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Ever sell a car to a clueless idiot?

Kern Dog

Life is full of turns. Build your car to handle.
FBBO Gold Member
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Location
Granite Bay CA
I have been buying and selling cars over the years to fund my various car projects. Some I buy as a neglected rolling chassis needing a fresh engine and some TLC. I have sold cars locally and on Ebay. My feedback is good.
Last year I began selling more stuff to put together some money to buy a 2015 Challenger. I had a 78 Plymouth Trail Duster that I'd owned since 2011. It was bought with the intentions of taking the wife camping or just some off road fun. I put a rebuilt trans in it, added a new Sure Grip rear diff and kept it in great tune. It was fun but I rarely drove it. I figured it was better to sell it rather than to let it sit unused. I priced it at $2850 and let the market decide what it was worth. I had plenty of calls and sold it within a few days to a local guy for $2500 He was happy to find an unmolested 440 Truck, one that hadn't been crashed or hacked up.
A week later, the calls started. He said the wipers didn't work, the heater didn't work, why is the steering loose, etc. I did forget to replace the nylon linkage parts for the wipers, so I agreed to fix the wipers. he came over, I offered to fix them after I looked at the heater. I flipped the slide lever on the A/C and Heater controls and the fan blew just like it should. "What did you do? Did you just FIX it?" Yeah...I just fixed it because I am so brilliant, I know how to move a switch.
He must have been embarrassed because he made an excuse to leave early, saying he will just fix the wipers himself.
A month goes by, he starts texting with accusations of how I ripped him off, writing that the truck is hard to start after sitting a few weeks. I tried to call back because text arguing is totally stupid to me. STRAIGHT to voice mail. I tried to be amicable because I figure the guy is just used to newer cars with fewer quirks. Over the last 2 months, he pops up occasionally to bitch about something, as if all cars come with a lifetime customer service agreement. Still blocking incoming calls, by the way. I have plenty of experience with old cars, so it is no big deal to use starting fluid to get a ThermoQuad equipped 440 alive after sitting awhile. I am used to wind noise through the windows, the sloppy overboosted Mopar steering, etc. This assclown must have expected new car feel for $2500.
I am not a fan of Censorship. I do not put anyone on an "ignore" list on any forum I frequent. This guy was the first that i ever felt the need to add to the "Block this caller" list on my phone.
 
If you buy and sell enough cars i guess you have to expect this. I sold my share of cars through the years and i hesitate to do it anymore. Years back i sold a 81 Buick regal. I had replaced the motor and trans. The car ran great had good breaks and front end. It was decent transportation. The calls i got were insane,what color,can i drive it to across the country and back,does it have power windows. I was like looking for 800 for the car,finally a young man calls and comes with a older guy who was his boss to look at the car. They were nice people and the kid was struggling trying to go to school and make a buck. I sold that kid the car for 600 and two years later i bumped into him and he still had it with zero issues. The kid was shaking my hand thanking me,told me he had a new job and was getting married. I walked away a happy guy that day
 
I once sold a car to a lady who called me back a week later saying the steering was acting up and couldn't be driven. I went by the place and found ps front wheel bent to S... From someone curbing it. She then proceeded to tell me her mechanic said I sold her an unsafe car cause frame was rotting out.... Car was rust free so said please show me where rusted out. She opened door and pointed to a nasty rusty spot on carpet under seat I had never seen. Upon closer inspection I scraped off an old rusted bottle cap off carpet. Frame fixed so I left. Gods honest truth
 
I don't want to hijack your post, but I just sold a trunk lid to a useless Mopar idiot today, beyond description. If you want the juicy details, I will be happy to elaborate.
 
So your saying you don't provide a life time warranty on a 37 year old $2500 4x4, I could be wrong but I believe 70's dodge 4x4s were known for there firm steering and smooth ride. Lol
 
I don't want to hijack your post, but I just sold a trunk lid to a useless Mopar idiot today, beyond description. If you want the juicy details, I will be happy to elaborate.
tell me more! so you are saying mopar guys are useless idiots????? or am I reading this wrong?or did you just mean useless idiot,,,,,,,cause they ARE out there,,,,I've seen a few,lol
 
Oh yes. Mopar guys are great guys, but a few out there are unscrupulous people. I sold this guy a 69 trunk lid, roadrunner, perfect condition.
I also had a perfect near NOS original driver fender. he wanted the fender, too. I told him 350.00 before he even left his home. A new cheap repro was 700 plus shipping. Mine was so nice it had the Chrysler numbers still on the inside. He drove 400 miles to get the lid. he showed up, I told him again the fender was 350 bucks. He told me about all his friends in new Jersey he was selling parts to, and he would hook me up. I wasn't interested, I told him. he was restoring a 69' Road Runner, and bragged about the rebody he was doing, removing numbers from the belvedere, and putting the Roadrunner numbers on the body. That way, he could dump the AMD parts he had, prior to finding the clean body. he continued to pick about small parts he wanted to buy. I told him I had nothing else to sell to him. He wanted that fender, though. He after 10 minutes of yammering, offered 300.00. I said no. Then
I did a naughty thing, as he saw my car,(68 Charger) and I suggested that he look further on that Belvedere, that Ma mopar put one more original VIN# on that body, and I recommended that he find it.(I lied, but I enjoyed it) I could tell he didn't know for sure, and I also asked him, nicely, if he ever wanted to sell that car, and there were no honest numbers on the body, what would people say? The guy walks for $50.00 bucks? Na,,, he is one of those you watch out for. he didn't even say good bye when he left! man,,,,,
 
