PITA Tire Kicker Excuses

I was selling a daily transportation car on Craig's list,got the typical calls and two younger guys show up.They had a clue about cars,asked the right questions,looked it over ,then asked to take a ride.I told them it has no insurance or plates,but I'll pull a plate off one of my other vehicles so it'll at least look legal for the test ride.The two guys watch me take the plate off and screw it on the for sale car.We all pile in the car,take a short ride.We discuss the price,they make a reasonable cash on the spot offer.I take the money,ask em when they are coming for the car.They will drive away the car right now.....seems they have a legal Dealer license plate in the chase car.So,I ask why they didn't offer the dealer plate for the test ride? The guy says it might not make them look ethical? What the fuck is ethical about a dealer plate? They drove away,I got my money,who cares...........

 

when i was selling my '52 international I had a guy show up and tell me it really was in great shape but he only wanted to offer me $250 since all he wanted to do was cut it up and make it into a trailer.

 

I just got this PM,

hey! greetings from your southern neighbor, lookin for a rod 4 my family of 5, tryin 2 sell sum stuff, din't know if u were interested, i know this is a long shot but here i go... 73 honda cb pretty much restored done up cafe style, 96 geo prizm 146 on the clock sweet groceery getter (made by toyota!! ) old school vdc bmx f/f an tons of vintage bmx stuff ??????? i think i'll stop hope i didn;t waste your time thanx

I'm happy with any reply to my ad, but that is an odd collection to offer as a trade.
Well, to me anyway.

Norton

 

Nothing bothers me more in the world than to see a misrepresented car or a timewaster expecting a 100 point trailer queen fora daily driver price.I have been on both sides of the fence.
I had a 46 Chevrolet truck I was selling that was my daily driver. I put it on feebay and set the reserve at only $7500 goos solid truck 350 350 ps pb new www nice interior and acouple of subtle body mods all in all a 10k truck.
This douchebag calls me and says to send my auction because hes coming from out of state to pay my reserve price.I told him i was not willing to do that because notonly would i loose my listing fees but also any potential buyer that was bidding on it.he was sore about it but drove several hundred miles in a fairly new toyota truck and brought his swamp donkey wife with him.he hopped in my truck and I let him drive it. he the n told me he was going to get ahotel down the road and think about it over night the guy wasted alot of my time with pics calls questions and testrides so i felt i earned the right to say this." i gota better idea why dont you and her hop in that japanese shitboxes and get the fuck out of my yard before you end up spending the night in ICU! fUCK I WAS STEAMIN!! he left screaming some bullshit out his window.

 

the truck sold on ebay the next day for 8300 and went to the uk .800 more than i was willing to sell it to an asshole for!Heres the deal, my toys my rules like it or press on!

 

I love these stories! It's kinda like group therapy. Anyway, I got another one: the same truck I mentioned before, just a different idiot. Like I said, it was a well-worn Mazda pickup that served me well, but it did have a few miles (187K) and I priced it accordingly. I was very honest and had a pile of reciepts totalling $1100 of work done in the past year. I was only asking $1600 for the truck, so really, what could they expect? Anyway, this 19 year old kid shows up one day and asks to drive it, he attended the church across the street and was very clean cut and polite, so I let him. He returned an about 20 minutes or so and said he'd take it, but since it was late, could he please return tomorrow with the money. No problem I said, I had an appointment to get it smog-checked the next day anyway, so it would be ready to go. He had a freind drop him off at the agreed-upon time and as we agreed, he wanted to take it to a mechanic for a look-see. Again, no problem, he's young and inexperienced and needs another opinion, have at it. He returned an hour later ( kind of a long time since he said he's be "right back") but whatever. He then apologizes and says it's just not worth it, etc. No biggie, I'd only had for sale for a couple days, but then he says it was low on gas and he had to put some in it and expected me to pay for it! The thing had 1/4 tank when he left and got outstanding mileage, so maybe if he hadn't run all over hell making up his mind, it wouldn't have needed gas. I left him standing in the driveway with a puzzled look on his face.

