Ridiculous Car Buyers

Well, I have my 2001 BMW 740i Sport up for sale on Craigslist (listing here). Anyhow, this past Sunday morning I am awaken by a phone call by someone who had seen my listing a few weeks back, informing me they were driving an hour and a half to come see the car. There was no heads up on any level, and I was caught completely off guard, but said that would be fine.

The married couple arrived and took the car for a test drive. The husband had a $25,000 OBD tool as he was a mechanic and ran his own shop. They loved the car and the husband noted it didn't have any issues except for the light wear and tear on the outside as mentioned in my listing. He then went on to tell me that the rear tires were the wrong size on the car, of which I didn't think was true but wasn't able to counter on the spot. They offered me $17,500 which I politely declined as too low. We then parted ways without any problems.

Later that afternoon I received a call from them saying that they really wanted the car and asked if I had been able to think about their offer. I told them there was someone else interested in the car for more money and would have to wait to hear from the other buyer first. I told them I would call when I hear something.

I never heard from the other buyer regarding the car but before I got the chance to call the couple back they called me the very next morning and said they "just want the car and would pay my asking price." At this point I told them that was very gracious but I had loyalty to the other buyer who saw the car first and would have to wait to hear from him. The couple said that was alright and would wait for me. They didn't decide to wait, I got a call or email every 4-6 hours asking what the updates were.

Two days had gone by and I didn't hear from the other individual so I said to the couple I was good to go and asked when they would like to meet. The husband said it couldn't be tomorrow (this past Wednesday) but had to Thursday. Then he proceeded to say that he couldn't come over so he would have to send his wife which has no knowledge of car buying or selling. He then asked how we would go about transferring title as there is a loan on my car. I said he would have to pay me and I would pay off the bank and he would get the title. Or, he could come to the bank with me and pay off the loan, give me the balance and get a affidavit of title on the spot. He began to get irritated saying that the only way he would buy a car is if he gets the actual paper title on the spot.

I said this was not possible if the car has a loan on it, either he waits 4-6 weeks for the state to mail the title to him or he can take an affidavit of title from the bank. He then insisted that I was not making sense and that he "knew how to buy and sell cars" saying that he always walks away with the actual title. Apparently he didn't know that ANY car with a loan or lien on it would work this way. He kept freaking out and finally said he was done and didn't want to make the deal. He hung up with me right there.

This guy was an absolute moron. I later emailed him trying to explain how the bank purchasing process works in a numbered list as well as explaining that I had contacted the dealership and local shops, and the tire size was actually correct. He returned my email telling me I was a liar and then telling me there was items wrong with my car that were not wrong and work perfectly. This man was married and around 30 years old. Immature, ignorant and insulting could not even begin to describe this person.

In an unrelated incident, my step-father was selling his 2005 Acura RSX a couple of weeks ago and ran into the same problem with a younger man in his early 20s. He also thought that he should always get the actual paper title as soon as he pays for a car, even if there is a loan on the vehicle. This is just not the case with any lending institution. I am amazed how many people do not understand the basic concepts of car buying. Talk about a complete pain in my back and a waste of my time. I only hope that someone who respects the car and the deal comes along and admires my well kept BMW.

- Mitch G