What's the best way to get a car that's a good deal?

[rx7boi]

Hey all, just wanted to know what your experiences are. From time to time, awesome private car deals come up so time is of the essence.

What's the best way to communicate with a seller to give you dibs while giving yourself enough time for due diligence?

For instance, a 2011 G37XS coupe (62k km) was posted Wednesday for $17500. I messaged the seller last night asking when's the earliest we could meet, he said he was tied up Thursday and would get back to me about meeting tomorrow.

Just followed up with him but he said he already has a guy coming tomorrow morning with the cash.

Any experiences or suggestions or is it just a matter of being quick enough, going there with cash prepared to buy and negotiating a verbal agreement with seller to give you a bit of time to get inspections done?

[ExtraSlow]

As a seller, I'll always give preference to someone who will buy without any delay or inspection. Most buyers who want an inspection will use that to negotiate further and that is annoying to sellers.

So to be fastest or jump on a great deal, you may need to take some more risk by not asking for an inspection.

[tcon]

As a seller, I'll always give preference to someone who will buy without any delay or inspection. Most buyers who want an inspection will use that to negotiate further and that is annoying to sellers.

So to be fastest or jump on a great deal, you may need to take some more risk by not asking for an inspection.
I agree with this. I was selling my old WRX dirt cheap cause it was hailed out, I just ignored all the donkeys that wanted to go get a comp/leak-down done or mechanical inspection at crappy tire.

[Misterman]

Just gotta be patient for a deal to come along, and ready to jump into action when it finally does come along. And if it's already a good deal, know that you're not going to be the only buyer that recognizes it. So don't get caught up with basic bitch buyer syndrome, thinking that you have to haggle down the price to feel like you got a deal. If the price is already below what you're willing to pay, then just buy it and don't screw the seller around, because someone else will just bring the cash.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Tips from a guy that buys vehicles for a living:

Have access to funds immediately.

Be able to inspect the vehicle yourself quickly and decide whether it’s worth your time or not.

Get them to pull the ad down ASAP.

Give them a small deposit if absolutely necessary.

If they try to sell it out from under you when you have shook hands, made a verbal agreement or taken a deposit, laying some guilt on them is fair game.

Be aware many nutsacks will offer whatever they think is necessary to hold the vehicle then show up and beat the sellers down.

Be mobile and able to get to vehicles asap.

Be able to do carfax and lien search on the run.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Money talks and cash is king. Physically seeing cash makes deals.
Easy when you're buying shit boxes <$2k but a whole different animal at $20k.

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah, for cars under 5k, just carry the cash with you when you go to look at the car. But past 15k that gets a bit unreasonable, and past 20k, my personal rule is to use bank drafts.

[jaylo]

I personally would not grab a 2008-2011 have the sudden death of engine aka oil galley gasket issue.


Does it have full service records in paper, been in an accident or collision, and how many owners?

Don't beat yourself up if you miss a deal. Sight unseen, you don't know its history or condition.

Just let him know if the deal falls through to contact you.

[rx7boi]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the responses. I was definitely too slow on this one and I knew I wouldn't have been the only one looking at that car. Guy's phone probably blew up within the hour and here I was finding the ad a day later :rofl:


Just gotta be patient for a deal to come along, and ready to jump into action when it finally does come along. And if it's already a good deal, know that you're not going to be the only buyer that recognizes it. So don't get caught up with basic bitch buyer syndrome, thinking that you have to haggle down the price to feel like you got a deal. If the price is already below what you're willing to pay, then just buy it and don't screw the seller around, because someone else will just bring the cash.

Agreed 100%. If something's a good deal I just take it instead of trying to haggle dollars. Always appreciated it when buyers paid my asking price for something that was fairly priced or better.

I also learned this first hand last year when I was looking at a 2011 Audi A5. It was in mint condition with 39k km's. The guy wanted 22,500 for it and I offered him 21,000 so he said he'd think about it. Next day he called and said that someone came later that day with cash in hand.


Tips from a guy that buys vehicles for a living:

Have access to funds immediately.

Be able to inspect the vehicle yourself quickly and decide whether it’s worth your time or not.

Get them to pull the ad down ASAP.

Give them a small deposit if absolutely necessary.

If they try to sell it out from under you when you have shook hands, made a verbal agreement or taken a deposit, laying some guilt on them is fair game.

Be aware many nutsacks will offer whatever they think is necessary to hold the vehicle then show up and beat the sellers down.

Be mobile and able to get to vehicles asap.

Be able to do carfax and lien search on the run.

Thank you, I'll keep this in my back pocket for the next deal that comes up. I was under the impression that you should always have an inspection/carfax done on a used vehicle so I wasn't sure how to reconcile this aspect when time is always ticking and you have other buyers who want the car as much as you do.

My obstacles are mostly 1. not being quick enough on the draw 2. working 8-4 and taking time off adhoc for sudden deals

I have Kijiji alerts set up for G37XS but somehow these alert notifications get pushed to my phone a full day after ads are normally posted.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If someone else will show up with money and isn't going to do any due diligence, the seller would be an idiot not to sell to that person.

If you want time to do your due diligence on a popular car, you will need to leave a significant non-refundable deposit. Otherwise the seller has absolutely zero incentive to turn away other potential buyers while they give you time to try sniff out any issues with it.

Best case scenario you can ask to be next in line if the deal falls through if it's true that he's already got someone coming. If it's on Kijiji though, the chances of that person showing up are almost zero, so you might be in luck haha.

[ExtraSlow]

One thing you can do to speed up your process is to get the VIN number ahead of time and do your lein check before you see the car. Hell you can even get your insurance set up and bring the cash with you. Then it's a ten minute process to purchase the car right then and there. If you decide not to do it, you can cancel the insurance the next business day and you are only out the cost of the lein check.

[revelations]

Some good info posted here.

I have found its always best to PICK a vehicle specifically and then become somewhat of an expert on it - even before you purchase. That way you know what the common issues are what to specifically look for/ask. In most cases I am more knowledgeable than the seller is on the vehicle.

Forums for the specific vehicle are absolute gold mines of good information (eg. stay away from MY 2xxx with trim level X). You can quickly rule out a vehicle sight unseen, or if onsite - a specific issue shows up.

This will all help you with the speed of the decision.

