One minute after meeting him, it was clear that Van-Man was nuttier than squirrel turd. So why did I get into the van with him? To humor him? Because I’m an inveterate risk-taker? Didn’t Texas Chainsaw Massacre start just like this, I was thinking, as I climbed up into the passenger seat and buckled up.
Yes, horror movies begin like this…
The pictures he posted online were shadowy, but the van looked straight. It was a blue, mid-90s Ford Econoline Conversion van with silver and black trim, and it had the raised roof – more or less what I had been looking for.
An hour and a half later, when he pulled into the fast food lot where we agreed to meet, I could see he had dinged up the body more than a little bit. Van-Man explained that the van did not agree with him and that he needed to sell it before it did him in.
When he opened the van up to let me see the inside, I immediately decided I wouldn’t buy it – that is, if I hadn’t already come to that decision. In spite of the low mileage, the van’s insides were thrashed and all kinds of nasty.
The guy refused to let me drive it until I bought it, but insisted on taking me for a ride so I could see how well the van performed. I had no intention to purchase the van, but I decided to humor him. During the test ride, Van-Man fulminated about the evils of the government and laid on some heavy conspiracy theory jive. When he finally mercifully returned us to the parking lot, I told him his van was not for me. When he pressed me on why and I told him that I was looking for one “a little less chewed up,” he about lost it. I thanked him for meeting me and offered him a handshake, which he rebuffed. He muttered some choice words under his breath and took off in a huff. I counted my blessings that our acquaintanceship ended there.
One more notable experience:
Once I purchased a cargo box for my Subaru Outback. The guy I bought it from on Craigslist was a perfectly nice fellow, and he sold it to me for a song because it had a small dent in the fiberglass. I connected it to my roof rack and drove home uneventfully. Much to my chagrin, I later noticed that I couldn’t get the rear hatch up more than 1/3 of the way with the box on the roof, even after playing with the location of the roof bars. Whoops! I put the box up for sale on Craigslist and had a few feelers before finding a guy who arranged to come down later in the evening.
The guy showed up a few minutes late in one of those Honda Prius clones that was loaded to the gills with crap on the roof. I found it odd that he came to look at my roof box when he already had one on his roof, along with a bike up there and some other stuff. Without ringing my doorbell or calling me, he began walking around and inspecting the box on my Subaru (which I guess isn’t that abnormal). He was a small, muscular guy, and something about him struck me as off. He made odd small talk about nothing in particular and offered me some “homemade granola” from a bag he had been eating from. I demurred and tried to steer the conversation back to the business at hand. He made a couple of lowball offers that I refused, and then he offered to trade me the box he already had on his car. In the end, when it was clear that he wasn’t going to buy it, I thanked him for coming and told him goodbye, walked back into my house.
By now, the sun had started its descent, the sky was turning a crepuscular shade of purple, and the air began to grow cold. The man walked back to his car, which was parked in front of my house, and started the engine. Glad to be done with the awkwardness of a botched sale, I went to the fridge and started preparing dinner for my wife and myself. Fifteen minutes later, it was dark, and I walked to the front of my house only to discover that the guy was still sitting in his car. Bizarre, I thought, but I didn’t think too much about it, and went back to the kitchen for a beer. 30 minutes later, my wife pulled into the driveway, and the guy was still sitting there in his car. I told her what had transpired, and she suggested that I stop using our house as a meeting point for whack-jobs on Craigslist. I texted the guy that he was in a spot our neighbors use to park, but he just sat there with the engine idling all the same. 30 minutes after that, after I had closed up the blinds and turned off the lights in the living room, I stepped out for a breath of fresh air, and the guy was still there, now with his parking lights on.
Finally about an hour and a half after our initial five-minute meeting, he pulled away from the curb and drifted down the street into the cold night. I was relieved that I didn’t need to confront him or call the cops.
So, finally, the QOTD: What’s the craziest Craigslist kook you ever dealt with as a buyer or seller?
The van story!! Incredible that he wouldn’t let you drive it unless you bought it. Even Baskin Robbins let’s you take a taste before you order a cone. And the guy at the curb. I wonder what was in that “granola”.
