osnap
04-18-2007, 02:52 PM
Please try and keep this thread somewhat serious.
Im selling my car... and because of the god-awful bodykit and all that jazz, i posted it on Mautofied.com where i thought it would get some attention... and sure enough, i recently had a guy named Rudy email me some questions. He wanted a VIN number and a few more pictures. I actually got a voicemail message from him and he verified that he was Rudy and wanted to talk about the possibility of buying the car. the area code is 819, and he was very up front about the fact that wed need to work shipping out somehow, since hes in Colorado Springs.
i provided him with a VIN number and explained what the carfax report would show when he pulls it. I spoke to him on the phone today and he seems like a nice, legitimate guy... but then again, you can never be too careful. He said hed been looking for a nice del sol for a while (and his mautofied account, though pretty new, reinforces this idea - all the cars hes made offers on have been sols). He asked about the possibility of splitting shipping costs if he paid my 5500 asking price. i just told him we would have to look into shipping options soon and discuss that then, and that id be willing to work with him. He said hed be speaking with his bank tomorrow, and that he "assumed it would be no problem and he could just have the money transferred into my account".
anyways... maybe im just being over-cautious, but something just strikes me as odd. anything stand out to anyone? the things that strike me as odd are: one, hes buying a car sight unseen, which i think is stupid. 2, he wants to have it shipped, which just sends up red flags for me. 3, hes not even negotiating the OBO price. I dunno... im just wary.
What i REALLY want to know, is how can i go about being sure im not going to be scammed? id rather not use escrow if i dont have to (its like $200 for this transaction), but that could be my best option. i just dont want to get a check and have it clear, only to find out after shipping the car that the check has bounced. He seems legitimate, but i cant be sure.
what are some good precautions to take? prepare a contract/receipt, check with bank.... etc?
Im selling my car... and because of the god-awful bodykit and all that jazz, i posted it on Mautofied.com where i thought it would get some attention... and sure enough, i recently had a guy named Rudy email me some questions. He wanted a VIN number and a few more pictures. I actually got a voicemail message from him and he verified that he was Rudy and wanted to talk about the possibility of buying the car. the area code is 819, and he was very up front about the fact that wed need to work shipping out somehow, since hes in Colorado Springs.
i provided him with a VIN number and explained what the carfax report would show when he pulls it. I spoke to him on the phone today and he seems like a nice, legitimate guy... but then again, you can never be too careful. He said hed been looking for a nice del sol for a while (and his mautofied account, though pretty new, reinforces this idea - all the cars hes made offers on have been sols). He asked about the possibility of splitting shipping costs if he paid my 5500 asking price. i just told him we would have to look into shipping options soon and discuss that then, and that id be willing to work with him. He said hed be speaking with his bank tomorrow, and that he "assumed it would be no problem and he could just have the money transferred into my account".
anyways... maybe im just being over-cautious, but something just strikes me as odd. anything stand out to anyone? the things that strike me as odd are: one, hes buying a car sight unseen, which i think is stupid. 2, he wants to have it shipped, which just sends up red flags for me. 3, hes not even negotiating the OBO price. I dunno... im just wary.
What i REALLY want to know, is how can i go about being sure im not going to be scammed? id rather not use escrow if i dont have to (its like $200 for this transaction), but that could be my best option. i just dont want to get a check and have it clear, only to find out after shipping the car that the check has bounced. He seems legitimate, but i cant be sure.
what are some good precautions to take? prepare a contract/receipt, check with bank.... etc?