Weirdest people you've sold a car to

[Hertz]

Not me but my old fella. He was selling a Rover (yes another Rover story) 820 Vittesse Sport. He had it for sale for a while with no takers then finally a bite!

 

Guy comes down, spends a good hour looking all over it and on an extensive test drive. Fella comes in and negotiations commence, eventually they shake on a deal. Guy says he is going to the car to tell the wife and bring back a cash deposit. Guy goes out the door and my mum and dad celebrate and high fives all round.

 

10 mins later - no knock at the door

 

20 mins later - still no knock at the door

 

30 mins later - my dad walks outside and round the block, fella no-where to be seen.

 

Shite! Oh well put it behind us as a complete timewaster.

 

Later that night the phone goes:

 

Dad - "hello"

 

Mysterious Woman - "Hello, sorry to trouble you but did my husband come to your house and offer to buy your car this afternoon"

 

Dad (very puzzled) - "Err yes there was a guy round who offered to buy the car and was about to pay a deposit and then vanished"

 

Mysterious Woman - "Yes thats him, very sorry but he does this all the time. He is very ill and we are seeking help," Click...

 

"Un fucking believable!" says Dad.

 

Don't you just love human beings

[Lord Sterling]

^^ Sounds like the wife had other ideas for the money and was nagged out of buying it or summat to which she then decided to go all cloak and dagger on getting out of the deal.

[Jim Bell]

I advertised a Morris Oxford (20 valve) on carandclassicdotcom for a reasonable amount.

 

Got a call from a funny talking man saying he would have it for ze fool asking price. Would get a flight to Newcastle and ring me in two days when he lands. Er, ok.

 

 

 

 

 

Rang me two days later. Picked him up.

 

Turns out he was an Ex Olympic Mixed Ice Pairs Dance Champion. From Vienna.

 

High five!

 

 

 

Took his money. Gave him the key.

 

"What are you gonna do now then mate?"

I asked.

 

"I'm going to drive home" He said. "I had to pick up some Land Rover wheels in Yorkshire anyway."

 

High Five!

 

 

And off he went.

 

Got an email three days later.

 

 

 

He made it home.

 

The adventure was all his.

[autofive]

thats the sort of story i like

[trigger]

I agree, I love stuff like that, a proper adventure!

[Skoze]

Once went to pick up a "rolling resto" Mk3 Golf GTI 8V with two mates from what turned out to be an absolute dive of an estate in Lincoln. Car had been paid for in advance, so no real chance to turn tail and come home.

 

We rock up, buyer matey jumps out to see scally lad about the car. It's in a bush and won't start; strong purchase*. Finally, after endless cranking, the engine splutters to life and runs like absolute shit. Pop the bonnet to see what's going on, shall we? "ah yeah mate, well i gave a lead to my mate cos his was broken and we put his one on there" No shit it was broken, there are FUCKING ARCS OF ELECTRICITY GOING AROUND THE HT LEAD.

 

We swap back the leads and take note of the growing number of yoofs surrounding us. Still sounding like it was about to expire, a debate erupts between buyer matey and scally lad, resulting in SL telling BM it's perfectly road worthy, to which he retorts "well, i guess we'll see what the RAC say about it when i inevitably break down then"

 

Scally lad does not appreciate the humour here and threatens to lay him out. 

 

Me being about 16 at the time found the unfolding situation absolutely hilarious. At this point, scally lad asks what i'm laughing at before offering to, and i quote "put me and my pussy mates in the back of his motor, take us out to the moors and bury us" before reaching for some tools. 

 

At this point, me and my other mate slope off to the landy and let buyer matey vacate the property.

 

It then transpires the sweet purple Golf had just enough fuel to get as far as the mad-one-way-bridge-thing-through-town-with-lights-everywhere where it proceeded to grind to a shuddering halt, where a friendly police officer turned up to point out it had dubious insurance, was clearly barely roadworthy and was displaying no tax.

 

"where are you going with this?"

 

Brighton.

 

"get the fuck out of here then." 

[CreepingJesus]

I've never sold a car. Not once. Bangernomics ftw. But my dad sold a few, and there was this one time...

The Cortina estate I learned to drive in, was surplus to requirements, and I couldn't afford to run it, so it went in the local paper.

Bloke phones, comes round with his mate who is a mechanic. Haggles a substantial discount off the asking price, cos mechanic mate says the big ends are noisy.

About 2 years later, I start work in a garage a few miles up the road, and I'm sitting in the bothy, talking to this mechanic, who's looking for a bassist for his band. And I'm thinking I know his face from somewhere.

Sheepishly, he finally admits (after a few jars one Friday) that he might have 'misdiagnosed' noisy big ends on a 'Tina a while back. Scamming bastard.

In the 18 months I was in his band, I found out how much of an oddball he was. Probably still is.