Craigslist became popular a few years after my classified car ad days were over, but all those test drives were totally tame compared to your experiences. So, to answer your QOTD, I got nothin’.
This should get good.. I”ll go start the popcorn…
I sold my 2003 Dodge Caravan with a shattered flywheel to some scuzzy folks who were buying it for parts. I got $400 for it, signed over the title, and was told that they would be back in a few days to pick it up.
Five months later in June, 2017 my apartment complex finally towed the Caravan away and I made sure the Oregon DMV knew I no longer owned the vehicle. The purchasers stopped by once or twice before June to look at it then drove away and never returned my calls.
I wanted to sell my 05 Ford Escape on Craigslist instead of an add in the local paper. It had 220k miles and ran well, but the tin worm had taken its toll after 8 years of road salt on the NY Thruway. I posted the listing late Friday evening for $1,200 with a note of the mileage and that the A/C did not work. No sooner had the listing appeared, I got 4 phone calls. All wanted to see the car immediately!! I said they could view the car in the morning on a first come, first served basis. I also insisted that we conduct the act of sale at a local auto title transfer office.
Two gentlemen, who were more fluent in Spanish than English, were the first to arrive. They only ran the car back and fort on my street and indicated they wanted to make the purchase. At the office, the clerk, who also spoke Spanish, indicated that the new owner wanted to take the car to Mexico. One of them produced a passport and cash, we pulled the license plate, and within 10 minutes, the transaction was complete and I received my copy of the cancelled title and payment. The clerk indicated the car was for the wife of the buyer. However, I have a feeling it was immediately sold once it crossed the border.
Most of my meet ups have been fine. I bought a Toyota van from a guy who then offered me a DVD about Scientology. His wife then said she would call me in a few days to follow up. Thankfully she did not.
And one time I was looking at a Comanche pick up and I noticed that police car was parked across the street watching us very carefully, and the seller was watching him back. I did not buy the truck even though it was a good deal.
Was looking for a mid ’90’s Prizm for a family member after her daughter totaled her 2004 Mazda 6 about 2 years ago. Found 2, the first car’s Craig’s List write up was long and convincing that this was the best example out there, asking $2000.
Started getting phone calls while driving over to meet up this guy with excuses that it wasn’t really running well right now (unlike what the the ad said), but just needed a tune up and wires, blah blah. Met up with the owner, the thing barely started, belching blue smoke, I lifted the hood and the engine was rattling and knocking, didn’t bother with a test drive, 200k miles and wanted 2k for the ’95 Prizm. Told him I had another to look at and would let him know.
The other car (also ’95 Prizm, even same maroon color) had no pictures and just said ’95 Prizm needs work $750. It was 2 miles from home, looked good, turned over but wouldn’t start. She said it would sometimes start, once it did it ran good. I could see a big crack on the aftermarket distributor’s coil. She had the car for about 10 years and it was well kept. I gave her the $750 and came back with a tow rope, tried once more and it started right up and drove it home, AC was ice cold, needed front tires and the front rotors were warped. Got a genuine Toyota distributor from U pull for $40.00, 2 tires, rotors and pads, including registration was in the car for $1000. Still runs great today without a single problem since.
As we were picking up the car, got a nasty phone call from the guy who tried to unload the pos for $2000, mad we didn’t call back. He was a genuine asshole, the people we bought the car from were really nice, honest, and the car was a great deal.
I once sold a pretty crapped-out ’74 Nova (four door) to some young guys from the city. I didn’t trust that old heap to do a slow trip to town, much less be at speed on the interstate, but these guys REALLY wanted the Nova, so whatever.
They brought their own battery, we finally got it started, money changed hands, and off they went. Four hours later (for an hour and a half trip!) I got a call that they had made it back safely after some minor tire adventures on the side of the road.
Not a super wacky story, I know, but I thought those guys were nuts to drive the Nova back. I hope they are still enjoying it.
Maybe the Prius guy was using your wifi?
