What would you do?

Find a different car/seller.


Jedi

 

First off, agree with Jedi.

Secondly, I agree that once you have accepted an offer (verbally, in-writing, or via handshake), it's a deal. Anything else shows a lack of integrity.

Lastly, from your description, it doesn't seem clear that you had an accepted offer. It sounds like you said you really like his car and the price is okay but you wanted to see it before committing to a purchase. Why should the seller commit to you 100% if you haven't committed 100% to purchase? Of course, I wasn't privy to your emails, texts, or phone conversations and my impression could just be artifact of summary process.

 

Doesn't sound like the seller is too anxious to sell the car.
I would keep looking else where.

 

Scam springs to mind, I'd run and find a real deal

 

If I was the seller I would inform the OP about the other interest and if you are right it would mean that the OP should have waited that one out first. But at least the OP would have known where he stood in all this and not waste any time and money.

 

There is no excuse for jerking you around like that if you were a serious, legitimate buyer. No, there wasn't a commitment to buy on your part, but there's the unspoken rule of first come first served, and it sounds like you made every reasonable attempt. I've had that done to me a few times, and I don't let it get to me; if the person doesn't want to do business with me, more than likely it's because he reads me and knows I won't like the car (read: his car is crap and I've asked too many good questions or appeared more knowledgeable than the sucker he is looking for) or he won't like my offer (read: he's looking to rip someone off). If his car isn't that good or he is hiding something, at least a seller should be man enough to say, "I don't think this car is going to meet your expectations."

Were your communications to the seller clear and confident, or did you sound suspicious or shaky? Did you give him, unintentionally, any reason to think you weren't serious about the car? I've shrugged off "buyers" before who didn't seem serious to me, or whom I felt were just going to lowball me.

One final thought: Maybe the seller had someone interested in the car before you? But then if that is the case, he should have noted that at the start. It's not a pressure tactic if it's true; one good way to communicate this from seller to buyer would be to say in a calm, level voice, "I'm not trying to put any pressure on you, but I think you should know that I already have someone interested in this car, who has [come out to look at it, is planning to see it on such and such a date, whatever the case is]. In fairness, should one of you make an offer on the car, I will be letting the other one know and giving him an opportunity."

 

Did you actually have an accepted offer on the car or were you a cash buyer wanting to come look at the car first? I don't feel that there is any obligation to the buyer if no official offer has been made with a deposit.
I know the car, the owner and the mechanic(who is a serious racer) and all are legit. I know that the car also has an accepted offer from a buyer pending the PPI.

 

Scheduling can be a pain. My rule has always been until the cash is traded, there's no sale. If you didn't even have a deposit down, the seller had no obligation to you.

I've sold a bunch of cars, and there's always someone who says "cash buyer, I'll be there tomorrow/Saturday/next week." A majority never show.

Sorry your deal didn't work out, some things just aren't meant to be.

 

Sounds like the owner had a deal with cash in hand to hold the car pending the PPI. Also sounds like he didn't want to loose you as the 2nd potential buyer if the PPI was not up to the standards of the 1st buyer. So he had put the stall on you until the 1st deal resolved. If he told you he had a potential buyer but for some reason the deal fell through then he would loose any seller leverage if he had to come back to you . Sounds like a common tactic in car selling 101. Let it go and look for another ride. Lesson learned that without transfer of cash down payment or email documentation you have no deal.

 

Not even so much a scam.....just a "shady" car that maybe needs a lot of "pre-sorting" before anyone can come look at it. Walk away. There are plenty of good cars out there and the prices are as good as they've ever been.

 

Several comments here about no cash, no sale. Absolutely true . . . money talks and b.s. walks. However as decent civilized people, buyers and sellers have a responsibility to communicate honestly and effectively with each other, sale or no sale. No one -- buyer or seller -- deserves to be "strung along" and kept in the dark.

 

I guess part of the question is if you tell a 2nd potential buyer that there is someone else who has a deposit on it but is waiting for the PPI and the deal falls through what are the 2nd buyers thoughts. Maybe the car is bad or maybe there are only a few DIY item that could be fixed so I'll come back to the seller with a low ball figure. I would tell the buyers I have other people interested so come look at it and if you want it bring cash deposit or a bank check. I don't think I would hinge a buy waiting for a PPI.

 

Subject car is actually a very nice QV. Schedules are hard to coordinate some times. I agree phone calls are a much better way to avoid miss-understandings. I've also blown a LOT of weekends when selling cars to for sure buyers who never show up...

 

Communication and intelligence would clear all of this up. The chances of the first buyer passing on the car because of something stupid or irrelevant are as good or unknown as the chances of him passing on the car for something serious or meaningful, and the chances of the second buyer not being deterred are as unknown/equal as the first. If there is something seriously wrong with the car and the seller knows, then every buyer has the right to know. If the seller is worried that no one is going to buy his car, then either it is overpriced or there is something wrong with it (or him). At the end of the day, if the seller is afraid of the buyer knowing anything -- even something trivial -- then the seller is practicing deception.

