Flaky Seller Alert in Albuquerque- Buyer Beware!
02-20-2008, 10:17 PM
#1
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Flaky Seller Alert in Albuquerque- Buyer Beware!
As some of you know, I've been lurking around the 944 forum asking a few questions as I search for the right 944. Found a white '89 in Albuquerque but the seller, Carl Eckelman, turned out to be a bit of a flake. If you run across this one and consider buying it, BEWARE of how the vehicle is represented and making any commitment whatsoever to the seller. Here's the story:
I spoke with the seller a couple of weeks back after his car didn't sell on eBay. We discussed details and terms, agreed on a fair price and seller said he'd hold it until I got there this past Monday. I volunteered a deposit and he said it wasn't necessary. I planned a business trip around the purchase (I'm from Texas), got my flights/hotel booked, flew out here and looked the vehicle over. Seller specifically told me on the phone that the dash had NO cracks and that he had complete service records to back up his other numerous maintenance claims. Well, the dash had some not-too-serious but VERY obvious cracking, and records were virtually non-existant. The car rattled a bit (not too badly, though) and here is also some whining coming from the trans or CV joints. I asked him if the CV joints had been serviced, but he had no idea what a CV joint was, so he obviously knows little about cars. (I only point that out because his assessment of mechanical condition should be discounted entirely.)
After looking the vehicle over and driving it, I began arrangements for a now absolutely required PPI (per prior agreement with seller) and, as we're getting back to the hotel, seller informs me (after I re-confirm the price) that he has another interested party and the price is now $2000 more. I politely tell him to sell it, but if (when?) that deal falls through to call me. He has the audacity to tell me that I'm the one that needs to call HIM to see if he sold to the other party! I politely tell him that he's the one that will need to call at least two days before I leave town.
I had a small window of opportunity that cropped up to do the deal today, so I called the seller this morning to give it one last chance before heading out of town. Just as flaky as before. After four months of trying to sell it, he still can't make up his mind how much he wants to sell it for because his father-in-law tells him that he's seen a couple of asking prices in the mid-teens and seller is confusing this with actual selling prices. He also thinks he's going to get most of his money back from some of the mods he had done. He said he ought to get $7500, $9500, $12,000 and $15,000 in the same conversation, despite an eBay attempt that got a high bid of $5600. Seller said, "It's not about the money", but I couldn't get him to tell me what it was about if it's NOT about the money. He complained earlier about people making offers but not coming up with the money, but I was standing there with CASH for the price that HE originally came up with two weeks earlier and he still flaked out. He clearly thought that my time and effort was worth nothing and that and his word meant nothing, too.
If anyone out there gets serious about purchasing this vehicle and you are from out of town, get an Albuquerque attorney to draw up a contract for sale ahead of time and have him hold the seller's signed title and your deposit before you have a PPI done and fly out there thinking that you're going to buy a car. Better yet, keep looking.
-Jim
I spoke with the seller a couple of weeks back after his car didn't sell on eBay. We discussed details and terms, agreed on a fair price and seller said he'd hold it until I got there this past Monday. I volunteered a deposit and he said it wasn't necessary. I planned a business trip around the purchase (I'm from Texas), got my flights/hotel booked, flew out here and looked the vehicle over. Seller specifically told me on the phone that the dash had NO cracks and that he had complete service records to back up his other numerous maintenance claims. Well, the dash had some not-too-serious but VERY obvious cracking, and records were virtually non-existant. The car rattled a bit (not too badly, though) and here is also some whining coming from the trans or CV joints. I asked him if the CV joints had been serviced, but he had no idea what a CV joint was, so he obviously knows little about cars. (I only point that out because his assessment of mechanical condition should be discounted entirely.)
After looking the vehicle over and driving it, I began arrangements for a now absolutely required PPI (per prior agreement with seller) and, as we're getting back to the hotel, seller informs me (after I re-confirm the price) that he has another interested party and the price is now $2000 more. I politely tell him to sell it, but if (when?) that deal falls through to call me. He has the audacity to tell me that I'm the one that needs to call HIM to see if he sold to the other party! I politely tell him that he's the one that will need to call at least two days before I leave town.
I had a small window of opportunity that cropped up to do the deal today, so I called the seller this morning to give it one last chance before heading out of town. Just as flaky as before. After four months of trying to sell it, he still can't make up his mind how much he wants to sell it for because his father-in-law tells him that he's seen a couple of asking prices in the mid-teens and seller is confusing this with actual selling prices. He also thinks he's going to get most of his money back from some of the mods he had done. He said he ought to get $7500, $9500, $12,000 and $15,000 in the same conversation, despite an eBay attempt that got a high bid of $5600. Seller said, "It's not about the money", but I couldn't get him to tell me what it was about if it's NOT about the money. He complained earlier about people making offers but not coming up with the money, but I was standing there with CASH for the price that HE originally came up with two weeks earlier and he still flaked out. He clearly thought that my time and effort was worth nothing and that and his word meant nothing, too.
If anyone out there gets serious about purchasing this vehicle and you are from out of town, get an Albuquerque attorney to draw up a contract for sale ahead of time and have him hold the seller's signed title and your deposit before you have a PPI done and fly out there thinking that you're going to buy a car. Better yet, keep looking.
-Jim
Last edited by jimbo3; 02-20-2008 at 11:11 PM.
02-20-2008, 11:29 PM
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Sounds like a horrid person to do any business with. Can't imagine he has many friends either. You should leave courtesy at the door when dealing with someone like this. He obviously has no clue what's going on. I say move on to another car. You're guaranteed to run into problems down the road if he didn't even know what a CV is, nor have any real maintenance records.
