Mods. How do I go about rounding the vultures?

There used to be threads about breaking coupes, but it now seems like there's just the wanted and for sale sections.

Advice appreciated.

There is no longer a breaking section.

You now have to list the individual parts in the "parts for sale" section.

Thanks Pete. But what about the bits that I don't know that people want?

The general opinion is that as the coupe numbers are vastly decreasing it was not in the club or the cars best interest to encourage the mass dismantling of this car for profit when most of the cars being hacked up were mechanically and aesthetically sound.

eBay is the only way around it.

You reply to wanted adverts or stick them on ebay.

Okay. Thanks folks.

My Coupe had started rotting quite bad, inc inner sills having gaping holes in them! this + other things it needed £1000+ spending on it (and obviously this wasn't guaranteed to be a long-term fix) this was the only reason I decided to break.

I think If a coupe is beyond economical repair I.e. rotting, breaking should still be allowed on here - as long as the fact can be proved

I actually got more breaking mine than I would for it fully repaired & on the road! - but the good thing that came out of it is it enabled me to buy a good replacement coupe straight away - so another coupe is assured to be continued to be maintained well by a forum owner.

But the bad bits - breaking a coupe is a very lengthy & time consuming process - I started to break mine 7 months ago & I still haven't sold everything (although the shell itself has now gone) and I have a big garage & an unlimited supply of boxes & bubble wrap etc. I've still got over 20 'sellable' items remaining I can't shift for love nor money

Packaging & posting is where the time gets taken up - remember apart from the obvious such as engine/bonnet etc you won't sell much 'collected' you will have to post it - and especially on eBay you will have to be prepared to ship overseas - bigger demand for some parts & you will get a far better price!

My total postage costs alone totalled over £250 (yes the buyer pays the majority of it) & that's without me having to buy any packaging materials apart from tape.

Also, in the current climate - people will want everything for sheer pittence, you have to be patient, stick your ground & eventually you will get a half-decent price.

I had a successfull break, couple of refunds that's it, but I won't do it again.

Put you off? Lol

IMO unless a coupe is rotting, or is an accident write-off it shouldn't be broken.

Proving a coupé is beyond economical repair is, imo, impossible as what anyone person can afford, or do themselves varies so widely.

To the op, I broke a car a while back (not a coupé) and it was just grief. The level of people turning up was not good. Complaints that the blue wasn't the same as their car, they wanted a drivers side mirror (but bid on a passenger side) and my favourite one buying a part for a different car. One guy turned up after winning the bonnet and wanted to swap his badly accident damaged one and a few quid.

My advice is to sell the big bits like engine, gearbox, turbo etc. and have a look around the forum to see what people want. Maybe see if you can do a deal for a job lot with someone?

Im breaking a green one atm as it was beyond repair requiring much bodywork and a new engine just to start. Hopefully it will save a few from the same death including supplying my red one.
Once ive got my funds back for the car i will be donating bits not needed.

Make a listing on ebay and put a link in ebay section.

How many cars on this very forum wouldnt be here now if it wasnt for people breaking Coupe's?????....

Is this the NA your breaking?

Nope 20vt mate.bought it cheap but got it home and needs engine

And how many members of this forum would not be out of pocket (Some by several hundred pounds) if we had clamped down sooner on sellers taking advantage of the breaking area to STEAL from forum members?

Surely this is a low percentage/a few isolated incidents? - I have both broken a coupe & brought numerous bits off the breaking section when active & I never had any major problems - though I would only be considered a 'tiddler' in the buying & selling tank

Whilst I certainly don't agree with breaking a coupe unless it's a write off or rotting etc, I do actually agree to a certain extent that the breaking of coupes has saved many others - esp on here, it's has allowed people on standard / low-ish incomes to own a coupe & to maintain/repair & restore them to a high standard without the 'alternative route' cost that many of us would have found literally impossible to fund

And of course now most parts are no longer in production, it's going to take a few breaks nown again to enable some parts to even become available as time goes on

May I remind folks that club members at the 2011 AGM voted unanimously for getting rid of the breaking section together with the other changes to the selling rules.