I am. I set up a meeting late at night to put a deposit on a car. It worked out, but that was a pretty weird thing for me to do.
Someone offered a mink coat that they claimed was appraised for $5,000 for a Jeep that I was selling for $2,000.
Someone else wanted to buy it for her nephew half way across the country, but said she could only communicate via email since she was sick. She also said she would send her agent with payment and to arrange shipping.
This Jeep was nothing special. 2002 Grand Cherokee Loredo 4×4 with 240,000 miles and some rust holes. If legitimate, I don’t know why she couldn’t find one locally.
That’s the number one scam on CL. I’ve sold dozens of cars on CL and on every one of them I’ve been contacted by someone saying the same thing. That they want it and will arrange for shipping blah blah blah. I’ve started going along with these things and communicating back and forth with these scum bags because I figure at the very least I can at least waist their time by making them think that they have roped in someone to scam and hopefully that will keep them busy so they can’t do it to someone else. And I like to think that they feel let down when they finally get my last response to them telling them that they are terrible people and need to get a real job and stop trying to scam innocent people out of money. I’m going through it right now as a matter of fact. I am selling a 2000 Crown Vic P71 with 298k miles for $800. Had someone last night say they were going to arrange for shipping and that they will make the cashiers check out for more money to cover the cost of shipping so that I could pay the shipper directly. Because you know, worn out Crown Vic’s are such a rare and hot commodity.
Anytime someone arranging a CL deal with me mentions an “agent” needed to complete the transaction I know it’s a scammer and I stop right there.
I always mention in my CL vehicle ads that I accept international money orders in US dollars only from offshore purchasers and those same will be held for 30 days along with purchasers responsible for entire cost of shipping.
During my latest sale, I actually had a bunch of text message scammers wanting to redirect me to some bank or escrow website in a tiny URL. I promptly texted them back “cash money green only, see ya!”
I sold a motorcycle (Honda XL250) to a guy for $950. He paid with 950 Canadian one-dollar coins. In a big shoebox. Unwrapped. It weighed a lot.
Would you say he was a Loonie?
He should have paid with 475 Toonies
My step son was living in El Paso 10 years ago. He advertised his pickup on Craigslist. He gets a response, guy agrees to the asking price over the phone, they agree to meet to transact the sale. Potential buyer shows up with goon friend and hands over an envelope with money that is supposed to amount to agreed on price. Both purchaser’s speak broken Mexican English. Step son is 6’4″, not easily persuaded. He counts the money in the envelope. It’s $3000 short. He informs them about the discrepancy. Noticing that the big man is getting pissed, they come up with the missing money out of pocket quick. They ask if they can use his plate for transport. To seal the deal he agrees, with the agreement that they mail back his plates. They never did so he was in touch with the authorities to give report.
The worst I’ve had with CL buyers is simply due to them being barely tech-literate – most of the stuff I’ve sold on CL is agricultural, old and only of interest to a certain “type” of small-scale farmer (seeing as how I bought it in the first place, I guess that makes me one, too).
Loading of said ag equipment has been where things get “interesting,” though.
I had a New Idea model 300 two-row pull-behind corn picker that I’d been trying to sell for several years, and had gotten a handful of obvious scammers which I quickly rebuffed.
Finally, I got a nibble that sounded genuine, so we agreed on a price, and he drove over from Indiana with a dovetail trailer and his wife riding shotgun (not literally, of course!).
The picker had a track that was either 11′ or 13′, can’t remember, but his trailer was only 9′ or so. No way were we going to roll it on. My Boomer 8N lacked the weight or grunt to lift the unit, either.
We sat around scratching our heads and finally I got the idea to use my floor jack on one side and engine hoist on the other and raise it in lifts high enough to build cribbing underneath. We ended up having to go nearly 3′ high (I was to the point where I was having to cut good lumber to make more cribbing) before we cleared the deck of his trailer.
It was nearly midnight when he finished chaining it down, and they headed back to Indiana. He told me if I ever wanted to sell more, to let him know!
One more, loaded.
Not that it was your problem at that point, but I wonder how the heck he got that thing OFF of the trailer?
