nightmare buyer!
Discussion
Having a complete mare.
Sold my V-reg Azure blue GT3 to a guy on ebay for £16350 about 3 weeks ago. A few days ago he posted if for sale for £18000 on pistonheads describing it as mint! He has since removed it. He has emailed me today to say that the gearbox is leaking and that he's taken it to a specialist to fix it. Here is an excert of what he sent to me,
"I will ALSO refer the sell of this
item to Ebay for them to investigate. They are very
thorough. As for the car, my wife wanted to know why
there's oil on our driveway; why the window wouldn't
wind down when stoping at boothe to pay Dartford toll;
why the wing mirror wouldn't work whilst on M25; and
why her passenger door doesn't work with remote. AA
Report states condition of car, and indeed Esprit Eng
will confirm faults. You may not care less, but I do,
and am sure the seller may.
I'm planning to pick car up on Friday, provided car is
ready
Be assured I will do all of the above if Geof or I
haven't heard from you before Friday. Please don't
make silly immature comments regarding my character.
This is not personal. I would welcome this matter to
be dealt with by a Third Person.
Cheers "
Thing is this guy kept we waiting for 2 weeks after the auction finished without even coming to see it. I then started considering whether to keep it. He then threatened to sue me if I didn't sell it to him.
Anyone else ever dealt with a nuisance like this?
Pete
Sold my V-reg Azure blue GT3 to a guy on ebay for £16350 about 3 weeks ago. A few days ago he posted if for sale for £18000 on pistonheads describing it as mint! He has since removed it. He has emailed me today to say that the gearbox is leaking and that he's taken it to a specialist to fix it. Here is an excert of what he sent to me,
"I will ALSO refer the sell of this
item to Ebay for them to investigate. They are very
thorough. As for the car, my wife wanted to know why
there's oil on our driveway; why the window wouldn't
wind down when stoping at boothe to pay Dartford toll;
why the wing mirror wouldn't work whilst on M25; and
why her passenger door doesn't work with remote. AA
Report states condition of car, and indeed Esprit Eng
will confirm faults. You may not care less, but I do,
and am sure the seller may.
I'm planning to pick car up on Friday, provided car is
ready
Be assured I will do all of the above if Geof or I
haven't heard from you before Friday. Please don't
make silly immature comments regarding my character.
This is not personal. I would welcome this matter to
be dealt with by a Third Person.
Cheers "
Thing is this guy kept we waiting for 2 weeks after the auction finished without even coming to see it. I then started considering whether to keep it. He then threatened to sue me if I didn't sell it to him.
Anyone else ever dealt with a nuisance like this?
Pete
I don't get it... it was a private sale right?
On ebay!
So what the hell does he expect? Or are you a garage selling him the car??
Does he seriously think you should fix a broken electric mirror after he bought the car off you? Maybe he should've done a better PPI! (we learn from experience...)
Russell
On ebay!
So what the hell does he expect? Or are you a garage selling him the car??
Does he seriously think you should fix a broken electric mirror after he bought the car off you? Maybe he should've done a better PPI! (we learn from experience...)
Russell
These are small points that afflict a lot of cars. I expect it is just fine mechanically and he's kicking up a fuss to get money or pull some sort of 'fast one'.
If he wants court action he will no doubt lose as most Magistrates have owned a Lotus in their youth at some point or other and understand this.
Wank3r
If he wants court action he will no doubt lose as most Magistrates have owned a Lotus in their youth at some point or other and understand this.
Wank3r
Hi guys, that's for the replies.
As you say, I'm just a private seller. I'm so upset, as I spent a fortune on it, 400 miles since C service, 400 miles since new tyres, intercooler pump, drive shaft oils seals. I only sold it as I have nowhere to keep it until we get our new house finished (wife, baby and I with parents). The guy has been nothing but hassle. As I said, he even threatened to sue me if I didn't sell it to him.
