How do people deal with having a car for sale for a long time?

[iamdonquixote]

I guess I'm kinda of an impatient guy... But I've been wondering lately how people deal with having their car listed here ( or I guess elsewhere ) for months and months ?

At what point do they accept "days on the market" is kinda of an indication their price is off base.!?

Granted the days of " hold and it will go up" perhaps created this but it feels like we are in a different vw market now ( for the most part )

[gondiwindi]

Probably a lot of variables here. How much the seller needs the cash, how many similar cars are for sale in the sellers geo, the condition and price of those comps, does the seller truly want to sell and are they using it? Do they have other cars to wrench on? Garage space, angry spouse, ability to make repairs, etc. Could also be as simple as someone selling their vehicles but not updating or revisiting the list site.

It’s true what they say about patience being a virtue.

[Glenn]

It's only worth what someone else will pay.

If it's not selling, lower the price.
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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

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[APPLEGREENVW]

[iamdonquixote]

[Abscate]

It’s the fools gambit of “ I have 20,000 in this so I won’t sell it for less”

Meanwhile , the car degrades, and the future value of the 15,000 you could get for it continues to climb.
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[APPLEGREENVW]

[finster]

what feedback are you getting to the ad? nothing at all? people low balling or wanting the distance allowed for?
it's not a great time to sell and maybe we've had peak vw prices (except for uber rare) but only you know where your threshold is for making a sale.
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[iamdonquixote]

[iamdonquixote]

[Abscate]

[Dusty1]

[Typ3nut]

[Dusty1]

And...

I remember when $5000 was a princely sum for a nicely restored Bug. Then it went $10k, now the high end is over $20k.

If you remember these are supposed to be "economy" cars intended for the masses.


I have no idea who is actually buying high money Bugs much less big money Busses.


It's down to "Monkey See" pricing and The Magic Internet.

Monkey see $5k, $10k or $20k Bug. Monley think, "Hey! I have a rusty '71 Super Beetle! My pile must be worth $5k, $10k or $20k, too!"


Some people are absolute idiots about selling on the internet. They think it's The Magic Internet. Post a car, ten minutes later a private party shows up with a bottomless checkbook or a pile of cash. Buyer is supposed to do do their Carfax impersonation and buy it on the spot.

It doesn't work that way. The higher your price, the longer you're going to wait.


Some sellers have no communication skills. Even worse, Facebook is promoting all communication going through Facebook. Sellers are loathe to give out contact information, to give out their address or to meet in person. Geez. Like I'm going to drive four hours to meet you in the Lowe's parking lot all the while hoping you're actually going to show and you're actually going to show me your car. And, if you're going to show me your car you say you're sick of "tire kickers". When you actually show me your car there's fifty years of rust, dents and half- assed repairs that aren't obvious in your pictures.

If you have no situational awareness you probably suck at selling things.

If you're The Grumpy Old VW Curmudgeon you may want to consider -I'M- The Grumpy Old VW Curmudgeon. I had a lifetime's supply of BS before I ever left the farm. That was a long, long time ago. Where do you expect to find BS?


And, hey Applegreen... the deal I did with you, I showed up, I handed over a wedge of cash and I was a pair of tail lights in the distance minutes later. That's the way to do it and that's the way it's done.

.
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[Shonandb]

I wonder about this as we have a couple local VWs (a 1980 Vanagon and a two tone 1955 Bug) that have been on and off the local postings (Craigslist, Marketplace, Kijiji, etc) for a few years now.

Both are priced about $10k to $15k over market value unless someone really wants that particular model and colour scheme to add to their collection. With these two examples, maybe the owners are happy to keep them but willing to part with them if someone is willing to pay?
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[Busstom]

Ahhhh, my favorite subject

Yes, I think some of this ^ ^ ^ (Shonandb)... The "I don't really wanna sell it, but if yer dumb enough to help me pay off my mortgage, I'll let it go."

And to add to OP's point about days on market: not just those, but VIEWS...if a vehicle ad has had 5 or 10 thousand views and hasn't sold, then pretty much the entire VW world has seen it and are not interested in wasting absurd money on egregiously overpriced tin cans, and now you're just playing the lottery, wishing (and dreaming) for that one hungry, ignorant, impatient fish to come along and grab the bait.

And lastly, I agree, the fad is gradually fading. Most everyone who wants one has got it, or has said "f*ck this, these guys and their prices are ridiculous," and have moved on and forgotten that short-lived VW whim.

Remember in the early '90s and beyond, when you couldn't touch a Harley for less than $6K over asking, some far more? Now they're sitting in garages collecting dust, and last time I looked, you can pick up a sweet Big Twin bagger for 7 or 8 K. Nuff said.
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[gondiwindi]

[Manfred58sc]

I will allow a year, If no hits in 30 days, then the price is wrong. Keep an eye on similar cars up for sale- if they disappear after 7 days or so , they are usually priced right. Keeping the thing running and presenting well is a hassle.
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[oprn]

On the other hand if you don't even advertise the car is for sale, someone calls and asked to buy it, hops a plane, rents a car and shows up from 1500 miles away with cash in hand... perhaps it was under priced?

Well I guess it was but it is out of the yard, no longer sitting around rusting away and the new owner loves it!

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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[Dusty1]