TR2/3/3A Selling Frustration - TR3

[wifegonnakillme]

Really having a tough go at selling my 3 (its posted on the classified). Ran it through ebay and it didn't even make $12K - despite having a new body and a new engine. Watched lesser cars run up over $15K almost instantly. Have it in the autotrader and haven't received a call...except for one guy who wanted to trade his '97 A4 for it...

I even researched shipping to the US - costs 2.5% in duty to cross the boarder - beyond that it is the same as any other local purchase....

Don't think it is a problem with people thinking it is a rusty old Canadian car - since it originated in the states two years ago...

Ugh...

Thanks, feel marginally better,
Kerry

 

[mrv8q]

Wow, Kerry, I'm really surprised! Knowing what the last $12K TR3 that sold on eBay looked like, I don't know what's going on....

I have two thoughts. Do you know someone on the US side, where the auction could originate from? Are there any good specialty-car auctions in your area? Something like Russo-Steele, etc.

Have you thought about an ad in Hemmings?

Best of luck!

 

[martx-5]

I'm sure you have a great car there, and it's everything you claim it to be. But, that is not the problem.

In my opinion, there are a few things that turn me off to this car. Number one is the color. It may be a rare blue that you claimed, but there is a reason why that color is rare. Nobody liked it. If the car was painted BRG, black, red, or even white, it would be more desirable. The wood dash. To my eyes, it does not fit the character of the car. The engine compartment needs some sort of detailing and tidying up...that says alot about the overall care the car has seen. Again, I'm not saying you didn't care for the car, but that is the impression someone might get.

Please don't take any of my comments personally, but I'm being brutely honest, if I was in the market for a TR3, I would not give this one a second look unless the price was real good. I would just have to do too much work to it to get it to fit my tastes.

 

[Andrew Mace]

I can't disagree with Art; on the other hand, I like the odd colors. But I'm afraid that a: I'm not in the market (I've got too many Triumphs as it is); and b: I'm in a very small minority who tends to prefer originality right down to original colors such as Coffee, Targo Purple and Monaco Blue on early Heralds, etc., etc.

Right now there's a very early Spitfire 4 on eBay. It's in the quite rare color of Litchfield Green. IF I had the cash, I'd be in the bidding war in a "New York second"! But I suspect there's a 50-50 chance that the winning bidder will, during restoration, select a "nicer" green, or Signal Red, or .... ?

 

[TR6oldtimer]

I just took a second look at the car and agree with some of the comments here. I would suggest that you also show the car with the original windshield and top.

The color of the car is not to my liking, but I am sure there are those who like it. To me the problem I see is not the color, but that it does not show well in the photos. The green grass and surroundings seem to mute the blue.

The engine bay needs a good cleaning, including the rocker covers.

In closing, I do believe your Canadian address is problematic to many US purchasers who do not want or know how to deal with foreign exchange, duty, and other issues involved in the import process.

It is a nice car.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Okay... we're being honest in our opinions to help you sell, so here's my thoughts. There are some things pictured and described that may be working against you:

A buyer (unless they show up in person) can't tell the quality of a paint job but they can see how much attention to detail went into it. Your pics show overspray in many areas, hard lines and grommets under the bonnet that have been painted blue, etc. Rightly or wrongly these things may lead a potential buyer to conclude it was a 'fast & cheap' paint job done to sell the car. If I were selling this car I would clean up those areas and/or replace the grommets with new.

Your engine was professionally rebuilt. There are lots of different ideas on what 'rebuilt' means. Again, perhaps unfairly, your pictures and words do not indicate an engine that has been thoroughly rebuilt. Apart from the somewhat dirty look, the engine block is painted blue (and the oil pan red) rather than black. Not too hard to repaint in black by just working around the ancillaries. Hopefully the oil pan that was sealed with silicone is corrected and need not be mentioned again, but a thorough detailing of the engine will help 'sell' the quality of the rebuild.

Any details you can add to the story (who painted it, who rebuilt the engine) may improve the tale.

The interior is vary hard to get a look at in the pictures, especially the seats. If a buyer can't see something he will assume the worst.

Any small missing or incorrect parts are suggestive -- for example I would get a proper battery hold-down. Just my personal taste, but a set of correct air cleaners and an original style radiator cap may look better. Adding labels to the air cleaners and brake fluid reservoir is nickel & dime stuff but adds to the over-all effect you want -- that someone cared about this car.

