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The 7 Most Annoying Things Car Buyers Say

If you've ever listed something for sale online, from small items like furniture or appliances all the way up to selling a motorcycle, selling a car, or selling a RV, then you've experienced the hassle of having to deal with annoying buyers. It is important to remember there are really only three questions a buyer needs to answer before purchasing your vehicle: 1) Do I like the vehicle? 2) Do I like the price? 3) Do I have the ability to pay for it?

In an informal survey of private sellers, here are the top 7 most annoying things buyers say:

7. Why are you selling it?

Does this really have anything to do with the quality, condition or value of the vehicle you're selling? No, it is simply the buyer's attempt to hit you with a "gotcha" question to drive down your asking price. As if you are going to crack under pressure, come clean and blurt out "because the car is no good and it has all kinds of bad issues." The real answer is simply, why does it matter? Stick to evaluating my vehicle and my price.

6. Been listed for long?

Similar to #7, this question is pretty silly and meaningless. Any answer you give is generally irrelevant to whether its a good vehicle for a good price. The buyer is merely fishing for where you are in the selling process and trying to guage your level of desparation to sell. They assume that if you have had it listed for more than 30-60 days that they will have an upper hand during negotiations. The key is to respond in a way that says, "I'm in no hurry to sell it. In fact, I may just pass it along to a family member or keep driving it myself because it is such a nice vehicle." If you have a clean, safe, reliable vehicle at a reasonable price, then be confident you will find a reasonable buyer that will pay at or close to your price in the end. Get the buyer to re-focus attention on the vehicle and not on the selling process itself.

5. Will you accept payments?

Really? Are you serious? I don't even know you. It took a lot of courage for me to even agree to meet with you today to see the vehicle. Lets just get this over with. I'm not interested in becoming your personal friend or banker for the next few years. A closely related question, more often presented to dealers on the very first phone call or email is, "what's my down payment?" While many dealers offer financing options for the buyer, you as a private seller should just respond with, "I have no idea what your bank's lending criteria are."

4. Maybe sometime this week

Ok great, so now I'm supposed to put my life on hold and trust a total stranger to keep a promise about getting back to me or showing up? This is not only annoying, but for some scammers and ill-intentioned lurkers, this is a way to probe you for information about when you are generally home and when you are not. The best thing a seller can do with this comment is ask for the buyer's name and phone number and avoid giving out any information about your personal schedule. If they hesitate or won't give you their personal information, then they probably aren't coming to see your vehicle, and frankly you don't want them to come.

3. I only have X amount

This is where no matter how low you have your vehicle priced, they claim it's more money than they can spend because they only have a certain amount. Think about that for a second. They are saying at best your vehicle is worth the amount they have in their pocket. Depending on how far apart you are on price, the answer here is perhaps they should be looking for a lesser vehicle that is worth the amount they claim to have and stop wasting your time. Just try using the "I-only-have" tactic next time in the grocery store check out line, "hi, I'd like to buy this filet mignon steak, but I only have enough money to pay the price of hamburger meat." It doesn't work at the grocery store and it shouldn't apply to big ticket items like your car, RV or motorcycle either.

2. I'll check with my spouse

Oh great! Now I have to get two separate people to agree to buy my vehicle? Both have to agree they like the vehicle and like the price? Why do I feel like I'm outnumbered here? Or maybe it's just an excuse to say No? Your best answer to this good-cop, bad-cop technique is to respond with a wise-guy answer, "that's perfect - it gives me time to get with my spouse too and see if he/she will let me sell it to you." Just wait for their reaction. Its priceless.

1. What's your bottom dollar?

This is by far the #1 annoying thing a buyer can say to a seller. In fact, as a seller it feels down right rude and disrespectful. This buyer question should never be answered by the seller directly. It's more about style and the art of negotiation. Some dealers have adopted a firm no-haggle price policy as if to say this question is hereby outlawed! But, realistically, for private sellers and most dealerships, the negotiation dance (aka haggling) remains a big part of the selling process. However, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. The right way is for the buyer to assume and respect that the seller has done their homework and given thought to what their vehicle is worth before they chose a listing price. If you as a seller get this question, especially before the buyer has even seen or test driven your vehicle, do not respond with a dollar amount. Instead, let the buyer know you are open to considering a bonafide offer after they have seen and test driven the vehicle. The key is to get the buyer to go next - to make a real offer. They know your price, but you don't know theirs. If the buyer insists on knowing the least you will accept, then simply put the brakes on their style of negotiating by asking them this simple question, "what is the most money you will pay?" You will find out pretty quickly if you have a serious buyer or just someone wasting your time and disrespecting you.

The Good News

Here is the good news for private sellers. If you want to avoid these 7 annoying things and all of the other many hassles associated with being a seller, use Retail My Ride to easily find licensed consignment dealerships near you that specialize in selling your type of car, RV or motorcycle. Consignment dealers help you acheive your goal as seller - to sell your vehicle quickly, for the most money and without the hassles or dangers of online private selling.

How to Use Retail My Ride

Use Retail My Ride to Find & Connect with one of our trusted network dealerships specializing in selling your type of vehicle on consignment. Then, take your vehicle to the dealership to discuss their specific program requirements, and obtain a free, no-obligation appraisal. You can search by Zip code, City, County, State, and filter your search by vehicle type, including Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Vans, Classics, Exotics, Antiques, Custom/Mods, Wheelchair accessible, Commerical.

You can also request a free no-obligation quote and consultation by one of our consignment experts at Retail My Ride before being connected to your local network dealership.