Like so many automotive journalists, I own multiple cars. Unlike so many of my colleagues, this was never my intention. T’was a BMW that got me into this mess, and now I want out of it. I’m finally ending our unruly relationship, and I’ve only got five short days to do it.
I recently bought my dream car, a beautiful 2000 Audi TT roadster with turbo power and all-wheel-drive grip. I decided after years of average cars with average power, I deserved something a little more exciting. That meant it was time to get rid of my famously frustrating BMW. I made the call back in April, it had to go. But between the demands of real life and a cold used car market, I failed to get it sold.
I’m moving in five days. The clock is ticking, and the BMW has to go. I’ll be updating this article daily until it’s gone. Scroll down for the latest.
good weather for it pic.twitter.com/cVqv4gYZ2S
— Lewin S. Day (@rainbowdefault) June 8, 2024
Time to go.
Not Going To Plan
It was never supposed to be this way. A year ago, I was driving an old Mercedes E240, and it bored the pants off me. It was comfortable enough, but slow and laggardly. I wanted something with more vibes, so I bought a nice BMW 320D on Facebook Marketplace. With the 2.0-liter turbodiesel under the hood, it pulled well and handled great. It didn’t have working A/C, but I paid $3,700 and felt like I’d scored big. The BMW was supposed to replace the Mercedes, a nice upgrade that was better on fuel to boot.
Then the troubles started. Shortly after my purchase, a small RPM fluctuation led me down a garden path of transmission flushes and related repairs. The car developed hesitation issues in anything but the coolest weather, and then it threw the whole drive pulley as a nice additional surprise.
I tackled these problems one by one and got the BMW to a healthy, running state. I even had a mechanic tackle the air conditioning. The problem was that took me a whole year. In the meantime, I felt like I had to keep my Mercedes on hand. I didn’t feel like I could sell the car because I hate being without transport. The luxury of having two cars meant I could get around even when the BMW was out of action. (Except for those rare cases when the Mercedes broke at the same time.)
In any case, in April, I had the BMW healthy and I felt like I could sell the Merc. It took me ages – over a week! – but I finally got it gone. I then followed that by laying down the cash for my dream car, a beautiful Audi TT. By this point, I wasn’t even considering keeping the BMW long term. Now that I had it running well, it was the perfect time to sell it before something else went wrong.
OH YES
beemer status: operational! pic.twitter.com/iGHQg4SnUl
— Lewin S. Day (@rainbowdefault) February 12, 2024
There was a hitch, though. When I bought the BMW, it seemed like a great deal. Most were selling for around $7,000 and up in good condition with functional air con. My car looked good, had decent tires, and I figured I could maybe get something near that. Using Gumtree (Australian Craigslist), I listed the car in April for $6,500, and heard nothing. Relisting the car for $5,500 got me a couple of rude low ballers and then crickets.
Sadly, the market has changed. As I put it so simply last month: used car prices have tanked. New cars are no longer hard to come by, so the inflated demand for used vehicles is gone. Normality is returning, but it’s killing my chances of getting a good pay day for the BMW that I whipped into shape.
Remember I said I was on a clock? I’m not kidding. I’m moving—and a long way away at that. I’m only going to have room for one car, and I can’t take the BMW with me.
Now, it’s mid-June, and I’ve got about five days to get this thing gone. Past that point, I’ll have just about enough time to drop the car at a wrecking yard for scrap value. That would be ridiculous given that it’s a fully running BMW sedan from 2008 with a perfectly serviceable drivetrain and interior. Trim-wise, it sits somewhere in the middle of the pack. It doesn’t have heated seats, but it does have an infotainment screen, featuring BMW’s rudimentary symbolic GPS navigation system.
Or, you know what, who knows? Maybe I’ll just park it at a friend’s house and give them the keys. Or I could simply ditch the car on some distant highway. As an aside, I seem to remember the difference between abandoning a car and abandoning the fuck out of a car is whether you even bother to close the door as you walk away.
Ditching the car would be an economically poor decision, but I can’t abide low-ballers. I can’t stand people who message me nothing but numbers or instantly demand my “last price.” In the rare occasions that I’ve entertained the delusions of these jagaloons, they’ve always failed to follow through with a sale anyway.
Right now, I’ve bitten the bullet and listed the vehicle on Facebook Marketplace. I’m willing to deal with the influx of “Is This Available?” messages in the hope that one real human might contact me with genuine interest. It’s up for $4,500. I’ve washed it, vacuumed it, and taken some new photos to show the car exactly as it sits today. I’m thinking that’s going to help me move this thing faster.