[revelations]

Just gotta be patient for a deal to come along, and ready to jump into action when it finally does come along. And if it's already a good deal, know that you're not going to be the only buyer that recognizes it. So don't get caught up with basic bitch buyer syndrome, thinking that you have to haggle down the price to feel like you got a deal. If the price is already below what you're willing to pay, then just buy it and don't screw the seller around, because someone else will just bring the cash.

Yea this - so many people are into negotiating/haggling when the price is ALREADY good. I have done this several times - walk up with cash and walk away.

No questions, no haggling. Time and energy saved.

[tonytiger55]

As mentioned above. Timing, cash and doing your own research inspections beforehand helps a lot. Patience too.

One thing I would say that has not been mentioned is change how you word your questions when you call. If you are asking them when they are free, you are giving them the power. If you say 'I want to see the car today', you are pretty much telling them you are coming and they are less likely to say no.

[botox]

Yea this - so many people are into negotiating/haggling when the price is ALREADY good. I have done this several times - walk up with cash and walk away.

No questions, no haggling. Time and energy saved.
It's the good ole haggle for the sake of haggling to try to get a better deal no matter how good it already is. It's not even about the item at that point, it's just pride in trying to get the upper hand. It is alright to haggle to try to save a bit of money, but if they don't budge I wouldn't walk away from a good deal.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I doubt I am the norm, but if I am buying a used car through a private sale it's a 6-12 month process. After educating myself appropriately, waiting for that perfect sample can take a very long time as most people do not treat their cars very well.

[heavyD]

I doubt I am the norm, but if I am buying a used car through a private sale it's a 6-12 month process. After educating myself appropriately, waiting for that perfect sample can take a very long time as most people do not treat their cars very well.

This is why I buy new these days. I'm too anal to deal with the neglect of the average owner. A mint car to me by definition seems to be totally different than a mint car to the average person. I went looking at cars with my brother as he's been shopping for a car in the $35k range and every advertised "mint" or "immaculate" car we have come across comes with door dings, paint scuffs, curbed wheels, etc. The only truly mint cars I ever see for sale is when I'm selling which is why typically the first person to look at one of my cars buys them on the spot.

I remember when "Lady driven" was supposed to make for an attractive auto advertisement. To me that means; skip to the next car.

[realazy]

This is why I buy new these days. I'm too anal to deal with the neglect of the average owner. A mint car to me by definition seems to be totally different than a mint car to the average person. I went looking at cars with my brother as he's been shopping for a car in the $35k range and every advertised "mint" or "immaculate" car we have come across comes with door dings, paint scuffs, curbed wheels, etc. The only truly mint cars I ever see for sale is when I'm selling which is why typically the first person to look at one of my cars buys them on the spot.

I remember when "Lady driven" was supposed to make for an attractive auto advertisement. To me that means; skip to the next car.

Same here. The dealer kept saying my mother in law's lease return (C350) was in such nice condition and "mint". That car had scuffs all over the interior, especially with her kicking the door open and just door dings and small scuffs on the exterior. It still fell within the acceptable wear and tear though, and she wasn't charged a dime extra.

[pheoxs]

Its all in the first message.

If there is a number then always call, don't text (unless it specifies text only). People answer calls sooner than they will response to a text more often then not. Email should be a last resort. If they don't answer then I'd send a text shortly after.

The most annoying thing as a seller is when people show up and try to haggle on a already good deal. I typically mention that I think its a good deal and assuming there's no huge red flags that I'll pay their asking price.

Have cash on hand (and a bill of sale) so that you can give a deposit on the spot if you are going ahead with the sale so someone else can't swoop in

[Sentry]

Have money set aside, always be looking, be ready to move quick.

EDIT: I got my M5 for $10500 because I had the cash and moved fast, and at the time was searching multiple times a day for M5s. This was 4 years ago when their prices were bottomed out just before they started appreciating in value. :D

[rx7boi]

Thank you all again for the replies. I'll implement these suggestions moving forward and make it clear from the get-go that I have the funds ready to buy and would like to see the vehicle ASAP and make an offer on the spot.

I'm impartial to my list but I've been looking at A5, Q50S, and G37XS for just over a year now, waiting for a good deal and learning about the vehicles. (See my threads :rofl: :rofl: )

It's rare to see a low mileage (<70k km) G37XS coupe under $18k or a low mileage Q50S under $23k in Alberta. I see them more often in Ontario, maybe a couple in Vancouver.

Has anyone bought vehicles from out east?

[shakalaka]

You're likely to find better deals out of BC than Alberta. I know I have on more than one occasion and with a noticeable difference in comparison. As for jumping on good deals, a lot of it is luck. I know when I listed my dad's old Range Rover Sport Autobiography with low km's for $10K less than the next option, I literally had 10 messages in my in box. I just went down the list and gave it to the first person that came up with the $. In this case coincidentally it was the first person who had messaged.

[tonytiger55]

Thank you all again for the replies. I'll implement these suggestions moving forward and make it clear from the get-go that I have the funds ready to buy and would like to see the vehicle ASAP and make an offer on the spot.

I'm impartial to my list but I've been looking at A5, Q50S, and G37XS for just over a year now, waiting for a good deal and learning about the vehicles. (See my threads :rofl: :rofl: )

It's rare to see a low mileage (<70k km) G37XS coupe under $18k or a low mileage Q50S under $23k in Alberta. I see them more often in Ontario, maybe a couple in Vancouver.

Has anyone bought vehicles from out east?

Side question. Why Infinity..?
Im looking at options too but that car/brand is not on my radar at all. Am I missing something?
I'm just curious.

[rx7boi]

Side question. Why Infinity..?
Im looking at options too but that car/brand is not on my radar at all. Am I missing something?
I'm just curious.

I think it's just preference. I'm no car connoisseur as I've only ever owned a 1997 Civic, a 2012 Genesis Coupe, and now back to a 2010 Honda Civic. I read rage2's (and others) opinions on X/Y/Z car and most of it is lost on me. All I know is that I've test driven all 3 cars on my list and they're all comfy and fun to drive. A used Infiniti falls under the budget baller range for me since the 3.7 has been around forever. Some folks think the Q50S interior is old outdated trash but it's way better than what I've ever had.

I'd really like an Audi but I can't afford the bill on a car like that if deep shit went south. I look at IS350 from time to time but a bit too pricey for me. Since I also want to keep the car for a while, an Infiniti seemed like an appropriate choice.

Most recent car I found in BC was a 2014 Q50S with 52,000km asking $23,000.

[bjstare]

Those cars are good for a DD. Reasonably fun to drive, reasonably reliable etc.