This was pre-Craigslist and didn’t involve a car, but it’s quite a story. Ca. 1989 I wanted a better computer than the IBM XT clone I had. At this time I was going to monthly meetings of a local PC user’s group, and one night we had a presentation by a local guy who owned a computer shop and would custom-build PCs for customers. After 28 years, the details from here out are a bit fuzzy. I learned that he also had a sort of consignment service, but not with the computers available at his shop. The seller would list the computer with him, and the prospective buyer would check out the computer at the seller’s home, business, whatever.
So I went out to see a particular computer. I’d been dealing with the seller’s girlfriend on the phone. I got out there after a long bus ride (my car was in shop), and the seller said the computer had been sold. He put up a fairly good act of being surprised that his GF hadn’t told me this.
So I spoke to the computer store owner, and he said the seller hadn’t told him the computer had sold. He said, apologetically, that he had done a lot of consignments, sellers would act weird maybe 1 time out of 100, and I’d pulled the joker out of the deck.
I don’t remember how we got to the next step, but the computer store owner came to think something was fishy. At one point he got on the phone to the computer store where the seller of the computer worked, with me listening in on another line. He asked for the seller of the computer by name and said firmly, “It’s very important.”
Anyway, I think the seller was selling computers that weren’t his to sell or some such, and he was fired. He made noises about suing the guy who’d presented at the user’s group meeting, who said, in effect, “Make my day.”
The computer store owner (the one I’d been dealing with) was really decent about the whole thing. I said that in hindsight, it had sounded like a lot of computer at the price, and I questioned whether it ever existed. The computer store guy said I had a point. He offered to give me a discount on building me a computer.
No Craigslist stories, but from when I was selling VWs in the late 80s. For some reason, Jettas were popular with Ambots in my area (Amway+Robot).
One time I went thru the whole test drive spiel with a younger couple only to find it was all a setup. Maybe you’ve heard it before. “You seem like a sharp guy” “I’m in business for myself and I’m looking for some sharp people” “I have a great money making idea I want to share with you, but I can’t tell you now” ad infinitum.
THEN, a few years later, I was in a tire shop buying a set of Pirellis for my own Jetta. Some other dude with a VW was there getting tires also. Exchanged small talk.
Fast forward a couple months. Phone rings. “Hi, it’s Joe Blow, do you remember me from the tire shop”. Huh? “Great talking to again. You know, I’m in business for myself and looking for some sharp people, I have great money idea and I think we should meet for coffee an……………”
He had gotten my number by looking over at my invoice while paying! Ahhhhhh!
Omg that reminds me of my time working retail on Michigan Avenue. Exemplerary service is my job. Head hunters would come in explicitly looking for us “yes” men who put the customer first and foremost. Nothing makes you want to scream like one of these people trying to poach you as your co-workers and corporate manager stands right next to you waiting to see how you will react. A No But Thank You is about the best one can do in those circumstances, yet I did get one chance to laugh like crazy in the poacher’s face; I was shopping for personal stuff on my day off in my own store and was spotted helping a lady grab something off a tall shelf. A very loud “What makes you think I need to work while I shop on a Tuesday?” had the lady running for the door.
I do not envy you on that one. I hate going down there when I have to take my Apple gear to the store for service.
Scamway stories, a buddy I hadn’t seen since HS bumped into me a few years later, got invited to his house for a get together, turned out to be a Scamway setup, last time I made contact with this ‘friend’.
Happened to a friend of mine. He was trying to sell a Chevy full size wagon maybe a Kingswood. Car belonged to an elderly man said friend was trying to help out, Elderly man was the original owner, didn’t speak English too well, and the car was clean except for some severe quarter panel damage caused by an errant drunk in a landscaping truck. The asking price was low (only thing car had going for it was a good 402 big block/Turbo 400) so there was much interest among typical Craig’s List riff-raff. The most interesting offer came from an honest purveyor of leisure pharmaceuticals (he admitted so) who needed a large operable vehicle for transporting ‘raw materials’. Since he was new to the business (or maybe fresh from service to the county) and didn’t really have any money, he was willing to offer up the services of 2 (count ’em!) of his ‘acquaintances’ (lab assistants?) for a ‘pleasurable evening’ in lieu of cash. The would-be buyer assured my friend that the 2 ‘assistants’ were quite attractive and even offered to furnish pictures supporting his claim! Since the offer seemed somewhat sketchy, friend declined and eventually sold the wagon to a studio transportation coordinator, likely for scene use.
