What 1rst ?'s on a Craigslist ad?

[linter]

I'm trying to put together a short list of questions to ask when first responding to a Craigslist ad. The idea is to elicit from the buyer the basic information necessary to decide whether further discussion is warranted. The cars I'm looking at are SC's and mid-80s Carreras, both in the medium to medium-high miles category.

Any suggestions?

For SCs, the initial things I've been asking about are the tensioner upgrade, the airbox pop off valve and the headstuds. If those things haven't been taken care of one way or another, I'm likely to pass and move on.

What else would you include?

Thanks!

[pete3799]

Don't forget the rust issue.
Also ask about the suspension. A rebush can get expensive.

[linter]

Oh, right, rust. Forgot about that. Doh!

Would you put suspension on your first email to a seller or down the road? Would that be a main question to ask to help rule in or rule out a car at the very start of the process?

So as not to overwhelm a seller right off the bat, I guess I'm trying to develop a Top 10 list of the questions to ask.

Thanks for the answer!

[Christien]

Why worry about overwhelming them? If they're not willing to answer those kinds of questions, what does that tell you about how much they know or how carefully they've maintained their car?

I tried to answer all those questions up front in my FS ad - granted, craigslist may not provide enough space, but if not, I would fully expect to answer those questions in full.

[linter]

Somehow I just think it's more considerate to start Top-10 slow with the first email and then if what they say makes me want to continue, then hit them with the full load. That's all.

In any event, if you were going to do it my way, would you care to share what your Top 10 might be?

Thanks!

[Christien]

I think if you ask your first 3 questions (tensioners, pop-off valve and headstuds), you'll very quickly separate the people who know their car and are likely good sellers from the flakes and scammers. Big things for me are also suspension and rust as mentioned, but also clutch - has it been replaced? If so, when? Most of the cars I'm looking at (84-89) have had clutches replaced.

[dienstuhr]

Agree with the above...

Tensioners, pop-off, headstuds?
Clutch and trans, hard shifting?
Rust and body condition?
Smoke?
A/C and heat - deleted or not working?
Sunroof leaks?
Suspension and tire condition?
Original colour? Original paint or repaint?
Condition of interior - dash, upholstery, carpets?

That's off the top of my head, assuming the seller has listed basic stuff like year, mileage and whether the engine is original to the car (you'd be surprised).

Cheers

d.

[BK911]

Initially I usually ask:

Clear title
Any rust or accident damage
Original color
Original engine
Any known issues

And then get more detailed if I am still interested.

[linter]

Thanks a bunch. Very helpful!

[linter]

I think you guys might get a kick out of the following Craigslist-ad exchange between me and a dealer. First all of, the price is so low, I think i smell something fishy. But that aside, here's how it went.

First, the ad, no pix included: 1986 Porsche 911 Coupe mint --

mint 1986 Porsche 911 coupe with g50 transmission with 154,000 original babied highway miles for only $11550. Car is black with black interior. Car has the cleaner no whale tail look. Car has original alloy wheels with newer tires. Car was garage kept and has no rust. Car still holds original paint except for hood that was professionaly painted a few years back just do to wear. Car has a clean carfax. Call Steve our wholesale director 973-699-6400. Car also has original books and records dealer stamped up until 113,000 miles. Truly a rare find in this condition for sure. To be honest if I had the space I would for sure keep it forever.

Second, my first email questions to him:
Can you email me some pictures. Also, a few initial questions:
What happened to the records from 113k miles til today?
What major work has been done on the car? Top end job? Transmission stuff? New clutch? Anything?
What flaws does the car have and what work needs to be done now or shortly?
Do you happen to have the results for any recent compression and/or leakdown tests?
Thanks!

Third: his lovely response to me: "Your just way to needy to sell to. Good luck finding one as nice as mine for my price."

Christien -- glad I only asked as many ?'s as I did. Any more and he probably would have gotten in the car and come after me with a ball-peen hammer!

[Christien]

That's too funny. Definitely something fishy there, or at the very least a seller that would be far more hassle to deal with than any good deal on the car would make worth the effort. At least you only got about 90 seconds wasted on it.

