Morris Minor Owners Club

The only place to decide the true value of this (or any other) car is on ebay, where willing buyers and willing sellers meet in open auction! The problem is of course, that ebay is sometimes seen as the place of last resort - and sellers believe they can 'do better' elsewhere.

[quote="LouiseM"]

There's nothing wrong with fair & balanced comments but to suggest that a member who clearly has no idea what their car is worth is being "greedy" for advertising it at £4k - based on the advice offered here that it was worth more than £3k but less than £5k -is hardly fair & balanced.

So who decides what's fair and balanced? I may be new here, but this is an open forum. People will have opinions, some will agree with them, some will not. That's how balance is found - not by continuously tiptoeing which only perpetuates a bad market.

My comments were - as originally noted very clearly - regarding the market in Oxfordshire for the many products. When someone ignores guidance from people with a good knowledge and states "£4000, no offers", the fairness and balance can only be established by people giving an honest retort. There is a vast gulf in the definition of fairness between being worth "3k plus" and a price 25% above that figure. For that asking price to be fair on the purchaser, there would need to be room for negotiation. With that in mind, I stand by my comment in general, and with particular reference to this case. People need to be free to give their ownn honest opinion to keep the balance for all, particularly when the topic is very subjective.

David.

randomafterthought wrote: So who decides what's fair and balanced? I may be new here, but this is an open forum. People will have opinions, some will agree with them, some will not.

Nothing wrong with opinion but these can be expressed without making personal comments about other forum members. You say in your initial post on the forum that you are a newbie to Minors so are you really in a position to comment on whether the car is overpriced or not and if the seller is being greedy?

randomafterthought wrote: People need to be free to give their ownn honest opinion to keep the balance for all, particularly when the topic is very subjective.

The problem with 'for sale' ads on internet forums is that some people wil express opinions which are not fact baed and are unhelpful to both the seller and potential purchasers. You can rarely tell just by looking at a couple of photos whether a car is overpriced or not and a member here who viewed the car in May has, in regards to price, merely stated that £5k is a little optimistic. The vehicle has been MOT'd since then and we don't know whether it has had any additional work done in the meantime. One member says that it looks a good car for the money, another says that it is overpriced and that the seller is being greedy. £3,800 is not an unreasonable price for a sound traveller in good condition and it's difficult to see how the comments here from people who haven't even seen the vehicle, and are basing their views solely on a couple of photos, are being helpful to either the seller or potential buyers.

LouiseM wrote:
Nothing wrong with opinion but these can be expressed without making personal comments about other forum members. You say in your initial post on the forum that you are a newbie to Minors so are you really in a position to comment on whether the car is overpriced or not and if the seller is being greedy?

As admitted, I am a newbie to Minors. The newbie status only applies to the physical dismantling and repair of the car, and the technical differences between what is under Gertrudes bonnet and other vehicles. I also clearly noted that I was drawing on my long experience of pricing of various items in the Oxfordshire area, reviewing the advert that was being referred, the comments made by other users and my own very recent experience of researching the broader Minor market for a traveller or a saloon. Myself and my partner spent a vast amount of time looking at Minors on multiple sites, comparing the ones on offer and building up a picture of the whole market (across the whole of the Mainland UK and Northern Ireland).

With that last point alone, I would say that yes - I am in a pretty good position to comment on the market for Minors right now and what is being asked for them in various states of repair. It is also the level of research that I personally feel that anyone looking to make a very subjective purchase should do. In commenting, I was sharing my recent experience of being in the same position as Emma.

Had the seller based her position on the advice given in a similar manner, such as the market for travellers in similar condition and the technical input from Phil, we would not be having this discussion.

LouiseM wrote: The problem with 'for sale' ads on internet forums is that some people wil express opinions which are not fact baed and are unhelpful to both the seller and potential purchasers. You can rarely tell just by looking at a couple of photos whether a car is overpriced or not and a member here who viewed the car in May has, in regards to price, merely stated that £5k is a little optimistic. The vehicle has been MOT'd since then and we don't know whether it has had any additional work done in the meantime. One member says that it looks a good car for the money, another says that it is overpriced and that the seller is being greedy. £3,800 is not an unreasonable price for a sound traveller in good condition and it's difficult to see how the comments here from people who haven't even seen the vehicle, and are basing their views solely on a couple of photos, are being helpful to either the seller or potential buyers.

"in regards to price, merely stated that £5k is a little optimistic." It was previously said that "gentle guidance" was often required. Now it is merely stating. You can't have it both ways. An MOT is only there to note that the vehicle was roadworthy at the time it was issued. £3800 is not a bad price for a sound traveller in good condition. The information overall suggests that the condition is not nearly as good as the advert itself suggests, there are travellers that appear in better condition going for less outside Oxfordshire. The comments were made based on the advert in question, the pictures provided and the opinion of a respected member who had been to see the car and recent experience of the market. That's not basing views "solely on a couple of photos".

I would say that it is less helpful to tip-toe around and "gently guide" when facts and honest opinions are really what is needed. Opinions (like purchases) are subjective. In this case, our opinions differ - that's life, and what allows others to make their own . Perhaps we should agree to disagree on this one, and let the thread pass down the list gracefully?

David.