They depreciate like rocks, give it another 6 months and the low mileage ones will drop another grand or two.

[Mitsu3000gt]

G35/37 has always been good bang for the buck on the used market IMO. As mentioned they depreciate fast but are pretty good cars, so they end up with an above average value proposition. Factory warranty is 6yrs too.

Hard to go wrong with an A4 2.0T either, especially if its a 6MT.

[jaylo]

I've looked and watched g37xs and q50s and the only reason is buy one is for the sound, otherwise there's German comparables out there for that price range.

BMW 335i xDrive comes to mind, 2013+

Highly tunable and tons of aftermarket options.
N55 engine is a workhorse and mpg is great.

[SKR]

Every vehicle I've bought, I pretty much just ask where is it and when can I come see it. If you need to take it somewhere for an inspection you can negotiate that there and leave a deposit if you need to. As a seller I don't think I would ever take a deposit from someone who hasn't seen the vehicle yet, so all I do is try to get there as soon as possible and then go from there.

This hasn't always worked out in my favor and I've bought things I shouldn't have, but I've scooped things too.

[D'z Nutz]

Get them to pull the ad down ASAP.

Good tips, but out of curiosity, what's the percentage of people who will do this when you ask? Personally, if anyone asked me I'd tell them to go pound sand cause any time the ad isn't active is time I'd be missing out on potential buyers. That's right up there with "Can you hold it for a week cause I'm getting paid then". No, no I won't. The only time I'm pulling an ad is after the new buyer is driving away with what he or she bought from me.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Good tips, but out of curiosity, what's the percentage of people who will do this when you ask? Personally, if anyone asked me I'd tell them to go pound sand cause any time the ad isn't active is time I'd be missing out on potential buyers. That's right up there with "Can you hold it for a week cause I'm getting paid then". No, no I won't. The only time I'm pulling an ad is after the new buyer is driving away with what he or she bought from me.

80-90% do. If you’ve given your word and they have a good feeling most people have no problems doing it. It’s important to word it as “if the item is as you describe, then we have a deal” because if you show up and find major problems you probably won’t want it.

[relyt92]

Thank you all again for the replies. I'll implement these suggestions moving forward and make it clear from the get-go that I have the funds ready to buy and would like to see the vehicle ASAP and make an offer on the spot.

I'm impartial to my list but I've been looking at A5, Q50S, and G37XS for just over a year now, waiting for a good deal and learning about the vehicles. (See my threads :rofl: :rofl: )

It's rare to see a low mileage (<70k km) G37XS coupe under $18k or a low mileage Q50S under $23k in Alberta. I see them more often in Ontario, maybe a couple in Vancouver.

Has anyone bought vehicles from out east?

My 2012 G37 was an Ontario car for the first few years, and has had the trunk repainted under warranty because it started to rust, and one of the rear quarters has started rusting over this winter. It's been a great DD though.

[rx7boi]

I have another question for you guys regarding the longevity of either the G37XS or the Q50S.

If I get one that's around 100,000km, what kind of life can I expect out of it? Is that considered high? I've never owned any car past 120k km's which my 2010 Civic just hit.

I see alot of G37XS out there with 120,000 to 165,000km but I don't have any idea what you get out of a car with that kind of mileage.

My plan is to keep the car for at least 5 years and hopefully retain some resale value but cars nowadays have way more electrical tech in them as well.

[relyt92]

I have another question for you guys regarding the longevity of either the G37XS or the Q50S.

If I get one that's around 100,000km, what kind of life can I expect out of it? Is that considered high? I've never owned any car past 120k km's which my 2010 Civic just hit.

I see alot of G37XS out there with 120,000 to 165,000km but I don't have any idea what you get out of a car with that kind of mileage.

My plan is to keep the car for at least 5 years and hopefully retain some resale value but cars nowadays have way more electrical tech in them as well.

If it was maintained it'll have no issues going to 200k, fuel economy sucks for what the car is but the AWD is great in winter and it checks all the boxes for a DD. Mine just hit 120k. There won't be much left for resale value in 5 years though.

[jutes]

Yeah, for cars under 5k, just carry the cash with you when you go to look at the car. But past 15k that gets a bit unreasonable, and past 20k, my personal rule is to use bank drafts.

No way I'd carry over $1k in cash with me, not to mention my banking is online. Rather send an EMT and anything over $5k is a bank draft which I can pick up the same day.

I made an offer in person for a truck @ $6500, seller was asking $7000 CASH. Like fuck I'm bringing you 7k in cash, this isn't a drug deal. I asked for his info for the draft that night....nothing. Asked again the next morning and he responds that he'd rather sell it to his "buddy" who offered $7k in cash. Well 3 weeks later he still hasn't sold it and messaged me back saying he will take the draft. Too late dumb ass, not interested anymore good luck with sale.

[ExtraSlow]

Really? I've sold several vehicles between 5 and 10k for cash and most expensive one I've purchased with cash was an even $15k, plus a couple around 10k. Doesn't bother me.

[370Z]

I have another question for you guys regarding the longevity of either the G37XS or the Q50S.

If I get one that's around 100,000km, what kind of life can I expect out of it? Is that considered high? I've never owned any car past 120k km's which my 2010 Civic just hit.

I see alot of G37XS out there with 120,000 to 165,000km but I don't have any idea what you get out of a car with that kind of mileage.

My plan is to keep the car for at least 5 years and hopefully retain some resale value but cars nowadays have way more electrical tech in them as well.

Last winter, my beater was a 2009 G37X coupe with 223,000km... unfortunately I didn't realize I overpaid for it until I went to sell it after winter. Great car though, would've looked another one if it came in manual, the 7 speed auto is a garbage slush box, on top of that I found it quirky in that if you hit the gas again after coming to an almost stop, it would get confused and all of the sudden the car would shoot forward, don't know if there was something wrong with the tranny or what... other than it had no problems. Great looking car with 330 hp and AWD for under 8 grand these days (09 and 200,000km+, there's a couple in kijiji right now).

[jutes]

Really? I've sold several vehicles between 5 and 10k for cash and most expensive one I've purchased with cash was an even $15k, plus a couple around 10k. Doesn't bother me.

I bank with PC/Simplii so I can’t just visit a branch and withdraw large amounts.

[ExtraSlow]

I bank with PC/Simplii so I can’t just visit a branch and withdraw large amounts.

We all have problems brother.