Never, EVER "fix" a vehicle after you've sold it!!! Period! In a bill of sale, you write "Vehicle is sold AS-IS, WHERE-IS, with NO guarantees or warranties of ANY kind; whether oral, written, expressed or implied!" and have the buyer sign TWO copies - one for you and one for him.

In many states, if the seller (even a private seller) repairs a car that he/she has sold to a buyer, THAT implies a warranty situation exists. It can turn into a serious nightmare! I am NOT a lawyer of any kind, nor is this to be construed as legal advise! If the guy you sold the car to persists in harassing you, call your lawyer. He can issue a "cease and desist" letter to the buyer. That will usually shut him up.
 
Good advice above. Id only add don't ever conceal anything. I tell them the whole story with anything i sell and although I've lost a few sales it has benefited me in the long run. Before i actually take money and sign the car over i make it clear I've told them everything about the vehicle to the best of my knowledge and they are buying as is and i put it on the bill of sale
 
my sympathy to the OP, some people just don't a have a clue.i wish there was a cure for stuipidity.
Some people I believe just want other people to be responsible for their mistakes. I would remind the guy that he is lucky he got it, or if he can't handle the problem, resell it. and then go pound sand.
 
I tell dip shits like him to check the paper work.
I ask if they have there warranty on hand.
They say no. I say "That's because there is non and I sold it to you "As is" as writen on all the paper work."
I follow up with all calls have been recorded and if you call again I'll start the calls to the cops and the paper work on harassment. I really don't have a problem doing this.
I never hear from them again. Not once.
 
I sold a gm bumper jack to guy at a swap meet once.
I had $25 on it, and he pointed out every speck of rust and rubbed paint (it was actually in decent shape) repeating how terrible it looked and offered me $5.
We finally settled on $15 and I was happy to get rid of it.

After the money changed hands, he started waving his arms around (literally) and yelling as loud as he could how he just "got me" and that the jack was for a 1967 super sport and was worth over $150.

I just smiled and said "well, you win some, you lose some".

The jack was from my 72 skylark, which IIRC is a totally different bumper shape.
 
I sold a black Chevy S-10 that was totally hammered to a guy at night, in the rain. He wasn't totally clueless and I was very truthful in the ad, but those are the 2 things you don't do! Buy a car in the rain, or at night. Ever. And he did both in one shot.
 
The first car I ever sold was a 56 Chevy 2dr post with 265, Jardine headers, Eddy intake, Holley, and 3 speed reversed linkage. Ran pretty good. Car need paint and the interior was so so. Don't really remember how much I sold it for (wasn't much) but the guy that bought it came back about a month later and said the engine blew up and didn't say anymore but kept looking it me like he was waiting for me to do something like give him his money back. Told him it was running fine when he picked it up and wasn't knocking etc but after all, it is what it is....a Chevy....and at that point it was my turn to stare at him. He left. Had a few morons over the years come by expecting a new car when it was little more than a parts car for sale. It's amazing how some gloss over an ad thinking it's their dream car that's for sale when it's little more than a rolling hulk with very few good parts left on it.

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I sold a black Chevy S-10 that was totally hammered to a guy at night, in the rain. He wasn't totally clueless and I was very truthful in the ad, but those are the 2 things you don't do! Buy a car in the rain, or at night. Ever. And he did both in one shot.
Also, you don't want to be half drunk either. A supervisor at work did that....don't think it was raining tho lol. Made me think what kind of a person am I working for!?
 
52165_790046911058048_4374312896001408999_o.jpg10497325_790046801058059_102718800908919212_o.jpgI bought a 73 charger sunroof/ 400/ $1,400.00 and $9,600.00 in new parts, Car was on rotisserie , bottom 100% 10639701_794878380574901_7932686555588231230_n.jpgnew as was front end, new interior 100%, chrome etc. GUY DID'NT FEEL LIKE PUTTING IT TOGEATHER, and new Quarters, and sold $1.900.00 of extra parts on E-BAY double items... dahhhhh! winner.... new vinyl for roof/headliner/ new seats/ every nut bolt stainless/ new radiator and air unit. new rocker mldings, new dash complete resto and radio... and I put in power seats from jeep fit like factory. all new glass.. bummer I was missing one brake line, and concidering a refund.....BUYING FROM A CLUELESS IDIOT MORE LIKE IT... LAZY DUMB ***....
 
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