993/907

Argh.....and a basket handle; likely no immobilizer!
Very sweet.

steve930t

For whatever it's worth, I spoke to him on the phone and had a deal to buy the car. I asked for a pic of the vin tag and option codes to be sure the car was what it was suposed to be. While I was on the phone with a trucking company I got an email. I figured it was the pics, but instead it said he took a deopsit from someone else and they were flying in to get it on Saturday. I'm guessing he was offered well over the asking price. Oh well.

Stealth 993

That's in my back yard! I wonder if this is the guy who was selling the repair manual a couple of weeks ago?

JPP

A friend recently lost a deal the same way .. somebody just swooped in and gave a deposit to hold the deal while they flew in. To be honest, it seems like the only way to really secure the deal but what a leap of faith you have to take to do it! I'm still not comfortable with sending $2-3K via Paypal to a total stranger for a sight-unseen car but I guess it's about instinct. Maybe if I spoke with them on the phone and got to 'know' them a bit it would be easier ...

doublecabmel

All things considered.... $32 seems like a strong price for a low option, red 95 in not perfect condition.

DesertBighorn

Yeah, just saw this. Was thinking the same thing, "right in my backyard and missed it!"

e9stibi

I would disagree here considering the very low miles. It should be easy for a dealer to make some money with this car. This car will bring low 40 kEuro in Germany if there are no big surprises. Unfortunately, the Euro is going south recently which will reduce the demand from Europe for low mileage cars.

gonzilla

That being said, I think if you've already got a deal going that is contingent on some minor thing, you should get first right of refusal. IMO the proper sales etiquette would have been to call Steve and tell him that there's another buyer in line ready to make a deposit and to either it-shay, or get off the pot. He should have gotten first right of refusal.

RodKnock

Funny (it-shay) and I agree.

CorrdoBrit

Its amazing what an offer over asking will do to some peoples perception of etiquette. I've been at the crap end of such a deal in the past. Be that as it may, obviously we have no idea what actually went down but a savvy buyer, especially one knowing the market for a low mileage car like this, will dangle the carrot of a little more cash and a fast deal just to secure the sale. This would really test the principles of the seller, who it sounds was a 3rd party acting on behalf of the seller. From his standpoint he is probably pretty proud he could get a little more for the seller especially if its being sold for medical reasons with potential financial implications.

DanQ

@ gonzilla

Money in hand talks much louder than promises over the phone.. First with cash wins! That's just my opinion on selling online..
Now, if a cash deposit was taken and then the car was sold out from under that... different story.

nile13

That is a very short-sighted approach that will bite you in the butt sooner or later (that's pretty much a 100% guarantee based on my professional and non-professional experience).

But, hey...

I bought both my 993s sight unseen with full payment (not deposit) by wire before flying in to pick them up. Felt that both were good enough deals to merit doing that. A $17K 993 in 2004 certainly was that and more Yeah, like everything else, there's risk and reward. Each one of us have their own risk tolerance.

DanQ

You make my point with your example. You sent money before someone else did. The Seller knew you were serious and not a tire kicker. I did the same thing when I bought my 911. I sent a deposit to the seller so he wouldn't sell it to someone else before I could travel to his state to finalize the deal.

In my experience, I've had more than a couple of people say (over the phone) they will buy something I'm selling and then never show up...

nile13

Dan, I've spoken to sellers for a couple of weeks on both cars, indicating that I'm interested, building a relationship, working on details, etc. Both of them could sell locally (the first one had a standing offer from a local a dealer at about my price). Both chose to continue working with me to make a deal. Which, among other things, made me more comfortable sending them big wire transfers without much worrying.

I've had a number of people say "I'll take it" and disappear. Hey, I have it happen on weekly bases in my primary business. I have no problem with it. They show themselves to be untrustworthy just like a seller I'm negotiating with would show himself untrustworthy if he sells something from under me (also happened a number of times). If I'm negotiating to sell to someone, i indicate that to potential other buyers. And the person I'm negotiating with would get the right of first refusal. If it ends up costing me a few bucks, so be it. That's my approach to and price of long term peace of mind.

The point I make is that ethics and consistency are big in my book. not because I'm holier than thou (yeah, that's a laughable concept) butt because I think that's the more efficient way to get things done. There are, sometimes, misunderstandings, but aside from that... Karma is a bitch, that's all I'm saying. And that, again, is a professional as well as personal opinion Good business practices tend to win out over a period of time.

timothymoffat

I agree. Seems to be the norm when a deal such as this comes up though. The car may not look as good as expected for such a low-mile car, hence the relative bargain price.

As an example, Roger Jobs Porsche in Bellingham WA had a 97 993 C2 coupe with 23000miles (Arctic Silver/Black, just a few options) available last summer. It looked a little "unloved" but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little TLC. No abuse, 100% "unmolested", just needing a good polish and replacement of headlight lenses and stone guards as they looked like they'd been out in the sun too much. The car wasn't advertised but they were offering it for $34K. I offered $32.5K on the spot. They declined. When I called the next morning to offer the full amount, I was informed it was sold and being prepped for shipment to Germany. Fail on my part.