[revelations]

I bank with PC/Simplii so I can’t just visit a branch and withdraw large amounts.

Us too, thats why I had an ATB account for things like this (dumped ATB for CIBC though - their super far behind as far as technical features).

[ThePenIsMightier]

No way I'd carry over $1k in cash with me, not to mention my banking is online. Rather send an EMT and anything over $5k is a bank draft which I can pick up the same day.

I made an offer in person for a truck @ $6500, seller was asking $7000 CASH. Like fuck I'm bringing you 7k in cash, this isn't a drug deal. I asked for his info for the draft that night....nothing. Asked again the next morning and he responds that he'd rather sell it to his "buddy" who offered $7k in cash. Well 3 weeks later he still hasn't sold it and messaged me back saying he will take the draft. Too late dumb ass, not interested anymore good luck with sale.

So, you missed out on a truck you were completely willing to buy simply because you refused to carry 65 pieces of laminated paper to get the deal done??!
What? You were scared that you'd be mugged by "teh boogeyman" in the limited time window between your bank and the deal location? That's insecure! I walk around daily with roughly $1k in my wallet absolutely problem-free, all day, every day. This is Canada, not Kandahar! Carry cash and seal deals.
Plus - LoL at the "security" of bank drafts. There is zero standard in what a bank draft needs to look like and what standard security encryptions need to be in place. I've never been more stressed out in my life than when I sold a $17k Ford on a bank draft and learned how ludicrously sketchy this instruments are.
If you want deals - cash gets it done. Period.

[jutes]

So, you missed out on a truck you were completely willing to buy simply because you refused to carry 65 pieces of laminated paper to get the deal done??!
What? You were scared that you'd be mugged by "teh boogeyman" in the limited time window between your bank and the deal location? That's insecure! I walk around daily with roughly $1k in my wallet absolutely problem-free, all day, every day. This is Canada, not Kandahar! Carry cash and seal deals.
Plus - LoL at the "security" of bank drafts. There is zero standard in what a bank draft needs to look like and what standard security encryptions need to be in place. I've never been more stressed out in my life than when I sold a $17k Ford on a bank draft and learned how ludicrously sketchy this instruments are.
If you want deals - cash gets it done. Period.

Don't be an idiot. Like I said in my previous post I don't have access to cash in those amounts on a whim. Plus I'm not going to open a local bank account just so I can make vehicle purchases every few years. No one uses cash anymore and I'm not going out of my way to withdraw 65 pieces of paper just so the seller can deposit it back into his account. If he can do that with cash he could've done that with a draft. I'm not the one losing out, there are hundreds of trucks for me to pick from.

[rx7boi]

Just came across a 2012 G37XS coupe with 85k km. Sunridge Mazda is asking $19,980, not a terrible deal.

Going in after work to scope it out.

[Mitsu3000gt]

80-90% do. If you’ve given your word and they have a good feeling most people have no problems doing it. It’s important to word it as “if the item is as you describe, then we have a deal” because if you show up and find major problems you probably won’t want it.

I find it very hard to believe that 80-90% of people will pull their ad on word alone and not a cash deposit. The "word" of people on Kijiji/Trader is worthless 99% of the time in my experience. I would never pull an ad without a deposit, regardless how serious they seemed - if someone shows up with actual money, they move to the front of the line, and I need an active ad for that to happen.



Just came across a 2012 G37XS coupe with 85k km. Sunridge Mazda is asking $19,980, not a terrible deal.

Going in after work to scope it out.

The part that stings is they probably paid around $12-14K for that, and you have to pay GST and they will try to scam an admin fee on top of whatever sale price you negotiate. If you end up liking it, try to find out how much work they had to do to it to make it sale-ready (they probably did literally nothing), and you might be able to use that to your advantage in negotiations.

[rx7boi]

I find it very hard to believe that 80-90% of people will pull their ad on word alone and not a cash deposit. The "word" of people on Kijiji/Trader is worthless 99% of the time in my experience. I would never pull an ad without a deposit, regardless how serious they seemed - if someone shows up with actual money, they move to the front of the line, and I need an active ad for that to happen.




The part that stings is they probably paid around $12-14K for that, and you have to pay GST and they will try to scam an admin fee on top of whatever sale price you negotiate. If you end up liking it, try to find out how much work they had to do to it to make it sale-ready (they probably did literally nothing), and you might be able to use that to your advantage in negotiations.


Thanks Mark. I was definitely trying to figure that part out.

I hate buying from dealerships but I was thinking that if they'd consider somewhere around $19k OTD then I may take it. The advantage is that I'm not desperate for a new car and at the same time, they may very well say no and take their chances. It's the middle of summer right now, these cars don't come along frequently with lower mileage, and all they need is one sucker who doesn't mind paying what they're asking.

[lilmira]

I don't take deposit. If you want to buy it just buy it. I will hold it for 1/2 day or so for you to figure out the payment. If you can't do that it goes to the next person. The ad stays until the car is gone.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I don't take deposit. If you want to buy it just buy it. I will hold it for 1/2 day or so for you to figure out the payment. If you can't do that it goes to the next person. The ad stays until the car is gone.

If someone offered you $500-$1000 or whatever to hold it for a day or two you wouldn't take that? If they don't come back, that is pretty good return on your time. If they do come back, you get the sale. Unless you have people lining up at your door to buy (obviously no need for a deposit in that scenario), deposits are usually pretty reasonable IMHO.

[lilmira]

From my experience, serious buyer will just buy it. The ones who couldn't make the decision for whatever reason don't like to forfeit the deposit so it's pointless. It's just way easier without deposit, I'm not obligated to do anything. On the other hand, I will hold it for you to go get fund within reason. In the mean time, someone shows up and offers me more, I won't ask you to match the higher offer. I don't play that game.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I find it very hard to believe that 80-90% of people will pull their ad on word alone and not a cash deposit. The "word" of people on Kijiji/Trader is worthless 99% of the time in my experience. I would never pull an ad without a deposit, regardless how serious they seemed - if someone shows up with actual money, they move to the front of the line, and I need an active ad for that to happen.




The part that stings is they probably paid around $12-14K for that, and you have to pay GST and they will try to scam an admin fee on top of whatever sale price you negotiate. If you end up liking it, try to find out how much work they had to do to it to make it sale-ready (they probably did literally nothing), and you might be able to use that to your advantage in negotiations.

