Was I wrong?

[wa5]

I have had my GJ 2.6 on Ebay (its in the listed in the for sale section here.. car has 92,500km showing but the body is fairly ordinary).. A buyer phoned me and asked a few questions about the car, he then asked if he could do a compression test on it. (He wanted the driveline to put into a Galant, so could well be a member here).

(my last experience with somebody doing a comp test on a car I was selling... an 87 XF Falcon.. hardly a hi comp monster... involved a bloke wanting to try out the $10 kmart compression tester his kids probably got him for Christmas.. it blew to pieces on the second cylinder...(my comment .. "reckon its got enough compression?" didnt upset him.. he bought the car) since that time, I have had a fairly dim view of people wanting to perform this test)...

I said that he could do the test, BUT, he would have to give me $100 before hand, If the spark plugs went back into the head the same way they came out IE not cross threaded, I would give the money back...

I have no idea what mechanical skills the buyer has, and simply wanted enough to cover the fitting of a helicoil IF he screwed up. I was simply asking for a refundable deposit to cover any damage he might cause...

The buyer was quite non plussed, and chose to search for another donor car...

So, Was I wrong?

[A112H]

I don't think you were wrong, sounds like a good idea to me. Anyone serious about buying wouldn't have an issue with it.

[bruggz351]

I agree with A112H.
Your simply giving yourself some insurance in case the bloke is a numpty.
I'd do the same.

cheers

[amgis_obrut]

Im with you them ^^^

[dvsfin]

But you also have to look at it from the buyers point of view, as far as they know your car could already have a pre existing problem and you are just trying to con them.

[bruggz351]

On one occasion, I had a potential buyer make an appointment for and pay for, a pre-sale inspection at at a mechanic local to me. The buyer was interstate and purchased the car on receiving the report.
That would be another way for you to go. If the potential buyer is serious about the car, they will pay for an inspection. No-ones scamming anybody then. And you don't have a tosser stuffing up your motor.

cheers

[75wagon]

So, Was I wrong?

Yep.

[A112H]

^^ Please explain

[wa5]

Care to expand on that?

[wa5]

But you also have to look at it from the buyers point of view, as far as they know your car could already have a pre existing problem and you are just trying to con them.

I guess that is a point, I have not taken out the plugs, infact I've done nothing more than check the oil and water... if there were a pre existing condition, I would expect it to show up upon removal of the plug... IE bringing a heap of alloy / thread out with it..... not something I could reasonably lay on the buyer.... (however, the result would still be the same, I would be left with a damaged vehicle, which before testing ran great..)...

as to trying to "con" them, I have only had about 45 dealings on ebay, probably half of those sales, my feedback speaks for itself.

[75wagon]

^^ Please explain

Care to expand on that?

I was only playing...
Just waiting for a response, looks like I got one...

I actually understand where you are coming from. Where I never actually tried to sell anything on ebay myself, I have heard many stories from those who have. There is nothing wrong with a little insurance on protecting what you are selling, but on the other hand, there is nothing wrong on having a good look at what you are buying also.

Dave...

[InsaneTD]

The RAA will come out and do vehicle inspections for buyers. I don't know just how much they do or what it costs, if it's members only or not. Not many people know about it. They'd probably do it for sellers too.