ScoobyDoo555

Well, I'm not sure......

I'm flogging my car and I've just had a phone call from a prospective buyer

All was going well, he was asking a lot of questions about the car etc, then we got to him seeing the car.

He WANTED to see the car tonight (about 1.5 hours away), and subject to it being ok, pay cash.

Now, my "spidey-sense" went off!
I fed him a line that I'd need to check with the wife to see if we were available. I'd call him back in 10 mins.

Did so, stating that tonight wasn't good as too short notice. His response was that we could meet in the evening at a petrol station or whatever.

At this point I said, nah, I can arrange to see you next Saturday, but it would be AM (due to my daughter's birthday in the afternoon) and we could pay any resulting money into the building society there and then.

His response was that a lot can happen in a week and that if I changed my mind, to drop him a text.
I said, likewise

NOW, my issue is that surely IF it was a car that was exactly what you wanted, surely you'd be willing to wait 5 days to see it and do it properly...

I think I may have dodged a bullet......

Or I've just lost a sale

Dan

bish667

iTrader: (1)

Does sound a little dodgy, if it was me i'd be happy to wait a week or so as long as thats what both parties agree.
Unless he was desperately needing a car straight away but then you'd maybe pick up on that.

fatherpierre

You'll never know

Run his mobile number through google and see if it gives you anything back....

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

Sounds a bit suss to me. Meeting in a petrol station, and just as you start to show him around his mates come around the corner throw you to one side and your car disappears. I'm an old sceptic, but you can never be too careful these days.

Just for my own benefit I always insist on going to the seller's house if I buy privately, if nothing else other than to assure myself that this isn't some trader trying to offload a shed. It's also easy to confirm the address on the V5 then too. Anything else seems too trusting for me this day and age

ScoobyDoo555

Well, it was also the issue that having that much cash, Bank Holiday, and the potential for funny money and other pitfalls.....

I'm also a sale "virgin"


Dan

ScoobyDoo555

And this was the mad thing - I wanted to meet at my house, to show all the particulars are in place!!

Frazzly

To be honest It doesn;t sound that out of place to me.

Normally when Im selling a car id bend over backwards to get it sold.

Go with a mate or two. Meet him and get it sold and have a nice week relaxing after selling the car. Especially in this climate where cars are just not selling.

What kind of value is the car?

s70rjw

iTrader: (2)

When I advertised my Escort Cosworth for sale some years ago, I took a call from a bloke in Leeds who wanted to view the car at 1030pm. I said no, he got sh*tty, saying he would never buy a car from me blah blah blah. The next day he phoned again at a reasonable time, viewed the car and paid me £500 cash deposit. A week later he paid me the outstanding £ 15500 in cash at a bank. If he's a genuine buyer, he should rappreciate the fact that you respect your car.

ScoobyDoo555

Car's worth about £4.5K.....

I've googled the number and it's come up with a few sales from pistonheads, primarily performance Audis, so he's a trader masking as a private seller (not really an issue).

The good news is that IF he's cosher, I've got contact with him to arrange a meeting.

What I don't get is that if he's buying at my asking price, I'd be intrigued as to what he would sell it on for, as mine's at the higher end of the scale....

Will give it a couple of days and see what happens. Still not sure!!

DAn

Frazzly

lol.

I had someone drive from Sheffield to Glasgow after work one night.

Got lost. Eventually arrived in glasgow at 12.

Sold the car in literally 15 minutes and he had to drive down for work the next morning.

Knowing it was a conversion and that the gearbox couldn;t hold out being abused all the way home he abused the car all the way home and blew the gearbox up.

I even reminded him of the fact before he left.

Needless to say he was late for work and rather tired by the time he got home.

robby

Sounds more dodgy to the buyer - someone selling a car wont let you see it for 5 days (hmm - is the seller going to have to bodge it up to get it running, etc), buyer has cash in hand but seller not desperate enough to wait in for him to drive 1.5 hours to view/ pick it up, buyer offers to meet at petrol station where seller can park under cameras for security

I think if i was the buyer i'd be suspicious?

Frazzly

Id sell him it tonight....

Get a mate. Dont go on your own and bobs your uncle.

ScoobyDoo555

That's a VERY valid, as I hadn't thought of it from that perspective.

My thought process was I can't do the week due to work commitments, and the best time would be weekend as it would give me time to send off the V5 (private plate transfer), get some support and find an official receptacle for the cash (bank etc)

Does that sound dodgy? Thought it was being pretty fair tbh

Dan

cossie-nutter

iTrader: (45)

Sounds perfectly normal to me and all blown out of proportion!

I have people who ring up all the time wanting parts and cars on the spur of the moment all the time!

Maybe yours was the right car and maybe he hasn't got a car as sold his other 1 to buy another!(Ie Yours!) and is back to work tommorow and has spent all weekend looking and not found anything nice. Sounds like he wanted to buy the car today and was trying to make things as easy as possible to buy it by saying he meet you anywhere anytime etc...

Lots of genuine reasons and impulsive buys

I think IMHO it would of been fine and a deal could of happened!

I must admit it does frustrate me when I am after a car (for my self of sales car) and ring up and people say come next week or later in the week as that's no good for what I do! The way I see it is "If" you want to sell a car you sell a car not ***** foot about delaying things.

But hey that's how I work I never switch off and always on the case to make money!