I do this professionally and I’m up front about it. If you built rapport and they know you aren’t some random or fly by night operation then it’s very easy to do. The ones who don’t want to take the ad down or hold it with or without a small deposit, more often than not it’s a indication they are either liars about their items (usually condition or there’s a catch) or they just won’t trust anyone no matter what.

[ExtraSlow]

I won't take a deposit. Don't want to reduce the sense of urgency.

[rx7boi]

Alright boys. I'm heading out to Sunridge Mazda for that test drive now.

I've been so focused on private sales that I didn't even consider what kind of deal I'd negotiate with a dealer but like I said, I'll tell em somewhere around 18-19k OTD. If no bueno or I get laughed to the door, I'm just out my own time and can keep looking. :rofl:

Keep you guys posted.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[roopi]

If someone offered you $500-$1000 or whatever to hold it for a day or two you wouldn't take that? If they don't come back, that is pretty good return on your time. If they do come back, you get the sale. Unless you have people lining up at your door to buy (obviously no need for a deposit in that scenario), deposits are usually pretty reasonable IMHO.

What if they come back and decide they don't want the vehicle but insist on having their deposit back? It's just a pain IMO.

[Rocket1k78]

I do this professionally and I’m up front about it. If you built rapport and they know you aren’t some random or fly by night operation then it’s very easy to do. The ones who don’t want to take the ad down or hold it with or without a small deposit, more often than not it’s a indication they are either liars about their items (usually condition or there’s a catch) or they just won’t trust anyone no matter what.

If you're buying from the same guy or dealer i could see that rapport thing working but i cant see that happening on a 1 time sale with a random buyer/seller. Anytime i sell a vehicle on kijiji i want the deal done quick and easy, im not going to waste my time building a rapport with a random guy just so i can trust him enough to take my ad down based off his word alone. My ad is not going down until i get a deposit plain and simple, if you're serious enough i dont see why you wouldnt be ok with leaving a small deposit. You're also nuts if you think theres a problem with sellers who wont take their ads down without a deposit, if anything id be more worried about the guy wanting me to hold my vehicle based solely on his word lol

[Type_S1]

What if they come back and decide they don't want the vehicle but insist on having their deposit back? It's just a pain IMO.

When you take a deposit you should always have the buyer sign an agreement stating something along the lines of “a $XXXX non-refundable deposit is being paid by Buyer to Seller in exchange for the Seller holding the vehicle for X hours. Should Buyer not deliver the remaining funds of $XXxx by x time on x day the deposit will be forfeited to Seller.” Very very simple and you can tell them to pound sand if they don’t show back up. I’ve taken deposits before where the buyer then wants to back out the next day with a refund of the deposit and you can just tell them to read the agreement that was signed - you held a vehicle and potentially lost 3rd party sales and their deposit compensated you for that.

[rx7boi]

Soooo that was interesting. I didn't realize several of my high school acquaintances worked at Sunridge Mazda as General Sales Manager, Sales Manager, and Finance Manager :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I test drove the car but the body had a fair amount of of oxidizing chips, some rust spots in addition to your regular 7 years of wear and tear which is no biggie. Car drove beautifully but someone had already been there in the morning. In fact, when I got back from the test drive he was there waiting for his 2nd test drive before making a final decision.

We got to talking about the numbers. Even with the guy in the other office ready to buy, they came back with 18500, 500 doc fee, and 1000 tax for 20g's OTD. In the end I passed on the vehicle and it was awesome of them to even lower the price when they didn't have to. Wonder what that guy ended up paying.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I do this professionally and I’m up front about it. If you built rapport and they know you aren’t some random or fly by night operation then it’s very easy to do. The ones who don’t want to take the ad down or hold it with or without a small deposit, more often than not it’s a indication they are either liars about their items (usually condition or there’s a catch) or they just won’t trust anyone no matter what.

I have literally never had that experience - you must be very lucky with your Kijiji buyers! I'm always on the sell side though, I don't buy anything from Kijiji, ever. The buyers are more the issue IMO. The most genuine, friendly, seeming people ghost me all the time. When you text/call them after they don't show up, they are just like "yeah sorry man changed my mind".



What if they come back and decide they don't want the vehicle but insist on having their deposit back? It's just a pain IMO.

You have a signed agreement so they can't really do anything about it.


Soooo that was interesting. I didn't realize several of my high school acquaintances worked at Sunridge Mazda as General Sales Manager, Sales Manager, and Finance Manager :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I test drove the car but the body had a fair amount of of oxidizing chips, some rust spots in addition to your regular 7 years of wear and tear which is no biggie. Car drove beautifully but someone had already been there in the morning. In fact, when I got back from the test drive he was there waiting for his 2nd test drive before making a final decision.

We got to talking about the numbers. Even with the guy in the other office ready to buy, they came back with 18500, 500 doc fee, and 1000 tax for 20g's OTD. In the end I passed on the vehicle and it was awesome of them to even lower the price when they didn't have to. Wonder what that guy ended up paying.

That doesn't sound like a great deal, I think you were smart to pass. Also, never pay a doc fee, especially a $500 one haha - this isn't a brand new S-Class MB. If they want you to pay it, get them to take it out of their end after negotiating an "all in" price you're comfortable with. It is quite literally a 100% money grab, so they can get rid of it without losing any actual money.

When I bought my 2010 Civic used around 2011/2012, it was from a dealer. Window sticker was $19,999. I ended up paying $15K. I'm guessing they paid $12-13K for that car on trade in, tops, and it needed nothing because it only had 10,000 KM so the dealer didn't have to put a dime into it. See if you can find cheaper private samples with similar mileage to use as leverage if you find more at dealers that you like. In my case, I told them I could buy a brand new 2012 for almost the same price, even though I had no intention of ever doing that, and the car was obviously overpriced.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I have literally never had that experience - you must be very lucky with your Kijiji buyers! I'm always on the sell side though, I don't buy anything from Kijiji, ever. The buyers are more the issue IMO. The most genuine, friendly, seeming people ghost me all the time. When you text/call them after they don't show up, they are just like "yeah sorry man changed my mind".

Maybe the mentality is different between someone making a living buying vehicles and average people just looking for discounted items. Unfortunately I’ve dealt with a lot of dishonest sellers too and lost my fair share of deposits to either scams or extremely dishonest people as well, which is why I hesitate to give a deposit anymore. I also got stuck with a stolen but unreported vehicle a couple years ago, which really sucked.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Maybe the mentality is different between someone making a living buying vehicles and average people just looking for discounted items. Unfortunately I’ve dealt with a lot of dishonest sellers too and lost my fair share of deposits to either scams or extremely dishonest people as well, which is why I hesitate to give a deposit anymore. I also got stuck with a stolen but unreported vehicle a couple years ago, which really sucked.