You may well have even see the ad (that he's now withdrawn) he put it up for £1650 more than I sold it to him for. He also stated it mas in mint condition.
I loved the car, and I'm now left with a bitter taste. There was no oil leak when i sold it. if so, I'd have fixed it.
Cheers
Peter
As you say, I'm just a private seller. I'm so upset, as I spent a fortune on it, 400 miles since C service, 400 miles since new tyres, intercooler pump, drive shaft oils seals. I only sold it as I have nowhere to keep it until we get our new house finished (wife, baby and I with parents). The guy has been nothing but hassle. As I said, he even threatened to sue me if I didn't sell it to him.
You may well have even see the ad (that he's now withdrawn) he put it up for £1650 more than I sold it to him for. He also stated it mas in mint condition.
I loved the car, and I'm now left with a bitter taste. There was no oil leak when i sold it. if so, I'd have fixed it.
Cheers
Peter
Don't sweat it, Peter. The world is full of a..holes and it is unfortunate that you sold your car to one. From my reading, he didn't even contact you for two weeks or so, which could have easily voided your initial "contract" if you stated something to the effect of "deposit/pickup within x days...." Everything he is complaining about is minor BS. I keep a spare set of window motors (one each) in my garage for just such a need. I buy them on eBay for about $15-20 ea. (Jag). Next thing he will complain of is the headlight pod drooping down when he goes over a bump. I can only hope that your bill of sale stated "as is." I'm sure your next one will. Regardless, I agree that I think he is trying to get some money from you for things that go wrong on all of them. I mean, really, an English car leaking oil? Is this the end of the world? Get serious. I've owned several English cars and have yet to see one that didn't leak. Fix all the leaks and wait a week and you'll have another. Just ignore him and he will eventually go away.
Dr.Hess
Dr.Hess
The letter is difficult to follow but I'm guessing buyer's remorse. Was the buyer a young guy who might have really stretched for it?
I see two options:
1. Ignore it until he actually does something other than write meandering e-mails. Collect all your information (did you keep copies of receipts for all the work? did you write up a bill of sale that stated "as is"? do you have proof of the threats to sue if you didn't sell him the car? can you dig up a copy of his advert at $18k?) and sit on it.
2. A terse message, possibly reviewed by your lawyer, maybe even sent via post:
"Dear psycho buyer guy,
The V-reg Esprit GT3, serial number xxxxx was sold to you in excellent "as is" condition. You had ample opportunity to inspect it to your satisfaction. I am not liable for any maintenance or repair at this time.
Sincerely, You"
Don't get into point-by-point discussions with the guy. Your liability ended when he bought the car. Period.
Realistically, anyone who hears that the guy threatened to sue you to get the car, tried to sell it for a profit claiming mint condition, then started making threats to get you to "fix" it, is going to laugh long and hard. Expecting ebay to get involved is a big
I see two options:
1. Ignore it until he actually does something other than write meandering e-mails. Collect all your information (did you keep copies of receipts for all the work? did you write up a bill of sale that stated "as is"? do you have proof of the threats to sue if you didn't sell him the car? can you dig up a copy of his advert at $18k?) and sit on it.
2. A terse message, possibly reviewed by your lawyer, maybe even sent via post:
"Dear psycho buyer guy,
The V-reg Esprit GT3, serial number xxxxx was sold to you in excellent "as is" condition. You had ample opportunity to inspect it to your satisfaction. I am not liable for any maintenance or repair at this time.
Sincerely, You"
Don't get into point-by-point discussions with the guy. Your liability ended when he bought the car. Period.
