If it's an eBay auction, and two people are bidding against each other, how have YOU ripped THEM off? They set the price, not you.

Three grand for that seems to be deliberately cutting your own hand off to try to prove some kind of point.

I don't want messers, that's the thing really. When two guys get bidding against each other for something it often becomes a matter of will as to who wins, and silly money is bid. Often the beneficiary of that would be rubbing his hands together with glee, but I think it causes problems. That's why you get so many re-listed items, people having realised they bid more than they were prepared to actually pay - not to win the object, just to win the auction.

There's also the fact that I'm completely out of touch with prices. I arrived at the price by what I'd spent on it, my mindset is not profit motivated. I'm not trying to prove anything, proving points is for people who can afford it, and I don't fall into that category. Having seen some of the ebay prices recently I know that I could easily knock together an ad that would get me four grand perhaps. We'll see.

The wife's not speaking at the moment, she wants to keep it, or if not put it on ebay for as much as possible. Women are like that. There is an interested party on the forum so I'll have a chat with him and take it from there.

There's a risk of that, yes. But there's always a risk of that - no matter where the finish price of the auction is. It's also a risk of shoving a "For Sale" sign in the car at Reg or the Int'l. And if you've had two people bidding like mad, you can always do a second-chance offer to the underbidder...



That's the thing about an auction. Doesn't matter. Start it at 99p, no reserve, if you want. It'll find the end price by itself.



So set that as the reserve.



It'll be good to see it go to the right new home. I know exactly what you mean on that - it was an important factor when I sold the Ami, it's an important factor in selling Hetty. But I've got serious emotional involvement with those, having owned each for the thick end of two decades, and they're both inherently very rare cars. I know you've got the involvement with the Bluboo, but when it comes to it, it's a (very nicely restored) late Spesh.

IF you do put it on the 'bay, then she's right. Put an ad together that really does the car justice, and let the price end where it does.

I think that's the crucial bit. eBay auction prices are very much influenced by the quality of the ad, particularly the write-up (as witnessed by that fake Charly that we saw a couple of weeks ago). O-N, I think you could write an excellent ad for your car. Just take your time and plan it.
(Having said this, I doubt that you'll need to advertise it on ebay...)

Sounds about right then.
I'd be inclined not to over sell it though, I'm picky, and would likely emphasise the faults as much as the positives.

<Sigh> Honestly, the night I had last night after she saw my ad,
What can I say? There were tears -and they weren't mine. The Mrs. loves that car - but life moves on, at least it should do or you're not doing it right. I hadn't intended selling until March which would give me time to clean it up again ready for sale, so I may still do that. I'm sure the interested party on here will understand.

I'm also doing my damndest not to be so boringly practical as to buy a camper. Other blokes my age get to have a mid life crisis so I want mine dammit. Although, as I stand six foot and weigh in at sixteen-two, gracefully slotting that much fat-bastardness into a sports car could be a problem. They say what you've never had you never miss, well that's bullshit. I've never had a stable lifestyle, but I really wish I had one, isn't that the same as missing it?

Watch this space I guess.

There's a lot of things I can be accused of, but that's a new one on me...



<thinks> Hold on a minute. We've bought it precisely to move AWAY from "stable lifestyle"...

"What can I say? There were tears -and they weren't mine. The Mrs. loves that car -"

Wow, O-N, that's some woman you have there.

That Celica - yep, the last car on this earth I'd have you down for! I remember when it first came out thinking that the designers must have got pi**ed-off (or just pi**ed) on Friday afternoon and just pulled two rejected designs out of the bin - one for front and t'other for t'back. Strangely, it doesn't look so 'wrong' any more - probably as good an indication as any of a classic in the making.

Why is a camper 'boringly practical'? It would be so only if it were bought as such. It could mean - on t'other hand - you wouldn't even have to plan a weekend away; just grab a road map (and the missus), jump in and go.

I think I mentioned the Mazda Bongo previously (probably on this thread) as good camper van material for the money (unbeatable, really). Ok, it's dull and almost certainly too small for what you and t'missus have in mind, but I bought one a couple of years back on behalf of my niece. I collected it and gave it a damn good service getting it ready for her. When she took it away a few weeks later, it left a hole in my life I never realised needed filling - I still hanker. I'm in Devon and she took it up to where she was staying in Edinburgh. She sent me photos afterwards of the journey north - via Wales. Dark nights, snow-covered fields with this little cosily-lit 'home' sitting in t'middle. Wow.

You want to do an interior refurb? Buy one that hasn't been fitted out - god, I'd love to see the job you'd do on that! Buy carefully, and you can pick a good pop-top one up for less than £3k. That should still leave you with over a £k for your classic... (a cheap 2CV needing a respray...)

Now there's an idea. It's more appealing if I can be a Gypsy. Hmmm, I like that... pay no council tax, collect minority victim status, why I could even get to wear an earring. Or..wait - No! A Bandanna! Hey camper van's are mid-life cool.

Edit: Bongo? You want me to buy something with a name like Bongo?
"Hey babe fancy a ride? I've got the Bongo outside and she's ready to go".

It doesn't work does it? Or worse - Imagine this. You're in some bar having a swift one when someone yells out; "Will the owner of the Bongo please come to the bar?...the Bongo owner has left his lights on. Sir, do you have a Bongo?"

F*ck me DA what'ya trying to do to me?

"I'd be inclined not to over sell it though, I'm picky, and would likely emphasise the faults as much as the positives."

And your advert should. That fake-Charlie one was a master-class in crawling, grasping and frankly dishonest bullsh*t.

We all know that yours wouldn't be.

I sold My Marlin Berlinetta on eBay over a year ago. My ad ran to over three A4 pages - I just loved talking about it . And I thought that if someone couldn't be arsed (or was incapable of) reading it, then they didn't deserve the car in the first place.

It had a good pageful of bull ('...in it's element scurrying around narrow country lanes...'), but then a list of all it's good points and an equally long section on it's 'negatives'.

It went for more than I ever imagined it would - gulp - but the buyer was absolutely thrilled - phew.

Ok, ok, O-N. Silly name. Thankfully Ford produce an identical model.


(called the Ford Freda...)