Oh, this calls for a little reference material:

Amazon.com: Emails from an A**hole: Real People Being Stupid (9781402778278): John Lindsay: Books

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An short excerpt from one interaction:

From Timmy Tucker to ************@***********.org

Hi,

I saw your ad for the Honda Accord. I will give you $200 for the alternator and driver side door.

Let me know if you are interested,

Tim

From Josh ******** to Me

im not parting out the car. it is $6000 for the whole thing.

From Timmy Tucker to Josh ********

Can't you just sell me the door and alternator and then sell the car for $5800?

From Josh ******** to Me

who the **** would want to buy a car without a door and alternator?

From Timmy Tucker to Josh ********

You could sell it as a Honda Accord "Jeep Wrangler" addition, built for offroading without the doors, just like a Jeep. Instead of saying the alternator was removed, say the car was modified to help the environment.

From Josh ******** to Me

thats ####ing retarded. how about you go to a junk yard

From Timmy Tucker to Josh ********

How about I go to your yard, Josh ********, and ####ing take everything off your car while you sleep.

 

Quigley that's a great excerpt-----kinda makes my point, even if only in my own mind! Tom Mabe does something similar with telemarketers too---funny, funny stuff!

No, Rico that's not what I said or meant, not at all! I buy and sell in similar fashion, fully prepared and willing to accept anyone who has a similar no dickering approach. Then again I don't bother a seller unless I'd pay the full asking price for something, assuming the item is as described.

If I lose interest I politely, respectfully walk away, thanking the seller for their time. I conduct all my dealings this same way including the services I offer as my mobile business. Its successful to the degree it needs to be for me.

There are at least as many philosophies of buying/selling as there are people trying to make deals!

Crazy001 your exchange is one reason I provide only a phone number when selling locally via Craig's List etc. I don't receive text messages and say so in the ad which no doubt saves me a lot of this sort of thing I'm sure.

Maestro this van seems to be the one for you---hope you can work the price difference out with the seller. Its tough finding a van this well suited to your wants and needs especially when you're necessarily a bit specific and not yet being able to close the deal. Been there, done that and the final decision can be tough to make----best of luck and please let us know how it turns out!

 

With low mileage like that it ( Cavitation) is nothing to worry about........Should be addressed as soon as possible however....

 

With all due respect, if you're going to use KBB as your guide, the correct data is critical. The '98 E350 in Q is plainly not an EXTENDED van, which dramatically throws off your entire pitch.

KBB has its share of peculiar findings. Just taking EXTENDED out of the equation appears to make a huge, perhaps irrational, difference to the KBB Super Computer. So much so that if this KBB estimate is worth its salt the $6,000 offer might be considered a case of the 80 YO being highballed!

Kelley Blue Book

 

I agree with the guy who said not to get emotional when you get lowballed. Roll with the punches. If you are asking $5,000 and get offered $2,500 "cash" (like how else would they pay you?) Just come back at them with $4,800.

My pet peeve is not the lowballers but the freaking time wasters. True example: Selling a vehicle asking price $26,500. Get email "would you take $25,000?" Respond back "yes I would." Never heard from them again. Craigslist is full of them,

 

When I shop for a vehicle, I keep more than one iron in the fire. As a seller, you shouldn't be offended if someone decides not to buy your vehicle after you say that you would consider their offer. You are a private seller with one or two vehicle, and will have to realize that people who have the money to buy cars right now have many options available to them. They will be exploring those options if they are shopping for cars properly. Some people don't have the money and are wasting your time. Some people DO have money and you might be wasting theirs.

Lowball offers are how I start negotiation on vehicles I class to be 'junk.' Sometimes i see a vehicle, the owner thinks its an 8k car, and it books at 8k in EXCELLENT condition. I look at it and I know its a 4k car in POOR condition thanks to a munged fender, and blown rear main with a Deepwater Horizon class oil leak. I will offer maybe 3k-3.5k. If they come back with 7, then I explain why i offered that. If they wont come down closer to my range, I walk.

As a BUYER, my time is frequently wasted as well. One thing I discovered: The VAST majority of people would NEVER sell a vehicle that is functioning perfectly, is comfortable, and gets decent economy. They sell the vehicle when they are told of an expensive problem, its not working correctly, or its become a burden on other ways. EXCLUDING information is the same as lying, and if I come out to a van that is 'perfect' and find the bottom covered in oil from the rear main to the rear hitch, you have wasted my time and are a liar. Not even the most ignorant of car owners would miss the fact that they have to pour 1 or 2 quarts of oil in per fuel stop.

As mean as it is, every time I go to see a car, I MUST ASSUME the seller is LYING to me. If it 'just needs a fuel pump, and they only cost 200 bucks' and the seller marked it down by ~2000 bucks, why don't they just fix the goddamn fuel pump? If its perfect except for 'a damaged fender' then why don't they call up certifit, get a 70 dollar fender, and have it painted for 200 and have a car worth 1-2k more? THEY ARE LYING.

 

I am not offended they didn't buy the car. I am offended that they didn't even come see the car after I accepted their price. If you have no intention of even showing up don't bother contacting me with an offer. That is all I ask.

Well if it has all those problems it is not in "excellent" condition so the price will reflect that. Nothing "low' about that.

Absolutely a buyers time can be wasted too. That is nothing about the fender I always see someone selling a motorcycle or jet ski on craigslist and claim "it just needs a battery." Which costs $30.

 

I wasn't sure if it was or not as I can't load the pictures. So I assumed it was and extended to get the highest possible value and even still it is half of what the seller is asking.



That's right!

 

Think you missed my point: "KBB has its share of peculiar findings."?

Do you really think, all other things remaining equal, that EXTENDED it "is worth $4500" but in standard length is only worth "$2239"?

KBB is not alone & it can be interesting to plug the same criterion into NADA Blue Book & Edmunds to see how they compare.

All this chat about how to buy/sell seems to be avoiding the basics. Seller made it clear his high price was firm from the get-go. Buyer apparently wasn't shopping for Power Stroke diesel cargo van, seems to prefer passenger van w/5.4L & may very well not even need an E350. Seller places value on custom bench seat, but for buyer it's crap that must be replaced.

FTE contributors can be counted upon to offer the widest range of opinions. All the way from JWA's: "Maestro this van seems to be the one for you" to me wondering why "Maestro" would even respond to the CL ad for this van in the 1st place?

Anyone else care to comment on what "Maestro" cited as potential deal breaker: "Now for the bad news... The owner has never heard of the FX-16 coolant additive."?

 

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"Maestro" is in BC, Canada.

Just a hunch, but if he considered it "bad news... The owner has never heard of the FX-16 coolant additive." an ad for "a Nice 6.0" in far off Parker, CO might not be good news?