[purplebargeken]

To be honest, the phonecall from the missus of the non-buying buyer might well have been genuine.

 

I see it a lot of the time with being in the job, chappie with bi-polar gets on the 'up', becomes rather grandiose and starts buying all kinds of shite with money that they really don't have on cards or loans. It is tragic, the family then have to pick up the pieces afterwards, usualy phoning round to try and cancel transactions like this. You would have to be blind, deaf and stupid to not realise that the person is unwell when in full flight but the local car salesman will usually still happily complete the deal for a brand new sports bastard/rangie thing.

 

However, when on the up it can be quite subtle initially, especially if the person is a stranger and in your case may well have seemed fairly plausible. Difficult call.

[Cavcraft]

Put a vehicle on eBay, clearly and precisely described as a non-runner. Mentioned we'd tried all kinds to start it, it wouldn't go and we'd given up. Bidding commences, bidding reaches fever pitch, it ends up for about £950 iirc, happy days.

 

Get a message from the buyer who's a good 200 miles away, and he wants to arrange collection. A couple of weirdly typed e-mails started my suspicions of him being a nutter off and he paid me by Paypal. Anyhow after I asked him how he was getting it back, he said he was coming on the train. Alarm bells are ringing now, so I asked him again how he was going to get it back, and he mentioned coming on the train. I failed to see how that would really help him so he asked for my 'phone number so he could ring me.

Ring me he then indeed did and he couldn't understand why I was asking him how he was getting it back. I retorted that it was no bother him getting the train, but how was he going to get the motor bike 200 miles. 

 

Him: 'I'm going to bring a battery with me'

Me: Err, ok, but what good is that going to do?

Him: 'Everybody knows if a vehicle won't start, you just put a new battery on it'

Me: {Stunned silence then couldn't help but laugh} that won't make any difference!

 

Then a debate ensues about it culminating in me telling him he was welcome to bring a battery but he wasn't going to get it running (as I'd mentioned in the advert) so I'd simply pass him the keys, get him to sign the V5 and leave him to it. He went a bit mad then, offered a couple of silly threats (which he was told he was welcome to try) and then because his 'hard man' game didn't work, he said he wanted his money back. I point blank refused, it was his stupidity after all that had caused it, so he complained to Paypal who froze the money until the matter was sorted.

Now, it's right on Christmas and I'm doing my nut as we needed the money. Got hold of Paypal by 'phone and they freely admitted I would get the money because they didn't refund on vehicles, but they 'had' to freeze it because it was their rules.

A few weeks of wrangling, some more irate e-mails and text messages from 'buyer' and my money is released. The tax is about to run out on the vehicle, so I rang DVLA for advice. They told me to put a copy of the eBay invoice in with the letter (as it showed his name and address as the winning bidder) and a V5C application form, but not to sign it on the new keeper's behalf. Oh, I also sent the keys by recorded to delivery to the buyer with a map as to where the vehicle was.

This I did and the motor sat there for a few months then I got up one day and it'd gone. Christ knows if he'd come and got it or it got robbed or something, but I never heard from him again.

[Faker]

Owned a white 1990 Sri cavalier, tidy thing and went really well. Sold it via the local rag to two young fellas, job done. Couple of days later the rozzers arrive at the house. " Do you own this car?" I explained that I sold it and replaced it with a primera Sri. Car was only bought and used during a robbery then dumped. Never heard anything about it again.

[cort16]

I sold an orion that was used in a high speed persuit between Newcastle and the borders that turned out to have a boot full of drugs when the caught it.

Had I sent away the v5? Had I bollocks as I found out when the coppers chapped the door the next day. When they came in the first thing they spotted was the v5 sitting on the table (Next to my mates bong)

[ProgRocker]

Great thread!

 

In December 1999, pissed off that my 1986 (D) Escort needed £200 worth of welding for a fresh MOT, I put it up for sale with a few weeks MOT and some road tax. I had it up for £100 I think but would accept £70 or £80.

 

One evening I had a knock at the door. The dopey looking young male living in one of the nearly council maisonettes above the shops expressed an interest (a category of council housing where back then problematic tenants are housed, according to my mum). With him was an older male who wore a motorcycle helmet for the entire duration of the inspection of the car. Didn't understand why he didn't remove it as he wasn't riding a motorcycle at that time. Perhaps he didn't want me to recognise him from my past? Maybe he was going to take a look around the house to see what was worth nicking when I would have been sorting out the V5.

 

I was honest about the MOT failure points and helmet man and his dopey neighbour chum offered £50 for it. I dug my heels in and insisted on £80. No deal.

 

A few days later a different young male knocked on my door and offered me £50 there and then for the Escort. On the road was a car with the driver who said something to me through the open window/door (this could have been 'helmet man' from the other night.

