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Re: Car Buying Ettiquette

To: "Michael Hargreave Mawson" <OC@46thFoot.com>, <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Car Buying Ettiquette
From: "Phil Ethier" <pethier@isd.net>
Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 07:44:28 -0500
From: Michael Hargreave Mawson <OC@46thFoot.com>

>I viewed, test-drove and bought my Spitfire whilst the owner was away at
>a Rugby match.   This was on the day that his car advertisement appeared
>in "Auto-Trader".   His wife looked after me while I checked the car
>out, and accepted my cheque.
>
>The moral of the story?   Well, there isn't one really, but perhaps "the
>owner may well have anticipated not being at home and empowered a
>relative to sell his car for him" comes close.
>
>I appreciate that you feel that you have been treated shabbily, but when
>the buying lust is on, all of us are the same - we want to see the car
>as soon as possible, and we want to buy it before someone else can turn
>up and snatch it out from under our noses.

Indeed.  I called on a Lotus and the woman who answered told me that her
boyfriend was out buying license plates for it.  She gave me directions, so
a took a few teenagers that were hanging around my house and went out to
look at it.  The girlfriend let me drive it.  I knew that it would soon be
gone if others had the chance, so I agreed to pay the advertised price and
gave her a check for $500.  I didn't meet the owner until the following
Saturday when I came back with the full amount and took the car.

I would suggest that if you don't want strangers coming around to your
place, and you are too busy elsewhere to be there, that you sell the car
through a broker, or at least delay the advertising until you can be
available.

I apologize to the original poster if he feels we are picking on him, but
the views of the general car-buying public do not seem to align very well
with his wishes, for good or for ill.

Phil Ethier    Saint Paul  Minnesota  USA
1970 Lotus Europa, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Suburban, 1962 Triumph TR4 CT2846L
LOON, MAC   pethier@isd.net     http://www.mnautox.com/

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