My point it's that club forums need classifieds to keep the cars alive, there are plenty of owners on here that cannot afford to spend thousands doing full body restorations or full engine rebuilds on what is now a car that is expensive to run, expensive to insure, expensive for parts etc.....
The fact that a shonky individual used the breaking area to con forum members doesn't automatically mean that anyone breaking a Coupe is tarnished with the same brush, that is the underlying feeling I get on here, that it is frowned on to break a Coupe when it had become financially not viable to save.
Also what happens if someone cons someone in the classifieds, does that get closed down to?.
I thought the fact that it happened and selling rules changed for the best here whereby details were saved and posts had to be approved prior to going live would have eradicated the problem.
And out of interest as a percentage of total forum users attended the actual agm?, and did a poll take place on the actual forum as to whether forum members thought it was a good idea to scrap the breaking section??.
I've been a member of plenty of clubs where many that attend the agm didn't even use the actual forum!!.

as an online community, people are far and wide, and contribute to the club / forum but dont attend, this will always remain the case.

it seems to me that those that attended the agm got heard (the most?)

what about the views of members that didnt / couldnt attend the agm?

Rudi,

They have the chance to ask for things to be discussed by posting on a specific thread in the members' area.

They are then discussed by those who attend the AGM.
The board members ensure that the views of those club members who cannot attend are put forward so long as they have let their views be known to the board.


Tandino,

If forum users want to have things discussed at the AGM all they have to do is join the club for the sum of £15 a year.

Our club membership is almost 100% made up of forum users so your last point does not really apply here.

Why not put up the thread in the general area rather than the members only area or why not in both areas?.
Yes, i know you want to give the paying members on here the primary vote but i would hazard a guess that whilst your saying that the majority of club and therefore more than likely agm members are forum users, this doesnt neccesarily mean that they are prolific posters who contribute most to the forum.
Surely it should be the majority of forum users that have a direct influence on what is best for the forum??.
And the majority from what i can see are not the 'member only' areas but in the general area, you only have to look at the posting figures on each sub section.

Now im not wanting to rock the boat here, but surely its the majority that should have an influence as to what happens, if its a case of needing more help to Police it then im sure there are willing volunteers?.
I understand your reasoning for eradicating the classified area that caused the problem but that incident cannot just be confined to a 'breaking' section and the classified area now has preventative measures to stop this happening, why can these rules not be also implemented in a 'breaking' area ?.
Also finally, when buying on forums its down to the individual concerned to 'do the research', you wouldnt just go and hand 'hundreds of pounds' to someone down the puib who you never met before, why do people do it online?, i will never work that one out, i do the research on someones profile before parting with my hard earned or i will use someone who is local so i can collect...

Caveat Emptor.....

There was a feeling before that professional (and i use that term in the loosest possible sense) breakers were buying cars to break and this was being facilitated by the breakers section, ergo this was doing the cause of the Coupe little good long term.

Whilst I have benefitted from both sides of the breaking scene, I can understand why a club for the Fiat Coupe might be wary about anything that would hasten the demise of the car. I can understand that a car being broken helps other cars stay on the road but I'd argue that this need is well met by cars that are being broken due to natural wastage rather than decent cars being broken just to make a buck.

Re members of the club having the most opportunity to influence the policy of the club..........isn't that right and proper?

Okay. It makes interesting reading.

Duffy - Congrats on the 'refresh' btw. It looks immaculate.

I've had my coupé for 7 years now and thrown lots of money at it over the years. All the while it's been great fun, I've learned alot and I've 'met' lots of nice folk through the forum.

I was/am looking to break the car as I'm just trying to recoup as much money as I can from an asset that I no longer need. I understand the clubs position to not encourage this sort of behaviour, but I've noticed some posts (not on this thread btw) where forum members simply seem to chastise others for daring to do such a thing.

Give people a break FFS. Money doesn't grow on trees and as much as I love the coupe it's still just a car. (OMG, have I just said that? Fran, please start up when I get home tonight ).

I'm currently (fortunate enough to be) in the position where my girlfriend and I are expecting our first child, so I've got to get rid of a few things. The Coupé is one of them and when you figure out how much push chairs cost, you soon look to scrabble together as much money as possible. (What's actually funny is that people have offered to buy my coupe for the same amount of money it takes to buy a pushchair! That's perspective for you.)

So forgive me for declining to do a swap for a Maclaren (not McLaren), I'm sure those out there who disapprove of breaking cars will continue to do so, but it's my car, my situation and my money.

Thanks to the posters above giving accounts from their breaking experiences.

In regards to mine, i never bought the car to break it has just become the real only option. But it will donor my red one as needed and only yesterday sold loads of bits for not much money at all keeping there;s on the road also. I think the difference is the intention of profiteering.

