I keep getting these business cards on my car offering to buy any type of car in any condition. I'm not sure what to think about this: they export them in lower income countries? They resell them for parts? Is that serious and legal?
Thanks
Hello,
They export them. Labor costs and environmental regulations are far too high for anybody to part cars out here.
Think of it as a sort of complement... it means that they think your car isn't a complete beater.
Yep, it's when they stop putting the cards under the window wipers you need to think about a replacement car.
Incidentally much of Africa is refusing cars that don't have a road worthiness certificate: the good 'ole days are finished.
So you might want to take up their offer while you are ahead....
Would you happen to have a source for your statement?
Why would it be illegal? What's your reasoning that it's illegal? Which laws?
Well known among people that watch TV documentaries.
No real fact based thinking, just a feeling...
Why would they want a car in any condition? If the car can no longer run, you normally have to pay for disposal...
Parts can still be salvaged...
But in fact it's a selling technique - they just want to make contact, it doesn't necessarily means there's a deal at the end...
Well I find it hilarious when they put their cards on a totally new vehicle, which is not even a week old.
I've watched them distributing the cards at a shopping center (Glatt) in Zurich. A car with a few people in it stops, one gets out, then drives off. The person (usually pretty young) starts placing cards, sometimes selectively, sometimes just every car in the area. I guess they are paid by card left, and not by car purchased.
they also rely on people being desperate, yes I'll buy your 3 yr old porsche, 5k cash, lets face it, no one with any kind of choice uses the services of these companies.
how do you think companies like 'we buy any car dot com' make money, they buy cheap and sell at auction (which kinda tells you just how cheap they buy)
BCA (or one of the other big auction houses in the UK) actually own WBAC. Provides them a steady stream of cars to auction. If you have a run of the mill popular car eg a Golf, they can actually be relatively competitive with their offers.
Well, I was only half-serious.
In doesn't take a "rocket surgeon" to figure out that a kid can move a card from car A to car B.
my liveried up company car used to attract these cards, never could quite figure out why.
I actually collect the Mylar ones. They make pretty good spreaders and mixing pads for small amounts of epoxy.
We get them in our letterbox every so often. The cars are parked underground and not the kind of thing they would be interested in IE they have no way of knowing we even own a car. I assume they put them in every letterbox in the neighbourhood and are playing the numbers game.
The equivalent of 10 CHFs would be sufficient to get your local African DMV to give you a "road worthiness certificate" with multiple stamps for authenticity.
How very little you know........
I keep receiving them in post box as well as fixed to windscreen. It makes me kinda feeling good that my car is in such a demand and is getting attention-whore, well attention.
Today, when we finished Farzeugprüfung with result passed and all is 100%, the guy suggested that sometimes I should get car washed undercarriage and engine (Motor und Unterwagen Reinigung). He could hardly see thru dirt accumulated over the years of negligence.
Have you tried selling them your post box?