So I went to inspect a daily driver today...

[Stanley Rockafella]

I was seriously considering a 99 S70, but just today an ad for a clean 960 comes up. The owner supposidly bought it for his son, and the son ended up getting a scholarship to school in CA with a car.

Anyway, here I went to take a look (supposidly I was the first person to look at the car). The owner is asking 1700 for the car that was supposidly owned by a little old asian lady and maintained at the volvo dealer.

When I looked under the hood, everthing looked very clean. Even the interior looked clean. There was the few places that looked like it had some regular wear and tear, but that's to be expected.

My problem comes from what the owner was claiming. He said in the ad that the a/c was ice cold. When i got there to see the car, the a/c wasn't cold at all. He then said it was because the system just needed a charge and that he had a hose to charge it (I do too).

I really want to like this car, but the seller owned many cars and just seemed too sketchy for me. He seemed like he was on crack cocaine or something, and could not sit still for 2 minutes. I got the vin and was about to give him a deposit with a cheque, but he refused saying that he does not accept cheques. He then said he only deals in cash.

Just to make some small talk, I asked him what he was teaching at the university, he said he had a permanent cure for diabetes. Earlier in our meeting, he mentioned he he was a baseball player in the states.

I dunno, I really like this car and dont' want to miss out on a nice car (I mean even both sets of keys with remotes looked great, the second set looked like it had never been used yet). On the other hand, I dont' want to get cheated out of $1700

He basically said everything that would make me want to trust him, but I really dont' have time to inspect this car as someone else will easily purchase this car in the meantime. I've bought and sold a few cars in my time, but this one seems a bit too good to be true. At least I got the vin of the car to run a carfax on it...

any advice?

here's the vin for anyone who can give me some help

yv1ks9611s1060044

[E30_Pare]

wut the fudge.

i imagine this guy to look crazy with a crown, in a wife beater, & shower robe.

[mbonder]

If you don't have a good feeling about it, walk away, there will always be others.

[redsubdivisions]

Pass on it. If the guy can't wait a week for the check to clear, then he is desperate to get it out of the driveway. Not to mention what you described. I would have walked away in mid sentence. and I've personally done it before!

[JasonC]

Personally I wouldn't take a check either...

[Stanley Rockafella]

wut the fudge.

i imagine this guy to look crazy with a crown, in a wife beater, & shower robe.

Not far from it! he didn't look far from being a bum collecting cans on the street. If I didn't introduce myself, I wou'dnt have guessed he was the seller of the car,let alone a Volvo in mint condition.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Personally I wouldn't take a check either...

Why not? I only had the intention of holding the car since this is a long weekend in Canukland and I could not get the full funds until Tuesday.

He knew I could only make two separate withdrawls from the ATM since they usually max out at 1000 per day (as most ATM's only let you take out that much at a time). Maybe that's why he priced the car so cheap to get someone to buy it asap.

He had a backpack FILLED with registrations from other cars and their keys too. He claimed he had all these cars (50+) but he wanted to get out of cars to "enjoy life". He had many stories.....

He also mentioned he had a bmw 3 series early in the conversation. So later in the discussion (after I took the car for a test drive) I asked more questions about it. That's when he stumbled and sai he's hardly had it very long and was only able to say that he can't even remember what it looks like. He thought it was an auto 95 318i.

[JasonC]

It's just the way I sell cars. First to come with cash in hand gets the car. I will not hold a car, been screwed on it in the past for being a nice guy. Life has been much easier when selling a car this way. Cause there is no waiting for checks to clear, no stories to why someone can't get the car after it was being held for them. Just no bullshit in general.

[mr.vang]

Link to ad

[bddog]

You flash him fourteen C notes hoping he will bite. That is if you have CASH.Who the hell goes to someones house to buy a used car with a check? Expecting a good deal? Who cares what the clown is like. A lot of Volvo people are a little eccentric anyways.

[!kid]

the dude, I bet buys cars for dirt cheep from auctions , cleans them up and flips them. My sister got her E30 from a a husband and wife that did this. we payed 800 for it. we later found out on some paper work the car was bought from an auction for less than 300$. just like your situation they had many cars in front of the house. Always had some random thing to say with some of our questions.

If you think it might be sketchy to buy the car than don't. follow your gut feeling.

[TurboJake]

My problem comes from what the owner was claiming. He said in the ad that the a/c was ice cold. When i got there to see the car, the a/c wasn't cold at all. He then said it was because the system just needed a charge and that he had a hose to charge it (I do too).

I really want to like this car, but the seller owned many cars and just seemed too sketchy for me. He seemed like he was on crack cocaine or something, and could not sit still for 2 minutes. I got the vin and was about to give him a deposit with a cheque, but he refused saying that he does not accept cheques. He then said he only deals in cash.

Just to make some small talk, I asked him what he was teaching at the university, he said he had a permanent cure for diabetes. Earlier in our meeting, he mentioned he he was a baseball player in the states.

I dunno, I really like this car and dont' want to miss out on a nice car (I mean even both sets of keys with remotes looked great, the second set looked like it had never been used yet). On the other hand, I dont' want to get cheated out of $1700

He basically said everything that would make me want to trust him, but I really dont' have time to inspect this car as someone else will easily purchase this car in the meantime. I've bought and sold a few cars in my time, but this one seems a bit too good to be true. At least I got the vin of the car to run a carfax on it...

any advice?

Go with your gut feeling. I'd walk away fast. If you're hell bent, take cash, and tell them this cash is theirs as soon as he takes it to a shop you trust to inspect it. Pay for the inspection too. (EVEN IF YOU DON'T BUY IT).

What I put in bold and italicized scream a lot to me though.

[Stanley Rockafella]

Link to ad

The dude lived downtown in a tiny apartment complex. He said he had a huge holding area outside the city he shared with another guy where he stored all his cars and motorcycles.

now that I think back, when I saw the registration on the car, it had the previous owners information on it (name, address etc.). Maybe this car wasn't his to begin with?

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/3903632406.html

Funny, just about a week ago I recall a similar situation when I was supposed to purchase some wheels and tires for my 97 Escort. There was a guy I worked with at an auto parts store who had an early 90's Civic sedan that had a nicer set of 15 inch alloys. They had nearly new rubber and would have looked awesome on my car.

I spoke to him about purchasing his wheels and tires, and surprisingly he agreed. We agreed on a silly price of $200 for all 4. I knew I was getting a great deal, as I would have easily paid over $500 on kijiji or CL from someone else.

Prior to this, I recall him coming to work saying that he was a terrible theif and to never trust anything he did or said. He was my supervisor, and all of the management at the store (including his managers) never trusted him, they all treated him like crap and were always keeping tabs on him. He'd also have funny mannerisms that this guy earlier today shared. The way he couldn't sit still, the way he smoked like a chimney, the way he was always tellin stories, the overall fidigity way about him...just didn't seem right

To make a long story short, he got my $200 and I got a valuable lesson to never trust anyone who I find myself with more questions than answers. And that if the deal is too good to be true, it probably is!

[JinormusJ]

^^^^^
I don't understand...
Did you not end up getting the wheels.....?

[LivingLegend06]

try this out to run the VIN:

http://www.geniusvin.com/index.php#full-history

No issues reported there but it doesnt seem to give as much information as it does on cars within the states.

The situation definitely sounds sketchy but if you looked over the car and everything checks out I say go for it. Make sure you get a bill of sale with the guys real name, especially if someone different is on the title.