Another problem is that kenno has.
Kenno's car is an example of a coupe which is up for not a lot of money at all. Should he just give it away then? No. If he can get what he is asking by breaking that's his choice. Ideal situation someone comes to buy the car at around the figure hes asking and if not the cars gotta go as the options become limited. Hence no profiteering.

But breaking a good le etc just to make a quick buck no i don't agree with. There is the big difference.

A huge shame i think though.

I agree no breaking section but if we can keep the gooduns running a few maybe a few past shelf life could be spared.

The main reason for the removal of the 'breaking' section was not to prohibit the breaking of cars but because the club did not wish to be seen as an agent in their breaking.

There is no doubt that many cars are running today because others have been broken; this is only right and proper and while one might philosophically disagree with breaking a running car it is the owner's asset to dispose of as he wishes.

However, the forum presents a large captive audience and there was a time a year ago when it was plain people were buying coupes not for their own use but with the express purpose of breaking them for profit. It was felt that this was not the intended ethos of the club, which is to encourage the use of the car, and thus there was no rational reason to maintain the breaking section.

If you wish to break your car there are other channels through which the parts may be disposed - indeed, they may still be disposed of through normal 'for sale' channels here; all that has gone are the generic 'I'm breaking bits off, make me an offer' whereby the breaker for profit has zero advertising cost.

Remember - if they're all broken, there will be none left, no club, and no forum.

I'd be willing to chip in to keep the forum running even if there were no more coupes and no club. Just to give Stan something to do.

Shhh. Don't tell anyone, but we're actually breaking Stan for spares. He's a bit worn out, but there are probably some usable bits in there somewhere!

Barnacle, are you saying Stan isn't worth that much as a whole but more in bits?!

How much does a kidney go for these days?

Pfft.. And you Mods were worried about the reputation of the FCCUK by breaking cars.

The AGM is for Club Members only and is open to all Club Members.

Club Members are the people who help pay for this forum to be here.

In what context is the word broken?

Broken as in if all Coupes have faults, and no-one is breaking any for parts, there are no parts to fix the faults?

Or broken as in if all Coupes are broken for parts, and not kept and driven, there'd be no Coupes left?

The latter.

Unfortunately the same outcome for the first.

To some extent, true... but what fails on one car is likely to have failed on another and perhaps particularly so when the car being scrapped is dead of old age rather than, say, impact damage.

Why the heck are we going over all this again?

The loss of the breaking was via a vote at the AGM but it wasn't really as simple as that. I am usure how the section could have survived with introduction the new selling rules that also came from that AGM. I personally feel the loss of the section was inevitable.

FACT
Some people used FCCUK to steal a good deal of money from FCCUK club members. This was not a singular isolated incident, nor was it just one or two bad apples causing problems. The issues were frequent and took up a great deal of time from the club admin and moderator teams trying to sort it out. It's not nice to be telling people, many who I consider friends, that they have been ripped off on FCCUK and there there is nothing, I or the club could do to get their money back

Unfortunately there are quite a few CLUB MEMBERS who never got their money back, to them the FCCUK selling section will always be the place they cam and got ripped off

Forgive me therefore for not giving any creedence to the bleeding heart sellers who wish to break their Coupés and sell them through an open breaking post on the FCCUK forum. If people want to sell stuff on FCCUK then they follow the selling rules and sell all the items they want. If sellers want to start bidding wars or place parts as "Open to Offers" then they can use a place that is set up to cater for such sales - Ebay.

It is regrettable that we all have lost the free and open selling that FCCUK used to enjoy. Unfortunately not everyone using FCCUK is as honourable as we all would like. The club therefore owe it to us all not to make it easy for these people to pick our pockets with ease.

I can't be 100% sure but I don't recall a single selling issue involving a loss of money for any member whilst the new rules have been in place.

Nice agressive sounding post above there.
I've been in and out of Coupe ownership for years and was merely asking the question, its not a 'bleeding heart' story as you so elequently put it.
And this is a discussion forum where people are free to discuss is it not?.
I was merely pointing out that if a breaking section was subject to the same rules as the rest of the classifieds then i personally don't see what the difference is, I've been an admin/mod on Forums (edition38) over the years some of which have also had there own problems with shadey sellers also but its not the individual classified areas that are the problem, its the individuals that are selling the stuff and from what i can see you have already put measures in place to prevent this??.
And im talking about private individuals breaking their own cars on here unlike traders who are buying cars for that very reason, there is a big difference.
In my case i bought a car to use as my daily driver that was mis-described in terms of its engine condition and it was a risk i took, i haven't got £2 grand for an engine rebuild unlike some.
As such there are plenty of bits im not even going to list seperately on here or ebay, it will either be given away if someone wants the remains or it will get weighed in.
Im only after what it owes me as i have bought another Coupe..
Its your forum to police as you see fit but i find the attitude on here towards certain topics and therefore forum member is quite frankly hostile.

