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The one that got away...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Jive-Bomber, Jan 21, 2010.

  1. 32Auburn
    Joined: Nov 23, 2008
    Posts: 305

    32Auburn
    Member
    from Oregon

    sounds like you went into it right but you must have really low balled her for a friend to offer twice as much. Just telling someone that they could probably get more and then her seeing that "more" was double what you offered must have left a very bad vibe. I'm all for getting good deals but taking advantage of someone's ignorance is not cool, not saying that's what you did but it probably looked that way to her. As far as legal action that you say you could have taken, I don't think so. There has to be consideration (money in this case, a deposit) for a contract to be enforcable. Kudos to you for not making a stink either way.
     
  2. I was thinking the exact same thing.

    People will offer $500-$1000 more to get the deal, he DOUBLED your offer!

    I'm guessing he didn't pay retail either, so you must have really low balled for him to double the offer.

    Sorry, nothing against yourself, but I don't feel sorry for you. No money changed hands, you went on holiday for two weeks, she gave you the paperwork for no real reason which was a mistake on her part and a possible low ball offer all wraps up to a package that wasn't meant to be.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2010
  3. Muttley
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 18,500

    Muttley
    Member

    I'm not sure I wouldnt have burned her house down.
     
  4. KeithDyer
    Joined: Mar 26, 2007
    Posts: 193

    KeithDyer
    Member

    Now that . . . , was an expensive vacation!!!!!!!!

    Did you learn to surf, or pick up any other productive life skills on that trip??

    K
     
  5. SDhotrod
    Joined: Oct 11, 2008
    Posts: 650

    SDhotrod
    Member

    This is the best advice yet.
     
  6. Retro Jim
    Joined: May 27, 2007
    Posts: 3,854

    Retro Jim
    Member

    Ryan , great story and we all have been there . Beautiful car and very well taken care of by the pictures .
    Look at it this way , you were very honest with the lady and didn't try to rip her off . Yea that one got away but you can still hold your head high because you were honest with the lady on how much money you had and what the car was really worth ! There are many more people passing away and leaving old cars in garages that are there to be found .
    This wasn't the one , thats all !

    RetroJim
     
  7. oldpl8s
    Joined: Apr 11, 2007
    Posts: 1,487

    oldpl8s
    Member

    I learned long ago that if something is a good deal, do WHAT EVER it takes to get it in your possesion FAST. Too often they change their mind or someone else talks them out of it. I've also been burned trying to see if a cheap price can go lower at a swap meet. The lady turns to her husband and quotes your new offer only to learn the original price was way too low and you lose the whole deal. I found a cherry 56 Chevy years ago, but the owner had the battery out. The price was great and he said come back in a few days and I'll get it started. Of course a few days later it was gone. I should have paid him on the spot and pushed the car down the street running or not.
     
  8. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    Tough one to swallow but I think you have some really nice cars so lots to be thankful for. I would have punched myself in the mouth for calling while in Hawaii though. Grrrr.
     
  9. autobilly
    Joined: May 23, 2007
    Posts: 3,123

    autobilly
    Member

    The one that got away alright! HRTH's comments above express my sentiments exactly. You still might have the car but the holiday would be long gone. Although it's devastating for you, it probably worked out for the best. After all, the Widow got more money (closer to the true value), the car went to a good home and the guy who got it definitely had more of a claim as he was friends with the owner and had worked on the car etc.
     
  10. olskoolspeed
    Joined: Mar 2, 2009
    Posts: 476

    olskoolspeed
    Member
    from Ohio

    What would really make this sting even worse would be if you could have afforded to throw down a better offer. A low offer because, "I wasn't sure it would run". Did it REALLY matter?
     
  11. hudson48
    Joined: Oct 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,108

    hudson48
    Member

  12. Pat Pryor
    Joined: May 28, 2007
    Posts: 1,911

    Pat Pryor
    Member

    im sorry. i know how that feels. it reminds me of this past summer when a co worker told me about the 3 model Ts or A just sitting outin the woods, followed by 3 or 4 early 50s chevys. about 3 years befor he use to hunt in a tree stand near them. i almost threw up! so i end up going out there to find nothing just a few remains.hopefully someone saved em but i think maybe the township may of scraped them. the only thing i got out of it was a ton of chigger bites. but now i know chiggers finally made their way up to nj and to protect myself from them which is almost impossable.
     
  13. magsnubby
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 486

    magsnubby
    Member
    from Fresno,Ca

    Sounds like he was pretty straight up with her. He told her it was worth more, even offered to help her sell it but she agreed to his price.

