Sad day *update 5/14/10* wants to take me to court now

[Halgar]

I almost passed out when HALGAR made sense to me Thanks,Todd,Scrappy,Reg I was gettin WORRIED PHEW Halgar PLEASE DO NOT DO THAT TO ME

Whatza matta Johnny?

[railey72]

Sorry to hear about having to sell the car. Sounds like it might have been a good time to let it go though. You were up-front and honest about the car. That's all you can do. Common sense should dictate that a 30 year old car that has sat for 8 years is an "as-is" sale. That however is assuming the guy has any common sense.

[GJW]

so thats where your name arises from aha! the hide of some people, is he for real? he bought an old classic that was in very average condition alround not driven for 8 yrs and expects reliable transport if he really cared about the car he would have trailered it home and got the car checked over by his mechanic. tell him to go jump! its like buying an old hornet and expecting it to last a vintage enduro race without cracking up

[transamman908]

The guy just called me and told me that he's going to take me to court if i don't pay him $475 to cover the tow. Do you think he has a leg to stand on with this? Could he realy sue me over this transaction? I can't beleive this crap.

[civilguy]

Pretty much anyone can file in small claims court. You have a bill of sale that you both signed. It may not say 'as-is' but it also does NOT make any warranty claims, I hope. Also, I asked before but do you have a copy of the ad you listed?

If yes and yes, I'd tell him go for it.

[metallicats33]

Not sure of your Laws where you live but If you have a copy of the ad and the bill of sale expressing No warranty you should be ok. And besides most judges with any common sense will probably through out the case when they realize the car is 30 years old.

[RedScampi]

I'd get an attorney to draft him a letter. Do you have any relatives that have a nice letterhead? That'll put the fear of God in him. In Washington we have what is called a seller's report of sale that is the responsibility of the seller to file within 5 days of the sale. If you do it, you are relieved of all responsibility for that car. I had a really bad experience where a guy bought my car for his kid, failed to transfer the title or insure the car, his kid wrecked the car, damaged county property, injured his passenger, and subsequently pushed the car over a cliff. I went through hell because of the title being in my name still. Attorneys, police agencies, collections agencies and county government officials all wanted a piece of me. for months. But because I'd filed that little slip of paper with the state i was able to direct all of their concerns to the proper party, namely the vehicle buyer.
I also had a lady buy a car from me in Texas. Because she was broke and I was stupid i let her make payments. She was very excited with it but a few days later, after the first payment had been made I came home from work and the car was in my driveway. There was a nice note in the mailbox that said she had changed her mind and wanted her money back. I went to the library and found a book on civil law, found a section that basically said that I could keep her money AND the car. She came back, paid what she owed and drove away in the car.
I don't know if there is anything like that in NJ but bottom line is you have a bill of sale. Let him threaten you all he wants he won't get anything for his efforts.

[transamman908]

Thanks Everyone for your input. I just came back from my local police dept. where i filed a report, showed all my documents and a copy of the Craigslist ad(with the highlighted "sold as is"), bill of sale that we both signed, copy of the signed title, and described my situation. The officer was very helpfull and basicly stated that he could bring me to court , but that he would probably have a hard time just filing for a case as they would tell him he has NO case to begin with being it's a 30 year old vehicle. My next step is to contact a friend who's father is a lawer just to be sure. The last phonecall from him was even more crazy. I told him to send me a copy of the receipt for the tow. He told me "no problem, he's my buddy, his name is chico". Well i may not be a college grad., but couldn't you easily make up a receipt especially if you know the guy? Anyway, The guy is a "fast talker" and sounds very convincing which makes me, a quiet, keep to myself kind of guy kind of nervous but thanks to reading the replys and input from you guys is putting me at ease, Thank you again.

[scr8p]

ask him to send you a couple copies of the towing bill. tell him you ran out of toilet paper and you need someting to wipe your......... well, you know.

$475 for a tow from his "buddy"? i'd go back to the GFY defense.

[soniccj5]

Yeah $475.00 for a tow from a buddy is wrong... Owning a Jeep I know a thing about being towed, and I am sure it would not cost that much for a tow from 2 hours away.

I think this guy is a scammer.

Does he have two first names?

ED

[LowClassCC]

the highest tow bill i ever paid was $120. that was for a flatbed to bring the car an hour and a half from where i bought it to my house. another thing that you can do is drop by the local towing companies and get some quotes in writing on what it would cost to get a car hauled from your place to his area. let his buddy make up an exaggerated receipt, let him take you to court, then use all documentation that you have to prove he bought the car as is (as if the car being 30 years old don't prove it already), then submit the quotes that you got for a tow of that distance. i'm sure the prices will easily be half of what he is trying to con out of you. also make sure you provide the information of every contact that you and he have had from before he came to look at it to date.

i doubt that he will go to the extent of filling a case against you. if he does just have all your stuff together and you wont have a problem.

[Halgar]

I say call his bluff. As everyone has said, you've got all your documents in order. The most he can do is take you to court - small claims only. Even IF he wins a judgment against you, he's gotta collect it. Even IF he's savvy enough to file a lien against you, that doesn't mean you have to pay it AND he's got to renew that lien yearly (at least that's the way it is here in Cali ).

Or, another route you could take is to tell him you'd be happy to give him the $475 for the tow, as long as he shows up AT your door WITH the car, THEN you'll give him the money and be keeping the car, because obviously he's not happy with it and you want to make him happy. Let's face it, that's what you're here for right, to make him happy?

$475 for a tow from his "buddy"? i'd go back to the GFY defense.

LMAO!!

[klavy69]

$475 for a tow from his "buddy"?

I think a buddy of mine sent his fullsize 79 pickup from california to us here in IL. for that. Like stated above you have really nothing to worry about and yes...I can make you a receipt or an estimate that I would tow the car from his house to your house for $50 including my drive from Illinois on official letterhead and all if you want it. Doesn't take alot to write up a receipt for anything like that. This guy from the first post has been noted as a douchebag.

Another thing is do you really have any proof that the motor blew up? Maybe he drove it all the way home and is just tryin to get some cash outta ya? After all you are just going by this guys word...which I think we can all agree on is worthless. Even without knowing him it reminds me of that commercial where the guy in the end says "It's pronounced Dumass."
Todd

[THUNDERSTRIKE1]

$475.00 IS THE PRICE FOR A used motor probably from his buddy chico,So hes scammin an chico is so they get dough.Don
ps:id drive up and video them bet its runnin

[justinspeed79]

Just tell that guy to GFH. I would just say to him, "go ahead and sue me, I'll see you in court". If you tell him that, you will probably never hear from him again.

BTW, I don't know where y'all are getting your tows from, but $475 for a two-hour tow is not that bad by today's standards. You can't even get a tow truck to hook up to your car for less then $150 these days.