I'm not one to rant about problems here, but this one made it on my list.

The week has been hectic trying to finish up a panel off paint job for a fellow forum member. Somehow we missed some hidden fiberglass rot on a place or two around the sunroof area and it's currently in the process of being taken care of. The person I'm working with said last night he'd take care of anything that needed to be done today allowing me to go get the car.

I found this 88 coupe in the mall earlier in the week and sent email to the seller letting him know that I'd take it because I'm trying to find something with A/C and a little closer to being on the road than what I have in the yard right now.

After a brief phone conversation and an email to the seller, I let him know that I would be down Saturday to pick it up. I was hoping that I might get it loaded and still have time to show up at Ronnie's cookout in GA. I really wanted to be there.

I feel that I need to include the email in this post to let you guys know how this went and why I'm even bothering posting this topic. I can't post what I really think about what happened, but I believe everyone can come up with their own idea about what I think.

Personal info has been omitted. My messeges have my name at the end. Note the post times. I went to bed after my last post and got up really early to travel.

quote >From: xxx@xxx >To: xxx@xxx >Subject: RE: 88 Fiero >Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 20:10:28 -0700 (PDT) > >xxx, >Plans are to leave early in the morning and hopefully >make it there around noon or so. Will try to give you >a call when I get close. >Thanks! >John > >--- xxx@xxx wrote: > > > cool > > the addy is > > > > xxxx xxxxxxtown drive > > hoover al 35216 > > > > > > >From: xxx@xxx > > >To: xxx@xxx > > >Subject: RE: 88 Fiero > > >Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2006 18:31:47 -0700 (PDT) > > > > > >It looks like I'll be able to make it there this > > >Saturday. Let me know if that will work. I need > > your > > >street address and zip code so I can get mapquest > > >directions. > > >Thanks! > > >John > > > > > > > > > > > >--- <xxx@xxx> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > thanks for the email it hasnt sold yet, my > > number is > > > > xxx-xxx-xxxx my name is > > > > xxx > > > > > > > > >From: xxx@xxx > > > > >To: xxx@xxx > > > > >Subject: 88 Fiero > > > > >Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2006 12:31:25 -0700 (PDT) > > > > > > > > > >Hi! I am interested in the 88 Fiero you posted > > on > > > > >Pennock's. If it isn't already sold, and > > everything > > > > >goes well with what's happening at work, I > > might > > > > even > > > > >be able to come get it this week. Please let me > > > > know > > > > >your ph# or you can call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx > > > > >Thanks! > > > > >John

After arriving in Hoover, I call the seller to let him know I was there. He asked if I recieved the email he sent.

quote Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 22:29:32 -0500 hey, thanks for emailing me, it slipped my mind, someone came by and bought it yesterday

I didn't mind that he sold his car. What I do mind is the $160+ dollars in gas and my whole day shot driving over 700 miles to find out that the guy had already sold the car. The least a seller can do is let ALL the people that he/she has committed to selling a car know that it is no longer for sale right after it is sold. It might just prevent rants like this and somebody being ticked off.

------------------
Got Blue?

BlueGT

that sucks.

i can't really say either one of you is at fault, just miscommunication.

That really sucks for you to make that long trip only to find out the car has been sold to someone else. I do belive me and the seller would be having a few words of this ordeal.

Sucks yes, miscommunication, not in my opinion. It's pretty obvious to me that the buyer and seller had agreed on a price, the buyer had announced his intention to come and get the car, the seller had responded. Quite frankly, I'd be pretty p1ssed off if it was me. I'd be interested in what the seller has to say. Hopefully, he'll take this as an opportunity to make it right or at least explain why he sold it out from over under Blue.

------------------
Ron
Freedom isn't Free, it's paid for with the blood and dreams of those that have gone before us.
My imagination is the only limiting factor to my Fiero. Well, there is that money issue.

[This message has been edited by blackrams (edited 07-08-2006).]

I think BlueGT has a right to be angry. He e-mailed the seller the same date the car was sold; the seller replied to the e-mail, indicating he knew Blue was planning on making a road trip to pick up the car. Driving 700 miles is a pretty firm commitment. The very least he could've done was call or e-mail Blue to let him know of the sale. Makes me wonder if the whole thing wasn't a scam (I'm always a little cautious when dealing w/someone with a 'hotmail' e-mail account) of some kind to get BlueGT's money up front; when Blue didn't go exactly according to the game plan, the car conveniently got "sold". More likely he got a better offer, and wasn't enough of a gentleman to stick to the agreement he'd already made.