 

In retrospect, I was being bloody minded. £50 was an OK offer for it. I eventually sold it to 'Escort Part' for £50. I wouldn't have had to phone my dad to pick me up from Rackheath village had I sold it to those undesirables in the first place ...providing of course they wouldn't rip me off with dodgy notes, etc.

[DVee8]

I once sold a Toyota Carina to 7 coloured gents who were moving it to London as a cab

[chaseracer]

Many moons ago, my Volvo 240GLT had finally breathed its last and Domestic Management was understandably tiring of the view from the front window of rotting Swedish steel.

 

The only bite came from an ad in the Citroen Car Club mag, of all places. A strange bloke from Bolton wanted it for the leather interior and the overdrive box. Instead of cash, he offered a lockup full of Dyane/2CV spares. DEAL! I hired a large van, drove up (twice) and filled it (twice) - he came down the next weekend with his 244 + trailer + the dog which had eaten the interior and took away the Ovlov.

 

The haul of Dyane bits and NOS spares was useful even then (1998) - now, they are made of pure unobtainium...

[Jim Bell]

I once sold a Toyota Carina to 7 coloured gents who were moving it to London as a cab

Mr Brown, Mr White, Mr Pink, Mr Orange, Mr Blonde and Mr Blue and Nice Guy Eddie?

[robinmasters]

Sold a Montego to a bloke from Birmingham (I'm in Kent), and he turned up gone 9pm, with his entire family. He was, apparently, really happy with the badly-handling, rusty deathtrap. His family seemed slightly less pleased about the whole adventure.

[Vince70]

I sold a ford cougar the other year to a guy and told him I had a spare set of wheels he could have which were taking up room in my garage.

The problem was he came back the following week to pick the wheels up and tried selling me into one of those deals where you buy your gas electric and telephone in one deal.

 

I couldn't get rid of him he was there for a couple of hours trying to get me to sign on the dotted line and as that didn't work he decided he wanted me to become a salesman selling the same product which I declined.

 

I also had a chav family who bought my old barely running 1984 Golf Gti for £50 which was advertised in the local rag for spares.

They arrived 3 hours late and I told them the cars battery was flat and the mot had been out for 2 years I just wanted it gone from the garage and it would need to be trailered.

 

So Arrived with no trailer and asked to use my jump leads I got it running for them and they drove it home, the thing was a death trap with a knackered gearbox a damaged head and no brakes.

 

Once the engine was running I got them to sign the logbook and went inside.

My neighbours then said the fat girlfriend started arguing with the other half which caused another chav to then get into an argument with the boyfriend and a full on riot started and punch up started.

 

My neighbours blamed me for lowering the tone of the area I should have kept the Golf in the garage.

 

Also the car was gone the next morning and the Chavs had a 50 mile drive back to the Medway towns so if you got hit by a golf Gti with no lights or brakes with a smokescreen out back and a gearbox crunching away merrily at around 11pm one evening its nothing to do with me.

[panhard65]

What was it with people buying cavalier sri's My dad sold one in the late 90's. It was a bit scruffy and on steel wheels without wheel trims. We sold it on the saturday morning, that afternoon the rozzers turn up looking very pleased with themselves looking for my dad. Turns out the clever dick who bought it tried to remedy the lack of wheel trims on his way home. Luckily we hadn't posted the document so still had his name. 

[RedSparrow]

I'm currently sat on a pile of rockwool in a drafty half-un built house in Durham, I've been waiting an hour for the seller to find the logbook....

 

Rockwool is evil. Have a shower and wash all your clothes as soon as possible or you'll be itching like a mofo.

[Cavcraft]

Sold a Toyota 4.2 Landcruiser thing on eBay. It had had a fair old hit across the front where some lad in a Saxo had clobbered it after he ran out oft talent on a corner, crossed to the wrong side of the road and hit the Toyota.

 

Anyhow it's obviously fairly well shunted but fetched a good price on the internet auction site, and the winning bidder transpired to be from Iceland (not the shop, before you suggest it) which set alarm bells ringing.

 

Anyhow after shit loads of promises from them that the shipping was sorted and paid for, and God alone knows how much hassle over payment (they paid by Paypal and I made them cough the 4% charges) I got transport to Immingham docks sorted for them.

The recovery driver got to the docks early doors and spent the whole day getting pissed about from pillar to post, I was getting and making phone calls every five minutes, then the lady at the shipping company said it hadn't been booked in.

Cue 'messages to Iceland, 'phone calls back from them and s shit storm developed. The buyer started getting cocky and said they had the upperhand so I'd 'better sort it as they weren't paying any extra'. At that point I spied my arse and said that I had the car and it now was coming back and they'd cop the transport charges on top as the driver had lost another job.