That's rough - I guess though if you're doing it for a living your sample size is going to be way higher, so you will see the full gamut. If you gave a deposit to someone that wasn't a dealer, and decided not to take the car, why would you be expecting it back? Either way it would be in writing, no?

[rx7boi]

That doesn't sound like a great deal, I think you were smart to pass. Also, never pay a doc fee, especially a $500 one haha - this isn't a brand new S-Class MB. If they want you to pay it, get them to take it out of their end after negotiating an "all in" price you're comfortable with. It is quite literally a 100% money grab, so they can get rid of it without losing any actual money.

When I bought my 2010 Civic used around 2011/2012, it was from a dealer. Window sticker was $19,999. I ended up paying $15K. I'm guessing they paid $12-13K for that car on trade in, tops, and it needed nothing because it only had 10,000 KM so the dealer didn't have to put a dime into it. See if you can find cheaper private samples with similar mileage to use as leverage if you find more at dealers that you like. In my case, I told them I could buy a brand new 2012 for almost the same price, even though I had no intention of ever doing that, and the car was obviously overpriced.

For sure. I always negotiate the OTD price so it doesn't bother me if they want to show a $500 doc fee in the breakdown. They can put whatever words they'd like next to the numbers. That said, I just wasn't feeling the exterior. Those small rust chips seem to be common in alot of the sedan/coupes I've looked at and I've really been holding out for one with zero rust.

The boys tried to do right by me given that we were high school friends. The guy was in the other office ready to buy it as is and the manager had even told his sales guy to sell it to me if I decided I wanted the vehicle in addition to lowering the price of the vehicle, otherwise it was 22g OTD. I appreciated that they put me first knowing full well the other guy was about to pay their list price.

Even if the other prospect wasn't there, I wouldn't expect them to firesale a car to me; it's still business.

I may have chosen a tougher car to get a steal on. It's a sought after vehicle and even harder to find one with lower mileage.

[D'z Nutz]

The ones who don’t want to take the ad down or hold it with or without a small deposit, more often than not it’s a indication they are either liars about their items (usually condition or there’s a catch) or they just won’t trust anyone no matter what.

That's an interesting take on it. I guess I fall into the latter category.

For me, I can't even begin to count how many times I've had buyers message me with "I'll take it!", "I'm interested!", and even "I'll come pick it up now" only to never hear from them again. I've just gotten to the point where I think everyone on Kijiji is flaky and until they show up with cash in hand, nobody is serious and the sale isn't final. It has nothing to do with me being a liar and everything with everyone else is full of shit. Hell, I don't even give out my phone number most of the time anymore cause they can contact me through Kijiji.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

That's rough - I guess though if you're doing it for a living your sample size is going to be way higher, so you will see the full gamut. If you gave a deposit to someone that wasn't a dealer, and decided not to take the car, why would you be expecting it back? Either way it would be in writing, no?

It’s almost always a case of giving a deposit on the agreement a vehicle doesn’t need anything has no damage etc and showing up to find considerable damage (usually hail or keyed panels that sellers try to convince you doesn’t exist or can be “buffed out” which flat out isn’t possible. This is why I mentioned back about using terms like “if the vehicle is as you described” and getting it in writing is always preferable. I always get a receipt for deposits as well. Unfortunately people think that can now just keep the deposit or we can take it (and either make no money or potentially lose money depending on what needs to be fixed) without negotiating on price or handing back the deposit. I always make sure I have a VIN in writing (usually a photo of their registration with their name also showing) before I ever give a deposit. I’ve also had to register liens for deposits that people refuse to return in situations like this in the past which is another reason I don’t like them. I’d rather send them a photo of the bank draft and receipts while I’m on the way there to prove I’m serious.

As for the stolen vehicle, it was a terrible situation where someone broke into a rural home and targeted someone away long term who wouldn’t know it was stolen for a period of time and wouldn’t be able to report it. They knew the vehicle had no liens so a lien search wouldn’t raise flags and were working in a ring with other people. All paperwork, ID, addresses etc matched up and they probably figured by the time the owner knew and reported it they would be long gone. Lucky for me they were stupid and showed up to post bail in a small town for an associate in a stolen vehicle, and RCMP recognized the vehicle and arrested them over a month before we found out we had bought a stolen vehicle.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

That's an interesting take on it. I guess I fall into the latter category.

For me, I can't even begin to count how many times I've had buyers message me with "I'll take it!", "I'm interested!", and even "I'll come pick it up now" only to never hear from them again. I've just gotten to the point where I think everyone on Kijiji is flaky and until they show up with cash in hand, nobody is serious and the sale isn't final. It has nothing to do with me being a liar and everything with everyone else is full of shit. Hell, I don't even give out my phone number most of the time anymore cause they can contact me through Kijiji.


I think you are branching too far from a discussion on vehicle sales to just general items which is a whole different shit show. I hate selling items on Kijiji as everyone always has the same experiences as everyone else, there’s a million time wasters when you deal in cash sales. When I’m buying vehicles I’m showing up with a bank draft most of the time after sending a photo ahead of time to prove I’m serious, and I’m almost always requesting to meet at a bank of some sort.

[rx7boi]

Okay so another private G37XS just popped up in Edmonton. There was no phone # on the ad so I messaged him within the hour of the ad going up and I'm certain I was the first cause there were only 2 views when I reached out.

He's in Fort Mac at the moment so he asked to meet next Thursday. I told him I had funds ready to go and to make a deal on the spot pending test drive and a quick look at it. I also mentioned that I messaged him straight away since I wanted to be the first person to look at the vehicle.

I think that's all I can do at the moment. I haven't asked him to take his ad down and I'm sure he's already gotten a couple other messages.

Seller is out at the moment but we'll be chatting on the phone once he gets home from the Raptors game where I can ask him a couple more questions about the car. Feeling optimistic so far.

[relyt92]

I'd make sure to look at 2012+ if you're going to be keeping it for a while. A potentially serious engine issue was fixed that year. If you have any questions about the car let me know.

[rx7boi]

Ah, this is a 2011.

