How honest are you when selling a vehicle?

I had a 89 Chevy V3500 four door for $3200 and listed it as "not a good body panel on,it not even the cowl panel'',"brakes are bad will need hauled".Sold it in three days.I bought a 99Xj off @GotWood for my son.He drove it over a year before we got him something bigger.Listed it on Sun sold it on Mon.It all boils down to what it is and the price.I always try to disclose all I know about what I'm selling.
 
If I sell one, if something is wrong and I know I'll disclose it - however, being a repair shop and selling $2,000 cars from time to time I always explain that I would prefer they look over the vehicle or have someone look over it. The vehicle is sold as is, and I don't want to seem as I know all the vehicles issues. If I don't, it seems they expect me to fix every possible issue on the car.

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I disclose everything I can think of, then I tell people to take it and get it looked over…don't take my word for it. If you sell nice stuff it's never hard to sell anything you've got.
 
I had a guy tell me that the reason he was buying my car was my honesty. I thought that was funny. The first thing I did was walk him around it and tell him what was wrong or didn't work. If I know of a problem, I am up front about it and it sounds like most of us are on the same page:beer:
 
To date I've actually only sold 2 cars private party, and one of them wasn't even mine ;-). All the rest seem to have been either totaled, given to family or we still have. Kinda sad now that I think of it.
But I am preparing to sell my wife's old car.
My philosophy is/will be this (and is the same w/ anything I sell)
I'll be 100% honest in the ad and list any major issues, and clear about the condition it's in.
However I'm not listing right there all the smaller stuff I know. BUT when we meet in person I will absolutely make it a point to describe anything and everything then and be sure I can walk away w/ a clean conscience, to whatever extent the buyer is interested in listening.
IMO there is a certain amount of discretion necessary to get a sale moving. If an ad has a long list of stuff, or is just long in general, people will skip it or write it off too quickly. I don't see that as being sleezy, as much as practical.
 
I heard a guy put it this way once regarding honesty when selling something.
"Saying you are only a little dishonest is like saying you are only a little queer (not that there is anything wrong with that)...if you are willing to suck one just admit it and have fun. If you are a liar just admit it and have fun. But you cant be a little honest or a little queer"

Always thought that was funny.

Now if I am selling something private party I will disclose all I know, but always try and add in that there very well maybe things I don't know or aren't thinking of at the time. It happens. Especially if it isnt a major deal to me I may not think ever about it. (scratches and dents in the bed come with being a truck to me for example-that may be a deal breaker to some others)

However if I am trading in a vehicle to a dealer, specifically a dealership not a small 1 owner used car lot. I consider them to be professionals, and I know they have info they dont disclose to me. So I do not lie to them, but I dont feel obligated to disclose anyting to them they dont find.

We traded in my wife's Mercedes a few years ago to a Chevy dealership. It had the factory "AMG appearance package"(fancy wheels ad a front fascia swap) ...the appraiser said, "Oh wow this vehicle has the AMG Sport Performance package, that adds like $5k to the value"...wasnt my place to correct him. They gave me sticker price on the vehicle new despite it being 3 years and 60jk miles used. Worst part? The window sticker was in the glove box. I didnt bat an eye at that one. But I wouldnt have let an individual make that same mistake.
 
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