Weird car buying experience

I am buying a car in a state 800 miles away from me right now, I had a friend check it out for me and it was almost exactly what I wanted so I agreed to buy it. I took out a loan for a portion of the price, and I have a bank check made out to the buyer for the agreed price. I have insurance in my name, a Maine transit plate, and a one way plane ticket to go get it. Less than 48 hours before I am getting on the plane, I get a call from the owner who tells me he is moving further from his job and wants to keep the car because it's more reliable than his truck. He offered me money for my time, but I told him I don't want to take his money, because I have put a lot of effort into arranging the purchase (as have some friends), and I just want him to honor his portion of the deal. I also told him there are any number of reliable cars he could buy brand new outright with the check he is getting from me.

This morning I get an angry email from him basically calling me a all kinds of a jerk for wanting to take "his" car from him, but ending with, roughly, "if you want it so bad, it's yours". Obviously, something else is going on here, do you think he just got a better offer? Seller's remorse? The car appears to be a very nice, but not perfect car at a fair, middle of the market price. Slightly higher than typical ebay sale prices of similar cars. Should I be worried here? I'm going to fly down there tomorrow and go with my friend to pick it up. I know he's trying to make me feel bad, and I sort of do, even though I logically know that I haven't done anything wrong here.

Vent over.

There are too many crazy people in this world.

walk away since the whole deal is with an angry person.

you want it to all be happy and stress free. it sounds like the dude is pulling something.....

Would you want a car that a jerk may have meddled with to "get you back" for taking it from him?

Walk away, it wasn't meant to be. You don't know what sabotage he may have done in anger.

Buy your friends a beer.

Dan

Sounds like he probably got a better offer, like you say.

I agree with everyone else. Walk away. But first take his money for your time. Then use that to buy your friends a beer.

I agree with all above statements.

Another +3 for walking away. It does feel quite wrong and now might not be the right time to find out that the owner is 7', built like a brick outhouse and has anger management issues that make Mel Gibson look perfectly balanced.

Well, I am at least going to go down there and see what happens. If I do need a way to get home, rather than waste money on a one way plane ticket, my friend says there is a Miata for sale near his house. He's going to give it a look after work. I could probably just pay cash and drive it home, and you can never have too many Miatas, right?

lol... thats something you would ONLY read on GRM ... :)

bad karma or Carma, don't do it...

Josh wrote: Well, I am at least going to go down there and see what happens.

I agree with this idea, just be 100% prepared to bail on the deal. At least you'll get to spend some time with your friends.

I commend you for the adventure of it all. I see that you are in Maine and plan to travel 800 miles.
800 miles and not sure how you are going to get home, very cool.

If that travel takes you south, buy something rust free, drive it back and sell at a profit.
If your travels do not take you north, buy something off season like 4wd vehicle and return it to your area where it will soon be in season again.

I'll bet he does NOT have a better deal...at the moment, but someone has told him he is letting this car go for too low a price. As in "heck, I know people will pay THOUSANDS more than what you are asking for that car".

As others have said, take the money and run, FAST. I wouldn't want to give an angry seller 15 minutes with a car I'm about to put my hard earned on, much less a few days.

Send a friend with a drastically different voice to the seller. Ask if the car is still for sale. Do not have him indicate he knows you in any way. See if the car is still viable. Now the seller is happy he "screwed" you, and you get your car.

Appleseed wrote: Send a friend with a drastically different voice to the seller. Ask if the car is still for sale. Do not have him indicate he knows you in any way. See if the car is still viable. Now the seller is happy he "screwed" you, and you get your car.

That's not a bad idea, although it would actually be easier to accomplish over the phone. Anyone out there in the Mid-Atlantic USA want to give him a call and pretend to be interested, just ask a couple general questions about the car, to see what he says about it? The listing I found the car through is still active, but I don't want to post it here (he might find it). If anyone wants to try it, give me an email and I will forward you the link to the listing.

I'm home, with the car. The pickup was sort of awkward, but went ok. The guy was apologetic and gave me a new set of floormats as I was leaving. We chatted about what he's going to buy next (he was big on a Z3 1.9), so I think he was kinda over it by that point. The car is exactly as I expected, cosmetically slightly imperfect but mechanically excellent. I'll start another thread tomorrow about the car itself.