A GOOD BUY OR A GOOD BYE?
Aaaarghhh! Had one get away the other day. Because I work my own hours and don’t have a boss snooping around, around look ing over my shoulder from nine to f ive, I can keep a track of essentia l stuf f (like cars and go-fast bits) as t hey come on to t he market. That’s t he essence of online shopping I reckon: Get in early and grab it fast. Let’s face it, t he inter web has opened up a whole world of possibilities, but equally, it’s opened t hat same world up to a few billion extra buyers. So you’ve got to move quick or miss out.
And t he ot her day, I just wasn’t quick enough. I’ve been on the lookout for an R A40 Celica (don’t ask why, I just am, okay?). Any way, a few hours before I was due to drive interstate and v isit my dear old mum, an R A40 turned up on an online sa les site. The price was right, t he condition looked good and it was litera lly just around the corner from Ma’s house. Meant to be, right? Wrong. I collared t he phone and rang t he seller, only to be told I’d missed out by minutes. Bugger.
Naturally, I told t he bloke t hat if t he sa le fell t hrough (and ask an online seller how often t hat happens) to give me a bell and we’d ta lk. Never heard from him again. So, not only did t he perfect car, in t he perfect place squeak past me by minutes, it a lso attracted t he only ot her serious R A40 buyer in t he countr y. As I said: Bugger.
Generally spea k ing, I’m a bit luck ier t han t hat. Sometimes I don’t even k now I need a particular car until it f inds me (usually through some random, rando roundabout way). way) But when it does, does if I’m cashed up, I don’t mess about. Oh, I k now a ll about t he t heor y of hanging the seller out to dr y and making them sweat on t he sa le, tempting t hem to drop t heir price in desperation. But I’m over t hat crap. If t he car is right and t he price is reasonable, I’m a ll in. Which is not to say I never haggle, but if you’ve done your due diligence on what t hings are worth, t he car is eit her priced right or it isn’t. And, fra nkly, I’d rat her wonder if I’d paid maybe a hundred or t wo too much while I’m driv ing home in my new car, than going home without it and waiting to see if anybody outbids me in some k ind of driveway Dutch auction.
My ot her tip is to carr y cash and don’t be a smart ypants just because you’re the buyer and he or she is t he seller. Cash ta lks. Simple as t hat. Meanwhile, making t he seller feel small while you strut around pointing out faults in t he car aint going to get you a big discount any time soon. If t he car isn’t what you were hoping for, t here’s no point in berating t he seller for misleading you (unless they’ve been snea k y about it). Just state your case, tell t hem it’s not for you, rack of f and let t hem get back to t heir life. Don’t leave t hem hanging wit h a “I’ll get back to you” unless you rea lly do intend to mull it over and ca ll them back with your decision. If you ain’t buying it, say as much; t hey’ll understand.