jimhsu

I posted an ad for my 2001 M3 in the local Seattle Craigslist this morning.

Later still this morning, emails started to come in.

"Can I see it today? I would like to see it and if looks OK I would like to buy it today." Said one email.

So I responded that I unfortunately could not today, how about Sunday, tomorrow, or next week.

"No, tomorrow my bank is not open, would like to see it today..."

Then I got a little suspicious. Sure it's great when someone's interested, but wanting to do the deal today, right now.... I wrote another email to him emphasizing that this is not a garage queen, it's got some cosmetic stuff that he needs to know....

Final email thus far: "I'll let you know if I don't buy an M3 today."

My questions for you folks is:

Would you have met up with this guy who is just oddly strangely over-eager, and am I being a crazy seller trying to take a step back?

Why would anyone absolutely NEED to buy an M3 today but not next week? I didn't think there's a big lucrative E46 M3 racing scene out there....

If I can conjure up a way that someone like this could scam me, it would all make sense. But I can't quite figure out. maybe I am just slow about the scammers and their tricks.

Do you think someone like this would be trying to give me a fake certified check? Or maybe even more ominous....planning a carjacking?

I would only insist on bank wire transfers or cash anyways and meeting in public places, so I didn't feel threatened, but still it seemed too odd to me. Or am I being ridiculous?

Marco8

If he wants it today he better bring cash. Just take your time in checking the currency (best to do it at a bank and have them check it).

But to your fears, sounds fishy to me too.

Amfab

People are weird. It could be innocent, maybe a scam, maybe something more sinister, but, whatever it is, if you don't feel comfortable, then do't do it.
If somebody has an energy I don't like, I just tend to move in the other direction. I do tend to over analyse stuff, but Im getting better at saying " ok maybe I'm wrong, but seemed weird to me , so Ill just not deal with this person."

TroyN

Dealing w/ selling a car can sure be a PITA huh? I've sold a number of things over the past few months on CL, including a couple of cars. Lots of eager beavers that disappear after wasting your time, and yes, I did worry a little whenever someone would come by. Last year someone in Boulder was selling his Porsche and a couple of guys who came to supposedly look at it ended up killing the guy. So be careful.

I sold my last car to a guy I was pretty suspicious about. Emailed and called me saying he had cash and wanted the car. The name he gave sure sounded unusual. He told me that his car had crapped out so needed a car quickly and that I needed to go to his place since he couldn't get to mine. Though suspicious I decided to go down anyway. He told me to come down at a certain time because he would be walking to the bank to be there at opening time and would take x minutes to get back.

Anyway, I let a friend know where I was going, and the phone and other info I had about the buyer. Then went down, and it turned out the guy was a college student, was living in what turned out to be a very nice part of town, and had just gone to the bank and had a pocketfull of cash. I was thinking that he was lucky I was honest.

Long story short, you never know what's going to happen, be careful, and hopefully your sale will turn out well.

Mark in Baltimore

The situation would raise my warning flags, enough that I'd want to meet at a neutral location...and maybe with someone like Val Kilmer watching my six.

jimhsu

looked at the first email....he gave me a phone number to call, but of course that means nothing if it's a cell phone number, especially if it's one of those pay as you go phones or even a stolen phone.

I think I'll wait until Monday and then call. Doubt that he is going to buy an M3 TODAY, at least not in ways that would be acceptable to me (cash) if it's already after 3PM and banks are long closed.

Not absolutely mandatory in terms of money, but selling the M3 would speed up my buying a 993, if anything just in cementing the fact that I would need another car and might as well make it a 993 which I've wanted to own for the longest time....otherwise I am just going along, thinking about all the 993s available while driving the M3 day in, day out. As they say, the first step no matter how small is always the toughest to take in making a change....

AOW162435

Mark,
Should you find yourself in a similar situation, just shout. I'll cover you with my potato gun and a sack o' Idaho's finest.

Andreas

jimhsu

Just Mark? You can cover me too, okay, and a lot closer here in WA state....

AOW162435

Mark & I live in Maryland. WA is on the other side of the country. That would be a hell of a trip to offer protection with a potato gun!

Andreas

Mark in Baltimore

Thanks! But I think I'll arm you with my mortar gun.

AOW162435

Sweet! Probably just as accurate.

Andreas

MrRoboto

Maybe they were buying it as a gift and needed it before monday thus needed to buy on saturday due to banks not being open on sunday?

Mark in Baltimore

No need for accuracy when it explodes in a thirty foot radius. I've used it to chase deer away.

jimhsu

It was the mention of Idaho that had me thinkin' you're nearby. but I trust you can make the shot....

jimhsu

here's the latest....

the guy wrote back at 4:58pm and said he bought an 05 M3 today. I asked him which dealer he bought it from (bank was long closed the last time I had heard from him), but haven't gotten any response.

Either way, there's no way I would have been able to sell to him today in a manner that would not make me worry all weekend about being scammed, unless he was walking around with a big suitcase of cash.

Still sounds sketchy. I might have missed my sale, but I also might have avoided being carjacked and possibly kidnapped....

So....I think my wife really would like the M3 as her commute car, and it's a really safe Mommy vehicle, don't y'all agree?