Realistically, anyone who hears that the guy threatened to sue you to get the car, tried to sell it for a profit claiming mint condition, then started making threats to get you to "fix" it, is going to laugh long and hard. Expecting ebay to get involved is a big
Hi again,
pycho would be a fitting description I think. The drive shafts were leaking when I bought it and I went to esprit engineering and had it done. Didn't bother thr guy I bought it from. Besides, the house we just moved out of didn't have single spot of oil on the floor! The guy isn't even young, he's older than me, well into his 40s. He sold his boxter and said he was waiting for the guy to bring his money, which is why he only turned up 2 weeks after the auction. He said the cheque had to clear. the auction condition specified payment within 7 days, yet I let it go despite having others that offered to turn up once his initial weeks was up. The advert he placed on pistonheads that he withdrew after a couple of days said that his wife preferred the porsche. Think he must be well under the thumb! The fact that the windows weren't working he was aware of, as I informed him off this well before he took it. The lift relay had gone. It only blew between the auction end and the 2 weeks after that he turned up.
The car was a bargain. thanks for the support anyway.
I wish i hadn't sold it on ebay as I believe it makes people suspicious. I only did so as ads in the mags take time to be published (and pricey) and our house sale went through so quickly I didn't get around to sorting it. didn't want the car on the pavement in from of my parents place. I really regret the whole thing.
Pete
pycho would be a fitting description I think. The drive shafts were leaking when I bought it and I went to esprit engineering and had it done. Didn't bother thr guy I bought it from. Besides, the house we just moved out of didn't have single spot of oil on the floor! The guy isn't even young, he's older than me, well into his 40s. He sold his boxter and said he was waiting for the guy to bring his money, which is why he only turned up 2 weeks after the auction. He said the cheque had to clear. the auction condition specified payment within 7 days, yet I let it go despite having others that offered to turn up once his initial weeks was up. The advert he placed on pistonheads that he withdrew after a couple of days said that his wife preferred the porsche. Think he must be well under the thumb! The fact that the windows weren't working he was aware of, as I informed him off this well before he took it. The lift relay had gone. It only blew between the auction end and the 2 weeks after that he turned up.
The car was a bargain. thanks for the support anyway.
I wish i hadn't sold it on ebay as I believe it makes people suspicious. I only did so as ads in the mags take time to be published (and pricey) and our house sale went through so quickly I didn't get around to sorting it. didn't want the car on the pavement in from of my parents place. I really regret the whole thing.
Pete
i once had a similar situation with a car i sold to a dealer.i was fairly stressed when he threatened to "see me in court" so i rang a solicitor mate for some advice.to quote his exact words "tell him to go f*** himself,and if he doesn`t get the message,tell him to ring me and i`ll tell him to go f*** himself"!!realising this may inflame the situation,i tried to be more polite and reason with him (which definitely didn`t work) so took my mates advice and told him straight.never heard another word!!!sometimes people just need to be reminded that they can`t push others around,and get their own way.and just to annoy him,tell him you bought a boxter with the money!!
Private sale on ebay.
You owe him nothing at all. It could have thrown a rod on the way home and you'd have to do nothing.
Just ignore the fool. The worst you'll get is a negative comment on your ebay account.
He was obviously trying to profit on your car. It's backfired on him so he's having a cry in the corner. Leave him be.
It's just sad that you now have a bad memory of your last days with the car.
>> Edited by MJK 24 on Sunday 30th October 16:14
You owe him nothing at all. It could have thrown a rod on the way home and you'd have to do nothing.
Just ignore the fool. The worst you'll get is a negative comment on your ebay account.
He was obviously trying to profit on your car. It's backfired on him so he's having a cry in the corner. Leave him be.
It's just sad that you now have a bad memory of your last days with the car.
>> Edited by MJK 24 on Sunday 30th October 16:14
Tell him to bugger off for sure! It is an Esprit not an Accord. Guy clearly did not do once minute of research before buying or he would know that to drive/own an Esprit is a privelage. After all, this car is not some over priced run of the mill German car. I like those too, but they built um'teen many of them compared to the less than 400 per year Esprit.
I bought mine because I felt the guy was as straight as he could be (and it was the color I wanted)... but... BUT... I also EXPECTED to run into some stuff after buying it. That is the nature of the beast. There were a few little things I had to do soon after buying (slave cylinder, re-seat the wind screen, fix a flat, change a fog lamp) and that is fine. Hey, all this stuff was fine the day I saw it and agreed to buy it!