 

Friends of mine once traveled about a 1000 miles to buy a "rust free" truck, when they got there they discovered it was patched, very poorly, over top of rust, when they ask the owner about it being rust free he said; "the rust is free". They left and drove back home, had he not been older then dirt he would have gotten a beat down for sure.

 

first with cash in hand buys it

when they leave without the item I write it off that they couldn't, wouldn't, buy it for whatever reason... and move on to the next thing that might make me some money.

 

Simple really, do what I do. Ask them on the phone if they have the cash in hand and are they bringing it with them. Remind them that the first looking that will be done upon their arrival at your place, is going to be you looking at their cash. If they don't have the cash in hand they will be treated as a trespasser. I have a sign that explains that on the garage door

There is no way in hell, I am letting any stranger into anyone of my buildings, without first knowing they are actually shopping for what I have to sell and not just casing the joint.

 

When I ask, "Make an offer". I'm sick of hearing: "How much do you need to sell it?".

Make a f*cking offer. And we'll go from there. Quit trying to "feel me out" with my prices. Usually when they ask I just tell them $20k just to get the goddamn ball rolling.

 

What should you do when people leave a deposit and never come back? Not car related but 4 years ago i had a tenant move out of and they never in any way have asked for their security deposit back. 550 is a fair amount of money in my eyes and if it were mine i would want it. How long do I hold it. My dad says indefinatly with the thought that the guy might be down on his luck someday and remember that the money is out there and really need it. I just never think about it.

 

personally, i will not buy from someone who says "make an offer" i feel it is the buyers responsibility to set a price, just common courtesy.

 

1)When selling something be prepared to have pictures to email. Even if you don't have a digital camera you know some one who does or use a regular camera and have them scanned at the local print shop, Walmart or drug store, it seems like everyone is doing it now a days for a few cents a piece. If you're posting the item on the internet you will have numerous requests for pictures and once you have them in your computer it takes a matter of a few minutes to email them. Have them set up in a special "For Sale" file on your computer so you don't have to search for them every time some one asks for pictures. If some one asks you to snail mail the pictures arrange pictures in a file so you can have four pictures per sheet of paper and print them using a color printer, again if you don't have a color printer find some one or some place that does. It's not that expensive and cheaper than havinge individual copies of actual pictures duplicated.

2)Take pictures from every angle with good lighting. It's very difficult to see what an under carriage of a car looks like if it's dark. If you don't know how to email pictures learn, it's not that hard and if you're able to post on this board you already have the skills to do it. If the interested party doesn't have internet access see if they know some one that does. As with digital cameras, almost every one either has it or knows some one with internet access.

3)Be honest, if you're going to dress up an item with some paint do a decent job, like you would do if you were going to keep it. If you're going to do a half ass paint job with a spray bomb to make it look nice in a picture leave it in it's present condition so the potential buyer can see the flaws in the pictures you're sending. You'll have a lot less hassle with a good description and honest pictures when the guy comes to look at it.

4)As a seller be honest about the value. Talk to a few friends and see what they think. Make sure they are giving you their honest opinion, not just being nice so as not to hurt your feelings about that car you've spent the last ten year pouring your time and money into. Also realize the custom touches you've done might be considered butchery by others which is going to devalue your car.

5)As a seller set a price range that you will accept. As LOWBLAZERO1 stated above, it's the seller's responsibility to put a value to the item. I have had a few dealings in the recent past where the sellers wants an offer. I hate that and will not make an offer. If you don't set a price you're only showing you're afraid you're not going to get the best price for it. Set a price and live with it. If a seller is persistent about me making an offer I will offer $1 and then tell the seller to counter offer. It's a waste of time.