I didn’t just pluck that figure out of thin air. I had a look around at what else is on the market first and chose my price to blow all of them out of the water. Carsales.com.au has a 2010 BMW 320D that’s selling for $11,500 with 212,000 km (130,000 miles) on the clock. There’s a 2011 model with less mileage for similar money. Closer to my own car, there’s a 2009 model with 240,000 km (150,000 miles) on the clock for $6,250.
At $4,500, with just 111,000 miles on the clock, my car should be looking pretty good compared to those other options. However, it’s not really that simple. I’m not just going up against the other 320Ds for sale in the market. It’s worth considering what else is out there for a similar price.
Having a quick scan around, I found a 2009 Honda Jazz for just $5,000. It’s in good condition, and it’s great on fuel without the reliability questions that linger around an older BMW. That would be a great buy, and it’s manual, to boot. Really, though, it’s slim pickings in this price bracket. You could have a 2004 Holden Astra for $4,300, or a 2007 Nissan Tiida for $4,700. Neither has the handling or torque of the E90 platform with a turbodiesel under the hood.
I’m hoping my aggressive pricing nets a quick, clean sale like I had with the Mercedes. That said, that buyer never transferred the registration into their own name so let’s hope this sale goes a little more straightforward than that one.
I am a car enthusiast, but I tell you what. I hate selling cars. You’re forced into tangling with bureaucracy, but you don’t even get the benefit of working with an experienced state-sanctioned bureaucrat. Instead you’re bickering about prices, registration, and paperwork with random members of the public. And there is nobody so unreliable, so impossible to work with, as a random member of the public.
At this stage, things are still looking bleak. I’ve had a few nibbles, but nothing serious. At the very least, my new photos seem to have generated more interest than my earlier ad from April, which used random images from the last six months.
I’ve sold a lot of cars in my time, some easily, most with some frustration. I’ve never had to do it on a timetable before, though. This week could suck, or I could be blessed with a quick sale and cash in the bank before supper. Wish me luck.
Update, 4 days remaining: Day 1 went terribly. Very little interest at first. One woman seemed keen to come by at 5 PM, but never showed. Had a flood of queries at 10 PM, because apparently that’s peak hour for buying used cars. I don’t even get it. With ten inquiries in an hour, I suspect my pricing strategy is starting to work.
Thus far, day 2 isn’t faring any better. I had someone keen who kept messaging repeatedly, insisting they had cash ready to go. When it came time to meet, it all fell apart as it always does. Five minutes after our meeting time, they told me they were twenty minutes away. Forty minutes later, they asked if they could have a $1,000 discount off the bat to make sure they weren’t wasting their time. On the one hand, I wanted to get the car gone. On the other hand, I can’t abide people that pull these juvenile negotiating tactics.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to haggling. I am opposed to people that keep me waiting and then try and pressure me into dealing on their terms. Honestly, had he checked out the car in good faith and made the offer in person, I might have considered it. In my experience, though, the typical types that do this don’t have the cash to back themselves up and they just try to beat you down further in person. I went through this with the Mercedes, and I’m not putting up with it again. Old mate got blocked. Sorry “brother.”
Update, 3 days remaining: More no shows, more lowballers. Someone that wants a $500 a week payment plan. I’m getting 5-10 messages every night between 10pm and 6am, which seems ridiculous. Message me while I’m awake, I don’t sell cars in the vampire hours!
Some suggest I raise the price to a more “normal” figure. I’m not sure that’s the move. Keep in mind I had the car listed for $5500 for weeks with no real bites. That figure was much closer to others listed online and interest was minimal.
In any case, I think I may have to do something drastic to get this thing gone in time. I’ve had ridiculously low offers from one of those “We Buy Cars” services. I guess I could try to roll up to a used car dealer and see what they’d give me but I have no idea how that even works. I suspect I wouldn’t get a great figure but I’m running out of time.
This is going down to the wire and that’s exactly what I didn’t want.
Update, 2 days remaining: Well, this has been about as much fun as getting punched in the face by a determined otter. Queries continue to flood in. People seem shocked and offended that a sub-$5000 doesn’t have a certified gold-plated service history or complimentary chocolates in the glove box. More no-shows, in fact, I’m yet to have a single person actually come and inspect the car. Truly wild, I just don’t even get it at this point.
