Rather Not - New Buy/Sell Category

[Alan Cutler]

Although I sincerely appreciate all the hard work the webmasters do on these forums....however, the break out of Ford, Chevy and Chrysler in the cars for sale I would rather not have...I am not looking for a specific brand when I am looking, I love them all, so now I have to search 3 or 4 separate forums....thanks for listening.

[JACK M]

I second this. 99% of us just like to browse.

Now I am just looking at the "not mine". category.

So members cars listed directly are losing audience.

[Peter Gariepy]

13 hours ago, Surf City '38 said:

Although I sincerely appreciate all the hard work the webmasters do on these forums....however, the break out of Ford, Chevy and Chrysler in the cars for sale I would rather not have...I am not looking for a specific brand when I am looking, I love them all, so now I have to search 3 or 4 separate forums....thanks for listening.

 

The Buy/Sell forums were previously scattered all over the forums under each marque. In the past you may not have seen them at all.  Now they are all in the same category.

[wayne sheldon]

I don't know if my opinion really matters or not, but awhile back (a couple years ago), "for Sale" had all the cars and parts mixed together. I thought dividing the cars from the parts was a major step forward. People wanting to look for parts want to browse through appropriate parts listings. People wanting to browse through "Cars for Sale" do not want to look through many times more parts listings hunting for an occasional car. Even people looking to buy a car will lose interest after awhile and look through other forums (ebay, Hemmings, etc).

My other observation, is that as it has been, allowed for a good daily addition of cars for sale under the primary general "Cars for Sale" heading. Both entertaining and possibly fruitful. I looked into a few of the divided listings, and found only one, two, or none added since yesterday in a few of them.  A few days like that and many of those sub-sub-headings won't be worth looking at regularly.

The truth is, that there is no perfect way to handle this. However, while specialty marques may lose some audience by posting for sale under their specific marque heading, they were focusing on their primary interest group. A focused car seller could have the choice of posting in both places, and many of them did. The best of both worlds. Specialty marque parts are generally best listed under their specific marque heading. However, a lot of general parts need a general "Parts for Sale" section. I would like to get an additional twenty inch rim for my Paige. I am not very often going to look through thirty different marque's headings just because they also used a twenty inch rim that may fit.

 

I like to not complain about decisions that moderators make on the several forums I frequent. However, this I feel is a few steps in a bad direction. Words cannot fully express my gratitude to those that make these forums work so well for us crazy old car guys. 

 

Thank you.

[Peter Gariepy]

10 hours ago, wayne sheldon said:

I don't know if my opinion really matters or not, but awhile back (a couple years ago), "for Sale" had all the cars and parts mixed together. I thought dividing the cars from the parts was a major step forward. People wanting to look for parts want to browse through appropriate parts listings. People wanting to browse through "Cars for Sale" do not want to look through many times more parts listings hunting for an occasional car. Even people looking to buy a car will lose interest after awhile and look through other forums (ebay, Hemmings, etc).

My other observation, is that as it has been, allowed for a good daily addition of cars for sale under the primary general "Cars for Sale" heading. Both entertaining and possibly fruitful. I looked into a few of the divided listings, and found only one, two, or none added since yesterday in a few of them.  A few days like that and many of those sub-sub-headings won't be worth looking at regularly.

The truth is, that there is no perfect way to handle this. However, while specialty marques may lose some audience by posting for sale under their specific marque heading, they were focusing on their primary interest group. A focused car seller could have the choice of posting in both places, and many of them did. The best of both worlds. Specialty marque parts are generally best listed under their specific marque heading. However, a lot of general parts need a general "Parts for Sale" section. I would like to get an additional twenty inch rim for my Paige. I am not very often going to look through thirty different marque's headings just because they also used a twenty inch rim that may fit.

 

I like to not complain about decisions that moderators make on the several forums I frequent. However, this I feel is a few steps in a bad direction. Words cannot fully express my gratitude to those that make these forums work so well for us crazy old car guys. 

 

Thank you.

 

Maybe unintentionally... but you articulated well the issues at hand.

In a perfect world I'd have the following:

• Automobiles - For Sale
• Automobiles - Wanted
• Parts - For Sale
• Parts - Wanted

However, I have to appease to the needs of some of the larger clubs that participate here.  BCA, CLC, OLDS, Packard etc.  So i have to maintain the Marque buy/sell areas.

 

I also have to deal with the fact most people posts that intermingle cars and parts for sale.  "You can lead a horse water..."

 

Add to that the inherent limitations of the software we use.  Don't get me wrong, I consider the software we use is the best of all the solutions out there, but it still has flaws.

 

Having all the buy/sell forums spread all across the forum was a longstanding problem, at least IMHO.  I've fixed it a best as could.

[Alan Cutler]

4 hours ago, Peter Gariepy said:

 

 

In a perfect world I'd have the following:

• Automobiles - For Sale
• Automobiles - Wanted
• Parts - For Sale
• Parts - Wanted

 

 

Peter that would be PERFECT! Please make that happen, I am always looking for parts for my not so tech literate friends, and they all have different marquees....I am jumping all over the place, time waster. I will even nominate you for the best AACA webmaster at next years Gala! 🤣

[Peter Gariepy]

1 hour ago, Surf City '38 said:

 

Peter that would be PERFECT! Please make that happen, I am always looking for parts for my not so tech literate friends, and they all have different marquees....I am jumping all over the place, time waster. I will even nominate you for the best AACA webmaster at next years Gala! 🤣

 

Like I said...

"However, I have to appease to the needs of some of the larger clubs that participate here.  BCA, CLC, OLDS, Packard etc.  So i have to maintain the Marque buy/sell areas.

I also have to deal with the fact most people intermingle cars and parts for sale in the for sale forums.  "You can lead a horse water..."

