Closed the Deal on a vehicle.. and literally YANKED at the last second!

[sledge]

Ok so I get a call for a vehicle.
I head up on my lunch.. get the "I'm broke, need Christmas $" line. Cool!

I get there- car won't start- engine warm- obviously something is wrong.
I look it over- it's a $200 car all day. (I can go to $300 max.. but I'll only clear about $150 off of it.)

I tell the guy that with it being that it dies every time you don't have your foot on the gas.. it could be a number of things. Hood is toast, body is dinged, interior is SHOT, OEM Converter gone!
He says "Its gotta be out of gas" this right after he told me "it runs- I just went to the gas station.. not 5 minutes before you got here" I asked him if he had his title for it "Yeah.. but it is locked in storage and we can't get it out until tax time."

I offer $250.. he gives me the "Man my wife would kill me- How about $700" OY!


I explain why it is a $200 car without being offensive.

I said "I can do $300 max" I get the "Man I don't know?!" I said "Look I can do $300 cash in your hand.. right now.. would be a good chunk to buy Christmas presents right?" He says "I think I gotta talk to my wife- you can come in if you want" I said "Nope- you go talk to her.. I'll be outside" I make a few calls and he comes back pleading for $400. I'm ready to walk.

He stops me and says "Ok, $300, its better than nothing at all- and I can really use the $300.. so cool.... we got a deal!" I grab my paperwork and fill out a bill of sale, take his DL #, and his buddy is apparently digging the registration out of the trash.. he finds it- I put it with my stuff. He takes his key off his keyring, I have Bill of Sale written out, ready to swap keys and get signature. I said "You only have the 1 key or 2? He says I'll check in the trailer.. He comes back out of the trailer and says "Well dude.. ya just got outbid.. the dude in there who pulled the registration out of the trash says he'll give me $400.. $200 now and $200 later"

I'm flippin FURIOUS! I give him back his license, close up my padfoilio and start walking.. all the while he's saying "Sorry man.. sorry... sorry for wastin your time.. ahh man.. Sorry"
I never looked back.

THAT is a first for me! Never struck a deal and got it yanked out from under me like that before!

[JohnC4X4]

Been there >> Done That!!

[sledge]

Been there >> Done That!!

This was my "Cherry Pop" hopefully it is a "few and far between" thing!

[BRASSCATCHER]

Glad you walked and stuck to your price. Dont be surprised he calls you back when his " buddy" cant come up with the money. By then he will be happy to get what you originally offered.

[jghilino]

never lost a sale at time of pickup, that sucks

you said at $300 youd still make $150, so the guy that bought it for $400 only making $50 or maybe a little more so knowing that helps

[Carhuntr]

Had that happen this summer had a complete rv for 100 bucks because it sat for 4 years came out with the moeny oh i guess my aunt wants it now but she says if i get 500 it can go but ended up gettign even sweeter deals out of the mix old pickup for 50 bucks 100 pounds of copper for another 50 (nice payout there) 3 grain bins im scheduled to tear down in the spring and a pieces of antiqu farm machinery from her place then the girl calls me up a week later hey my dad said he has 2 cars and a grain truck you can have so i go out there and end up scoring all the old machinery out there as well for FREE so ya never know the guys friend may back out and he may call up begging you to take it for 200 then even give you a lil extra "gravy" to go on the potato's

[Bear]

his friend said 200 now and 200 later, I wonder if "later" will ever happen ; )

[jghilino]

his friend said 200 now and 200 later, I wonder if "later" will ever happen ; )

never do business with friends, been there done that

[sledge]

his friend said 200 now and 200 later, I wonder if "later" will ever happen ; )

You read my mind.. That dude just sold that car for $200 bucks!

If he does call back.. my price goes DOWN.. already spent gas once.. a second trip means more time and money I'm spending to make the same amount I would have. So if he calls back. He'll be lucky to pry $250 out of my hands.

The guy buying it apparently wants to drive it. I wish him well. Either a sensor is going out, there is a bad ground or there is something messed up with the fuel system (pump, clogged filter etc) I should have told the guy.. "Hey when your buddy figures out its a $200 car.. forward him my #"

[JohnC4X4]

Glad you walked and stuck to your price. Dont be surprised he calls you back when his " buddy" cant come up with the money. By then he will be happy to get what you originally offered.

