[s-cars] S-CAR-List Digest, Vol 117, Issue 26

Mon Jul 29 07:24:11 PDT 2013

That is an awesome story!  Thanks for sharing Bruce!!!

> Message: 6
> Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 09:52:54 -0400
> From: Bruce Mendel <brucem105 at comcast.net>
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Out of town buyer.
> Message-ID: <51F673B6.9040706 at comcast.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Wire system closes at 2PM EST, no?
>
> As a dealer, I'm required to get DL# to issue a temp tag. As far as it
> being useful, it's just one more point of data you can check. When you
> call buyer's insurance company or agent to verify insurance has been
> placed on the car (and that's a pretty sophisticated scam if they fake
> that one), you can verify that DL# is attached to that insurance policy
> which is attached to that buyer. Can't hurt to verify.
>
> As a general rule, holding title is a bad idea, so that's good advice.
> But it's really bad only if you are holding a blank title still in your
> name with the back not completed to buyer, meaning technically you still
> own the car. If you hold it only as security interest, and it has been
> completed in full in the buyer's name, and you give buyer a copy
> (stamped "COPY" in large letters on it), then you should not be liable
> any more than a bank as a lienholder is liable when holding a title
> filled out in your name. Of course if sale falls through you have to go
> get a duplicate title, but odds are very low that will happen if you did
> all your other checking.
>
> True story: Sold a cool old AMG Mercedes 560SEL on ebay like 8 years
> ago. Never heard from buyer, no payment, no nothing, ebay no help like
> usual. About three weeks later, on a cold December night, I get a call
> around 10PM. Hi, it's Mike, I won your 560SEL on ebay....can you come
> pick me up from the Philadelphia airport? I want to pick up the car.
>
> Uh, sure, I'll be right over. I call my mechanic and ask him to go over
> to shop just to make sure everything looks OK for test drive and stuff,
> although it should be.
>
> I go to Philly airport. Driving along arrivals lane, I see tall white
> haired guy, long ponytail hair, in t-shirt, jeans, and sandals. No
> luggage at all. Just a backpack, but it was weird, like usual big
> backpack straps but on his back attached to the straps was like a
> man-purse, looks like a backpack that got hit by a shrink ray. Keep in
> mind it was about 20 degrees out, at night, some snow on ground. Guy
> looks like he used to be hippie back in the day maybe.
>
> This is my guy of course.
>
> We drive back to mechanic's in relative silence, he does not really want
> to talk. Very weird.
>
> We get to shop, get out. He looks at car and says OK, looks fine, let me
> pay you. I ask him don't you want to drive it, look under hood, etc? No,
> he says, it's fine.
>
> We go into shop, he takes off 'backpack', takes out $10K bank check made
> out to me personally (this was before I was a dealer) and pays me. Looks
> legit, but what the hell did I know back then? I sign over title to him,
> give him copy, give him MS Word bill of sale that he signs, tell him I
> will send him original title after he gets back and check clears. The
> only thing I can not remember now is if he had his own plate, I left
> plate on car, or what. I think it had plate from previous owner to me
> and I left it on, but I am not sure. Too long ago.
>
> He gets in car, and asks me how to start heading west. I ask where he's
> going, and he says California. The car has summer half-bald performance
> tires on it, RWD with no traction control. I tell him how to head west,
> and ask him to at least call or email me when he gets back to let me
> know he made it, and I will send him title.
>
> I never hear from the guy again. Ever.
>
> About a month later, I get a letter in the mail from the San Bernadino
> sherrif dept. It says "Your car was used in the commission of a felony.
> It is being held at impound, and if you want to pick it up you need to
> bring proof of ownership and $628 plus blah blah blah."
>
> I call and ask what the felony was, but they won't tell me. I tell them
> I do not own the car any more, but they tell me someone has picked it up
> and paid the impound fee already. I ask how that is possible since they
> sent the letter to me as the owner, and no one can answer that. But it's
> gone, so who cares.
>
> A week later, I get a letter from Allstate. Your car sideswiped our
> insured's car and left the scene. You owe us $5300, plus any fees, blah
> blah blah. Now this one was much tougher. I had to prove to them I sold
> the car. Showed them bill of sale, bank deposit for $10K check, copy of
> completed back of title, etc. After a week of investigation, they let me
> off the hook.
>
> I think the only thing that saved me was that the title was signed over
> to his name. I then sent original title out to his address, did not want
> it in my possession any more!
>
> That's it, right?
>
> A few weeks later, I get a letter from San Fran sherrif's office. Your
> car was used in the commission of a felony. It is at the impound lot and
> and if you want it......
>
> I threw the letter out and never responded, and did not hear from anyone
> again.
>
> Until......
>
> About two years after that, I get a call from a guy that says his
> grandfather, Mike, owned an AMG 560SEL and he passed away. They wanted
> to know if I had any documentation, title, etc as they could not find
> anything in his papers. I finally ask about Mike, and all guy would tell
> me is that he was 'a free spirit and a pretty cool guy'.
>
> I give my condolences, and that was that.
>
> Bruce
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 7/29/2013 8:08 AM, Scott Justusson wrote:
> > Never, ever, ever, never ever hold a Title until a check clears.
> > Unless, you also hold the car until it does. You become liable for all
> > actions of the Buyer with that vehicle if you have not transferred
> > ownership of it. Most think 'I will let Buyer take the car but hold
> > the Title until his check clears'.  Sounds like you covered yourself,
> > but if the Buyer has the car, and it's a scam, do you really think he
> > needs the Title?  Assuming he didn't already take out the
> > Neuro-surgeons on the way to the chop shop.
> >
> > Easy Button says:  Sellers don't take checks because you assume more
> > risk than you should.
> >
> > SJ
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Eric Sanborn <esanborn at gmail.com>
> > To: Bruce Mendel <brucem105 at comcast.net>
> > Cc: s-car-list <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> > Sent: Mon, Jul 29, 2013 6:54 am
> > Subject: Re: [s-cars] Out of town buyer.
> >
> > You can wait to mail the title until the check clears.
> > On Jul 29, 2013 12:27 AM, "Bruce Mendel" <brucem105 at comcast.net <mailto:
> brucem105 at comcast.net>> wrote:
> >
> >
>
>
>
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>
> End of S-CAR-List Digest, Vol 117, Issue 26
> *******************************************
>