Please critique my CL ad...

Its finally time to list my beloved 850. I dont want to, but we pick up our new ody on fri or mon. You guys helped me pick it out, now help me sell it. I also have a 1994 caravan for sale and I'll put both in the classified in case anyone is interested.

For sale is 1994 Volvo 850 wagon(855). The odo stopped working around 131k, but true mileage is over 200k. I can provide exact mileage if needed. Although the wagon has been reliable, it does has some of the common volvo 850 issues. It is generally considered to be one of the best fwd models from pre-ford Volvo in terms of reliability and ease of maintenance and repairs. Vehicle is being sold because we have purchased a minivan.

Pros: - Purchased for / and used mostly as a daily driver( owned for about 1.5 years ) - Decent body / decent paint - Majority of mileage is highway-use( driven approx 400+ miles per week ) - Inline 5cyl motor is in decent shape and does not smoke - During the last 1.5 yrs: A) "New" remain bosch alternator installed B) New battery C) New fuel filter, plugs, rotor, rotor cap, coolant temp sensor, thermostat

Cons: - Car was purchased with a clogged pcv system which has caused oil leaks - Has what appears to be a RMS( rear main seal leak -- caused by the clogged pcv). I only use 15w-40 or high mileage 10w-40 oil and it looses alittle less than a quart/week. This is while driving around 400miles/week at 65-70mph. Doesnt leak at all or very little with vehicle off once crankcase pressure is reduced. - Is currently due for timing belt replacement, but the tensioners are quiet at this time. - Has other typical, 25yr old, volvo 850 issues.

Asking price is $1000obo. Car is avail to be looked at in the RTP-area during the week( between 12pm-5pm if given 24hrs notice ) or in the White Oak area of Garner ( between 6-8pm, and on weekends if given 24hrs notice). Pictures will be avail soon.

Thank you.

I will post pics tomorrow, but wanted to atleast get the ad running. Questions, comments, etc are welcome.

"The odo stopped working around 131k, but true mileage is over 200k. I can provide exact mileage if needed." If odo is broken how can you provide "exact mileage"?

"Has other typical, 25yr old, volvo 850 issues." I'd list/summarize anything significant.

if you were closer I'd be very interested.

Needs less info.

For sale volvo 850. About 200k miles. Runs well, very reliable. New starter, battery, thermostat, etc. Leaks some oil. $1000 Obo.

I would not describe everything, and wouldn't list when you can show it in the ad. Craigslist ads become too long and the average buyer gets scared off. A great ad for GRM is a terrible ad for craigslist

What he said ^^ though maybe a bit more info than that.

While enthusiasts like us surely want as much information as possible, the average joe looking for a $1000 car just wants something that runs. And the bulk of the people who will be calling you for a $1000 CL car are "non-enthusiasts" I'd bet.

For mileage just say "odometer broke 3 years ago at 131k. Probably has about 200k miles on it by now."

And pics. Good pics of it looking nice. No cellphone pics. No pics of a quarter panel at night. No pics of someone standing there with part of the car visible :)

Thanks for all the info. I wasn't able to get back online until I got the kids bedded down. @MichealYount - the later models of the 7 series and all of the 850s had a set of diag ports under the hood. These tie into and can pull codes that are displayed by flashes of light.there is a way to pull the actual mileage the the car's computer sees using this box. Some models even had the box and a obd2 port in the car. All u need to pull codes is a few minutes, some paper and a pen. I will truly miss that.

@everyone - I tried to write this ad based on what I would want to know. Ill tone it down a bit and take some pics tomorrow. Thanks for the info!!

+1 to the "less is more" camp. not everyone is a gearhead DIY'er.

Then I'd pull the mileage and state it. You can tell interested parties how you came to obtain it.

My wife writes the craiglist adds when we sell cars because of the reasons stated above.

Don't post it until you have pics. People will skip past it without pics.

And if you add them, they probably will have already seen the add and discounted it, due to a lack of pictures.

I actually just made the mistake of a lond ad. I basically copied what I wrote in my ad under the $2013 Classifieds and posted it to CL. I got some genuine gearhead/guys that know 944's, but overall not as many responses as I had a few weeks back when I put a very short ad out on CL. I mainly did it because I was tired of answering a million questions, repeatedly, but I found that I still had to do that despite a long ad with tons of questions already answered. And yes, use a lot of pictures of good quality. Everyone has at least an iPhone these days, a lack of photos is no excuse. I skip right over photo-less ads, even if the copy reads well.

mrwillie wrote: The odo stopped working around 131k, but true mileage is over 200k. I can provide exact mileage if needed.

Then do that. Everyone wants the real number.

It is generally considered to be one of the best fwd models from pre-ford Volvo in terms of reliability and ease of maintenance and repairs.

Don't care. Don't know that Ford bought Volvo, or that it later sold Volvo to a Chinese company. I'm just shopping for a car. Always consider your target buyer when writing an ad. Are you selling to an enthusiast, or to anybody?

Pros: - Purchased for / and used mostly as a daily driver( owned for about 1.5 years )

Again, don't care. Most people are selling a car they've been driving.

- Has what appears to be a RMS( rear main seal leak -- caused by the clogged pcv).

"Appears to be leaking from the rear main seal, likely caused by the clogged PCV system." If you have to explain what RMS is, it saves no space/time to type RMS in the first place.

I only use 15w-40 or high mileage 10w-40 oil and it looses alittle less than a quart/week.

loses
not looses.

- Is currently due for timing belt replacement, but the tensioners are quiet at this time.

"Timing belt service is due, but does not need tensioners." I assume that's what you mean. Remember, not everyone is mechanically savvy enough to understand what you're talking about.

Good luck with the sale.

What Alan Cesar said!

And left, right and interior pics (or both side 3/4 pics). Tires? I always care if ill need to spend another $200-$500 on tires.

And I always care WHY it's being sold. You said you bought a minivan and most people can relate to that sort of thing. Otherwise you leave the buyer to guess, and if he's like me, he's going to assume your ditching it to some sucker minutes before it blows up do I'd keep that part for sure.

Listed the ad at 930am today w/ pics, had gotten 2emails w/in the hour. Thanks for all the input.

Just took the "shorter is better" route with my E30 that still hasn't sold. Just trimmed the ad down to this:

1991 BMW 318i Silver Sedan (4 door) 5 Speed Manual Transmission Updated Suspension. Wheels in picture not included.

$3500 OBO, Cash/Cashier's Check only. No trades. Respond via email.

Let's see what happens.

Hm, I didn't think about that. I know it's not a good picture, but I didn't think it was a bad one.