How to tell if a car is for sale

[philamote]

Lately I've been noticing more and more cars parked along the streets that have a bucket or a bottle of motor oil placed on top of the roof. I understand that this is the customary way to "advertise" your car is for sale to someone passing by.

Does anyone know how or why this practice/tradition came about? Is it the standard way to signal "For Sale" or is it something more covert (because of restrictions on car sales or whatnot)?

Not sure why but I find it fascinating.

 

[Barney]

It probally just happend, like all costumbres that just happen. I am sure there is no explaination for that

 

[French jurist]

A bottle is vertical -verticality = seen from distance- and can be "weighted" easily in its bottom with a liquid for stability.
Plastic is less likely to scratch paint than metal or wood.
Can be easily handled.
It's free and won't get stolen (easily can be replaced anyway).
I guess this appeared with the introduction of light plastic bottles (less than 30/20 years ago) ?

Argentines are quite creative (and "vivos" too ) : see the advertising companies here, the many artists, the creative spirit.

That's one of the reasons I like Argentines !

 

[fred mertz]

Unbelievable. If you see a bottle on a car that you'd be interested in buying, how do you find the seller? Wait for the person to arrrive? Nobody would possibly take the bottle? Would there be a phone number on the bottle? Are "For Sale" signs no longer used? Tell me that this isn't isn't the dumbest thing, since making Ave Santa Fe a 2 way street?

 

[Matt84]

A bottle is vertical -verticality = seen from distance- and can be "weighted" easily in its bottom with a liquid for stability.
Plastic is less likely to scratch paint than metal or wood.
Can be easily handled.
It's free and won't get stolen (easily can be replaced anyway).
I guess this appeared with the introduction of light plastic bottles (less than 30/20 years ago) ?

Argentines are quite creative (and "vivos" too ) : see the advertising companies here, the many artists, the creative spirit.

That's one of the reasons I like Argentines !

hahah!!! That's so perfectly logic it made me sourire.

Fred: The bottle on top of the car is usually seen on barrios or the countryside where you just ask around for the owner. Yes, people have switched to "for sale" stickers with phone numbers when closer to downtown.

 

[philamote]

I have also seen the bottle + sign combo in a few places (in some cases the sign or details are on the bottle itself). What I was wondering at the beginning was why a for sale sign wouldn't suffice in itself. I must say FJ, your sound explanation makes it seem obvious; now I have to wonder why this isn't more common in the rest of the world.

 

[cbphoto]

It is not common in the rest of the world..because putting a sign in the window..makes more sense!