tandino there is little point in trying to make a point... unless your 'in' then you'll receive the above in buckets

the point you make is very valid, ie applying current anti scam rules to broader sales, but frankly unless youre 'in' i fear you wont be heard

Rudi i think that's a unfair - this has been debated to death this last year and it's designed to protect both the members and the Fiat Coupé, no more no less. It's not a question of being "in" or "out" or shake it all about and just because you may not like the rules we have that doesn't make them wrong. This has never been about personalities and i'm sure most people can see the sense in the essence of what Bob says.

Although I personally didn't agree with the breaking section being removed, it seems to be for the best. People are still breaking coupes, and selling parts 'from coupes in their possession' through the new section. Some as doing it regularly and some are doing it when the coupe isn't worth saving.

People are still getting the parts they need and the club isn't associated with potentially seen as promoting breaking. Win-win.

Ross

I'm not interested in 'arguing' about the merits or not of a breaking section on the forum, I dont care enough. I just concurred with Tandino and unsurprisingly it had to be suppressed.

Lets just agree to disagree.

So much about this forum is about personalities and this is invariably the problem. There is most certainly an 'in' (not just my opinion), i can only assume that it just cant be seen by some.

Of course, i'm all for safety of members, but breaking of cars continues, albeit listed parts and sellers names.

Rules are applied unevenly, and the perception is that they are flexed for those that are 'in'.



So it hasnt stopped breaking, the only difference is that those that can be bothered listing parts do it....

I'm fully aware of the difficulties of running a forum, but until people start listening nothing will change, it will probably get worse before it gets better.

Good luck anyways

Over and out.

It hasn't stopped breaking, but it has removed an incentive to break working cars with no cost to the breaker for the advertising.

The only 'in' group are the club members; those who have chosen to support the club (and this forum) with their subscriptions and on occasion with direct donations. Of that group the majority are content to continue with the status quo but a minority make a point of attending the yearly AGM and making their voice heard in person (note that it is perfectly permissible to make an issue known to be discussed whether you are present or not).

If you disagree with the decisions made at the AGM, the solution is obvious... but why complain that a free resource is not to your taste?

Agressive, really? I have never shown any agression towards anyone on here and completely refute any allegation to the contrary. I am sure had you been in the position, as have I, of informing members and friends on this forum that they had lost money by buying on fccuk, then perhaps you too would feel the same degree of frustration on this matter as I do. This club came so close to removing ALL selling from it's forum because of past issues. I would have expected someone who, in his own words, has been on the forum for years, would have had a better understanding of those past issues.


Clearly anyone who has something to sell, even if they are breaking, can sell it in classifieds?

The ONLY possible reason I can think for anyone wanting a return of the BREAKING section is so they (The Seller) can try and encourage forum members to contact them and circumvent of all the forum selling measures that the club has introduced. To be fair, judjing by what you have said below, that seems to be exactly what you too are also seeking .

How would putting my contact details, phone number, email address and the mods/admin having my own personal details - ie postcode and address on hand be circumventing the selling criteria that is enforced on the other classified forums?.

If i was advertising a car that i was breaking in a thread on here and had all my personal details listed and requests were made within the thread along with all communication then how would that be anymore risky than selling any other part on here?.
Its certainly not circumventing any buyer protection system is it.
I simply don't have the time to list every single tiny item be it a specific washer or plastic trim clip that someone might be looking for to finish their car off, thats what im trying to highlight

And im sorry but i have detected massive attitude differences on here since i used to frequent this forum a few years ago and not in a good way.
Starting your reply in the way you do is confrontational at best imho.
And yes, as stated i work behind the scene's for 10 years on a forum many times the size of this one, yes we try our best to protect our members and no one likes to see anyone get ripped off but that is not directly the forums fault, we can minimise it and enforce it but ultimately the classifieds and for sale area is a massive part of running old VW's much the same as it is to these very cars and without it you lose a massive resource for just that, keeping the cars alive.
We stress that anyone buying from the forum and handing over large sums of cash to anyone via the internet needs to do so with their eyes wide open and ultimately its their risk.