A Bird in the Hand

Yes. I'm selling it. Geordie Glass, the guy who sold me the car, lied to me. It's rather depressing actually. He seemed really trustworthy, and I even googled him and confirmed that he had the job he said he did. I had this idea that, if he was telling the truth about that, and if I could track him down if need be, he'd be honest about other things. But an odometer simply doesn't stop working the very moment that you sell it, and the windshield start leaking at the first rainfall after the sale. Even more depressing is the idea that someone who works to heal people for a living would so blatantly lie. Sure, maybe that's the real world. But then I'm depressed that I'm so easily fooled.

So here's my Craig's List ad:

I bought this car a month and a half ago on Craig's list, and the guy lied
to me. I therefore have to resell it, at a loss, as is, for parts, and be honest
with the problems with it.

Grey 95 T-Bird, V8 Engine, 158,000 miles. But the odometer is broken,
so it could be more than that. Power doors and windows and seats, with the
driver's side seat controls attached but falling off. Front blinkers, licence
light, and reverse lights do not work, due to a wiring issue. Gas mileage
approximately 16 mpg. Leak all along the front of the interior, due to an
improper windshield seal. Windshield needs to be replaced. Rear brakes nearly
completely shot and rotting off- currently the front brakes take 90% of the load
and it has about a month of safe driving left on it.

Still interested? :-) Mechanic tells me it's got good parts on it still.


Yeah. Turns out it will cost $1,000 to replace the odometer. $350 for the
windshield. $600 for the brakes. No idea how much for the blinkers, but a lot. I
already put in $100 for taxes and registration, $70 for new oil and windshield
wipers, and $50 to fix the muffler. After paying $800 for the car itself. It's
just not going to be worth keeping it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
You could get by without the odometer, I think. Brakes and windshield seal, not so much. I'd suggest adding "Project car???" to your ad, possibly as the subject line. It sounds like a great item for a high school auto class.
Jed Carosaari said…
I agree- I had the same idea. But even without the odometer being fixed, I'm still looking at more than 100% of what I paid for the car.

Nice idea on the project car. I'll add that to the ad.

Good news, is I priced motor scooters today. If I can get the $500, I can put that into a downpayment on a scooter, 1/4 the scooter price, and pay it at $50/month at 5% interest. There's a scooter place right near my house.

I've gotten one hit so far- a woman writing to ask me to accept her cashier's check and send the difference to her shipping company to ship it to SF. It was funny, as it was almost by-the-book warnings on what a scam is when selling on Craig's List.
Anonymous said…
I'd put the project car in the subject line, you might get more nibbles :)

I read that when buying a used car, you should always ask to take it to your mechanic before purchase. If they don't let you, don't buy it. I'm sorry the car didn't work out for you, and glad that you have another solution.

I *almost* suggested your car to my frind Bill who just arrived back in Seattle after much time overseas. He needs ajob first before getting a car, and somehow I didn't think that would be a good project for him. He'd rather spend his time making puppets. He's been back in Seattle a week and already hates public transit.
Lauren said…
Sad news about your car! And after personalizing it with your bumper stickers!

Something I used when buying my used car was "Car Fax." It's a service where you type in the car's VIN, and it tells you about any accidents it's been in and any time major work has been done on it. (that includes mileage, etc.). It does cost...$8 or so per search, but you can get unlimited use for a month for $30, I think. Not bad considering the savings of a reliable car.

I hope a new one pops up soon. Sorry for the long comment. :) Happy Tgiving.
drh said…
Lauren might still have some stickers to get you started for your next car, or scooter.
Anonymous said…
My fav of yr bumper stickers: "Join the army, see the world, make new friends..and kill them."
--mum
Anonymous said…
Have you sold it?
Jed Carosaari said…
No, just reposted it yesterday. One guy was interested but never could keep his appointments; another woman wrote with a textbook scam to get me to take her cashier's check and send it to a 3rd party. One new nibble this morning. Keep praying.
Anonymous said…
praying. but what will you do for transport? You need a car!! Someone in NY died just when a car door opened and hit his bike!
Jed Carosaari said…
Don't know. But I have to resell it first, and before the brakes fail.
Anonymous said…
Hey Jackass, do you know how rare it is to find a car that even runs for $800? You took the car to a mechanic after you already bought it? Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, obviously.

Why on earth would you pay to replace the odometer? Use hand signals for turns. Buy a raincoat. Quit whining.
Jed Carosaari said…
Well, you must not actually be anon, but rather Geordi Glass, who sold me the car. You must have searched under your name and discovered it, 8 months after it was written. I gather from your post that you are disappointed that I have revealed your duplicity.

You write that I am not sharp, as I took it to a mechanic after I bought it. Do you realize you have effectively just admitted to your deceit? And I think you are suffering from a further misaprehension. What is listed in the ad is not what I am complaining about, as much as being completely honest in selling the car. I realize that you have difficulty in understanding this approach.

As you well know, a raincoat would not help, as the leak, when raining was far too intense, and flooded everything. Though you didn't mention that, you will be happy to know I was completely honest with the guy I sold the car to months ago, whose brother was a mechanic, and was optimistic about being able to make the extensive repairs on the car himself. Though I sold the car for a loss, I am happy that my integrity remained intact. I would encourage you to rethink the way you engage in business dealings. I think this would go a long way to being able to engage in future business transactions.
Anonymous said…
You know, Geordi's punishment is his own life. His lack of connection to humanity is pitiful actually. Your term "duplicity" is the perfect description. Your treatment of him was incredibly mature, especially after his insanely rude comment and total disregard for his dishonesty. Good things will come your way soon, Jedidiah.

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