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Sad day *update 5/14/10* wants to take me to court now

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:42 pm
by transamman908
Well i had to let go of my first car. I owned this '78 T/A since 1988 and drove the snot out of it till 2002 where it found a home in the back yard of my folks house. Rust took a major toll on the car from sitting. After dragging it out this past febuary, i found it needed floors,quarters and just alot of $$$$ which i don't have at the moment so i put it on craiglist and couldn't beleive the amout of junk emails i got on this. Anyway, I was hanging on to my past by keeping it(like most of the crap i keep around) and finally let it go today for a fair price considering it was a automatic, high production firebird. I have owned over 10+ of these over the years and i still have 2 left, a '77 400 4speed and a '76 455 4 speed. The '78 just held many good memories and now she's gone :(

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 2:45 pm
by scr8p
sounds like my monte ss. sitting behind my shed rotting away because i don't have the time or money to do anything with it.

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:31 pm
by shodog
I guess this song would be appropriate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIdIqbv7SPo

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 3:58 pm
by soniccj5
I can relate to your loss. My Dad owned a 1952 Ford(with Merc emblems) before I was born. I practically grew up in that truck. Good memories including going to the R/C track and working out of the bed.

I will spare all the details, but we ended up giving it to my cousin in Canada who said he was going to restore it, but that never happened.

The day it left the driveway is one I will never forget. But I am happy for all the good memories I still have of the truck.


Image

ED

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:51 pm
by Lowgear
Vehicle maintenance is a constant battle. If you let them sit they just go all to hell. Especially if you live someplace where it snows and rains a lot.

I have a 93 Chevy C1500 sport truck that I've had for five years now. The problem is in that time its sat more than its been driven and thus I've done little maintenance on it. I went outside yesterday to do some things to it and what I found was a complete mess. The biggest issue being rust. It also needs about $700 in steering parts. It looks as if I'll have to sell a lot of my R/C stuff this summer to fix 'er up.

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:46 pm
by fastang
Yep, my dads buddy had a 442 sitting in a barn for who knows how many years that he had restored to a concourse (SP?) level. The guy who did it said it would have been much better and cheaper if he would have driven it all those years, washing it on occasion than storing it in that barn.

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:02 pm
by transamman908
Well, Just my luck, Just got a call from the guy who bought the car and told me the engine let go on the way home. He left my house with the car at 1:45 pm est. and drove a car that has not been driven since 2002 for a 2 hour back to his house in a effort to save on having to get a flat bed when i clearly told him it was not a good idea. What i can't understand is why the f#@k would someone wait till 10:00 pm(over 8 hours since leaving my house) to call me and say the engine blew up on the way home and i had to get it towed. I know if it were me i would of called the minute i pulled to the side of the road!! As if the engine going wasn't enough to hear about, he goes on to tell me that i should help pay for the tow and a new engine.
Here's what i think happened, They came to see the car, saw the rust, saw the problems but looked past all that because they REALY wanted to go home with a firebird that day. Then after all is said and done when they got home they realized "holy crap this thing needs alot of work!!" and now they came up with this bs story about the engine to try and get back $$ due to there own mistake for buying it in the first place because they refused to see or hear about it needing a restoration, tune up, so on so on.
My feelings about this: Yes i feel terrible that the engine went, my fault?no. Did we take a ride in the car and it ran great?yes. Should they have got a flatbed to tow a 30 year old car home knowing it has sat since 2002?yes. Did they beat the balls off the car on the way home? maybe. I'm a honest guy and feel as if i should do something but isn't the sale of a used car(30 years to boot) "AS IS"? I'm just venting and looking for some opinions on what i should tell the guy other than gfy.

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:07 pm
by scr8p
tell him to take it up with the warranty company. :lol:

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:09 pm
by shodog
you didn't force them to buy it, they bought it willingly. Once it left your hands, it's theirs.

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:18 pm
by civilguy
Not getting a flatbed or a tow when they bought the car was just stupidity on their behalf. You're not an auto dealer... they paid and drove away. Their problem. :wink:

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:19 pm
by klavy69
I think you summed it up with gfy but I'd start out with 'I told you so' and work up to the gfy :wink: .

IF you didn't make up some kind of bill of sale with 'as is' on it you might wanna start a different plan of attack though.
Good luck
Todd

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:20 pm
by scr8p
Trans Am? What Trans Am? Who are you? How'd you get my number? :lol:

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:22 pm
by Halgar
Don't know what the DMV is like in Jersey, here in California a bill of sale and smog legal docs (unless registered non-operable ) and the vehicle is their problem. I also DO NOT leave changing the registration over to the buyer, I fill it out, with their info and I send it in.

Considering that you should have a bill of sale in your possession and hopefully the title paperwork to send in, clearly you can prove that the vehicle was sold to the jackhole that decided to drive it home rather than spend the $100 to have it hauled.

The only way that I as the seller would take responsibility for the abandoned vehicle would be if I'd let the title paperwork go with the buyer rather than sending it in myself. Still, you should have the bill of sale which should absolve you of any liability. I'd be inclined to tell the buyer to GF himself, and explain that the bill of sale legally puts the vehicle in his possession.

First thing tomorrow morning, call the DMV, tell them what happened and what paperwork you've got to back up your claims, and ask what your responsibility. Another tact would be to contact the state police and ask them who's responsible for the abandoned vehicle.

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:29 pm
by scr8p
halgar, we don't keep you around here for your intelligent, well thought out posts. you better come up with some kind of smart a$$ one liner for him to tell the guy that bought the car or you're gonna get banned.

:wink: :mrgreen:

Re: Sad day

Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 11:35 pm
by klavy69
scr8p wrote:halgar, we don't keep you around here for your intelligent, well thought out posts. you better come up with some kind of smart a$$ one liner for him to tell the guy that bought the car or you're gonna get banned.

:wink: :mrgreen:
Hey, I'm with you scr8p...I wasn't even mentioned in there :roll:...he must really be slippin'!


:mrgreen:
Todd