Been there >> Done that >> TO
At that point I drop the offer $50.00
That helps cover the first trip

[JohnC4X4]

If he does call back.. my price goes DOWN.. already spent gas once.. a second trip means more time and money I'm spending to make the same amount I would have. So if he calls back. He'll be lucky to pry $250 out of my hands.

I was reading top to bottom,
So I hadn't seen your post when I did mine
Good to see were on the same page

You dropped $50.00 just like I do

[sledge]

I was reading top to bottom,
So I hadn't seen your post when I did mine
Good to see were on the same page

You dropped $50.00 just like I do

He he.. Great minds think alike!

[taterjuice]

Yeah I get tired of that old line, well Johnny said he'd give me
350, when Im standing there with 300$, the second Tuesday of next week. I always tell em good luck with that and call me when Johnny can't find the greenbacks. That guy sounds like a moon calf and a complete waste of your time, good thing is karma always comes back round.

[Sirscrapalot]

Maybe Karma will strike back an the friend will end up just buying aq hunk of junk he can't fix or get rid of..ha!

Karma has a way of kicking people in the pants when they act like fools.

Sirscrapalot - I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness. - Emo Philips

[Focker]

i had almost the same thing happen to me about a month ago.These people down the street have a 96 explorer wanted me to look at i offer them $400.They say ok well then i got some cars from the auction i had to do and they kept calling i told them i was busy would get it asap.So a few days later i go down there with truck and trailer the guy comes out he signs my paperwork and everything.I havent paid him yet.Then he can't find the keys his mom had took them to the doctor with her.Says she will be back in a hour or so and that he would call me.

I about a hour and a half passes still havent heard from him so i call him no answer.Wait about another 20 minutes call him again no answer.So i tell the wife i am just going to ride down there and get it she says ok.So as i go down the street i see a truck with a tow dolly.I pull around the block and her it is coming out of the driveway.I said what's up dude he says sorry for wasting your time man but this is my uncle he is going to buy it and try to fix it.He works on our cars and i don't want to get him mad.He is giving me $300 for it i said are you kidding you're losing out on a extra $100 he says i know but i am looking into the future lol.I said ok have a good one and left lol.

Seems like they would have called him before the bugged the **** out of me for a week or what if i would have gotten it when i was there earlier and there was no keys lol.Some people i tell you.This is why i mainly buy from auctions because dealing with stupid people is not worth it to me.

[BurlyGuys]

I get these all the time in junk removal/ Help, I'm being evicted, can you come get my stuff. I start calling in a crew, get the
truck loaded call her and she says never mind, my friend is doing it.

I KNOW to take an over the phone deposit on these, I just don't always THINK to do it!

[Damotademon7]

That would make me want to b*tch slap the crap out of them. I have dealt with this same thing buying and selling non scrap cars.

[gravygrabber]

Reminds me of when I was trying to flip cars that needed work. I'm a mechanic in my day job and I would look for broken "projects" to fix and flip. I lived in CA. at the time and it's almost impossible to get a decent deal anymore with all the competition. I remember hunting CL one day and noticed a Mitsubushi Lancer came up for $800 obo and had a bad transmission. I call and get a price on a tranny and decide it's worth my time to look at it. Call the guy, get directions and head over. Now the guy is fielding calls from everyone else and telling them come on down too. Personally I understand wanting to sell it but it creates problems when multiple people show up to look at it. I show up and I'm looking at it and noting mentally all the "other" problems it has (body dents and dings, thrashed interior, tires, windsheild, etc.) and adding up this in my head to decide if it's worth it. I offer the guy a little less and I'm explaining why and a Russian guy pulls up in some junker and immediately jumps into the conversation we were having and started a bidding war (or tried to) by offering the guy $1000. Now at $800 I didn't think it was worth it. I work on cars for a living and I know exactly how much $$ it would cost to make the car sell able. I'm walking off now pretty pissed and I'm telling the seller to sell it to the other guy thanks for wasting my time and another Russian is pulling up and getting out and offering the guy something without even looking at the car. I just was like screw it not worth my time and left. Cars to flip and hard to find anymore. Too many bottom feeders out there that will cut corners and sell cars that are not road worthy.