    "I ask her, “Do you want it to go to a good home by someone who will appreciate it, or are you looking to make a lot of money on it?” She says, “I think I just want it to go to a good home.” Wow. Oh, yeah. Wow. I told her what I would give her for the car, considering that I don’t know if it runs. I also tell her she could probably get a lot more for it selling it out of the paper, and I offered to help her do that. (she is a widow, and a friend of a friend). She insists that the car is mine for the modest amount I offered her. Now, I have no real money saved at this point, I’m late getting back to work, and my wife and I are leaving for vacation in Hawaii the very next day. The widow says, “Don’t worry, you’ve got all the paperwork- Just pay me when you get back. Its been sitting for years, what’s a few more weeks? Have fun, and I’ll see you when you get back.”
     
  14. LIL.TIMMYUser Name
    Joined: Jan 30, 2009
    Posts: 741

    LIL.TIMMYUser Name
    Member

    damn! i know everyone whos a car nut has a story like this, sometimes it's the only way to get that valuable "life experience" i had a buddy with a cogsworth vega, tells me 300.00! but it doesn't run, battery is dead and carb leaks all over the place. i say heck ya! i'll take it! go over to his house with my dumb, trusting 17 y/o face hanging out and it's cherry! gold paint with the stripes, nice interior, do dents, i'm in love! just a dumb kid though, no trailer to haul it. we drop a battery in, bang on the carb a little to unstick the float, runs great! the whole time i thought it was kinda funny that his wife was keeping watch. after we get it fired, she comes out and takes the hubby aside. he comes back to me with a sick look on his face and states "my wife says i have to get more money"! just couldn't believe it.
     
  15. That sucks. Im only 21 and so far Ive had 2 '36 5 window coupes slip from my grips. One was a factory runner (juice brakes added) that an old gentlemen wanted to trade for my '55 Chevy at a local cruise night, straight up. He said he was looking for a tri5 to tow his grandkids around in. At the time I was 17 and the Chevy wasnt legally mine, it was my dads. He didnt go for the idea of his son rolling around in a '30s coupe. Another was about a year later, guy wanted to trade another 5 window for the Chevy but he wound up getting another vehicle. That one had a small block in it. I'll have a '35-'36 coupe one day.
     
  16. PunkAssGearhead88
    Joined: Jul 9, 2006
    Posts: 1,788

    PunkAssGearhead88
    Member
    from So Cal

    I know the feeling, havent had it happen to me with a car as as nice as this 36 you mention, but the principal is the same.. You cant trust anyone and money is the root to all evil.
    Hopefully the "friend" takes equally as good care you or the previous owner would..
     
  17. crosleykook
    Joined: Feb 15, 2006
    Posts: 190

    crosleykook
    Member
    from sackamento

    That's what i was thinking, too.

    your end of the story sucks, but I can only imagine being the old guy's pal who'd helped work on the car, and then it was suddenly gone to a stranger for half of what he'd have paid. THAT would really suck.
     
  18. Pete, wasn't trying to imply anything at all. Your 1 sentence post could have been taken many different ways so I asked you to clarify. I agree that it's always best when you're going to look at something with the intention of trying to make a deal the best route to take is to pay on the spot and if for some reason you can't remove it immediately at least get the title signed over to you, bill of sale, an agreement to pick it up by a certain date, etc. When dealing with cars and sometimes a fair distance away it's not always sensible or possible to drag a trailer around with you everywhere you go. Especially if you don't own a trailer. If you're looking at several different cars over a long period of time until you find the right car are you gonna rent a trailer for a month ? I apologize if you missunderstood my commets. One of the bad things about the internet is that it's easy to read something the wrong way when the person typing it isn't right there in front of you .
     
  19. A similar thing happened to a good friend. He thought he had a deal, but the seller sold the car to someone else. Several months later I was approached by a friend who's neighbor's husband died. She wanted to get rid of his car, a one-owner, low mileage '63 Chevy Bel Air, more door sedan, 283, 3 speed, in near mint condition. I went with $$$ and a trailer, we agreed on a price, I gave her the cash, and loaded up the car before she could change her mind. This was never meant to work out since the car burned to the ground four weeks later due to an electrical fire.......
     