This happened to a friend. He’s gone now, so I’m sure he won’t mind me posting it. Late 2003 or early 2004, my friend was looking for a shortwave radio to replace the one he had to sell due to medical issues. On CL in the Detroit area listings was the same model he had sold, an Icom R71a. The seller said it was in “great shape”, so you know it probably wasn’t. So my friend went over to look at it, and it worked ok, but it looked like crap, so he offered about 60% of what the guy wanted for it. The seller got PISSED, and told him to “get out”, so my friend goes home, and thinks nothing about it much. So a couple of days go by, and the phone rings, it’s the guy with the radio, telling my friend to tell his “bosses” that he found the bug my friend planted and they wouldn’t get him to say anything incriminating. My friend freaks out and calls me and tells me about the call. I didn’t think it was as big a deal as my friend and his wife did, as they were keeping a shotgun handy and when someone turned around in their driveway, they were freaking out. Then the letter came. When I saw it, I thought, “Maybe they were right to be panicking!”. It had all the good, crazy stuff in it, the Illuminati, CIA, FBI, Mich State Police, shapeshifting lizard men, and something called the Wasseem, and accused my friend of being an “agent provocateur” employed by all of them, and part of the conspiracy to “destroy him”. There was another piece of paper with a nearly perfect pencil drawing of my friend’s house, with little arrows pointing to the half dozen antennas on or near the house with stuff like “CIA comms antenna!”. My friend’s wife just called 911 at that point. A county sheriff’s car came out and at first, they seemed concerned, but when my friend told them the guy’s name, they started laughing, and said, “Oh old Jim is harmless, he’s accused all his neighbors of being agents over the years!”. My friend wasn’t convinced and when he ran into a guy he went to high school with who was a Mi State trooper, he told him about it. Before my friend could tell him the kook’s name, the guy smiles and says, “It’s Jim XXXXXX” right?” Apparently, he was known to almost every law enforcement agency in SE Mi and NW Ohio. About a year after he got the first letter, my friend had calmed down, and pretty much forgotten about it. Then the second letter came, saying that he was dying of lung cancer, and that the CIA had given it to him, etc. He said he forgave my friend and his wife for their part in the conspiracy and hoped he wasn’t really an agent, but he was “nearly certain” he was.
My friend died suddenly of a heart attack a few months later, and after the funeral, his wife looked at the guest book, and there’s his name, and under it, in huge letters, was “I’M STILL ALIVE!”. Nobody who was at the funeral knew he was there. When he finally did die, my friend’s widow calls me up and said, “OMFG, I can finally sleep tonight!”. He had really messed up her head.
I hate to say it, but for some reason the radio hobby seems to attract this sort of fellow, and I’m not sure why. I definitely met my share of them when I was very active in the 90s
Talk radio usually plays a part in it.
Yep, I think you are dead on. I’ll admit to a bit of a shock the first time I realized someone I knew pretty well didn’t listen to Art Bell as comedy like I did.
I have a friend whose brother recently started watching reruns of All In The Family, and he doesn’t understand what is funny about the stuff Archie says.
Yeah, it’s true. I have a friend who has an alarmingly large collection of radios and parts. Lots of parts. Whole rooms of parts for radios that go for $30-40 on Ebay complete. I wanted to buy a part to fix an old radio I had and he wanted more than a working on goes for on Ebay. His mom collected sheets, so I guess that’s where the pack rat stuff comes from. She had hundreds of sets of sheets when she suddenly died at 87. He and his brother had an estate sale before they sold the house and she had over 1500 sets of sheets, from cheap KMart stuff to insanely expensive ones. I wonder if it’s exposure of RF that does it?
