Title Jumping. Probably not going to do that any more.

[CaptainHenreh]

lol rex has the story on the Focus too... someone wanted some warranty work

I'll copypasta from my tale of woe on arf:

So I recently sold my 2005 Ford Focus.
Good car! I was actually considering keeping it, if I could sell my Mazdaspeed3 first, but I get this email from a UofM Student:

Hi,

I am a student of UMD. The maxium for me to offer is $3000.
Can you accept that? I am currently in College Park, MD.
I am bargining the price because I do not want to travel 50 miles in vain.

Sorry if you can not accept my number.
Thanks.


Best Regards,
Dr. Douchecanoe*


(*name changed to protect the retarded)

Now, that's 750 bucks less than I was asking, but 3k was in fact my bottom line, so I said "sure, come look at it."

He arrives. He looks over the car. Starts it. Says "It's louder than my friend's Camry." Hey man, that's a domestic for you. I explain that I just did the front brakes, that it got new tires a little more than a year ago, and that it passed NoVA emissions last year as well. Honestly guys, it's a good car. And for 3 grand? C'mon!

He drives, slowly, around the parking lot. I say to him "Go ahead man, drive it around town. Come back when you're done." He says "No thanks, I will take it. Can you drive me to the bank?" So he drives to the bank, gets 3 grand out of his account, gives it to me. My wife signs the title (her car) and we wish him happy trails. He asks "Can you leave the price blank? I want to save money on my taxes." Hey man, whatever you want to do. I don't care. He puts his plates on, and leaves. This is a saturday.

The following Monday, I get an email asking for a "Lien Release Notice". I politely explain to him that when a lien is satisfied in Virginia you get a new title. You don't get a title before that time, as the lienholder has the title, so he does not need a Lien Release Notice. He thanks me.

Tuesday. I get an email telling me the Reverse lights don't work. I honestly did not know this. He gets a quote from a local Ford dealer, 153 dollars to replace the backup sensor. He wants me to pay for that.

I politely explain (see a theme here) that the car was sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty expressed or implied. I can't pay for your backup sensor, as I honestly didn't know it was broken, and paying for anything now could open me up to liability in the future. I do however point him to the part number and instructions on how to repair it himself, suggesting that this might be a good opportunity to learn his way around the car.

He sends this email in reply:
Rex,

I understand your position and there is no warranty at all.
But I do not have much experience and sense how to inspect a used auto.
I bought it because I trust you and believe this is a good car no matter it has
a collision record. I just want a car which is ready to use.

Please you help this issue out and I won't bother you any more regarding the
physical inspection. I will try my best to find a cheapest shop.

Pleas let me know how you think.

Thanks.

Best Regards,
Dr. Douchecanoe

(For the record, the "collision" record he speaks of I was up front about in my ad, it was professionally repaired, and does not affect the car AT ALL.)

I tell him under no uncertain circumstances that I'm not giving him a dime. He already talked me down 750 dollars from my asking price. With the money you saved, replacing that crap is easy peasy. He finds it too difficult, takes it to a shop. They replace it, give it an inspection, but give him shit about the tires. They said one had a "weird wear pattern" and the other had a repair too close to the sidewall. (the guys who repaired it for me didn't think it was too close, but whatever.) But, they pass it. So he goes to register it.

Because he wrote $1800 on the title, the MVA wants a NOTARIZED Bill of Sale stating that amount. I'm not exactly swimming in Notaries, and I'm not really into committing perjury either. If you want to do it, that's your business, but not mine. I tell him my wife will send him a notarized BoS for the FULL amount of the sale, but not for his reduced amount. He says that's fine. Today, he sends me this email:


Rex,

I just want to let you know the cost list.

(1) What I have paid:
(a) Reverse light switch $123 (part and labor)
(b) Inspection $68
© Insurance $386.60 (Geico 6 months, started from July 12)
(2) What I will pay:
(d) tax (6% in MD) $180
(e) two tire replacement $140 (estimated)
(f) registration and plate $128

I know most of the cost has nothing to do with you, but the (a) and (e) are definitely related to you if you farely think about it. And I already started my insurance, but I still can not drive it.

You are a good guy, hope you will do good to me.

Thanks.



What's your point jackhole? You bought the car, you had ample time to inspect it, I sold it in good faith ... caveat emptor motherfucker!