The ground strap is missing or at least not where it is supposed to be, another cheap-to-fix (but correct) item. The hot lead from the battery to solenoid cable is much longer than needed, again -- just looks like someone grabbed whatever would work.

The heater pipe is missing on the ignition side of the block but I'm not sure that is a big deal. If you can get one cheap it will again 'add to the effect'.

You have a new wiring harness but I see those red wires running over to the right hand battery post. Not sure what that is but makes it look like it was cobbled together to make something work.

As noted, covering the dash with black vinyl might help and you should definitely show the windscreen in place. BTW - the car is more fun to drive with the aeroscreens but looks more normal I think with the windscreen. So, show both.

Well, this may have sounded pretty harsh but really you have an excellent car and it is a shame not to see it in the best possible light. If you have to spend a hundred bucks or so on some parts & materials and spend a couple of days under the bonnet removing paint and detailing with paint I think it could be worth thousands in the final tally.

 

[NutmegCT]

I can't help but read the comments here and think - it would be a great idea if someone planning to sell would put a "mock ad" here for folks to comment on.

Experienced eyes would give good honest feedback on the way we picture and describe the car(s) we put on the market.

By the way, one of the most attractive things to me (and I'd bet to many other LBC lovers) is a clean and detailed engine bay. You know the sweat equity you've put on a car, but unless it's obvious to the viewer, it's likely not appreciated.

Just my 2¢.
Tom

 

[BOXoROCKS]

All honest opinions said in good faith I'm sure,..but this is precisely why I have never posted a picture of myself.

 

[Tinster]

Hey Kerry!

I took a look at your ad. I don't think things are
hopeless. I WOULD take the car off the market for a
month or so. Can you get it to New England as the place
of sale? A much better place to sell from than Canada.

Being brutal peer review: As an architect, I work in Adobe
Photoshop for a living. Whomever composed your photos did a
very poor job of it. The photos make the car look a bucket
of bolts with a cheap paint-over. Poor lighting, poor
exposure, poor contrast, poor auto to background
composition: all yield a negative impression of this fine
auto.

Lose the underside photo. It screams RUST!

WAY TO MUCH TEXT in you ad. Reduce it by half, minumum, and
then give it to someone else to review and cut out some more.

The engine compartment photo is a deal killer. Period.
It looks really, really bad. It's a bad photo of an engine
bay in need of much elbow grease, spit and polish.

Hope this helps and does not offend. Peer reviews are
helpful blackeyes.

regards,

Dale

 

[DNK]

All honest opinions said in good faith I'm sure,..but this is precisely why I have never posted a picture of myself.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif

 

[wifegonnakillme]

Geeze...thanks...

I'll respond to a few comments just for clarification - I really do appreciate the honesty. Part of the kicker here is I don't really want to sell it, but am forced into it right now.

Re the color - I have a hard time getting this color to look right in photos - it is much more of a grey blue then it shows. Interesting when I was here asking for color advice most people joked, "just don't paint it red.." Yes there was overspray in the engine compartment - but I noted it was a body on restoration with most of the real investment there in the welding and metal work on the exterior, not the bay.

The little things, I could tidy, but I would have thought a potential buyer would be more interested in major mechanicals, then small things. Re the engine job, everything but the head was done by a guy who has been fixing these for 50 years. The red wires are to a stereo. The Brooklands weren't cheap and I had hoped set the car apart - looks like this is my biggest challenge - car looks too different.

Too bad about the dash comment - I love that mahogany and would never, ever paint it. Especially since I got three inquiries from the ebay listing on where people could get their done - but I should have mentioned that I do have the original allbeit unpadded.

All in all, thanks for the advice - I think my challenge is going to be just to get people to come look at the car. It goes in a LBC car show next weekend - maybe that will work,

Cheers,
Kerry

 

[Andrew Mace]

Kerry, you've gotten some really good suggestions about "detailing" the car to make it more saleable and about your "presentation" in the auction listing.