...Having all the buy/sell forums spread all across the forum was a longstanding problem, at least IMHO.  I've fixed it a best as could."

[Gerczak]

The new format is lousy compared to what was here before.  I am more confused every time I have recently come to the site.  It used to be simple and entertaining to look what was for sale in a simple list (car and parts separate).  I get you are trying to appeased the clubs but honestly, they are joining your service and not the other way around.  Make it simple again and many of us would appreciate it.  If they really want to just look at Fords, tell them to search for "Ford for sale" in the search field and make them include that phrase in the description.  The current format is not good.

[Peter Gariepy]

On 9/12/2020 at 6:32 PM, Gerczak said:

The new format is lousy compared to what was here before.  I am more confused every time I have recently come to the site.  It used to be simple and entertaining to look what was for sale in a simple list (car and parts separate).  I get you are trying to appeased the clubs but honestly, they are joining your service and not the other way around.  Make it simple again and many of us would appreciate it.  If they really want to just look at Fords, tell them to search for "Ford for sale" in the search field and make them include that phrase in the description.  The current format is not good.

 

I disagree.

 

Lousy? HOW?  The format is not that much different. It was a evolutionary change, not an revolutionary make over.

 

[JFranklin]

Some just don't like any change, like when the wife buys a different brand of TP.

[nick8086]

Change is good thing in the long run. You just need to get use to it...

[C Carl]

For me, who am an old dog, I am just learning new tricks. Getting more acquainted with the new format, figure it will be second nature by and by. I really trust that all of our moderators and engineers who maintain AACA forums are working for the well considered benefit of all. Thank you, guys ! Sure, things have changed, but I do think once we have become used to it, it will become as comfortable as a well aged pair of shoes.    -    Carl 

[R Holden]

Hi Peter

 

I understand change, however it seems if it an unusual car (no category) then it in the main body but Ford, Buick, Chev, Cadillac, Chrysler etc get moved? As you know people generally only have so many click in them before they give up and move on, just constructive feedback? I personally like looking at all the makes offer or sort and checked in regularly to do so.

 

I am curious why in a Buy/Sell forum you would move "wanted to buy" somewhere else, where it is probably going to get little or no exposure?

 

Thanks for your efforts over a very long time

[Gerczak]

I appreciate the attempt to work with everyone's request, but it has too many clicks, too many disclaimers, too many instructions, etc.  To me, it should be as simple as aaca.org, click forum, click cars for sale and there is the list.  I sometimes use my cell phone to look thru the website and now I just have to keep scrolling and scrolling past all the instructions, separate categories (Mine/not mine), and sub-forums.  I don't consider myself an old guy yet and fairly tech savvy, but all I want is the list (independent of car makes) because I enjoy just looking for certain vintage periods of time.  Just looking for the simple life again.

[MrEarl]

By the multi marque categories now all being represented upstairs I am seeing more listings making it into Buick-Buy/Sell whereas before they would have just gone into AACA-Buy/Sell-All category, never making it into the Buick forum.  Just one of the good things to come out of the change. 

[Peter Gariepy]

13 hours ago, Gerczak said:

I appreciate the attempt to work with everyone's request, but it has too many clicks, too many disclaimers, too many instructions, etc.  To me, it should be as simple as aaca.org, click forum, click cars for sale and there is the list.  I sometimes use my cell phone to look thru the website and now I just have to keep scrolling and scrolling past all the instructions, separate categories (Mine/not mine), and sub-forums.  I don't consider myself an old guy yet and fairly tech savvy, but all I want is the list (independent of car makes) because I enjoy just looking for certain vintage periods of time.  Just looking for the simple life again.

 

You miss the point of the change.

There were multiple buy/sell forums all over the forum.  They are now all in one place.  May not be perfect, but better than the haphazard why they were before.

[CliffordK]

One thing that many forums have is a pass-through to subforums. 

 

So, one then builds a tree:

 

Sales-->Cars-->(Ford/Chevy/etc)

Sales-->Parts-->(Ford/Chevy/etc)

 

So, if one looks at "Sales", one gets all ads.

If one looks at "Cars", one gets all brands.

Or one can plunge down to a specific brand.

etc.

 

The problem with this kind of a tree is that it gets complex if one wishes to do multiple attributes, such as adding in age.

 

This is one of the annoying things I have with E-Bay.  For example, with bicycles, they have "general", and "Classic/Vintage", but I can't just get say all frames without checking both places.  Interesting items also get hidden under something like Classic/Vintage Transportation which just doesn't pop up with general searches.  And, they often try to narrow searches based on categories, skipping interesting stuff.

 

Even with Hemmings Motor News, I'd prefer to look at cars & parts, rather than doing independent searches.

 

One could also add check box attributes.

Brand (Ford,Chevy,Buick, etc)

Age (1800's, 1900-1920,1921-1945,1945-1969,1970+,undated)

Cars, Parts, Misc

If parts are selected, then there are the major OEM brands, but then literally thousands of small brands for specific parts. (Bosch,Mopar,Champion, etc).

 

Then there is the problem of getting sellers to spend the time to correctly fill out the attributes.  Done right, and it would be pretty sweet.  Done wrong, and one gets the "Garbage-in, Garbage-out" problem.

 

Does AACA charge for some ads, but not others?  The other thing I find annoying about some sites is when sellers use a bunch of unrelated keywords, or apparently intentionally miscategorize items.  BAN USERS?

[Peter Gariepy]

23 hours ago, CliffordK said:

Does AACA charge for some ads, but not others?  

 

NO

 

23 hours ago, CliffordK said:

The other thing I find annoying about some sites is when sellers use a bunch of unrelated keywords, or apparently intentionally miscategorize items.  BAN USERS?

 

Seldom happens here in the aaca forums.