The only honest exception to this that immediately comes to mind (I expect there are more) is when you have a buyer who clearly demonstrates little interest in detail or insignificant particular's about the car's condition; one need not point out trivial, insignificant details that a buyer himself has clearly not demonstrated enough knowledge, skill, or care to know the difference. But then do you really want to be selling a very nice car to an incompetent buyer? I made that mistake once, and never will again.

Communicating forthright with the 2nd buyer is more likely to be beneficial to the seller, anyway. It might spur him to action or to a higher offer or a contingent offer pending the first one falling through; at the very least, it solidifies the rapport and trust between buyer and seller rather than destroys it.

I agree with you, with the caveat that if an agreement was made pending PPI, then seller should honor that. However, I also agree with you that I wouldn't hinge a buy waiting for a PPI; PPI says to me "buyer who doesn't know what he's looking at," unless of course buyer has himself demonstrated to be knowledgeable and reasonable but is very busy and buying from afar, and relying on a reasonable specialist to be his eyes and ears. I'd much rather sell a car to someone who is going to come out and look at the car himself, and knows what he is looking at. If two people want to buy my car, both I believe are capable owners who will properly care for the car, and one is going to make it quick and easy, I will sell the car to him. And I will be up front about it to both from the start.

 

Run.

 

move on,after you said you own a ferrari b4,he probly thought you would pick this car apart and offer less,which I think this car was not that good for someone to think this about their car thats for sale,its probly good you didn't buy this car anyway.

 

walk away...the seller of my recently purchased 308 was in constant contact with me and went above and beyond to sell the car.

this is for sale in my state.. i LOVE it and if i hadn't already made to offer on my GTS this was the car.

http://www.atlanticsubaru.com/pre_owned.asp

 

According to this thread, another FChatter beat you to it with a deposit.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?p=139692906#post139692906

 

$33k?!? (the black GTBi) That car sold on fleaBay a couple of months ago for a lot less. Discussed here: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=277587
I think the bidding went to $25,500, but it may have been higher. This is pathetic on the part of this dealership, and the many others who buy cars publicly advertised and just turn around and flip them, without adding any value. I respect that dealerships are a business and provide a service for their profit, but I don't think this dealership is providing anything of value for their overpricing of that (very nice) 308 GTBi

That Subaru dealer doesn't know anything about 308s, and that is probably the first one they have ever had their hands on. They say nothing about service; I think it's safe to assume they've done nothing to it. If they put it on a lift, I'd be worried they damaged it. What did they do -- pay a kid $10 an hour to detail an already clean car?

They offer no expertise on them, either. What are you getting for your $8000 premium? No valuable maintenance, no expertise so the inexperienced buyer can feel confident of buying a new one, nothing.

What value do dealers add for buyers?
- A convenient place to look at a bunch of cars (this dealer has only one and has no peer cars of other makes for comparison, so no value there);
- Assurance (supposedly) that the car is in good nick (they have no credibility with a 308, so no value there); the give no word about any key 308 maintenance items anyway;
-Expertise in the model (nope);
-Access to vehicles not otherwise available to the public, or buying from wholesale (nope, bought it on eBay by outbidding all the other resellers);
-Ability to service (nope, wouldn't let them touch a 308).
- A clean, professional sales experience -- hopefully; let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say probably.
- Am I missing anything?

Really, it seems to me the only value this dealership is adding is the dealership buying experience -- which to many people, myself included, is a negative. As far as I'm concerned, they're worthless. They're just flipping that car just like any other schmuck who trawls eBay.

Some might say, "well, that's capitalism"; to this I say, fair enough, but ultimately the reseller who adds the most value to the experience is the one who wins (hey, that's capitalism), and in this and any context this car is overpriced, a poor buy, and the dealer is deserving of public ridicule I am dishing out.

By the way, to reiterate, I do think that is a nice looking GTBi ... just overpriced and in the wrong hands.

I tip my hat to the dealers and resellers who are knowledgeable in the cars they sell, offer the perspective and selection of someone who has dealt with many of the same car, carefully select good examples to sell and disclose deficiencies of lesser examples, and price their cars fairly from the start rather than starting off rip-off high and seeing how much they can sucker an unwitting buyer.


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I don't know the conversation, but you outted him with his name and no chance to defend his actions. You've put a lot of effort into trying to make him look like a jerk. So to take the other side maybe he didn't feel comfortable with the interaction and was trying to blow you off.

There are other great cars out there.

 

I just found this thread.

Ken I am sorry if you feel like I did something wrong, but I was 100% up-front with you during the time we were discussing my car. I told you that I had several people in contact with me showing different levels of interest. You were not the first person to inquire nor were you the first to suggest coming to Louisville to inspect the car. We never had a "deal" because you never gave me an offer, I asked several times but you never gave me a number. I told you that until I had money in my hand the car was for sale. I have had other cars that I have sold and have learned until money is exchanged you never know how serious someone is.

When I was at the track and I let you know that status of the car you started acting in a manner that I was uncomfortable with. Based upon your actions I decided to end our discussions.

Hopefully by now you have found what you were looking for. Best of luck!

Matt