To add a bit to my previous comments about the color (and this also applies to the Brooklands screens): beyond color reproduction in photos, I wouldn't worry all that much about the color itself. Like I said, there are those of us who really appreciate the unusual colors. If nothing else, I can virtually guarantee that your car is the one knowledgeable folks will pause by in a show. It's kinda hard to get excited by a row of BRG sidescreen TRs or acres of red TR6s. But put your car in the sidescreen line and I suspect you'll hear: "umm ... red tr6 ... red tr6 ... green tr3 ... WOW, LOOK AT THAT BLUE TR3!"

 

[wifegonnakillme]

Thanks Andrew,
Hopefully, that's they way I think. I will be off tomorrow to pick up some engine detailing bits and bobs (and I will loose the stereo). Will send off that seat to be fixed by next week too which should complete the interior.

sigh, I just thought it would be simple, offer a good car at a good price,

Kerry

 

[BOXoROCKS]

I too have seen your car, it looks very similar to mine a 58,but believe me..yours is better. I painted mine with a 3 inch roller. Here is my suggestion for you,and its cheap and a bit hokey....but people love it,...I mean they really dig it. Look at my posted pix and see what I mean the one big difference,its what you ought to try.

 

[BOXoROCKS]

another one,a great car but same hokem a 61

 

[Brosky]

The last two pictures are what will bring a baby boomer with a pocket full of cash to your door. Those are the classic looks, pictured in the proper settings, that people with money to spend on a car are looking for and they invite further inquiry.

 

[DougF]

My two cents. Your car is what it is. You can put in extra work to give it better eye appeal. That's up to you. The more money and time you put in it at this point is less realized profit. Make it salable, but don't waste.
What you must do is have patience.
I don't always believe these auctions where the cars automatically shoot up in price. That could be friends helping friends or other factors that are altering the auction.
I've been in marketing all of my career. Can't say I know any more about it than any one person on this forum. But I've learned a couple things along the way. Just like anything else, it's timing, the right person, place, etc., and a bit of luck.
Every person on this forum is reading out of the same book. Different chapters, but same book. We sometimes forget that we represent a very small portion of the used car market. How many hits did you have on your ebay auction? Next week, if your car isn't back on ebay, you could lose your sale. Not everyone is scouring ebay on a weekly basis. You can't get frustrated because it didn't sell the first time around.
The person most people like to buy from is the one who informs you of the product, is very honest and straight forward.
Don't bore the people with trivia and stupid information. Describe the car to your best ability. List positives and negatives to show honesty.
My father's 21,000 mile TR6 took three ebay auctions and many ads in other publications before it sold.
Be persistent and be patient. It will sell.

 

[70herald]

It goes in a LBC car show next weekend - maybe that will work,

Cheers,
Kerry

With a big for sale sign. As you well know, people are rather suspicious of E-bay car sales. (just look at how many posts we have here making fun of e-bay car sales!) In person people will get a better idea as to the " niceness" factor.

By the way I love the color and the brooklands...

I am seriously thinking of repainting my car a very similar color.

Wish there were some way I could import it, but the 100% import tax puts it way out of my range, and it really would not be comfortable to sleep in, which is where I would be sleeping after my wife saw it.

 

[Guest]

The absolute truth is you look like a flim flam seller with
....'59 Triumph TR3 (not XKE, MGA, MG, Fiat, Alpha)....

So "used car salesman" like.

The old "hook search" trick? You are cheapening your own car right off the bat. It's like saying...Don't you wish it were a XKE, MGA, MG, Fiat, Alpha? If you act like you don't like it, why would anyone else want it?

Yes all perspective buyers know that it's not a XKE, MGA, MG, Fiat, Alpha!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ebay car sellers do some the stupidest things I have ever seen to try and sell their cars. The only good part about that is that the really weird ones wind up being critiqued right here on this forum so everyone gets to enjoy.

 

[TR4nut]

Kerry-

My goodness this is like a 12 step program at an AA meeting, "Hi my name is Kerry, and I'm a confessed Triumph addict". Welcome Kerry!

Anyway, if you can get through the painful feedback process here, I think you have some pretty good stuff to work with.

I think the best advice you've been given is patience - don't drop off what you want to get out of the car, particularly if you can benchmark your price versus actual sales.

Personally, I think it is a very good chance you can sell it at the LBC show, but if you go the route of ebay again, primarily a rework of the sales package will do wonders - clean pics, a good concise summary on the work put into it, and you should be able to do better than the scammers that seem to be selling TR3s all the time.

Regards,
Randy
65 TR4