Back in 2011 I listed my ’99 Mitsubishi Galant on CL, and got a call from a man who asked if I could bring the car to him a few miles away in Downtown LA, with his word that he would give me the full asking price.
Skeptical but hoping for a sale as I had my eye on another car I drove over to the fellows’ workplace and met up with the young-ish guy I had been speaking with. As soon as I got out of the car, engine running, he declined to test drive or even throughly inspect the car and handed me the money just as promised ($1800 if I recall) and I took a bus to buy its replacement (a ’96 Integra sedan.)
That evening he began barraging me via text for a refund and listing the little things wrong with it. I reminded him that he didn’t look over the car at all and that it was an as-is sale. He seemed to realize that he had no legal recourse and stopped bothering me soon.
I probably should have insisted that he drive the car or flat out refused to sell it to him but I was 18 at the time.
Love the Prius(Insight?)-guy story. Have met too many people like that in my hometown of Boulder, CO.
Speaking of Boulder, years ago my wife and I were selling her Volvo 240 on CL there, asking $1000. One of the replies was a guy offering to trade a vaporizer bong for it. He said it was easily worth at least as much as the Volvo. Very tempting! But we took a cash offer from a normal person instead.
Not a car, and not Craigslist but the Facebook equivalent. My wife sold a Kirby to a young lady and agreed to meet at the buyers place of work. I was eager to go as you never know with these things. Also because the place of work was a strip joint. She was a stripper, and beautiful, and the put the Kirby into her late model white Mercedes. And no she did not pay in singles.
When I listed my son’s 89 Grand Marquis I got multiple calls from some guy in Chicago, which is a 3-4 hour drive from me. He kept saying he was interested and wanting to see it but kept asking me to solve his logistics questions like how could he get it back to Chicago (not my problem) and could I gguarantee that I would not sell it before he could fit me into his schedule (no way). After about 4 of these calls I finally told him that I had a car. It was for sale. The first guy with money in hand buys it. It doesn’t sound like that guy is gonna be you.
When buying from CL, one of my ironclad rules is that if the picture is taken in an alley I am not interested. I may miss out on an occasional nice car, but in my area the folks who tend to live in neighborhoods with alleys have a very, very different standard of what “beautiful condition” means from my own.
I know what you’re sayin’, JPC. The car is in just great condition: it only needs this, that and the other thing – oh, and just a few other minor little things – and it will be a great car. If you have the time and money to get it fixed to be even satisfactory running condition. Those people think their barely or even non-running, junky old car is worth WAAAAAY more than most of us do.
Pre internet story. I get a phone call one weekend from a guy who says he has a 510 racecar that he would like to make street legal and asked if I had some parts for him. I had not placed any ads anywhere and wondered which one of my friends had put him onto me. I thought it would be nice to help a guy out since I had many spares of what he wanted so I was about to give him my address when he says he’ll be right over and quickly hung up. Five minutes later he shows up. Just enough time for me to have exactly what he’s after set out for him. I wasn’t about to have any of my stash of parts in plain sight.
I sold him what he needed and played him along enough to get his contact information, just in case he needed anything else, and asked him how he got in touch with me. He leans in close and say’s “I’m a cop in Toronto. Finding people is what I do.” I told him to go and if he ever showed up again that I would be calling the cops in Toronto and telling them what he gets up to on the weekends. Never saw him again.
It was pretty nuts selling a used car even before CL. I listed my 92 flame red Achieva I wrote about on CC back in Feb 2015 in a local “penny saver” in Feb 1998. After a few calls a two Russian gentlemen showed from 100 miles away up 2 hours late at my home one night. One took it for a test drive while I held his wallet / DL and the other guy “hostage”. Only one spoke English. A short eternity later, he returns telling me the struts are shot but they’ll take it. We strike a deal, he counts out $3,500 in 20’s and 50’s and hands me the cash. Being the curious type I ask why he drove 100 plus miles for an Oldsmobile with 99,999 miles on the odo. Turns out the guy who doesn’t speak English is taking it home to Mother Russia as they love American cars. He refuses to take the title and says they’ll be back next week to claim their price. Two weeks later they appear and almost vanish (got lost in my neighborhood) – better directions and good bye Achieva.