As a laugh I tried throwing up an ad on a different platform for a higher price, and that made no difference. Zero inquiries except for one reader from Queensland who wanted to say hi. Hi! None of the ads are working so I’m exploring alternative options. Honestly, I’m at the price point where it makes more sense to keep it for 20 years and sell it as a “classic” but I don’t have a barn for it.
I’ve dropped the price a little further, but honestly, I don’t even know what’s going to happen at this point. Someone’s due to come by in a few hours, but I’ve believed that before. I’ve never had this much difficulty selling a car. I suspect my current location isn’t helping, being quite far flung from the inner city. Half these people seem super eager but can’t find their way down here. Get an Uber!? I don’t know. Figure it out.
Honestly, when Peter floated this rolling update idea, I thought it’d be a right laugh. Right now, I’m just sad.
Update, End of the final day: Failed to sell the car. Don’t know where I’m going to put it, if I’m honest. Might end up parked at a friend’s house for an extended period until I can find something to do about it.
Frustrating, but I suppose not surprising. I had similar trouble selling the Mercedes; that took a week.
The story’s not over, I just really wish it was!
Image credits: Lewin Day, Carsales.com.au, Facebook Marketplace
I have a strategy that hasn’t failed me in the couple of dozen cars and motorcycles I’ve sold. If I need a vehicle sold yesterday, I get a sampling of what everyone else is listing the same vehicle (and I drill this down to generation, engine, and condition) for and then price my vehicle $500 or $1,000 lower. Sure, I end up taking a bigger hit than I want, but I’ve regularly sold vehicles within 24 hours this way. Of course, living a couple of hours outside of one of America’s largest cities is a big help.
The only stragglers I can think of were those stupid VW Passat diesels. Nobody seems to want them, even after I price $1,500 lower than other people and screw myself in the end. The darn things just sit for sale without much interest. Never again!
Have you ever successfully priced higher to appease hagglers? I’ve never sold a car properly, they always disappear ignominiously. Selling bits off things on eBay, though, I know that people often value a deal more than they’re concerned with value.
You would think a below market price would be The Deal in the first place, but people are.. people 🙂
If I don’t need the vehicle gone right away I’ll usually start with some price cushion for the negotiators out there. Some people go way high, but I’ll do something like pricing the vehicle $500 or $1,000 more than what I’m fine with taking.
I’ll then get an inbox flooded with offers for 50% or lower than my ask. Then come the inevitable insults when I don’t take someone’s 30% offer on a $3,000 car.
Solid advice. I’ve had luck doing similar before.
I’m easily the cheapest 320D out that I can see. Sadly it’s not cutting through but we’ll see what the following days hold.
You should probably avoid mentioning on an internationally read blog that you desperately need to sell your car now. My advice is make up some provenance tale, like a famous Australian actress once rode in it naked.
I mean, he could always give it a real “famous Australian journalist rode in it naked” provenance, and probably get another article out of it too. 😉
And probably true, too.
You do realise that this is Australia? We all drive naked down here from time to time so someone/anyone famous doing it is like, well, yeah…of course…and?
Frankly, this is a 15 year old diesel automatic BMW in Australia. There are no good reasons to own one. Lewin is, therefore, looking for a deluded unicorn.
“deluded unicorn”
Good name for a pub.
You should probably avoid mentioning on an internationally read blog that you desperately need to sell your car now. My advice is make up some provenance tale, like a famous Australian actress once rode in it naked.
I mean, he could always give it a real “famous Australian journalist rode in it naked” provenance, and probably get another article out of it too. 😉
And probably true, too.
You do realise that this is Australia? We all drive naked down here from time to time so someone/anyone famous doing it is like, well, yeah…of course…and?
Frankly, this is a 15 year old diesel automatic BMW in Australia. There are no good reasons to own one. Lewin is, therefore, looking for a deluded unicorn.
“deluded unicorn”
Good name for a pub.
Can’t you sell it to a used car dealer on Day 5 if you still have it? Sure you won’t get retail, but it’s got to be better for you and the car than a scrap yard, right?
I’ve never tried to do that! I don’t know how that works in Aus.
Can’t you sell it to a used car dealer on Day 5 if you still have it? Sure you won’t get retail, but it’s got to be better for you and the car than a scrap yard, right?
I’ve never tried to do that! I don’t know how that works in Aus.
I’ll give you… *checks pockets*… $12.35 and this Snickers Bar with a bite out of it.
