Suggestion for posting a car for sale..

[Timbo]

How about this - first, have a few required fields, where you cant submit the ad w/ out specifying. Year, mileage, price, maybe a few others.

And then based on those fields, force the user to answer any questions which are certain to follow. For example if the year entered is '91-92, make them indicate if the snap ring issue has been addressed, timing belt/water pump, window fix-its, that kind of thing. A few simple Yes/No/I dont know radio buttons.

Soooo much time gets wasted w/ members asking the same questions over and over, ad after ad... Just hoping to make a helpful suggestion!

 

[Ojas]

Good idea

I think that's a great idea but probably well beyond the capabilities of the forum software.

How about this:
Since we are using the forums software to do all the ads, how about coming up with some templates: perhaps for a range of model years (1991-92, 93-94, 95-96, 97-01, 02+) or maybe even one for each year. The templates would be listed as a sticky on the NSXs For Sale forum (or we could just list them in the marketplace rules). The seller would simply copy the text of the appropriate template and paste into their ad the enter the fields. A template may look something like:

<div style="border:1px solid black;background-color:white;padding:8px;margin:8px"><b>1991 Template</b>
Year: 1991
Milage: ____
Price: ____
Ext Color: ____
Int Color: ____
VIN: JH4NA1______
Transmission Serial Number: ____
Snap Ring: {in-range: fixed}, {in-range: not fixed}, {not in range}
Etc...</div>

1993+ template(s) would not have the trans and snap ring "fields".

This would definately help buyers as well as sellers (since it would remind sellers what info buyers will be looking for).

This is not nearly as sophisticated as what Timbo suggested but would be easy to implement with the current software.

 

[Ojas]

Or another idea...

Another idea would be to create an "ad-builder" page. It could just be a simple HTML page with some client-side scripting to capture the appropriate information. There could be a submit button that would build the ad text and post to the forum software.

It's easier to show than to explain, so here's a demo I threw together: http://www.ojaspatel.com/demo/nsxad/

After a user chooses the year, body, and transmission, a preview of the ad appears. Clicking on the Next button takes the user to the "new thread" page of the NSXs For Sale forum with the subject and message fields pre-populated.

Lud, I hope it's okay that this demo links to the live site. Let me know if it's a problem.

 

[Timbo]

Re: Or another idea...

It's easier to show than to explain, so here's a demo I threw together: http://www.ojaspatel.com/demo/nsxad/

Super! That's just what I had in mind, and I was going to offer to help type up the javascript for it but you've already done it!

If Lud decides to pursue this idea I urge a question for whether the timing belt/water pump are replaced to schedule. And it should ask for documentation, because lots of people say "yeah, i had it done, but i dont save receipts, i did it myself, etc etc..".

I bought my 1st sports car (300ZX TT) w/out knowing about the timing belt, and it was a pisser to find out i had a $1K expense right off the bat. This could save a newbie some $$, or better yet a trashed engine if they dont know about it and it snaps.

 

[ANYTIME]

Gentlemen,
This is a great idea! If you could include a page that wouldn't let you procede any further until a price was entered, then ads without prices would be eliminated. If Joe Newbie wants to sell his NSX and wants to place an ad with "best offer" as the price. He would have to enter a price and possibly put or best offer after his price.
Thanks,
John

 

[Lud]

Great idea and nice prototype Ojas.. Not sure the best way to implement it though. I'll experiment a little bit and see.

 

[KGP]

How about the NSX's for sale thread become read only as far as new threads. A new thread might be started by a simple html form submission, which might also include image upload capability.

Edit: Duh, I guess I should have read Ojas' post. About the same thing. Lud, I see nothing wrong woth charging a few bucks also.