6)As a buyer be honest and don't bother if you're not serious about buying something. If you just like shopping, with no intension's of buying, stay home and don't contact the seller. Don't say you're going to come back if you don' have intentions of buying. Be realistic and don't expect the seller to keep the item just because you say you want it, show them the money. Give a decent cash down payment to hold the item. If you take longer than a week to pick up the item without an agreement, preferably a written one if either party is smart, consider your down payment as storage and you've lost it.

7) As a buyer be prepared to pay a fare price. Everyone loves a great deal but don't be a cheap skate, if a seller lists a price expect maybe 5-10% wiggle room, don't expect the seller to take 50%, or 50% and a useless item. From the posts so far why would a person think some one who lives in a subdivision would want a goat or lives miles from a lake want a beat up boat? You can offer a trade but be realistic and be prepared for the trade not to be accepted. Show up with cash and a way to get the item back home, especially if you live some distance from the seller. If it's a big ticket item it's realistic to put a down payment down. The seller is not a storage company, he's selling the item because he needs the money and/or wants to get it off his property. A week might be OK but longer is stretching it and again, if you take your time you just might end up paying storage fees.

I think if both parties would consider the above rules there would be a lot less bitching about these types of transactions. As with everything else both sides have there stories and each side thinks they're in the right.

 

There is 100 years of good stories and advice from both ends on this post. Thanks for all the replies. A last note from me, when I'm selling something it is usually because I want to, not because I need to, so when a potential sale fails it's back to, next! Everthing worthy of its fair price will sell. Following some of the rational guides on this post will help eliminate the rif-raf..

 

"I gotta see if I can get my money back from the guy I bough THIS piece of shit from" and he points at the car he came in....

You know, cause I want to sell a car to a guy that comes back asking for a refund... Told him not to bother.

 

A friend of mine would agree to that. "The car will be here when you pay it off"

 

Yup, lawaway. Kmart does it, and they don't let you take the stuff home, either.
And the money laid away will NOT be refunded in any way, or at any time. Miss two payments, start over.

Deposits are listed as non-refundable. That way, I do NOT have to call, wonder, or even think about keeping the money available. If they wanted it bad enough to leave a deposit, they will return to give me the rest. If they do not, they are too stupid to be allowed in charge of that much money and should be relieved of what was obviously too large a burden for their little mind.

And, let's face it, sometimes we go look at a car just for the story to tell later: like the guy who listed a 1970 Coupe DeVille at $20,000. It's a story I can tell. True, I probably wasted his time, but he was an idiot who would likely only watch the telly anyway.

As for insulting offers: there aren't any. If you have been insulted by an offer, you take this too seriously. No one said that you HAD to sell it to this guy. And no one said that only nice people would talk to you for the remainder of your life. As for offers, anything goes: once, while at a swap, I was just looking at this utter piece of a CB750. Guy asked me if I liked it, I said, "I dunno...", he said "What'll you offer?" Me: "I'll take it out of your sight" Him: "It's yours." I thanked him and rolled it out of his sight.

Cosmo

 

So you're telling us that you went to look at a car to purposely waste some "idiot's" time, just so you can tell a story, and you justify it by thinking he watches T.V.??? Wow. You're one of the types of people referred to in this thread.

 

Hey man, I was just messin with ya, I had the rest of the dough in my pocket. That was a REALLY long walk back to the airport!

 

excuse me sir nice car you have for sale ... how much? well would you accept 300 hundred in food stamps and the other 200 in pennies ? now wait before you say no ... I even rolled up all the pennies ... now folks heres the kicker of this story , i was asking 6500 for the 55 chevy shoebox, she was driving a older mini van with like 3 kids ((( mixed of chorse ))) and when her son got out to complain he was starved about 90 happy meal boxes fell out and they did'nt even pick them up ... but the best part is later that night my buddy said he sold his moped that was setting out front of his house and the lady paid with all rolled pennies ((( he did'nt care money is money right ? ))) next day he called to borrow 500 dollars to bail his wife out of jail for trying to cash in rolls of pennies that was nothing more then cut off PVC filled with mud, got to love the people of our fine world nowdays

 

Really?? I was driving a 1970 DeVille at the time, was looking for a steel roof as a companion for the 'vert, and this was what showed up in the ads. Perhaps the ad was wrong, thought I (could have been $2000), so I went.

The story came as I found out he was SERIOUS about thinking the car was worth $20K, in spite of the condition of the car.

But, hey, maybe I am what you abhor. Luckily we all know that you have never gone to look at a car without buying it, and perhaps no one has ever looked at something that you are selling without full references, and a firm commitment to purchase beforehand.

Look, life is a game, you're not gonna get out alive, so have some fun, tell some stories, have some fun at an idiot's expense, someone has already had fun with you, thinking you were/are an idiot. I know there are many out there that have though myself as idiot, but the difference is - I don't care. I might even tell a story about it.

Hell, maybe even two-three stories. I've got perhaps 5 stories from just ONE O/T car I sold years ago.

Cosmo

 

A friend of mine had a good response to the age-old question "How much will you take for it"... "Make me an offer and I'll tell you if it's too high".

 

Back in '92 I parted out an old '67 Chrysler Newport. It had a low mileage great running 440 w Holley 4bbl /auto. It had a performance package and a sticker in the glovebox that read "High Perforformance Camshaft Option" with a checkmark.
I advertised in the local classifieds the engine/trans. I meet a guy named "Buelly'. He say's he loves old Mopars but is down on his money. Then asks if he can make payments.
I said "sure, but it stays here til paid off". He pays on it like clockwork for 3 months straight.
Then tumblweeds for 16 weeks,,,, nothing. No phone call,,, nothing.
Out of the blue he calls,,,(now it's been 4 months and a couple a weeks later).
He asks "Can you deliver the engine and stuff and let me take back up paying it off ?"
I told him he lost the engine,, I sold it.
He became irate,,cussing and saying I'll hear from his lawyer,,which never happened. I still see him at carshows,,,he never says "hi".
He's a handfull of the inbreds here locally that still talk about me,,O~Well.


Another story you'll find out of this world.
I was a teenager in '83 and at the local salvage yard digging around (hangout) and heard loud words coming from the entrance. I walked over and a saw the owner, he and a dark complected man wearing bright colors were getting loud and waiving their arms. I walked closer and the African was holding the alternator and had his other hand up with all fingers open and saying "I give you, Fi-dollas".
The owner said again,,"it's $20.oo Bud, I told you".
The dark guy again "No!! Fi-dollas".
Then the owner said "Here",, and put out both hands to take it back from the guy. He looked down and handed it to him.
Then the owner rared back and in a couple of steps threw that alternator out of sight into a pile of cars.
Then he said "Now it's $5.oo motherfuker".
He turned and went back into the building. I watched the guys get in their car and leave.
This is for an alternator off an old '79-'80 Plymouth Arrow. He went out and pulled the part while the African was in the AC inside waiting. When he returned the guy would not pay what he was asking.

 

my standard answer is to rasie the price by a couple of hundred, when i get the deer in the headlights look i tell them they opened negotiations. you need to set the tone of the converstation. money talks bullshit walks in my garage

 

That is priceless

 

last fall i drove over 400 miles to pick up another 39 ford cabover i had spotted on a buy/sell website. i had talked to the guy on the phone about 4 times and figured i would like to buy it so i set up a day that worked for both of us,got the cash out of the bank and was quite excited to be purchasing another c.o.e. well i got up at 3;30am of the set day and bee lined it the 400 miles. his directions were right on but driving down his long driveway something didn't look right,the closer i got the madder i got. the cherry grill that was in his pictures was now a piece of tin with a oval hole cut into it,this running truck that i was told i could drive onto the trailer hadn't run since it had been rolled way back when. buddy came out of the house with a big i just caught a sucker grin on his face that i wanted to punch the crap out of. that grin left when i started to question the condition of the truck. his replies were- i photoshopped the grill from another truck so people would know what its supposed to look like. i think it would run with some work. i don't think its been rolled,all these old trucks have that gap on the drivers side windshield and they never did fit. then he says , you came all this way make an offer. i said how about 500. and i'll drift you in the side of your skull. he asked me to get off his property.

 

The good thing about "TIRE KICKERS" is that if you have guy or neighbor you dont like, post his car for sale in the free weekly papers in your area. It's so fun to watch!!! I had a guy call me because my racetruck is for sale and he said the book value was way off, wanted to make me an offer based on that!!

 

Pex,

I had basically the same happen to me. Saw a truck on the 'Bay that didn't sell three times. First time the starting price was $1200, the next $1000 and the last $800. The ad said "Runs Great!!" and the pictures of the truck looked like it was in decent shape. I threw the seller an offer of $700 and he accepted. I drove 400 miles, on the way I made stops to drop off parts and pick up other parts to make the trip worth my time and gas. I showed up earlier than expected and was to meet the seller in a small town to follow him out in the country to get the truck. I called the phone number I was given, it was out of service. I checked to make sure the number was correct, it was. I called everyone in the small with the same last name, no one knew the guy. Finally, two hours later, a little later than our agreed upon time the guy shows up and asks my name. He said he came by when I didn't call. I told him his phone number was out of service, he asks what number and when I tell him the number he gave me he says, "Oh sorry, that's my old number". Any ways, I follow him out into the country, out in the frickin' middle of nowhere. As we pull into the yard, it looked like a scene out of Dukes of Hazard with junkers spread out, chickens and pigs and a horse tied to the side of the house. In the trees I see the truck with 8" trees growing closely around it. I pop the hood of the truck and see there's no battery. As second guy comes out of the house, the actual owner, and I ask if he has a battery. He says no, but I doubt it'll start. I said, "Your eBay ad said it runs great". He replies, "Yeah, when I parked it 8-9 years ago." I grab the fan and the engine is stuck solid. I tell him the engine is junk and the truck isn't worth anywhere near the agreed upon price and offer him $400. He told me he could get more for it as scrap. I said good luck and started to walk away, he flags me down and says, "OK, $400". Then it turns interesting. The guy had to cut a few 8" trees down to get the truck out of the woods and as we're loading the truck onto the trailer the first guy comes out of the house with a case of beer and two shot guns and yells to the second that he cleared the area behind the barn and wanted to do some target practice. Here we are, my wife and two young sons with these two back woods yokels with shot guns. They knew I had more money on me and we were out in the middle of nowhere. I called my brother back home and told him in a quite, calm voice our general location and the name on the emails I got from the seller and if he didn't hear back from me in one hour that he should call the cops. I never loaded a vehicle so fast on a trailer in my life. I just threw the chains across the frame and got the hell out of there. I stopped a mile or two down the road to readjust the chains and call my brother to let him know we were OK.

It was pretty scary at the time but now it makes for a good story.

 

about a decade ago, 69 F100 kidof crappy, but it runs & drives, I want $600.00.
I'm in the shop(coveralls and greasy) this kid walks up, interested in the truck, and want to drive it. I hand him the keys and jump in the passenger side( I didn't quite trust him).
He drives around a few blocks "$550.00?" he askes.
"Sure"
"Well, I need to cash a check can we run up to the check cashing place?"
It sounded a little off but I agreed
We roll less than a mile, he runs into the check cashing place...
I wait....
and wait....
Cop cars come flying into the parking lot.
Cop run onto the place...Dudes up against the wall in there.
"Oh crap" is repeating over and over in my head.
Lady Cop walks over, wants my story, I tell her all the details, she still want my ID.
I wait some more....
She comes back"Good news and Bad news".
I gulped.
"As soon as we're out of the way, your free to go" she says" But your not selling your truck to him....Oh, maybe in five to ten" .

 

tire-kickers and nose-pickers. that's what I call them.