Frazzly

everyone has there own opinions dude.

Personally when Im looking for a car and someone says contact me in 5 days I give it a miss. Id rather someone was keen to sell the car you know.

Hey, Good luck with selling it anyway.

ScoobyDoo555

Well, the good news is that I've left it open (at his request) to text him if a free time appears....

As you say, would be mad to let it get away - still this IS my first car sale, and it's a big one (to me anyway!!) and I didn't want to get shafted....... can afford to lose out on this (not in this day and age!!)

Dan

Jer

If I'm buying a car i'm normally so excited I can't sleep and want the car ASAP. Asking the guy to wait a week is out of order. Why could he not just come round to your house tonight and buy the car. It only take half an hour.

scoobyvirgin

I'd say you've lost out, maybe he had a punter for the car and wanted it asap so he could shift it on.

Jaybird-UK

Sounds OK to me, when I want something i want it NOW!!!! no Id rather buy elsewhere than wait a week, you lost a sale IMO.

Jamz3k

same here, when i bought my current car i rang the guy up, was down at his place within 45minutes and by 46minutes he had a deposit from me just seeing the interior and going WOW i want it! didn't matter that the rest of the car was a complete shed, i was like a dog with two dicks

ScoobyDoo555

Ah well, if I've lost it, I've lost it. Chalk it down to in-experience on my part combined with paranoia (got most of that from my days of Subaru-ownership )

Will text the chap tomorrow (the door might still be open) - you never know


Besides, I need to get my plate off the car - DVLA should be able to sort that tomorrow (at least the postage side - photocopy the doc for the chap to see)

Dan

Dedrater

Seems OK to me to, when I want a car I don't phone up and inquire about one when I haven't got the money, I will have everything in place and are willing to do there and then, I know only too well what its like finding a car, fumbling around, deciding that I want it, then being told its already sold!

I think the bloke sensed you were nervous about him coming to you, so gave you a more secure option of meeting in a public place with CCTV.

ScoobyDoo555

Will let you know the outcome today - gonna see if the private plate can be removed today (will take pics/copies of the V5 as proof that it's being sorted).
I can then confirm his address, as I'll need it to forward on the change of ownership when it's returned with the new/old registration. Just an extra bit of insurance.

I've also managed to get hold of a UV & pen "thingy" to check the notes.

I'd also ask him to bring his driver's license and a utility bill registered to his address - or is this too much?

*IF* I can real him back in (if it's too late, I'll have to take one on the chin), he shouldn't have any objection to this. Should he?

Dan - so many questions from the inexperienced!!LOL!

cookstar

iTrader: (6)

I say too much for the bill, it pisses me right off how intent people/companies seem to be to gather information off of everyone these days.

If the guy wants to come and buy the car, and the money is good, then let him!

Unless your selling a rare car that I couldn't find elsewhere I would blow the deal out if you started asking me for things like that.

psigeek

iTrader: (17)

The only thing I might like is for him to actually deposit the money in the bank. Let the bank decide if anything is dodgy or not when they accept the cash of transfer or whatever. He can do a normal transfer or a CHAPS one (costs £30) but is instant. You pay the £30, money's in the bank, car sold.

[-(o)-]

iTrader: (1)

When I sold my old one I held onto the V5 until the cash was banked. Simple, but at least that way you retain legal ownership.

StickyMicky

I broke every single rule in the guide book when i got rid of mine

it was awesome!!!

the lad wanted to do a deal with me to swap the 97 scoob for a 53 plate MG

only he was trying to hide the fact that it had been in a crash, to the extent of "losing" the section of the v5 that explains that its been in a crash, i had already HPI`d it so i knew what the deal was. he magically found the front part of the V5 when i said i would not swap cars without it "it must have fell under the seat"

he thought he was scamming me good and proper, ringing me up with **** and bull stories about how he was going away, and would like to do the deal after i finished work (ie in the dark)

we met up halfway between each others homes in a floodlit hospital car park as he was from down south

i walked around his car and saw the bad front wing alignment, nobody did a test drive

he must have thought i was a right schmuck

so i let him believe what he wanted, we did the swap (now that felt proper naughty LOL)

i switched my phone off and buggered off back up the A1 as fast as i could.



i wonder how far he got home before the engine gave up, as i had done around 5k miles with only 10psi compression in number 4 cylinder



i put the value of the scoob at about 2k, it needed yet another feckin engine (my 4th??) at about 3k, to me it was costing me a grand instead of it being worth anything at all and i was sick of the thing


the scammer, got scammed, it felt class

i don't recommend people do car deals this way, the potential for problems is quite large lmfao

Leslie

If he turns up with the cash, I can't see the problem. But have a mate or two with you if you see him away from home.

Les

StickyMicky

ps.the best part for me was when i asked him where the front part of the V5 was, and he said he did not know, i then told him he must have seen it as it should tell you on that part that its been in a crash?

to which he replied "ohh has it been in a crash?" pmsl

at this point his 2 mates walked away and had a quiet chat and i heard one of them say "he knows" pmsl

later on the lad told me that he had tried to get the correct front spoiler for the car after the crash but couldn't source one (and i thought he didnt know it had been bumped LOL)

after this, i had no ill feelings at all of me shafting the git good and proper

awesome!

boxst

I am sometimes a little impatient, so wouldn't want to wait a week. However, I would want to come to your house / see all the documents etc...

Steve