I had a similar thing happen to me on an Opel GT project I was working on; fortunately I called before I pulled out of the driveway to make sure no last minute crisis had popped up and to let him know to expect me, but like Blue, I'd spent a quite a bit of coin prepping for the trip, and had taken time off work. I got so disgusted with the whole thing that I scrapped the Opel project after discovering the Fiero Factory and buying my Formula from Ed. I gave the Opel body I had to a guy in Arkansas.

[This message has been edited by Vonov (edited 07-08-2006).]

I've got an 88 Formula with 53,000 miles on the tranny & engine, 120K on chassis, great seats, sunroof & auto. new earl's brake hoses, rotors, fuel pump, paint is ok a little fadding on top of doors. I removed the carpet and seats cleaned up have not put all trim back yet. Black with grey interior. Let me know if interested. Wife is wanting me to part with. Central Indiana not far.Runs great.

PM headed your way Mike.

I thought the communication was there. He should've informed me that someone else was buying it as soon as it happened. He has my phone number. In the phone conversation on Wednesday, I told him I'd get it and that I'd let him know later that day when I could make the trip. I told him Saturday through e-mail and well... you guy's know the rest of the story. Just frustrated, that's all. It's the second time someone from Birmingham has botched any dealing towards a car. I'm hoping to find an affordable 88 that has the A/C option installed. I can fix most things, but I was hoping to get something on the road soon.

quote Originally posted by Vonov: More likely he got a better offer, and wasn't enough of a gentleman to stick to the agreement he'd already made.

That's probably what happened, but a person with integrity would stick to the deal they shook on regardless of a better offer. Maybe the seller thought it was okay to sell a car out from under someone making a 700 mile trip but that's pretty sleezy in my opinion.

i agree that blue GT got a raw deal.

however in my limited experince with selling cars i've had some bad deals too. yeah, i like your car, i'll be there tomr.=no show. hey don't sell it til i look at it this weekend=no show.

bs people piss me off. not that you're on of those but there are people out there like that.

quote Originally posted by jscott1: That's probably what happened, but a person with integrity would stick to the deal they shook on regardless of a better offer. Maybe the seller thought it was okay to sell a car out from under someone making a 700 mile trip but that's pretty sleezy in my opinion.

My point exactly.

Now, to play the Devil's advocate, I'd like to hear the other guy's (c0urt, all of 10 posts on this forum, most in the mall, sure has an interesting e-mail addy in his profile) side of the story; although I'm going to be hard to convince that the guy isn't some kind of scam artist or jerk.

[This message has been edited by Vonov (edited 07-08-2006).]

not sure if I understand it correctly, but the guy did email later that same evening saying the car was sold already? If the buyer had checked his email before the trip, he would have seen it was already sold?

Mail was checked before going to bed. I had 15 minutes to get out the door when I woke up the next morning. Besides, it was already arrainged to be picked up on Saturday. He said it was a person from northern Alabama that made an offer he couldn't refuse. I can deal with the car being sold. Not telling the first committed buyer that it was being sold to someone else after arraingements to pick up the car have been made is the problem.

quote Originally posted by BlueGT: Mail was checked before going to bed. I had 15 minutes to get out the door when I woke up the next morning. Besides, it was already arrainged to be picked up on Saturday. He said it was a person from northern Alabama that made an offer he couldn't refuse. I can deal with the car being sold. Not telling the first committed buyer that it was being sold to someone else after arraingements to pick up the car have been made is the problem.

I think you have a good case for breach of promise and could probably get your gas money back if you have receipts and took it to small claims court. The e-mails should be enough to prove a contract to sell.

Been there, done that... just not as bad as you had.

:

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum4/HTML/028247.html

....guess cell phones do come in handy when you know how and when to use them !!!

It was rude and inconsiderate that the seller didn't tell you it was sold before you made the trip, but it doesn't surprise me. Words mean nothing nowadays - its all about the money.

After years of buying and selling cars, I NEVER consider a car sold until I get a cash deposit. I also NEVER consider a car mine until I give the seller a cash deposit.

