Hate selling cars.

Steverino

black sheep
I really do. I put my Mustang on CL earlier this week, got a buyer immediately, he's young, but a nice young man, brought his wife and baby along. We looked it over, I was more than specific with everything I could think of, and any fault or issue the car had. We took a test drive. I gave him a trunkload of extra parts. I came down 800 bucks from my list price. I asked him again (when he handed me the cash) "are you sure, do you want to look it over again?"

The CL ad and the bill of sale specifically said "AS IS", that's just because the car is 27 freakin' years old.

The next day he calls me, the fuel pump has failed and he's broke down somewhere in New Orleans. He's not happy. I can fully sympathize, I'd be bummed beyond words if I'd just bought a car and a day later it's broke.

In 7 years of owning that car, I never had any problems, never left me stranded. Within 24hrs in hands of a new owner, it's on a tow hook. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do, if anything. I've offered to pay for a new pump and walk him thru the installation process. An electric fuel pump can fail anytime, I'm not faulting him for that. It's just really stuck in my craw that it crapped out the day after the car changed owners.

Thing is, a sale took place and now both parties are unhappy. I really hate this. I did not set out to screw someone out of money, but I can't help but feel that's exactly what he's thinking.

He's an offshore worker (2 weeks in, 2 weeks out) and he leaves this morning, so the whole drama is now on hold for that duration. I'm kinda relieved about that, gives me time to vent and think this over.

I have to sell another this month, my S10. I swear, I'm going to grill the next guy, and make damn sure he knows that that truck could explode in a giant ball of fire as soon as he drives it off, and if it does, don't call me, just get out, hit the ground and roll, then start walking.
 
As is means as is. It' s his problem now. He bought it, he broke, he fixes it.

I drive 'em until they cost more to fix than replace and call the automotive parts dismantling and recycling facility, get a wad of cash and all my problems go away.
 
Comes with the territory of buying a used car from a private party.

The circumstances are unfortunate but if a buyer is not comfortable with the risks of buying a used car from a private party with out a warranty, they should stick to new cars or used car dealers that offer warranty at purchase.

edit: anything you choose to do out of the kindness of your heart is a nice thing but as a buyer, I wouldn't contact the seller unless I thought they tried to hide issues/damage that a normal inspection would uncover...like packing a trans with sawdust or other shady stuff. I always offer to prospective buyers that they are welcome to have an independent mechanic inspect the vehicle at their expense before purchase. Few bother.
 
This is why I always either trade in or donate my old cars. FYI, I got an $1800 deduction from my income for donating my 2000 Nissan Altima in September. The kids win, I win, and I wash my hands of the car.
 
edit: anything you choose to do out of the kindness of your heart is a nice thing but as a buyer, I wouldn't contact the seller unless I thought they tried to hide issues/damage that a normal inspection would uncover...like packing a trans with sawdust or other shady stuff. I always offer to prospective buyers that they are welcome to have an independent mechanic inspect the vehicle at their expense before purchase. Few bother.

He called me 3 times after he drove off: first, he overfilled it and some gas spilled out when he turned a hard left. I told him that was normal, it happened to me a few times, it's the tank/filler neck design. No problem.

An hour later, it's dark, and he calls again, the instrument lights don't work. I told him I rarely drove it at night, but move the dimmer rheostat back and forth a few times. Lights came on. Okay, now I'm starting to get an uneasy feeling that this guy is going to drive me crazy.

Then, yesterday, the bomb; it's broke down. God I hate dealing with people who don't realize that when you buy a used car, it's not a new car. It's an old car. I've bought plenty of old, used cars that had issues. I didn't call the seller, I fixed the car.
 
The next day he calls me, the fuel pump has failed and he's broke down somewhere in New Orleans.

Too bad it wasn't Baton Rouge. The buyer's name isn't McGee by any chance, is it?

Screen-Shot-2012-08-02-at-3.33.04-PM.png
 
I understand your trepidation and guilty feelings, you're a nice guy and don't want to feel as though you somehow wronged the buyer.

However, this isn't something you could have seen coming at all. A fuel pump especially gives no advance warning. It works until it doesn't. You did nothing wrong, weren't in any way dishonest.

It's his car now. That makes it solely his problem and his responsibility to fix. It sucks, but life does that sometimes.

Right after I met Mrs. OGG, I bought an old FIAT from a lot 40 miles away. I had really been wanting and looking for another X1/9 for a while, and this random used car lot had a nice example for sale at a really good price. I made two trips down there to check it out and test drive it. Both times, it ran like a champ and I could find no flaws with it.

Went back with Kristy and bought it. Got halfway home, going up a long, steep grade on the freeway and BANG!

MASSIVE head gasket failure.

Limped it off the freeway, called the dealer who promptly told me "you bought the car 'as is', it's your problem. "

As pissed as I was, they were right. I signed the bill of sale and agreed to the conditions. Sucked for me, but so be it. I bought an old, used sports car... comes with the territory.

BTW, I paid $1,295 for the car.

Two weeks later, I paid the ONLY FIAT mechanic in town $2,850 to pick it up after the ungodly repair job.

Oops.
 
Two weeks later, I paid the ONLY FIAT mechanic in town $2,850 to pick it up after the ungodly repair job.

Oops.