[ThePenIsMightier]

I'd make sure to look at 2012+ if you're going to be keeping it for a while. A potentially serious engine issue was fixed that year. If you have any questions about the car let me know.

It's a VQ37VHR, isn't it? That thing has been in everything in the Nissan family for YEARS.
What issue are you talking about and why 2011 and not 2014? Wasn't it the same from 2009-2014 or longer?

[rx7boi]

The VQ37 is reliable and as you said has been around forever. I did a bit more reading and I didn't catch it before, but the pre-2012's seem to have inferior oil gallery gaskets in the rear timing cover.

[got_mike33]

I'm in Edmonton and can take a look at the car if you want, before making the drive all the way up here. Send me a PM and we can work out some details.

[Rocket1k78]

That's an interesting take on it. I guess I fall into the latter category.

For me, I can't even begin to count how many times I've had buyers message me with "I'll take it!", "I'm interested!", and even "I'll come pick it up now" only to never hear from them again. I've just gotten to the point where I think everyone on Kijiji is flaky and until they show up with cash in hand, nobody is serious and the sale isn't final. It has nothing to do with me being a liar and everything with everyone else is full of shit. Hell, I don't even give out my phone number most of the time anymore cause they can contact me through Kijiji.
I stopped giving out my number too lol



I think you are branching too far from a discussion on vehicle sales to just general items which is a whole different shit show. I hate selling items on Kijiji as everyone always has the same experiences as everyone else, there’s a million time wasters when you deal in cash sales. When I’m buying vehicles I’m showing up with a bank draft most of the time after sending a photo ahead of time to prove I’m serious, and I’m almost always requesting to meet at a bank of some sort.
You might not get the typical "ill buy it" or "ill take it now" replies when it comes to car sales but the BS is still there for most private kijiji transactions. My last 3 bikes were bought the same way as you though, found what i wanted, negotiated price and showed up purchased within the first meet(they were only a couple years old though so no need for inspection) and funny you do the photo thing too because i did that on my second last one, some younger guy was sick of negotiating with flakes so i texted him a pic of the cash and it worked lol


Okay so another private G37XS just popped up in Edmonton. There was no phone # on the ad so I messaged him within the hour of the ad going up and I'm certain I was the first cause there were only 2 views when I reached out.

He's in Fort Mac at the moment so he asked to meet next Thursday. I told him I had funds ready to go and to make a deal on the spot pending test drive and a quick look at it. I also mentioned that I messaged him straight away since I wanted to be the first person to look at the vehicle.

I think that's all I can do at the moment. I haven't asked him to take his ad down and I'm sure he's already gotten a couple other messages.

Seller is out at the moment but we'll be chatting on the phone once he gets home from the Raptors game where I can ask him a couple more questions about the car. Feeling optimistic so far.

Nothing else you can do but wait. I would maybe send another follow up message in a couple days just to show you're serious.
Went through almost the exact same thing on my last bike, I looked religiously for a solid 4 months and then one morning my unicorn came up(2013 ducati 1199 in white), i messaged the guy immediately but he already had 3 people to show and he was in edmonton. I told him i could be up by the weekend if they no showed but the ad was gone that day. kept checking kijiji and then all of the sudden it came back up about a week later, messaged him again and he said the buyers flaked. We made a verbal deal but we couldnt get our schedules aligned until the week after. I told him i'd give him a $500 deposit to hold it but he said he didnt need it which threw me off, i then asked him to take the ad off and he agreed but he didnt take it off, messaged him to take it off with no reply back for a couple days. He finally replied saying he was super busy and would take it off but again that didnt happen right away. I asked him for his full name for the bill of sale and he said he had one ready so now i was getting pretty worried that something was up. It was about 3 days before i was going up so i told him i needed his address at least to prove he was serious because i was about to book a hotel room and sure enough he wouldnt give it up, he told me he would give it to me when i got to red deer. At this point i was sure he was selling it to another person because i did lowball him. Saturday comes and im feeling pretty sick in the stomach that im going to get fucked but i wanted it so bad so i went. Got to red deer and texted him and no reply for a good 20 minutes which felt like hours lol I got his text and i was totally expecting him to say he sold it but he gave me his address. I was still worried that something was up but when i got there he right away explained that he was super paranoid about kijiji people which i didnt blame him lol

[rx7boi]

Man that's quite a story haha. Just highlights what Twin_Cam_Turbo said about some people who won't trust anyone no matter what.

So the guy called me this morning as promised and we had a quick chat. The car is from Ontario, he's the second owner who bought it @ 70k km. Has done 3 oil changes and spark plugs, but no record of the rear timing cover gasket change. No rust or leaks as per his testimony. Garaged and winter driven. Says he owns 5 cars in Ontario and 4 cars in Alberta which was an interesting tidbit to hear.

Regardless, I reiterated that I have funds ready and if the car is as described, I just need to take a look at it in person and make the deal.

got_mike33 Thanks for the offer brother! He's not back in town until next week so I may come up either way just to make a trip out of it. If things line up maybe we can go together.


Since it's fortunate that we have some time before he gets back to town, I asked him for the VIN number so I can do some more due diligence.

[jaylo]

I personally would not even bother if the vehicle does not have a full service record history.

3 oil changes and spark plugs does not paint a good enough picture on how it has been maintained.

It's an Ontario car, that's another red flag. Sounds like he's curbing cars. I won't even waste my time.

BC car, full service records, one owner sounds more pleasing.

Plus, think about when you resell the vehicle, you'd have a hard time without any solid maintenance records and history.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If the guy owns 9 cars he is almost for sure flipping them, which makes it very unlikely this is a sample you want. Just a hunch though.

[rx7boi]

That definitely stood out, but I also thought that maybe he had it for 2 years it wasn't quite a flip since he bought it at 70,000km and owned it until 87,000km.

Maybe I can pick it up for 17500 and flip it for 18500 :rofl:

[Rocket1k78]

I personally would not even bother if the vehicle does not have a full service record history.

3 oil changes and spark plugs does not paint a good enough picture on how it has been maintained.

It's an Ontario car, that's another red flag. Sounds like he's curbing cars. I won't even waste my time.

BC car, full service records, one owner sounds more pleasing.


I dont know much about infinitis but 87k km is a pretty new ride to have extensive service records no? What else do you do to a car that new other then oil changes and spark plugs if that.
And obviously a one owner bc car with full records sounds more pleasing but beggers cant be choosers when it comes to used cars, if theres a ton of choices i would for sure take a 1 owner bc car over on ontario ride but he probably doesn't have that many options



That definitely stood out, but I also thought that maybe he had it for 2 years it wasn't quite a flip since he bought it at 70,000km and owned it until 87,000km.