This moron apparently feels like you stepped out in the two weeks that he did not bother to "show" and broke some stuff for the fun of it or something. He has no case... I'd send him an e-mail of "his" "Mint" car for sale and ask what he did since the posting?
(I may even go get the car back just because I can't see leaving it with a arss that has no idea what it means to have an Esprit!
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
I bought mine because I felt the guy was as straight as he could be (and it was the color I wanted)... but... BUT... I also EXPECTED to run into some stuff after buying it. That is the nature of the beast. There were a few little things I had to do soon after buying (slave cylinder, re-seat the wind screen, fix a flat, change a fog lamp) and that is fine. Hey, all this stuff was fine the day I saw it and agreed to buy it!
This moron apparently feels like you stepped out in the two weeks that he did not bother to "show" and broke some stuff for the fun of it or something. He has no case... I'd send him an e-mail of "his" "Mint" car for sale and ask what he did since the posting?
(I may even go get the car back just because I can't see leaving it with a arss that has no idea what it means to have an Esprit!
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
Drive topless !! Ha ! I virtually never even open the glass roof on my car as it has air-con, but... I once dcided to take the roof off for a short trip home. I had loads of stuff in the boot but once I'd started, I wanted to carry on. Five minutes of boot emptying, roof removing and bagging and air deflector fitting I found that there was no way of storing the roof in the boot. This is actually stated in the workshop manual (which, somewhat sadly, I have read several times) and the handbook. Surely with all their engineering genius, Lotus could have found a couple of extra inches to fit the lid somewhere in the car ! Bertone managed it with the X 1/9 and so did Toyota with the MR2 T-bar. I don't see the point of a removable roof you can't carry with you. It's useless on all but the shortest of journeys !
>> Edited by toyroom on Sunday 30th October 22:43
>> Edited by toyroom on Sunday 30th October 22:43
Toy,
I have seen a web site somewhere that details exactly how to put the roof in the boot. It isn't easy and it appears that there is only one way to do it. Kind of like a Chineese puzzle. Never tried it myself, but many have successfully done it. If I recall, it involves putting in one corner, pivoting, etc.
Dr.Hess
I have seen a web site somewhere that details exactly how to put the roof in the boot. It isn't easy and it appears that there is only one way to do it. Kind of like a Chineese puzzle. Never tried it myself, but many have successfully done it. If I recall, it involves putting in one corner, pivoting, etc.
Dr.Hess
Dr.Hess said:
Toy,
I have seen a web site somewhere that details exactly how to put the roof in the boot. It isn't easy and it appears that there is only one way to do it. Kind of like a Chineese puzzle. Never tried it myself, but many have successfully done it. If I recall, it involves putting in one corner, pivoting, etc.
Dr.Hess
Once you get the hang of it, it's very easy to make it fit in the boot.
Really... My roof is out all the time! I can pop it out, bag it, and store it in the boot in less than two minutes for sure...
Try this...
Roof out, stand facing the boot, lift the roof with the headliner side facing up and the latch handels to the top, turn the roof so that the left side slides into the left fender well - rotate "up" on the left side and down on the right side as needed.
At this point the right side will just slip into place dropping about 6cm short of the battery.
I have AC, but I only use it on the really hot days and I do not have a wind deflector and would not bother anyway. My other car is an MX-5. My 1st car was a Sprite... I like the wind.
so...
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
Try this...
Roof out, stand facing the boot, lift the roof with the headliner side facing up and the latch handels to the top, turn the roof so that the left side slides into the left fender well - rotate "up" on the left side and down on the right side as needed.
At this point the right side will just slip into place dropping about 6cm short of the battery.
I have AC, but I only use it on the really hot days and I do not have a wind deflector and would not bother anyway. My other car is an MX-5. My 1st car was a Sprite... I like the wind.
so...
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
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