OV9

Two nights ago a couple came all the way from the south coast and bought my mrs' old car, a Peugeot RCZ, that she's up for sale for about a month since she bought her boxster.

They were a pleasant enough couple, paid cash for the car and eventually drove away after enjoying our hospitality for half an hour or so while we did the new keeper bit online and waited for him to get through to his insurance company.

The following morning my mrs picked up a voicemail from the night before telling her that the car had broken down on the M25 with a suspected clutch failure. Understandably she felt bad, after all the car had been her only form of transport for the last 4 years, had been properly maintained. I made sure it was always properly serviced (not by me, I don't do normal cars) and had recently had the cam chain, guides and tensioner done which those engines are notorious for. She messaged the guy and we chatted about maybe chipping something in toward the repair cost depending on what it actually was. I was a little bit sceptical about the suspected clutch failure as I drove the car that evening and it was absolutely fine, I was thinking maybe the clutch slave cylinder had gone, unfortunate timing obviously but just one of those things.

A message came back from the cars new owner to say he'd be seeking legal advice as the car was now dangerous so at this point we decided he could go and fuck himself. Mrs tried to call him to discuss but he didn't answer. A few hours later she gets a message to say the car was not as described, was unroadworthy and they would be returning it. Given that the clutch had supposedly failed and the car was dangerous we thought was unlikely and thought little more about it.

Last night I cooked the tea, watched a bit of telly and was just thinking about having an early night when lo and behold, at about 9:15pm a Peugeot RCZ pulls onto the drive Clearly there's not that much wrong with it as its driven 400 miles in the last 24 hours.

The couple approached the door (wife holding the obligatory phone recording whatever was about to go down) so I greeted them, told them they couldn't come in and that they should probably remove their car, then shut the door.

The guy now starts posting the keys and documents through the letter box, so I put them back outside and tell them to stop and take their car away.

More key posting ends with me putting them back outside and telling these pair of herberts that i'm going to call the police. As much as i'd like to stand there calling them a pair of fucking idiots who can go fuck themselves, I can't help thinking the smart move is to not engage at all. So I call the filth and they wander off to sit in their other car and wait. Its out of sight of our driveway so I don't see where they go, but i'm back inside on the blower to the cops who find it as bizarre as I do.

Some time passes, another conversation with the cops and they decide they're sending someone round. So we sit and wait for the rozzers, all the while not being able to see where the two morons have gone. Some time after 11pm another copper calls to get an update, I go outside to have a look up the road and it turns out they've fucked off and left the car behind

So now there's a car parked on the street outside our house that belongs to some bloke from Eastbourne and i've got the key

Is the cash paid in the bank yet? Weigh the car in Dan, they've clearly forfeited it now

Sounds like a win win there

That is bizarre, I wonder if one of them was made redundant just after they collected the car ?

speedingfine wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:02 am Is the cash paid in the bank yet? Weigh the car in Dan, they've clearly forfeited it now

Cash is in the bank, i'll call the tat man

Theres probably some distance selling law on their side. Nobbers.

Broccers wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:18 am Theres probably some distance selling law on their side. Nobbers.

The actual transaction took place face to face - they'll get nowhere trying that tack. I assume they have a piece of paper saying "Sold as seen. no warranty given or implied" as well?

Report it to the police as an abandoned vehicle and then they'll get a bill for storage too!

Broccers wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:18 am Theres probably some distance selling law on their side. Nobbers.

No there isn't. It's a private sale. If Dan didn't knowingly misrepresent the car then it's done and dusted.

Oh BTW, the 'it broke down on the way home' BS is a classic scam. Boatshoes is littered with similar stories. Tell them they were fine with the car when they saw it/test drove it and it's now their problem.

That is properly odd.

I sold one of my Clio 16v to a young lad once whose parents were clearly unimpressed at him wanting it. It was in fine condition (as fine as they came anyway) and I'd been using it as a daily - it had previously had a HGF but that had been long since fixed. After much pissing about at the handover they eventually left one cold dark rainy winter evening, to head back down south.