The penny finally dropped with the buyer after I spoke to the lady at the docks who said it could be dropped there and massive charges would be sent to the buyer. All of a sudden the buyer shit themselves and moved heaven and earth to make it happen.

It still took another couple of hours of pissing about though as the docks weren't happy with it being damaged and struggled to offload it.

 

Final insult?  Paypal held the money for absolutely ages as they thought I was money laundering     

[autofive]

was talking (about this thread) to the old bloke next door just now and he told me this story:

 

 

back in the 1960s he advertised a standard vanguard for sale in the local papershop. he used the car to take and his mates the 5 miles to work, it was jointly owned and had received sod all maintenance, the thing was a dog, but it still had a short MOT left. the only caller about the car was an odd looking bloke who asked some weird questions about when it was last driven, who normally drove it etc.

 

Then the bombshell; he was a copper and as the car had 4 bald tyres and was dangerous to drive (and he had already admitted driving it recently) the copper would either nick him for that, or sell the the car very cheaply.

 

Feeling like he was over a barrell getting greased up for entry he sold the car for peanuts.

 

when he told his mates, and fellow owners, they went apeshit. They toured the streets looking for the car and got all their workmates to look out for it. after a couple of weeks it was spotted outside the policehouse in a village a couple of miles away. All five of them rocked up one night and burst the four new tyres and left. they did this about once a week for the next month or so, meaning the copper spent more on tyres than the car was worth.

[daveb47]

In the 80s i sold a Toyota campervan which had about a months mot/tax left on it through Loot.

 

Similar to this

 

No chance of an mot pass as was well rusty

Buyer said they would send half the money by post but couldnt have it for a couple of weeks as they were out of the country.

Said they would pay balance cash + £100 if i would deliver it to canvey island for them.

Couple of weeks later got call asking to deliver to boatyard in canvey.

When i got there they paid up and i helped them load it onto a large catamaran,they were sailing round the world and wanted it for use during this.

Kept in touch by postcard for several years and it had been all over the place and was still going strong.

[dollywobbler]

I feel very boring. I only seem to sell cars to sensible people. Does that make me the mad one?

[chaseracer]

I only seem to sell cars to sensible people...

I resemble that remark!

 

[cort16]

I sold a bx GT when I lived in Selkirk (Scottish borders) to a guy who drove it down to London and parked it near a London airport so he could use it when he flew down there as his car rather than hire one.

I met him 6 months later and apparently it'd shat all its lhm onto the m25 on its second outing into London. He didn't seem too pleased.

[FredTransit]

Not so much a buyer as a seller. I bought a Mk2 luton to scrap. It had been (so the V5 said) in the same hands for 6 years, and half of that it was laid up as storage at the side of the reg keepers house, where l collected it from. Three weeks later l got a message via ebay from the seller asking me what the reg number was. Er WTF?? I ignored him.... You own a van for SIX years and have NO record of the number? Why did he need it anyway?

[Pillock]

I had an Audi 90 Quattro up for £650 on eBay. Got a call one evening whilst at work, a guy 40 miles away in Sheffield wanting to come and look at it. Explained I was at work till 10pm so perhaps mornings, or the weekend would do. Nope, he was desperate. Not angry or bullying, almost pleading with me. I agreed - always been told never to buy a car in the dark, so selling one must be piss easy, right?

 

He turned up with two mates, shone a torch at various parts of the car for about 20 seconds, a cursory glance under the bonnet and asked for a test drive. So I'm sat in the back whilst he tries his hardest to roll the car into a ditch or something with these two other guys seemingly just as terrified of the driving as I am, one of them was clinging on for dear life.

 

During this death-defying ride the clutch starts slipping (to be fair, I'm surprised it lasted that long - it was one of the reasons I was flogging it), and I thought it was all over. Nope - he haggled a full £50 off to sort the clutch (on a 20V 5-pot.... erm, OK. I think parts alone were £120), did the paperwork, and drove off. Had he not insisted in seeing the car as soon as I got in from work, he'd have realised also the manifold was cracked, and was noisy as fook when cold. Had he seen it in the light he'd have seen the front arches were made of a fair bit of filler, the tyres were ruined, and the interior was 50 shades of grim.

 

Saw it on eBay about a year later, having had a custom manifold fitted but still with crusty front arch tops, for £300.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I resemble that remark!

 

 

 

Why do people say that? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I think you mean 'resent'. You are by no means the only person to make this mistake however.

[dollywobbler]

Eh? It makes perfect sense. He's saying that remark could be aimed at him. Which, as I sold a car to him once, is true. Resenting would be if he thought he was not sensible.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

'I only sell cars to sensible people'

 

'I resemble that remark'

 

Soz, it makes no sense whatsoever! He does not resemble a remark of any sort. Even a remark which happens to include an accurate description of him.