Deal?
I’ll give you… *checks pockets*… $12.35 and this Snickers Bar with a bite out of it.
Deal?
I hope you have better luck than I did, it took me 3 weeks to sell my 335d. Even accepted lowball offers, never to hear from the person again. Finally got someone to actually show up last night, barely before 10pm, and they took it for $1300 less than I had dropped my asking price to, and $1100 less than I paid for it. At least it’s finally gone, but especially considering what I spent getting it to the better condition it was in when I sold it, it’s the worst loss I’ve had on a vehicle in a long time.
Ugh, that’s so tough. I had similar trouble with the Mercedes. Had a guy agree to $1500 then start trying to haggle for $1000.
I hope you have better luck than I did, it took me 3 weeks to sell my 335d. Even accepted lowball offers, never to hear from the person again. Finally got someone to actually show up last night, barely before 10pm, and they took it for $1300 less than I had dropped my asking price to, and $1100 less than I paid for it. At least it’s finally gone, but especially considering what I spent getting it to the better condition it was in when I sold it, it’s the worst loss I’ve had on a vehicle in a long time.
Ugh, that’s so tough. I had similar trouble with the Mercedes. Had a guy agree to $1500 then start trying to haggle for $1000.
Best of luck. For what it’s worth, I ended up selling my van to a Facebook Marketplace buyer in 2019…for $1800 (listed at $2,000). I think the guy was a flipper, but whatever. It needed a new catalytic converter and was averaging way too much in monthly repairs.
I had a line out the door of genuine interest, no experience selling a vehicle before, but also being a low-enough price in general (given its age and unpredictability) that it probably attracted a lot more eyes than at your price point.
Best of luck. For what it’s worth, I ended up selling my van to a Facebook Marketplace buyer in 2019…for $1800 (listed at $2,000). I think the guy was a flipper, but whatever. It needed a new catalytic converter and was averaging way too much in monthly repairs.
I had a line out the door of genuine interest, no experience selling a vehicle before, but also being a low-enough price in general (given its age and unpredictability) that it probably attracted a lot more eyes than at your price point.
Happy day when I sold my 2007 335i N54 for 1,500 CAD. Even loaded it on a trailer and delivered it to the guy. I wanted nothing more to do with the car. Never been so happy to get rid of an ‘ultimate driving machine’. German engineering? Not anymore.
E90s have been notoriously unreliable. In fact, everything from around 2005 until 2012 or so was crappier than usual (E60, E65, etc.). My rule is: if it has a Bangle design, stay the fuck away from a BMW.
I contrast, we have an E34, E39 and G30 at home and they have been tanks. We also have an E60 which is an absolute nightmare.
Happy day when I sold my 2007 335i N54 for 1,500 CAD. Even loaded it on a trailer and delivered it to the guy. I wanted nothing more to do with the car. Never been so happy to get rid of an ‘ultimate driving machine’. German engineering? Not anymore.
E90s have been notoriously unreliable. In fact, everything from around 2005 until 2012 or so was crappier than usual (E60, E65, etc.). My rule is: if it has a Bangle design, stay the fuck away from a BMW.
I contrast, we have an E34, E39 and G30 at home and they have been tanks. We also have an E60 which is an absolute nightmare.
Dude, the low price might be a deterrent. If people see a car that’s much cheaper than the others they pass on it because of the danger of a scam or a lemon. Try listing it for around $10k like the others and see what happens.
This. List for 10k and entertain offers. I know it’s more work than you’d like, but you’re in a tough position and the only way out is to tough it out. Or sell it to a buy-here-pay-here lot if you don’t want to go through the trouble. Of course, ask for 10k and then see what they counter-offer. You may have to haggle, but at least it’ll only be for an hour or so. Remember to negotiate without shame, because the salesman certainly has none.
Yeah, I wonder if I’ve gone too cheap. That said, at $5,500 I was going nowhere and that was only a /bit/ cheap.
Dude, the low price might be a deterrent. If people see a car that’s much cheaper than the others they pass on it because of the danger of a scam or a lemon. Try listing it for around $10k like the others and see what happens.
This. List for 10k and entertain offers. I know it’s more work than you’d like, but you’re in a tough position and the only way out is to tough it out. Or sell it to a buy-here-pay-here lot if you don’t want to go through the trouble. Of course, ask for 10k and then see what they counter-offer. You may have to haggle, but at least it’ll only be for an hour or so. Remember to negotiate without shame, because the salesman certainly has none.