  20. MODELA30
    Joined: Sep 23, 2009
    Posts: 1,180

    MODELA30
    Member

    Ok i was 18. Looking to buy a 52 chevy pick-up. Go to the guys house. He had a collection of parts i mean like a little junk yard. He told me he was the landlord of the house and that the lady renting it was complaining of the junk in the back and told him if he did not get rid of it she would leave so i offered him $1000.00 for the truck and some other parts. I put all the parts in the bed i mean it was full of old 50's truck parts. Just about to leave he points at what was covered under a tarp and asked me if i was interested in the coupe under it. We walk over to it to my eyes a 1930 ford 2 door coupe in great shape no rust at all. I say i dont have any more money he says no its free!!!!!! Were was i going to put it. A truck full of parts so i told him i will be back tomorrow. Well that word will always haunt me. The next day a call to let him know i am going to pick it up. He said dont bother the old lady called the junk yard and they took everything. I went over there to go see the line of lies he had told me over the phone well it was no lie it was all gone!!!!!!! Drag marks all over the grass too from them just yanking the cars to the street. Well i now this much how much you want to bet me that the driver of the tow truck had to detour to his house when he moved that coupe!!!! Knuck from indiana.
     
  21. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Cash on the spot will always be king. For the guys thinking that a "gentlemans aggreement" means anything... that (unfortunately) went the way of the dinosaur.:(

    Back in the early 80's, I was going to a girlfriends house. She lived in a really nice neighborhood and there were some people that owned some nice rides. Well, I cruise down to her street and I see a kid (18yrs. old) putting a for sale sign on what looked like the front of an early Vette. I back up to take a look. Turns out to be a '66 Vette! The hood was removed as well as all the interior and trim. The engine and tranny were sitting in a corner of the garage. He tells me he was going to restore it, but was heading to college and needed the money. He wanted $2,500. I tell him the deal is done and I'll be right back.

    Now, I didn't have the money, but I had an uncle who would loan me the bucks. So, I head out to my uncles place and we make a trip to the bank. When we arrived at the kids house it was being loaded on a trailer. For a minute, I thought it was cool that he was going to haul it for me.:eek: Turns out a friend of his had showed up and had the cash. I was pissed, but what could I do? I thought about that Vette the whole summer.

    Some money down AND something in writing would have to be the way to go in these situations.
     
  22. classicfins
    Joined: Dec 16, 2006
    Posts: 592

    classicfins
    Member

    Sweet coupe that's for sure. But everything happens for a reason. Some things just aren't meant to be. More often than not if you look back since that time you will find some special something that filled that void which probably wouldn't have happened if you had purchased the '36. That's usually how I seem to find it to work out for me...
     
  23. panhead_pete
    Joined: Feb 22, 2006
    Posts: 3,487

    panhead_pete
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    All good mate. :)
     
  24. paco
    Joined: Oct 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,141

    paco
    Member
    from Atlanta

    Oh ...... I feel your pain ... similar thing happened to me when a associate (not a friend but someone I knew & did work on his car) tells me he has a 1 owner 55 210 that a guy bought while working at GM here in town ....... I go & look ....... black & white with black interior. Nice ORIGINAL 6 cyl. car with 3 speed. Body is UN-FN-Believable .... we argree on a price & I say I'll be back sat a.m. with my truck & trl. I'm stoked ...... never owned a 55 so ....... this is sweet. I've already got it figured in my head what it'll look like in 6 months ..... Ok ..... back to the pick up day ...... I arrive early & knock on the door ..... shitbag answers & we talk the car ..... he says ... "I didn't think you were serious" ..... "I sold it yesterday".
    Nuff said. Painful but a real lesson learned. Go with dough, truck & trailer.

    I'm sorry for your loss.

    Paco
     
  25. After reading the inital post I pondered over how missing this deal was sad But in reality the sad part is what we as Americans have become! Our word is no longer good! Greed is so rampant that money means more than our word. This is the truly sad part
     
  26. 32Auburn
    Joined: Nov 23, 2008
    Posts: 305

    32Auburn
    Member
    from Oregon

    WTF? Don't know what America you live in but speak for yourself, my word's good as are the people's that I hang out with. Even Jive Bomber didn't call the lady greedy.
     
  27. dude that SUCKS!
     
  28. Dude
    I wasn't talking about you!!! Take a chill pill
    Anybody that gets that upset must have guilty feelings
     
  29. Turbo442
    Joined: Nov 27, 2005
    Posts: 702

    Turbo442
    Member

    Agreed and If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting Jay, you would know that he is the least likely person to call anyone names, particularly an elderly lady.
    Anyways, that being said I feel your pain, thats a tough one. I always took at least a deposit and got something in writing just in case. I will say that I have never had a problem though with buying a car though as the people I have dealt with all held to their word more so than the deposit or scribbled note.
    Jason
     
  30. To the above posts!
    If the lady was not greedy then why did she not honor her word to the original poster???
    Explain that to me !!!!!!!
     

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