Can I get help with a moral dilemma?

So I agreed to trade my Mustang for a Toyota if the guy could get a clear title for his  car. Well I haven't heard from him in a week and have been offered a vehicle I want a lot more than the Toyota in question.

I've tried multiple times to reach the current owner of the Toyota to see what the situation was with it and I haven't gotten any reply. I really don't want to go back on my word here but I'm having 2nd thoughts about the Toyota in general even if I don't take this new offer.

Not only am I questioning the title situation, I've thought more about some of what I saw looking at the car and I'm beginning to suspect some hidden electrical issues I'd really rather not deal with. 

And as stated, the other offer I got is much more interesting to me. 

Any thoughts? Basically I'm trying to do my best not to be an shiny happy person but also avoid forcing myself into a vehicle I don't think I actually want.

A week of not being able to reach the guy to find out if the trade is even a viable option would be enough excuse for me!

Also the other thing I've learned from this is that if I have a situation like this again, I'm definitely getting the other party's phone number. I gave him mine and told him to call me with updates and got nothing. So now my only way to reach him is unreliable Facebook messages. 

A week of attempts to contact is more than enough due diligence on your part. Go for the better offer clean.

Fair game. No communication for multiple days means no deal.

If you've been waiting for a week for him to get an answer about the title to you, I think going another direction is a reasonable thing.  I mean, unless it's one of those things where he said I'll call you as soon as the title comes through and it might reasonably take a couple weeks and you agreed to wait for it.

The most that I would consider doing is contacting him one last time and telling him that you have a better offer and you're ready to take it unless he can do the deal right now and if you don't hear back in the next 6 hours you're going to have to do a different deal.

I don't see a problem here. Failure to consummate the deal from either party's end means it might not happen. So, unless you have some signed documents, do what  your gut tells you to do.

Pete

If he was earnest he would have given you his phone number and not gone a week without contact, much less without resolving the issue.  Seems to me like he wanted this to be a one way street where you were strung along because he couldn't close the deal and would eventually give in to his wants/demands. I'd move on to the next prospective buyer...

I don't see a problem either. 

The only thing I would have done differently, "I'm still going to look around while you handle your title situation. I'm not holding it, if I find something else I want to trade for or sell, or decide to keep it by the time you find the title, that's on you."

This does one of two things:

1. Puts a little fire in their step to get things done.

2. Or confirms they were going to drag their feet anyway.

No down payment was placed and you have tried to reach him for a week? If this is a moral dilemma to you, you are far more of a nice guy then I am. I bet he has already sold the car and is now ignoring you.

Go forth my friend! Your conscience shall be clean, your heart shall be pure, your soul untainted by the burden of shame and regret. You have the blessing of the hive and thou shall not be known as "a shiny happy person to deal with" due to this one.

If you didnt put a ring on his finger you don't owe him zhit

Ok. The guy that's offered this other vehicle is willing to drive close to 2 hours to meet me. 

Also the other vehicle is a GMT400 short bed 2wd with a v8. The sort of thing I immediately have 37 bad ideas for but also works good for a daily driver. 

I was having a hard time talking myself into the 2005 2wd v6 4runner.

EDIT: i did tell the owner of the 4runner that I would be willing to wait but I wanted updates. Like at the very least confirmation that he had made attempts and had a rough idea of how long it would take.

Worse case ontario some dude that you don't know and will probably never cross paths with again gets mad at you over the internet.

In reply to minivan_racer :

Well we do work in the same not that big of a town but I get your point.

I wouldn't sweat it.  Do the trade you want, its your car.  If the 1st guy all of a sudden pops up, just tell him "I tried to get ahold of you multiple times and didn't hear from you.  I assumed you were no longer interested and I made other arrangements."

If he's pissed, that's his problem, not yours.

I believe the rule is- you snooze you lose. 

The deal is not done until the deal is done.  Not having the title is the reason that you did not go with the Toyota.  If he had it right then, the deal would have been done then.  His fault, not yours.  

You are not obligated to wait the time he needs to get his sh!t together.  

No one shopping a car around with "title issues" has any right to be mad at someone else for deciding not to deal with them.  If you're over a week into this and have reached out multiple times, your hands are clean as far as I'm concerned.  

That said, I get the importance of being a man of your word.  Similar circumstances have led me to always put a "the deal is done by XXXXX or it's off" in every handshake agreement I make.  

Welp. Date is set to meet with the owner of this other truck. I'll fill the 4runner guy in if I ever hear from him again.

And now I definitely won't be looking online for parts to do a 4/6 drop on a gmt400...

I dont think you'd even owe the 4 runner guy much of an explanation beyond, sorry, the mustang is no longer available.  if he pushes any more just say you tried to reach him multiple times and with no response decided to go with another offer.