I reply:

Dr. Douchecanoe,

You misunderstand. None of those costs are related to me. You bought a 5 year old car with a 112,000 miles on the odometer that was by (not only my estimation) in excellent shape for it's age and mileage. You understood (or should have understood) when you purchased the car that it was as-is, where is, with no warranty expressed or implied. (As I reiterated in a previous email.) Having bought and sold many cars in my life, if $3,263 dollars gets you a reliable fuel efficient automobile, you should be pleased. If you wanted a warranty, there are many reputable car dealers that sell brand new cars with factory warranties. They do not, however, sell them for $3,263 dollars.

1(a): You had ample opportunity to inspect the car before purchase. You even in fact inspected all the lights, as you saw me drive it. I tried to give you room so as not to pressure you, and I think I did an excellent job. If you do not have the expertise to properly inspect a car before sale, you should find someone who does. I would have happily allowed you to take the car to a mechanic for an inspection; you never brought it up, so I assume you elected not to do so.
1(b): This is a sunk cost. In VA, we have to inspect every year, to the tune of 20 dollars. You only have the hassle of inspection once.
1©: Again, this is a sunk cost. Unavoidable. Although it sounds a little on the high side. You may want to shop around.
2(d): Only two things in life are sure: Death and Taxes. 6% actually sounds reasonable, although there's lots of room for discussion on the constitutionality of a second-sale sales tax. Sleep easy knowing I paid ALOT more tax when I purchased the car myself.
2(e): I would like to again refer you to 1(a): You had plenty of time to inspect the automobile, and there is plenty of documentation on how to properly inspect an automobile. Furthermore, you do not HAVE to replace the tires, as your car is inspected in Maryland (See 2(b)) and will not incur another inspection while owned by you in the State of Maryland.
2(f): See 1(b), 1©, 2(d).

So, as you can see, none of these costs are related to me in any way. They are related to your car, which you purchased. The reason you cannot drive it, once again, has nothing to do with me, but has everything to do with your desire to save tax money. If you paid the minimum tax based on book value, you could drive your car today, I suspect. This is your choice, not mine. I do not live in Maryland, and have not lived in Maryland for quite some time, and never bought a car in Maryland. I did not know that a notarized bill of sale would be required by the State of Maryland, and we don't exactly have notaries on every corner here in Virginia. I will try to get a notarized bill of sale as soon as possible, but I am not a college student, and do not have abundant time to try and hunt down a notary.

Dr. Douchecanoe, I have tried to do right by you. Many of my friends to whom I have described this situation have said that I should tell you to "pound sand". I'm a nice guy. If I weren't, I could itemize all the time post-sale I've spent dealing with issues that are not my responsibility (see 1a-2f) and my "non professional" billing rates tend towards ~$75 an hour.

This will be our last communication. I will mail you the notarized bill of sale (in the amount of $3000 dollars) but apart of confirmation or receipt of that (which I do not actually require, I will be mailing it with signature confirmation) I do not wish to receive any further communication from you nor will your unsolicited emails or phone calls be responded to. I'm sorry it has to come with this, but you clearly have unrealistic expectations that are in need of adjustment, and any further responses from me will only increase my liability.

Best Regards,

Rex


In the meantime, my wife mails his bill of sale, and I think, "Whew! Finally over!"

Nope!

His "friend" emails me a few minutes ago:


Hi Rex,

I am a witness whom had been you home with Dr. Douchecanoe.
I think you should help Dr. Douchecanoe to solve his problem:
First, you told him that your car had new tires. However, this was definitely wrong. (*noteÔÇôÔÇô I told him no such thing. I told him I bought them LAST YEAR)
Second, you told him that he could write the price lower than $3000. (*Also untrue. I told him he could do what he wanted. He's a big boy.)
Third, you told him that your car was a good car. He 's completely trust you couple. (...actually true. It IS a good car!)
Fourth, Your wife just need to sigh it and notary it, no one knows the problem. (...oh, so perjury is no big deal to you. What would happen in your home country if you did that? I smell reeducation camp!)


UGH!

I am never, EVER selling anything to a Maryland resident ever again! TEAM, what should I do? Should I call a lawyer and file suit for harassment? Just block his email? Any UofM students out there willing to go explain a little latin to this Joker?

UGH! this just makes me so

And people wonder why I hate Maryland so much!