......And you're still driving a FIAT, right? Have to wonder if you are:
  1. Incredibly loyal
  2. Incredibly stupid
  3. Incredibly stubborn

:poke:


rotflmao
 
He called me 3 times after he drove off: first, he overfilled it and some gas spilled out when he turned a hard left. I told him that was normal, it happened to me a few times, it's the tank/filler neck design. No problem.

An hour later, it's dark, and he calls again, the instrument lights don't work. I told him I rarely drove it at night, but move the dimmer rheostat back and forth a few times. Lights came on. Okay, now I'm starting to get an uneasy feeling that this guy is going to drive me crazy.

Then, yesterday, the bomb; it's broke down. God I hate dealing with people who don't realize that when you buy a used car, it's not a new car. It's an old car. I've bought plenty of old, used cars that had issues. I didn't call the seller, I fixed the car.
I think you're going to need to draw the line with this guy or forever be on his speed dial
 
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I understand your trepidation and guilty feelings, you're a nice guy and don't want to feel as though you somehow wronged the buyer.

However, this isn't something you could have seen coming at all. A fuel pump especially gives no advance warning. It works until it doesn't. You did nothing wrong, weren't in any way dishonest.

It's his car now. That makes it solely his problem and his responsibility to fix. It sucks, but life does that sometimes.

Right after I met Mrs. OGG, I bought an old FIAT from a lot 40 miles away. I had really been wanting and looking for another X1/9 for a while, and this random used car lot had a nice example for sale at a really good price. I made two trips down there to check it out and test drive it. Both times, it ran like a champ and I could find no flaws with it.

Went back with Kristy and bought it. Got halfway home, going up a long, steep grade on the freeway and BANG!

MASSIVE head gasket failure.

Limped it off the freeway, called the dealer who promptly told me "you bought the car 'as is', it's your problem. "

As pissed as I was, they were right. I signed the bill of sale and agreed to the conditions. Sucked for me, but so be it. I bought an old, used sports car... comes with the territory.

BTW, I paid $1,295 for the car.

Two weeks later, I paid the ONLY FIAT mechanic in town $2,850 to pick it up after the ungodly repair job.

Oops.

That's what he's in for, he's going to be pissed and he's going to have to get some tools together and fix the car he just bought. That sucks. I understand his frustration.

Now I'm waiting for the "hey man, can I just have my money back". After he's probably done a dozen burnouts and hard launches too, I bet.

I can feel it. And I'm going to have to be that guy who says "you bought the car 'as is', it's your problem. " I hate being that guy :grin:
 
You were more than honest and it was sold AS IS and that's to give you peace of mind. Use the piece of mind and tell him to take the $800 you reduced the price by and go buy a freaking fuel pump. You did nothing wrong. Sleep well on that.
 
I simply trade in or sell my used cars to carmax just to avoid the dealing with people. I know I'll lose some of the money I could make off a private sale, but not having to deal with a private sale is worth it to me.

Last car I sold to a private party was a 1991 honda civic with 98K miles. I think I did the only thing worse than a private sale....I did a private family sale. I sold it to my wife's 2nd or 3rd cousin for a stupid low price to get rid of it. I think I asked for about half of the used car value in the blue book thing. Car was in good shape and was well maintained. Six months after I sold the car my wife get's an angry call from this kid's mom about selling him a defective car that needed shocks and cv boots and how despicable this was to screw a college student (her kid). My father in law offered to fix it for the kid in his shop, and it turns out the shocks and cv boots were fucked up when junior dropped it and stanced the thing with a blowtorch and some homemade camber plates. Like that is my fault. Kid's mom still thinks I am some sort of shifty character on a car that was sold for maybe a grand total, which was half of book price.
 
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I simply trade in or sell my used cars to carmax just to avoid the dealing with people. I know I'll lose some of the money I could make off a private sale, but not having to deal with a private sale is worth it to me.
That, or just donate it like bsman does.

I have given a car (truck) away; an old 1992 S10. Last I heard, the damn thing is still going.
 
Then, yesterday, the bomb; it's broke down. God I hate dealing with people who don't realize that when you buy a used car, it's not a new car. It's an old car. I've bought plenty of old, used cars that had issues. I didn't call the seller, I fixed the car.

If he wanted a warranty he should have gone to Carmax.
 
Or you can always as a private buyer ask the owner if you can have the car in for a through inspection by a mechanic of your choice and have them look the car over. Even then there is no way they would diagnose a soon to be bad fuel pump.

I think your offer to pay for the part is more than generous. Anything beyond that is not your worry. You buy a 27 year old car you expect maintainence issues. Period.
 
Or you can always as a private buyer ask the owner if you can have the car in for a through inspection by a mechanic of your choice and have them look the car over. Even then there is no way they would diagnose a soon to be bad fuel pump.

I think your offer to pay for the part is more than generous. Anything beyond that is not your worry. You buy a 27 year old car you expect maintainence issues. Period.

I feel like I am going the extra mile for this guy, I've been there. If I can help, and I do know the car inside and out, I will. But beyond the FP repair, I'm out.
 
He's going to hate pulling that tank when it's full to get to the pump. I had the same thing happen to my '90 5.0 after filling the tank. Fired it up after gassing up and it died right there.

Why's a guy buying that Mustang for a baby hauler anyway? Dude doesn't think things through...cut your losses.
 
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