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Message |
Michael C. James (Mjames)
Junior Member
Username: Mjames
Post Number: 61
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Monday, August 04, 2003 - 11:24 am: | |
Interesting! Thanks for sharing... |
Chris Trimiew (Jjjjjs)
New member
Username: Jjjjjs
Post Number: 3
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, August 02, 2003 - 3:30 am: | |
It's not an f-car, but my '82 mercedes has a bit of a history.
Saw it on the lot one day while driving past. Big window sticker said $1775. I thought to myself "Hmm, why so cheap? They're usually a grand more than that..." Nevertheless, I pulled a u-turn and went to check it out. The owner of the lot didn't happen to be there and he just happened to have the key with him. "Oh, well, I'll just wait" I thought. I waited and waited, and then the lot shut down for the evening. There I was standing in the middle of this dealer's lot while all the lights were being shut off and no one even remembered I was there.
Great customer service.
I went back the next day when the owner was there. I haven't checked up on it, but I'm pretty sure this guy was one of the toothless hillbillies in "Deliverance". Not one to judge a book by the cover, I talked with him a bit and ended up taking it for a test drive. "Hey, what's this coat hanger doing here?" "Oh, that's holding the back window up." he said. "Any idea why this rear interior panel is open and that panel in the back has been torn off before?" And the typical dealer answer..."No idea".
So it wasn't in the greatest cosmetic shape. It drove well. Really well. 2 hours of freeway driving at over 90mph and the temp guage never went above 100. Smooth as silk the entire way. I decided that I was going to buy it as I needed a car for those long freeway trips as my other car was more of an around the town type of thing.
The dealer mentioned that this car came from Redding, CA. This should have been my first tip off. Nothing god has ever come out of Redding. Ever. I had an awful job in Redding, I had a bitchy ex-girlfriend from Redding, and so on. Funny thing is that I've never lived there. Anyway, I go and do a carfax on it. Seems that it was bought from a police auction. Hmmm, the panels being out of alignment are starting to make sense now. Turns out that the car had belonged to someone who was caught for drug trafficking. Fine, fine nose candy was hidden behind a few of the panels when the police caught up to him and searched the car. Spectacular. The car was still a decent price, and I managed to negotiate him down to $1550 before buying it. I paid the $35 title transfer fee and he assured me that I'd have the title in my name in 2-4 weeks. Sounds about right to me, the DMV isn't the fastest entity around.
Long story short, I drive the car back home (300 miles away), many phone calls, and 3 months later I got the title. Sent from him, NOT the DMV and not even in his name. Great, it's still registered in the name of the person who bought it from the auction in California. I go to the DMV and pay them $35 PLUS $38 for a late fee to transfer the title in my name. Finally the car was mine. Naturally I called up the dealer about 635 times to get my money back from the title transfer fee I paid him, the late fee, and the trip permits that I had to buy. Every time I call he says that the check is in the mail. Finally I got fed up and decided to make a personal visit.
Another 300 miles back to where I bought the car and he seems surprised to see me. I told him point blank that I was not leaving until he wrote me a check right there for the amount of money he owed me. He argued that he didn't owe me anything. I stood my ground and told him that I wasn't going to go away until he's made good on the deal. He reluctantly wrote a check out to me and it's at this point that I ask him to write me another check to cover the money I spent on diesel to get down there. And then another check for wasting my time.
Finally I have the car in my name, and all the money owed to me. Now all that happens is that I get pulled over about once every three weeks. Apparently when the police see a 21 year old kid driving in a mercedes they think it's stolen and pull me over for something ridiculous ( i.e. going 67 in a 65 speed zone, touching the yellow lane divide line in a hairpin turn at 10mph) Of course when this happens they see the damaged interior panels and ask to search the car. Of course there's nothing hidden (well, not since I bought the car at least) but it's still annoying.
There is a leson to be learned here. Avoid Redding, CA, and everything that comes from it like the plague.
-Chris
Who didn't realize that this post was so ridiculously long. |
Michael C. James (Mjames)
Junior Member
Username: Mjames
Post Number: 59
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 1:46 pm: | |
Anyone have a car that had a sketchy owner/story related to it?
I'd love to hear a few... |
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