Used Car Ad Phrases You Just Don't Get

[05snopro440]

Is there a term in a used car ad for an old car that just doesn't make sense to you or bothers you?

I was just reading an ad for a 64 Bel Air, and the lovely typical line was: "This car has very minimal rust for the year". Looking at the photos showed a lot of rust in the car and aluminum tape over all the holes in the trunk floor including in areas that typically mean the rear body mounts are toast on X-frame GM's.

I appreciate a good description of condition when reading a used car ad for a vintage car, but what is "for the year" really supposed to tell you? What if they said "Your grandmother looks great for the year"? Does that mean she looks like the skeleton in your doctor's office? Typically when I read a statement like that, I assume that it does not have minimal rust, and does not look great.

What statement like that makes you a little suspicious of the vehicle description?

 

[BillM]

"All the hard work is done" usually makes me go off.

 

[05snopro440]

Oh yeah, that one is good for some frustration as well.

 

[Bamamav]

Ran when parked. Duh, when was that, 1976?

 

[zzrodder]

"Minor surface rust"
"Handyman special"
"99% complete"
"Easy restoration project"

 

[anvil]

The body work is done ready for paint

Runs great no problems no title

 

[DozerII]

Run when parked is the one that really gets me, and the vehicle has sunk into the ground to the rockers that's how long it's been parked.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

"Up for sale" or worse, "up for grabs"... like the whole car buying public has been sitting on pins and needles, just dying for your POS to become available.

.

 

[bob w]

"Don't try to low ball me, I know what I've got"

"Runs perfect, bring a trailer"

 

[05snopro440]

"Up for sale" or worse, "up for grabs"... like the whole car buying public has been sitting on pins and needles, just dying for your POS to become available.

.

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[lazarat]

Ready to restore.

In other words, the only thing that was made ready was the craigslist ad.

Right now there is a very rough stuck motor and cancerous chev bel air coupe 1954, I see an 1800 dollar car but he is asking 3500, then says “ this is a firm price I don’t need to sell iit so no low offers”.
Why run the ad?

 

[05snopro440]

Ran when parked. Duh, when was that, 1976?

I recently watched a video of some guys disassembling a drag race engine that "ran when it was pulled". It had 4 very broken pistons. [S

"Minor surface rust"
"Handyman special"
"99% complete"
"Easy restoration project"

Yeah, who decided it was minor rust?
The "Mechanic's Special" or "Handyman Special" to me generally means stay away, or it is at least way over the head of the current owner.
What's the 1%? Serial number tag? Keys? All the cash you need to put in?
Yeah, if the restoration project was so easy, wouldn't he have done it?

Good ones!

The body work is done ready for paint

Runs great no problems no title

Every car with the body done that's "ready for paint" scares the heck out of me. They did the hard part now they're passing it off to someone else for the easy part? [S

There was a 55 Pontiac locally for sale a couple years ago, a running and driving Alberta-registered car in primer with none of the side trim on the car. It appeared to be a great deal, and it sold really fast. One day a couple weeks later I saw it at a cruise night. It looked exactly as it did in the photos, with none of the side trim on the car. Some of the holes to secure the trim were about 1/8" thick, Some of them were more like 5/8" thick. It was at that moment I was quite glad someone else had bought it.

Run when parked is the one that really gets me, and the vehicle has sunk into the ground to the rockers that's how long it's been parked.

Yeah, it ran when Nixon did.

"Don't try to low ball me, I know what I've got"

"Runs perfect, bring a trailer"

Haha, yeah. "I know that it's a rusty POS, but if I look confident in my price maybe you'll get as screwed as I did!"

We've brought a trailer to see lots of stuff that "ran great" or was "almost finished" and happily drove home with an empty trailer.

 

[05snopro440]

Ready to restore.

In other words, the only thing that was made ready was the craigslist ad.

Right now there is a very rough stuck motor and cancerous chev bel air coupe 1954, I see an 1800 dollar car but he is asking 3500, then says “ this is a firm price I don’t need to sell iit so no low offers”.
Why run the ad?

Fishing, I guess?

Yeah, they drug it out of the bush, cleaned off some of the big turds, and now it's "ready" for someone else to spend large amounts of money and time getting it to be something nice.

 

[Neto]

Barn Find.
It may have been a great description at some time in the now dusty distant past, but it's so over used it's like the real estate phrase "Location, location, location."

 

[Bamamav]

“ I saw one just like it on Barrett Jackson sell for half a million”
Yeah, but somebody had already spent 3/4 million to get it to that shape!

 

[maverickmk]

One thing that drives me crazy is poor grammar: "For Sell" is the most annoying.
I also do not like the: "Just throwing this out there to see what it's worth, I don't need to sell it."

 

[bob w]

A couple more grammar things that now seem to be in the lexicon: needs restored and needs rebuilt. Where's the "to be"? [S That makes me tense, or is it past tense???

 

[Skip]

It is crazy for sure. I agree with all. That said, people don't want to read any more either. I write a "magazine quality" description of my offering, including every bit of information for a person to make an informed decision about taking the next step, and I get back questions that are clearly and specifically covered. I have even got callers that outright said, "I don't read all that crap. I just want to know ..." I'm polite.

 

[bob w]

"I know nothing about it. Selling for a friend".

 

[lazarat]

It is crazy for sure. I agree with all. That said, people don't want to read any more either. I write a "magazine quality" description of my offering, including every bit of information for a person to make an informed decision about taking the next step, and I get back questions that are clearly and specifically covered. I have even got callers that outright said, "I don't read all that crap. I just want to know ..." I'm polite.

“Must see to appreciate”

I’m not sure if the big list helps or not, I like to put just enough out there to tease to get people to come and look.