Three months later I get a call from English speaker, car is now in Moscow after arriving in the Netherlands after being strapped to the deck of a freighter. Title was stolen and can I get a duplicate? Oh boy. He sends me a blank check (very trusting!) I take care of it and regular mail the next month- a bottle of native Stoli – lemon is in my mail box. Had never seen bright yellow vodka before- was direct from Russia!
A serious candidate to Comment Of The Day, alongside a lot of them in this QOTD
About 10-11 years ago, put my wife’s 99 Forester in Craigslist because…trans failed from dealer fault, cheap rebuilt, pending head gasket problems etc. Got a call from a guy right off the boat from Eastern Europe. He comes to my house (my mistake) in an old Escort, test drives the Subie and negotiates me down a few bucks. We agree on $9k IIRC. Cash, I remind him. Comes back on the weekend in a new Mercedes(he’s the passenger) with a license plate off his Escort. Driver of the Merc looks the car over and says its been in an accident. I told him that I had made the buyer aware of that, that it was a minor fender bender and it was fixed with all OEM Subaru parts, as evidenced by the OEM stampings on the replaced fender.
The buyer counts out the 9k, I recount it and sign over the title. He then tells me he’s immediately driving the car to Michigan(I’m in NY) and that the Michigan DMV might want my Social Security number for him the register it. My spidey sense goes into high gear and I tell him that I didn’t think any DMV would need that.
I made sure I scraped off the NY registration sticker off the windshield, he bolted on the plate off his Escort and off they went. I thought.
Half hour later, I tell my wife that I’m going to our bank and deposit the $9k, walk out to the driveway and see the Subie and the Merc parked down the block. I go back in and lock windows and doors and get 911 ready on speed dial. Another half hour later I take a peek and they are gone. I carefully go out and get in the car, make it to the bank and deposit the money.
Next day I find a number for the Michigan DMV, briefly describe the deal and ask about them needing my SS #. She says of course not.
Never heard another thing since. Lesson learned?…..just trade the dang thing in next time!
Some of these meth inspired engineering efforts probably have wound up on Craigslist.
Best to mute the sound to avoid the electronic ‘music’ ear assault.
Saw this meme a while back. Laughed for hours…
That’s rusty car? Pfft! It’ll buff right out.
Had a guy call me 4 times on voicemail – 1st call – silence. 2nd call, wondered if the price of the car was right. 3rd call, told me I didn’t like answering my phone, but wanted the car if it was the price as advertised (duh) 4th call, wanted the car – would pay full price AND pay me to deliver it (400 miles). Sent him a text that it was sold (it had). Pity, seemed like dealing with someone like that would go so smoothly…….yeah, right
2nd story. Dude rings up in the middle of the day, wants to see the wheels. Is 200 miles away. I tell him that I work nights, and he can come on the weekend. Wants to come now, I say no way – weekend. Reluctantly agrees. Calls later in the week – we agree to Sat morn – I tell him does he know of a particular place? – he says he does (30 mins from my place) I tell him to call me from there so I’ll be ready. Agrees. Saturday 05.50 am phone rings, f$&@ me that’s early – but we’re selling cars. OK, you’re at so and so, 30 mins away. No, I’m outside you’re house. Right. We’re selling cars I remind myself. Dude (with friend, constantly texting – 6 am remember) looks over car opening and slamming doors (sure sign of trouble, I can assure you…..) didn’t want to start, drive or even look at it properly – said he didn’t want it and left – all by 6.15 in the morning after driving 200 miles. The car? Outstandingly original TA 22 Celica – go figure…
I sold a crash damaged 2003 PT cruiser (drivable but out of square front end, deployed airbags, steering rack bent, but rest of car immaculately clean plus recent timing belt/water pump redo) to a very nice couple from the “country” county out west of my metro area. Their vision was to “fix that PT Cruiser on up”…whatever they wanted to do for t$500 to get it out of my driveway I thought.