Yeah, I wonder if I’ve gone too cheap. That said, at $5,500 I was going nowhere and that was only a /bit/ cheap.
By driving my cars into the ground or giving them away, I never have to deal with prospective car buyers. All the baggage that comes with selling cars is something I aim to avoid.
we donate our ex-cars to the Canadian Kidney Foundation. They fix them up (not much needed) and sell them. We get a tax credit for them. No fuss, no bother and they do some good.
By driving my cars into the ground or giving them away, I never have to deal with prospective car buyers. All the baggage that comes with selling cars is something I aim to avoid.
we donate our ex-cars to the Canadian Kidney Foundation. They fix them up (not much needed) and sell them. We get a tax credit for them. No fuss, no bother and they do some good.
Were you and Tracy separated at birth? Bonus points for jagaloons.
“I need to [impossible task] in [impossibly tight timeframe].”
The follow-up three weeks later: “I completed [Herculean task]! Here’s what went down:”
$20 says that Golden Eagle is mid-Pacific right now:
To:
Australia
Attn: Lewin Day
Southern Hemisphere, Earth
Sender:
David “i3” Tracy
Elise’s House Overflow d/b/a Galpin Motors
Los Angeles, CA
i’d love a Golden Eagle tbh but my restoration budget is nil sadly ;__; what a dream it’d be.
Were you and Tracy separated at birth? Bonus points for jagaloons.
“I need to [impossible task] in [impossibly tight timeframe].”
The follow-up three weeks later: “I completed [Herculean task]! Here’s what went down:”
$20 says that Golden Eagle is mid-Pacific right now:
To:
Australia
Attn: Lewin Day
Southern Hemisphere, Earth
Sender:
David “i3” Tracy
Elise’s House Overflow d/b/a Galpin Motors
Los Angeles, CA
i’d love a Golden Eagle tbh but my restoration budget is nil sadly ;__; what a dream it’d be.
Oof yeah trying to sell a car on a timeline would suck any time I had listed a car for sale which was only two so far, 90 K5 Jimmy and 73 Javelin both on Facebook market place it took about a month or so to sell them got so many low ball offers so I feel your pain. On the other hand my dad listed his Chevy sonic on Facebook for 1500 after fucking up the engine because he forgot a holder after doing the timing belt and trying to start the engine but it was sold within a week. So hopefully you get lucky and it sells quick.
Oof yeah trying to sell a car on a timeline would suck any time I had listed a car for sale which was only two so far, 90 K5 Jimmy and 73 Javelin both on Facebook market place it took about a month or so to sell them got so many low ball offers so I feel your pain. On the other hand my dad listed his Chevy sonic on Facebook for 1500 after fucking up the engine because he forgot a holder after doing the timing belt and trying to start the engine but it was sold within a week. So hopefully you get lucky and it sells quick.
I can’t imagine you won’t find a buyer quickly at $4500. The low end of the BMW market where I live is a weird place. Once you cross into 100K miles or 8 years old, the value drops significantly and stays there until the “collector” market starts taking interest in specific models. With yours in good shape, I would pay $4500 all day long.
But I’m located in the midwest. And I’m not in the market for a used BMW right now. So file me in peanut gallery- unwilling to act on my comments.
I can’t imagine you won’t find a buyer quickly at $4500. The low end of the BMW market where I live is a weird place. Once you cross into 100K miles or 8 years old, the value drops significantly and stays there until the “collector” market starts taking interest in specific models. With yours in good shape, I would pay $4500 all day long.
But I’m located in the midwest. And I’m not in the market for a used BMW right now. So file me in peanut gallery- unwilling to act on my comments.
When I was trying to sell my last car, the lowballers became so annoying that I came up with a standard response: “I’d rather send this car to the crusher than sell to you at that price.”
You could’ve tried “I know what I have!”
I ended up selling that car to a friend for half my asking price so he could part it out. His son needed the transmission, another local guy needed a motor, and a third person bought all the body panels (hood, doors, fenders, hatch).
When I was trying to sell my last car, the lowballers became so annoying that I came up with a standard response: “I’d rather send this car to the crusher than sell to you at that price.”
You could’ve tried “I know what I have!”
I ended up selling that car to a friend for half my asking price so he could part it out. His son needed the transmission, another local guy needed a motor, and a third person bought all the body panels (hood, doors, fenders, hatch).