Even a deposit is not foolproof nowadays. I have had a deposit on a few cars I have wanted to purchase, and when I arrived the seller said I sold it to somebody else, here is your deposit back. I guess I'm lucky I got my deposits back at all!

------------------
Tim
Red 88 Formula Auto 2.8 100K+ Miles

The problem with political jokes is...they get elected!

I have a rule when selling cars: First money buys it; promises mean nothing. Buy it sight unseen if you really want it.....however,

If I knew someone was driving any fair distance to buy the car and I sold it to someone else I would jump through hoops to tell them before they left. I would feel bad for them driving that distance.

I usually try to discourage people from travelling a large distance to buy my cars. Too much potential for something to go bad. I will tell them, pay for it now or risk it being gone.

TK

quote Originally posted by TK: I have a rule when selling cars: First money buys it; promises mean nothing. TK

I follow the same rule.
I sell a vehicle or two a year, and IF I get two people interested in it, I tell them up front, first one here with the money, owns it. If I've got a guy standing there with the money, wanting the car, and someone coming from somewhere, saying they want the car, how do I know the guy coming won't change his mind upon seeing the car. I'm not sending the guy home empty handed, when he has the cash on hand.

Kevin

I've purchased several cars in the past. Communication is a big part of any buying/selling process. In this case, the seller decided to sale the vehicle to someone else. I can understand that. Failing to notify me that it had been sold after arraingements had been made for me to travel a long distance to pick up the vehicle is what I don't understand. I do not have a computer in my vehicle, so getting e-mail while driving down the road is out of the question. However, I do have a phone with a messeging service and it generally stays with me. It was with me the whole trip. I could have called him before I left, but I really didn't think that calling him at 4-5 am would be very appropriate. He knew that I was going to be there. Courtesy is what seemed to be missing in this whole deal.

Thanks everyone for the input on this matter. Needed to vent. I'm sure I'm not the only one this has happened to.

I'm confused! Your first e-mail said you were interested and your second said you "could make it there this Saturday". I don't see where you ever said "I'll buy it" or offered to send a deposit. Usually the first money received buys it.

quote Originally posted by Dirty Harry: I'm confused! Your first e-mail said you were interested and your second said you "could make it there this Saturday". I don't see where you ever said "I'll buy it" or offered to send a deposit. Usually the first money received buys it.

Mentioned on the phone my intent, but hope this helps clearing up any confusion. This is the PM I sent him originally.

quote 07-04-2006 03:41 PM hey thanks for the message, for now it has not been spoken for a detailed list of everything i have noticed, the left headlight is picky about going up and down, the egr tube and valve need to be replaced along with maybe a iac. there is a ding that was repaired on the right rear quarter. and the right arrow on the dash for the turn signal stays on, as well and the door ajar light, comon fiero quirks from what i have read here. other than that until it started giving me issues everything else works pretty well. I'll take it if it isn't spoken for already. PM me your ph# or you can call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Can you tell me what all is wrong with the vehicle as far as you know. Thanks! John

If anybody has a decent 88 coupe with air conditioning (at least the option) that they can sell in this price range, or know where one is, please let me know. I'd prefer to find one that isn't on the other side of the country. Thanks!

------------------
Got Blue?

BlueGT

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like you made it clear you would buy it. Too bad you didn't wire him $100.00 deposit to hold it. I agree, he should have held it for you.

------------------
87 GT Maroon, Red Formula & White Formula

If he had your phone number, I can't believe he wouldn't call you repeatedly on Saturday to let you know what was up. I hate people who rely on email and think everybody checks it every 5 minutes.

------------------
Christian Thomas
87 Pontiac Fiero GT Burgandy/Silver 5.7L ZZ4 5spd
301rwhp/345rwtq

Next Mod: 88 suspension
06 Cobalt SS/SC w/ LSD

John , sorry to hear about this . It's all about integrity folks. If someone told me they wanted the car and were coming to get it, I'd hold it for them if I made an agreement to sell it to them for a set price.
However , I have held items for people who "wanted it" , then backed out. So , I might have missed another opportunity to sell it.
So , the bottom line is , one or the other of the 2 parties involved needs to set a deposit price in order to hold it , or go ahead and send full payment.
Sometimes it's a matter of trust also if you know the other person.

PM sent