insensitive unthinking a-holes.

Definitely not freepers.

What's the difference between them again? :shrug:

[Bogus W Potus]

14. Fallacies are funnnnnnn

Hoorayyyy. Think that one up all by yourself did ya?

[Deja Q]

16. Yes. Do you really have an interest in me?

Most people who don't like me put me on their ignore list, rather than baiting me.

[Bogus W Potus]

17. Some people get angry easily

They make threads because they can't deal with emotions in a constructive manner and start to lash out. Know anybody like that?

[baldguy]

4. $4000 or Best Offer

Tell her that if she thinks $4000 is too much - THEN MAKE AN OFFER! People don't know how to negotiate anymore. There's no nned to be rude, there's no need to insinuate the other guy is trying to rip you off - it's simply a difference of opinion.

Obviously, thats what she's afraid of - getting ripped off, and being made to look foolish.

[pagerbear]

5. You were confident in your price before she was rude.

Why are you less confident now?

It's clearly her problem. Don't give it another thought. (Yes, I know--much easier said than done. Do you want me to off her for you?)

[Deja Q]

6. Thanks

:-)

You're right, it is her problem.

Actually, I wasn't confident about the price UNTIL I saw the prices from edmunds and carsoup. But I am now. And, amusingly, I have her to thank because I never looked at them in any detail before. (I saw Kelley's glib value but when I went to the online sites I was floored by how much a person wants for a mid-90s Toyota with TWICE as many miles on it as mine! :wow: )

I'm also re-doing my for sale ads to reflect these websites.

I've had a lot of people not call me back after saying they'd do some research. Well, now I'm giving them some pre-emptive research. :-)

[NMDemDist2]

8. a ten year old car with less than 100K miles

sounds like a great price to me

screw em

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

9. That stupid lady

needs to be told that the AGE of the car is not NEARLY as important as the number of MILES on a car.

Sheesh.

[Deja Q]

10. She's only naive. The epithet 'stupid' goes to somebody she knows...

But it's obvious neither of them bothered to look at going prices (or anyone else who claims to do some research and get back to me but then never do because they all ask if I'm willing to negotiate the price... maybe I should be saying 'no'... :shrug: ).

She knows quite a few things about testing a car for stability and so on.

Given the change in her attitude, the only thing I can say with certainty is that she wanted me to get mad, thinking I'm overcharging based on bogus information given to her by her son (who never looked at the car's engine either).

She's naive and her son's the stupid one for not looking up the prices (let alone the car :wtf: ) before making his grand statement that it's too much money. :eyes:

And the letter I wrote (and soon send) will only edify her that Toyotas can retain some of their value.

Or if any of that matters, her statement of "...that much for a 10 year old car!" is a very glib statement, suggesting she doesn't want an investment but a throwaway gimmick. So she doesn't want a solid car, that's her problem. The fun part is, she'll be surprised when she sees that other '95 cars with twice the miles on them sell for even more. :crazy: Assuming she reads the letter, of course.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

12. You're writing her a letter???

[Deja Q]

15. Yes. I want the last word given the uncivil way she treated me. Besides,

she'll start gossiping to her friends (because she had talked to me about some of them, at least there's some rational basis for such conjecture).

Maybe I won't send it. It's probably a pointless exercise unless I be equally uncivil to her in return.

[Bogus W Potus]

18. It doesn't matter what the Blue Book says

YOUR car is worth as much as people are willing to pay for it. It doesn't matter that "similar" cars are going for more money. That's not your situation. You can't tell a potential buyer that other cars similar to yours have gone for more money. They don't care, because they aren't interested in other cars. They're interested as yours. Until you learn that you probably won't find a quality buyer.

[Bogus W Potus]

19. And personally, I wouldn't pay more than 3k for a 1995 toyoa with 85k

I imagine you could probably sell it for around that. 3k. Not all Toyotas retain their value either. Camrys seem to do so more than other, and if yours is a Camry(which I doubt, because it would be worth more than 3500), you should be in luck.

I would wager, however, that your Toyota is a Corolla, and that means it's not worth as much as KBB says it is.

[VoteDemocratic2004]

20. Are you buying a new car?

Go back to the car dealer and tell them that you want to buy a new car at their dealership but you need a decent price for your trade in and walk off it they don't want to give you close to $4,000.00. Most of the time they will give you close to what you want if you are buying a new car.

Toyota's hold their value and that is one of the reasons that I use to buy them.

I hate rude people and you don't need to deal with that kind of BS.

Good Luck! :hug: