So the deal I had going with a guy on the Swedespeed forums fell through. I told the seller I wanted to buy the car and was ready to fly down to get it after it was inspected tomorrow, but the seller contacted me via text to tell me that his wife just sold it to a co-worker even though we had a deal in place. I had flat out told the seller I was buying the car, but he said he needed to fix a few things (ABS module repair). In the meantime I guess he sold out the car from underneath me. I've tried contacting him, but he won't respond...so I guess I need to find a different car. You would have though he would have at least called me. I probably would have gone above his asking price!

So I am sad that I don't have a car lined up. If you know of a good Volvo sport wagon (preferably a V70R, 855R, or 855 T-5R) for sale on the West Coast, let me know. I have cash in hand!

 

Post your above statement on the swedespeed forum.
It will serve to warn members in there of the sellers lack of reliability and integrity.
Keep it factual only and non defamatory though.
If he accepted your price and has acknowledged the fact to you by email he has entered into a 'contract to sell' with you to which he may be legally bound.

 

I don't think it matters. I don't think he will be back on the forums as he wasn't a hardcore Volvo-guy. He didn't have a very high post count, maybe 20.

Not sure I have anything concrete in writing anyway since a lot was done on the phone, but we had a set price and I was always telling him I was coming to get it with e-mails like,

"Awesome! Then I can book my flight. Once you set you appointment time, give me a heads up so I can contact them while the car is there. I can't wait to pick it up. Try to stay cool, I saw how hot it is down there!

I keep eagerly awaiting more updates. Thanks again,

Bill"

I would have flown down even sooner to buy the car, but he had to send out the abs control module for repair. Otherwise I would have bought the car early this week.

 

That sucks man. I don't know where your located, or what your budget is; but this V70 looks like it's in very good condition and owned by a Volvo enthusiast.

$5500 in Sonora, factory 19T!


http://goldcountry.craigslist.org/cto/4036997238.html

 

I talked to the owner of this car yesterday, but I was a bit put off by the issues with the car and the asking price. The owner says the car has an exhaust leak, isn't reaching full boost, and has fairly significant body damage (front right fender). To me, this car just isn't worth $5,500 in this condition. He is asking for high retail value for a pristine car, and this car is not pristine and probably would take $2K to make pristine. Correct me if I am way off here.

You can see the big dent here (and scuffed front end)-

 

I'd like to start by saying I don't think you should be upset about the car being sold. I sell stuff ALL THE TIME and my policy has always been, "if I don't have a dime or written contract, I don't have a deal." Talk & e-mail are cheap, but a deposit means something. Next time you find a car you like, move quick, write up an agreement the both of you can sign, and send a deposit.

When I pitcked the wagon I now have, I had an educated suspicion that the "seller" was a meth user. He did not have possession of the car, the title was NOT in his name and he was 1,500 miles away and he was claimimg that the car had a computer problem effecting the transmission (not to mention the poor quality photos). A craigslist classic. It all worked out but I did send him a written agreement that he printed, signed, and sent me a photo of on his phone. That was enough for me to Walmart him a deposit. There is more to that story but that's the jist.

Other than that, when you find a car you like, talk straight to the seller. Evaluate the car and make an offer. Any prestine 14 year old car will be kept by the owner, why would they sell it if it's in good shape. Every one you find will have issues. Set a base price, deduct issues, and make the seller an offer. You having the car inspected is a good thing.

Sorry you missed out on the car but there may have been a reason he didn't want it inspected.

 

 

Actually he is the one who volunteered to have the car inspected and said he would pay for it because he was so confident it was a great car. I did everything I could on my end to speed up the deal. I explained I had cash in hand and was ready to fly down the minute he said the car was ready. All along he made it sound like it was my car. The only thing that slowed down the deal was the seller himself. I would have given him the full asking price earlier in the week!

I guess that's why I was surprised. At no point did he mention other potential buyers. He made it sound all along that it was my car. He switched the tires to new ones that I selected. We had an appointment at a shop for inspection. It all pointed to it being my car in just a few days. Then he blindsides me with the message that his wife's co-worker is buying it for his full asking price via e-mail. No chance for me to make a counter offer, nothing. I would have raised it to above his asking price if he had let me. But he won't return my calls, texts, or e-mails. So I guess that's why I'm mad, I think he should have at least called me and/or given my a chance at a counter offer.

Oh well, that's life. I am sure I fill find something else soon-ish.

 

Yeah that's true.

Offer him $4k, and explain that the car isn't worth 55 in that condition. Worth a shot.. That's weird about the exhaust leak though, unless it's a massive manifold leak it shouldn't affect boost.

 

Bla, bla, bla... have you not read a word I wrote? All that talking means nothing when it comes to selling stuff until someone signs a contract or money exchanges hands ".".

 

I've read everything you wrote, I just disagree with you. I think you are 100% right in legal terms. I am also one of those guys that believes if you agree to terms verbally, then a man's word is their bond. I agreed to the sellers terms, told him I wanted the car, and the seller agreed. I think I have every right to be unhappy with his decision to sell to someone else when we had already agreed on a deal.

When I went to go buy my Charger SRT8 I went down to a local deal and looked at a super rare Plum Crazy Purple car which was one of 300 in the world. I test drove the car, got the dealership to agree on a price of $28,000 out the door (including tax, licensing, etc.). I asked for them to clean up the car and I would be back the following day to test drive and buy the car. I showed up the next day and after the test drive I was told that the price they game me was a "mistake" and that they wanted $28,000 + all the fees. They said they couldn't do it and had to get the owner's approval. After 2 hours of waiting for the owner, I got tired of waiting. and left. Technically, what this dealership did I suppose is legal. Others might consider it a bait and switch. I knew at that point I would NEVER deal with this dealership again. I actually bought another SRT8 on the way home for less money.

I am a real true Eagle Scout. I believe in being honorable and true to your word. Maybe I hold myself to a higher standard. But to me, my word is my bond.

I understand that the guy with the V70R did nothing LEGALLY wrong. But what he did to me is MORALLY wrong. You may disagree, but you aren't going to change my opinion on it. I do agree that from now on I may go the route you mentioned in my other post about sending a conditional deposit. But once again, legally I don't think there is anything stopping them from returning the deposit and selling the car to someone else if they get a higher offer.

 

Grimlock,

FWIW, I agree with you. Morally wrong no matter what. Sad that it has come to the point where a man's word and honor mean nothing anymore.

 

I thought I seen somewhere that you were in the USA, where about 5% of the population operates on morals. Good luck with that. I can't count how many times people have told me one thing and done another. I understand your feelings and position but I'm just trying to help you get further in this process. If you like the game of chance, go right ahead. I guess you can vent here and someone will fell sorry for you.

 

I agree with you that the odds of the deal going through would have been higher if I followed the rspi-protocol. That being said, the deposit doesn't hold him to the deal legally. He could just refund the deposit and say he is selling to someone else. Or he could run off with the deposit and never be heard from again. It's not like I am going to fly down to SoCal to sew him in small claims court for a $250.00 deposit.

In the end, the situation sucked, but it is over. I am more interested in finding a different car at this point and moving on.

Check out this video I got from a guy in SoCal selling his 850R. What do you guys think?

 

How much is he asking for it? Has a lot of cosmetic issues that I can see. Maybe $3,000 max.

 

lol Now you have taken the guy from being a poor business man to a flat out thief. Most people are not good when dealing with business things but very few people will steal from you.

They will regret selling that car to her workmate next month as soon as something breaks on that old car and they start accusing them of knowing things was wrong with it. These cars have issues arise every month, and that person will be bothering them about it all the time.

 

I agree with that policy 100%.

Frankly, I appreciate when someone has the strength enough to *ask* for a deposit. It shows they are serious.

Some people just "go with the flow" when their lips start moving. They say whatever comes out and sounds good with no regard for follow-through. They might even mean well (not defending liars), but just don't think about what they are saying.

 

He wants $4,100.

 

Did you make him an offer? With those cosmetics due, I'll bet one or more of the big 7 need to be fixed.

 

No offer. I told him it was too far gone for me. I think even if I got it for free, I'd have $6K+ more in it before I would be happy. The interior was a mess and so was the paint...and who knows about the mechanical issues.