However, they showed up driving only a Ford SportTtrac (IE Explorer pickup truck) towing a dual axle trailer with rotted floor boards and two 2×10 ramps that I would only use for a light ATV or riding lawnmower or motorcycle loading. After puting down putting multiple extra concrete pavers that I (THE SELLER) had under the very bendy and flexable ramps, they were just able to load the car. They then proceeded to strap ONLY the rear wheels to the trailer with JUST TWO light duty motorcycle style ratchet hold down straps! And the trailer had no tail gate!
I was happy that they drovet out of my driveway without the car falling through the trailer floor boards or off the back of it…
Great stories .
We used to get whack jobs in at every shop / dealer I ever worked at too .
If the crooks would put the same amount of effort into working as they do to scamming, they’d all be rich .
-Nate
I’ve had decent luck both buying and selling vehicles on CL, though only a few of either. Had some curious incidents pre-Internet, but nothing too bad, except for one guy who came to the door about a month after the sale and started to complain that he couldn’t register the car because the DMV said I had submitted a transfer of ownership notification listing someone else as the new owner. Which I had … since I hadn’t sold it to this guy, and he hadn’t bought it from me. The guy who bought it from me flipped it without ever registering it in his name, and I hadn’t bothered to make him fill out his name on the pink slip. A good lesson to ALWAYS send in the transfer papers if your state has such a thing. Now, I am casually looking for a car, and some of the ads are amazing works of satire. “Runs and looks great, new breaks, won’t pass smog needs crank position sensor, California car NO RUST only one hole in rear floor. Price is firm no scammers loballers”.
We occasionally get these guys who drive around and if they spot someone outside they’d offer to buy whatever car is closest to you. I guess they are like head hunters for cars they can pick up cheap and flip.
One time around 2003 this douchebag stops while I’m in the driveway, points to my ‘93 mercury tracer (same as US Escort) says he wants to buy it. Coincidentally I was interested in selling. The middle blue book value was $3500 and I told him so. He said no, no man you gotta do better than that, I’m thinkin’ like $1100. My response? “Pfft! Bye!” Walked inside and firmly slammed the door. He stood there for about 5 minutes, gave up and left. My general rule is that I’m selling something and the person starts their negotiation with something absurd then I withdraw the item since clearly they are not serious and not worth my time.
There was another time a drive around person stopped abruptly in front of my house while I was mowing the lawn, pointed at the same car and said, I’ll give you $4500 for that car right now I’m in a hurry! She was the definition picture of a tweaking meth head. Smelling something sketchy I said not for sale. She peeled out and left the street. Probably needed a nondescript car for something illegal.
Another time I had four 6 spoke chrome 22” rims with 50 series tires for sale. They came on a suburban we bought used some years ago. (My then teenage son said when we got home with the truck “what’s with the cholo rims?” But I digress…….) I hated the rims and got a set of stock rims and put the 22s on CL for $500 with good tires. The full retail would have been $2200 but one had a little rash another tire had a little toe wear so I was looking for a fast sale. The phone started ringing off the hook instantly. So I lined everyone up in 15 minute increments starting the next day after work. First guy shows up. Young Hispanic guy buying, older companion came along. they kept muttering quietly in Spanish to each other. Looked them over offered $400 cash, right now. I said no. I’ve got 6 more buyers (no lie) lined up after you. Why should I? Puzzled he says” I won’t pay more than $400, you won’t take $400?” Firmly I say nope, not when I have 6 more guys coming right after you. They left. Next guy shows up. Older basic white guy. I was still flabbergasted at the last guy, and told the new guy the story. He was just as flabbergasted, looked at the wheels and I’ll take ‘em! I kindly texted the first guy that the second guy bought them for full price. He had only left 30 minutes prior.
Then there was the guy back in ‘89 I sold a ‘74 mustang II. I warned the him that the front main seal leaks oil like the seal is missing. Saw it broken down on the freeway 2 weeks later I’m the middle of the night. Ooooops.
Yes there are all kinds out there.