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<buying 1992 318is>



Ladies & Gentlemen,
	Please be patient with me for a moment while I get on my soap 
box, I'll ask questions when I'm done a short monologue.

	Approximately two months ago a gentleman on this digest 
advertised a 1992 318is for sale for a 'net impared' friend.  I read the 
ad as paraphrased below:
	"1992 318is, excellent condition, warranty, 71,000 miles, $11,500 obo,
         call xxx-xxx-xxxx ask for Pat"

	High mileage never bothered me given proper maintenance, so I 
made the phone call.  My initial impression of Pat was that he was a nice 
guy who was selling his car for his brother so that his mom could buy 
them a new 328ic.  
       Stay with me now.  Ok, early in my conversations with Pat, I
realize he has an East Asian accent and has somewhat broken english,
but better than my German, so I don't complain.  He tells me that he'd
moved here from Taiwan five years ago.  Ok, great, welcome to the U.S.
Through conversation I decided the car was well kept 
and I'd have the car looked at AT MY EXPENSE then I'd make Pat an offer.  
Keep in mind that this car was 1000 miles from home.  Several days later, 
Pat had the car checked over at the local BMW dealership, again AT MY 
EXPENSE.  Everything looked great, time for the deal.  I call Pat back 
and for giggles offer him $10k (ok ok just testing the waters).  He 
replied that he couldn't take something so low, so I immediately offer 
him WHAT HE WAS ASKING..$11,500.  HE SAID NO, he wanted to wait and see 
what his best offer would be.  Ok, at this point I'm pissed off.  I just 
spent $69 only to have PAT tell mehe wouldn't take what he was asking?!?! 
Bulls__t!!!  

He tells me he has a couple people coming to see it the following 
weekend.  At this point I refrain from backlash and tell him I'd get back 
to him after they had seen the car.  The only thing I asked was that I'd 
appreciate it if he'd give the the chance to counter-offer any of their 
offers.  He replies "sure".  Days go by, no phone call.  So, I call him.  
The conversation was as follows:

david:	"Hey Pat, how did things turn out with the car?"
pat:	"They came but didn't offer anything, said they'd call me if interested"

then some meaningless conversation about a warranty (that was advertised 
to be sold with the car) that he wasn't going to give me because I lived 
out of state and the warranty company would transfer it but it would be 
no good to me out-of-state.  I told him I'd want it because I could sell 
it back to the warranty company.

so then pat says:"David....." long long silence "are you pushing this"
and more of pat: "IT'S MY CAR I WILL SELL IT TO WHOM EVER I WANT.."
(blah blah blah blah) "I put $11,500 OBO, that means best offer over $11,500"

david says	"So you wouldn't take what you asked for it?!"
pat says:	"I put OBO, that means any offer over what I ask, so I 
		 wait for best offer" 
	

so at this point he finally pushes me over the edge:
david replies:	"Pat, I don't know what you've learned about doing 
business here since you've moved here, $11,500 obo means you take the 
best offer up to $11,500 and you'd absolutely take $11,500.  I spent 
$69 having your car looked at under the premise that you'd take $11,500, 
which I was willing to pay.  Ask any american how they interpret your AD, 
and next time you might want to make adjustments."

pat says:	"oh, I did not realize this, I'm sorry."
david says:	"I guess all I can ask is that you give me (as first caller)
		the opportunity to counter-offer anyone who makes you 
		another offer."
pat says:	"ok, I will call you."
david says:	"thanks, Pat, bye bye"

Well guess what Ladies and Gentlemen, NO CALL FROM PAT and $69 bucks down 
the drain.  It's been three weeks since I've spoken with him and nothing, 
nada, nobo, nyet.

So let me open this to the forum, how could I have prevented this from 
happening?  Should I have nailed a price down prior to having it looked 
at (even though he probably wouldn't have accepted it as he was looking 
for the HIGHEST bid over his asking price, which takes time).  OR, do I 
have a right to think he should pay me back my $69, plus time and 
aggravation or I simply label him an entrepreneur wannabe with no business 
sense.  I'd like to use some stronger language but my social graces are 
preventing me from being somewhat more crude.

questions/comments are welcome.

David
1988 325is

ps  CyberPop if you're reading this, you might want to give this to Pat.  
And tell him that 2500 people now know of his aweful trading practices.


- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  David Moore                       The Wise are Instructed by Reason,
  Computer Dynamics                 The Ordinary by Experience,      
  email dmoore@domain.elided    The Stupid by Necessity,        
                                    and the Brute by Instinct.     
                                    -- author unknown --