I got a call the following lunchtime from him to tell me the engine had gone pop as he was coming down a slip road...I was expecting a discussion over returned monies/car, especially given the way his parents had been. Thankfully he wasn't after anything other than the name of the garage that had done the HG repair.

I found out years later someone had eventually dropped a 172 lump in

Simon wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:22 am

Broccers wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:18 am Theres probably some distance selling law on their side. Nobbers.

No there isn't. It's a private sale. If Dan didn't knowingly misrepresent the car then it's done and dusted.

Oh BTW, the 'it broke down on the way home' BS is a classic scam. Boatshoes is littered with similar stories. Tell them they were fine with the car when they saw it/test drove it and it's now their problem.

It was also fine enough to make it back 400mi under its own steam

The fact they drove it back to you is sufficient evidence there was nothing wrong with it.

If you have their contact details, send them a short message saying they need to collect it today, failing which you'll be charging them £20 a day storage fee.

Jobbo wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:30 am The fact they drove it back to you is sufficient evidence there was nothing wrong with it.

If you have their contact details, send them a short message saying they need to collect it today, failing which you'll be charging them £20 a day storage fee.

I was hoping you'd chime in That was my assumption, its a second hand car sold as seen, not misrepresented in any way. Shit stinks sometimes.

Mrs was wondering if it was some sort of scam, but I pointed out its a pretty shitty scam as they've not got no car or money.

People are just odd sometimes aren't they. Well done for not giving them gyp when they turned up with it and started recording things. I might have been tempted to start videoing my side of the story - 'Here's a car that was sold as seen that this couple have just driven 400 miles back to me after claiming the clutch has gone, it was dangerous and not road worthy.' No idea how this is going to end. One assumes they might see sense and come back for the car. Did the police say anything about if they came back asking for their money back?

Had Something vaguely similar many years ago selling a mk1 Fiesta. Young couple came to buy. Happy. Took it away.

Phone call the next day to say her dad was a mechanic, he wasn’t happy, and they wanted a refund.

Err no. Sold as seen.

And next time - since your dad is a mechanic - take him with you to buy cars you idiots.

Your issue is definitely “next level” though.

Take it and crash it into a tree.... wasn’t like that when 8 sold it mate.

Very hard to understand what they're trying to achieve, we'll see what their next move is I guess. Definitely sounds like an attempt at a scam.

JonMad wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:56 am Did the police say anything about if they came back asking for their money back?

They said to call if they come back and cause a fuss, but so far they've not actually broken any laws I guess so I understand that the police can't do a lot. It just seemed sensible to make them aware.

Well if nobody else wants it......?

Did they know that you actually work with cars for a living and are going to be very difficult to bullshit [mention]dan[/mention] ? I guess by the time they drove to pick it up they were committed to it anyway.

duncs500 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 10:20 am Did they know that you actually work with cars for a living and are going to be very difficult to bullshit @dan ? I guess by the time they drove to pick it up they were committed to it anyway.

Its pretty irrelevant, I try not to tell people 'i build cars don't you know' as its a bit Alan Partridge, but the fact they've driven it to eastbourne and back speaks for itself I thought.

Fuck knows what they're trying to achieve, worst scam evar.

dan wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:42 am

Jobbo wrote: ↑Fri Oct 23, 2020 9:30 am The fact they drove it back to you is sufficient evidence there was nothing wrong with it.

If you have their contact details, send them a short message saying they need to collect it today, failing which you'll be charging them £20 a day storage fee.

I was hoping you'd chime in That was my assumption, its a second hand car sold as seen, not misrepresented in any way. Shit stinks sometimes.

Mrs was wondering if it was some sort of scam, but I pointed out its a pretty shitty scam as they've not got no car or money.

They could potentially seek a refund of the price on the basis that they don't have the car - so make sure you keep a copy of your post and all the correspondence just in case they stupidly decide to go to court over this.