[Christien]

Come to think of it, let's have a go with him. I just sent him this:

Hi. Just had this ad forwarded to me by a friend, as I'm in the market for a 3.2, especially one from the states, as they're cheaper than buying here in Canada usually.

Can you please send me some pics, and any details you've got of any major work done, like clutch, transmission or engine?

Thanks!
Chris

[linter]

Keep us posted ... especially if you end up buying it, ha ha!

[techweenie]

Fairly unusual for an '86 to have a G50, doncha think?

[andyt11]

Thats a good point techweenie! Is there any kind of crossover between the years? Could a G50 have ended up in the last of the 1986 cars?

Christien I'd love to find out what this guy comes back to you with. I've a good mind to inquire about the myself. In massive detail of course.

[Christien]

Do a google search on the phone # in that ad - the guy's name and number seems to have been stolen before for a watch-for-sale scam. If this is the same thing, man it'd suck to be that guy!

[Christien]

Got a reply, 3 words in total:

Sorry no pictures

[linter]

Interesting. I wonder how this particular Porsche-for-sale scam (if indeed that's what it is, ha ha) works. Anyone got an idea?

[Christien]

It's not complicated - they find a rube who's all turned on by a cheap price on a hot car, get a deposit and disappear. There was never any car, never any promise of a sale. All it takes is one gullible, trigger-happy buyer and voila, an easy $1000. Though at least they go to the trouble of stealing someone else's pics to entice potential buyers.

A few more emails:


Ok, what about my other question - major work, like clutch, engine, transmission?

When will you be able to get pictures?

Thanks.

---

Dealer serviced stamped till I think 115k

---

Ok, that doesn't really help - that could be oil changes, it could be an engine replacement. Any details? Such as, has the clutch ever been replaced? Transmission rebuilt?

Thanks.

---

Nothing since.

[Robert Adams]

This jerk had a similar ad about 10 days ago. I called him, spoke about the car asked for an address to see it and actually received one.
I googled the address to confirm where it was and decided to go check the car out since it was only 30 minutes away. Got there and it is a car wash. They never heard of the guy or the car. I called the guy from the location and asked where the car was. Seems he sold it between 10pm when I last spoke with him and 8:30the next morning. Yeah, right, I DON'T THINK SO!

So, my advice here is simple. If the car for the price seems to be to good to be true, it usually is! ESPECIALLY HERE IN NJ! Not to say you might not uncover a treasure some place, but you're going to have to endure a million jerks like this guy along the way!

Side bar story. I'm selling an 06 C2S. Decided to list it here, PCA & on craigslist . I lasted overnight before I decide what a mistake and pulled the ad off craigslist. You would not believe the number of crazy emails I got telling me I was selling to low, to HIGH, to check this web site out or another. Just ridiculous. Not one actually asking about the car. It just disturbs me no end how these crazies take over a community based site like these. Fortunately, I have never experienced that situation here, at PCA, 911s/912 or 356 registry among others, so there are honest places to search for cars and I recommend them highly.

As to the question of to many questions, I guess depends on who you are dealing with. I once asked a guy ONE question about a part he was selling. He didn't know what the answer was and didn't want to find out I guess. Just told me I asked to many questions and didn't want to sell me the part. FINE....I ended up buying the same part from someone on this site for almost 1/2 of what he was asking and I just noticed he's still trying to sell the same part a month later.

Addressing questions to ask, there is a whole list in the tech section of this site as a guideline. If you are completely new to P cars, use it. Maybe use some common sense and pick a few key questions to begin with so as not to totally over whelm the seller. If you are dealing with someone who knows the car they usually don't mind helping to educate a newbie especailly anyone on this site. It's the guys who own a Porsche and haven't got a clue about anything about them that makes it difficult for all of us, you just have to suffer through it and hope you make it to the other side.

Anyway..just my 2 cent worth of a rant!
Good luck with the search, just be realistic in your search of a car and its value.
No such thing as a free lunch.