Maybe I can pick it up for 17500 and flip it for 18500 :rofl:
I wouldnt call that a flip car if he owned it for 2 years but its kijiji and there are multiple ways to hussle lol I fuckin hate and love kijiji :rofl::rofl:

[relyt92]

It's a VQ37VHR, isn't it? That thing has been in everything in the Nissan family for YEARS.
What issue are you talking about and why 2011 and not 2014? Want it the same from 2009-2014 or longer?

It's not hugely prevalent, but the 2008-2011 VQ37VHR had a paper rear oil galley gasket, which was semi prone to failure. In 2012 they moved to a metal gasket which seems to have resolved it. Certainly not to say a 2011 or earlier car is likely to have issues, just a potentially expensive one to keep in mind. Outside that these cars are pretty darn reliable, I've had my 2012 for a little over 4 years and it's needed a wheel bearing and PS pump that were both covered under warranty, as well as a trunk repaint for rust while it was still under warranty for it.

[ThePenIsMightier]

So the guy called me this morning as promised and we had a quick chat. The car is from Ontario...

#ThankYou,Next.
Consider its corrosion to be advanced by 4 years for every year it spent in Ontario.
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/6866/dontbuybluthsmall1yn.jpg

[revelations]

I have an 2002 Civic from Ontario - used as a DD - no rust issues. 250,000 kms now.

[rx7boi]

Thanks fellas. I have another exciting prospect lined up for this Friday. It's a local vehicle and it jumped to the top of my list so I contacted the Edmonton guy to let him know right away in case he had someone else that wanted to see it Thursday.

[rx7boi]

Well boys, time for an update. As per my last post, I finalized everything and picked up this beauty over the weekend:

2013 G37xS Coupe

Dropped it off with Rainer this morning for a full front Xpel film and ceramic coating. Was a bit stressful driving on Stoney this morning hoping I wouldn't pick up rock chips along the way haha.

[killramos]

Looks awesome!

Congrats

[370Z]

Noice.

One thing I didn't like about the G37x coupe I had was how much fender gap there was. I ended buying a set of coilovers (similar brand to BC) for about $1400 and it was super easy to install. I'd highly recommend it! Also, if you're looking for a better sound without going full out custom exhaust, I'd recommend a Top Speed axle back, only cost less than $400 shipped to Calgary, sounds amazing, nice deep growl that isn't loud at all.

[jaylo]

Finally, congratulations!

[Mitsu3000gt]

Looks like you did well, congrats :thumbsup:

[relyt92]

Congrats, hope it treats you well.

[bjstare]

Nice car, that's a great DD.

+1 on super easy suspension work on this car. Rear springs can be swapped out in <30min per side. Front is only marginally longer.

[rx7boi]

Thanks everyone. I'm super glad I found this car.

It only had 4900km on it when I picked it up. The previous owner was a retiree in her mid 70's who only drove it on Sundays for the past 6 years.

Absolutely no issues during inspection and still has that brand new car smell :love:

Can't wait to get the car back from Rainer either tomorrow or Saturday.

[tonytiger55]

Well boys, time for an update. As per my last post, I finalized everything and picked up this beauty over the weekend:

2013 G37xS Coupe

Dropped it off with Rainer this morning for a full front Xpel film and ceramic coating. Was a bit stressful driving on Stoney this morning hoping I wouldn't pick up rock chips along the way haha.

That is very nice.

[rx7boi]

Just a couple pics after picking up the car from Rainer last week. He and Jackie did a phenomenal job.

Quote was very fair. I'd recommend anyone looking for a wrap to go to Nano Defense.

[D'z Nutz]

Thanks everyone. I'm super glad I found this car.

It only had 4900km on it when I picked it up. The previous owner was a retiree in her mid 70's who only drove it on Sundays for the past 6 years.

Absolutely no issues during inspection and still has that brand new car smell :love:

Can't wait to get the car back from Rainer either tomorrow or Saturday.

Holy shit, what a find!

[got_mike33]

Just a couple pics after picking up the car from Rainer last week. He and Jackie did a phenomenal job.

Quote was very fair. I'd recommend anyone looking for a wrap to go to Nano Defense.

So can you answer your initial question from the thread title? What is the best way to get a car that's a good deal?

Amazing looking car, btw.

[Mitsu3000gt]

So can you answer your initial question from the thread title? What is the best way to get a car that's a good deal?

Amazing looking car, btw.

Patience, if buying used.

[BavarianBeast]

Be the first to show up with cash.

[rx7boi]

So can you answer your initial question from the thread title? What is the best way to get a car that's a good deal?

Amazing looking car, btw.

Yup, it was a mish mash of all the advice in this thread. In somewhat order of importance:

1. Patience and wait for the right one to come along. I looked at both G37 and Q50S for a long time just to get an idea of price range and mileage. This one was a unicorn and I doubt I'll ever find another vehicle like this so I knew to jump on it right away.
2. Convey that you're a serious buyer and that you want to look at it ASAP, the day off if possible. Good deals get snatched up and you're definitely not the only one who saw the ad.
3. Have cash available and be proactive about securing the deal. I told him I would bring along a $500 deposit with me for the viewing even though they didn't ask for it.

The seller was a straight shooter. He was selling for his mother so he set the viewing a full week after we spoke on the phone. I asked if we could meet earlier since the car was a great deal and he reassured me that I'd have first dibs. We were chatting during the inspection and he mentioned that the way I wrote my email was no BS and he felt I was a serious prospect.

Overall, luck and time was really on my side. Seller kept his end of the bargain, didn't sell it out from under me. I think the biggest factor was that his mother is a senior who wanted her son to handle the details. Being from Ontario, he wanted to secure a serious buyer until he could get back to Calgary to finish the deal so it gave us both plenty of time.

With all the buttfuckery that can happen during private sales, I'm not sure I can replicate this experience the next time around. FWIW, I found the car on Autotrader and anecdotally, I find that the good deals are typically more upscale sellers that don't post on Kijiji.

[redblack]

...

[Mitsu3000gt]

Y We were chatting during the inspection and he mentioned that the way I wrote my email was no BS and he felt I was a serious prospect.


I get that comment a lot - I think it genuinely shocks people when your email consists of more than "500?"