Used car buying

[Hockey School Dropout]

As this seems to be the most "off topic" part of the forum, I just want to have a mini rant.....

I currently have a 2006 Subaru Legacy wagon.  Base model, auto.....blah.   I got it because I was returning to school part time and didn't want a manual while sitting in traffic.  It's a decent car but it's not fun.

I happened upon an ad for a 2006 Legacy GT wagon - the car I was looking for when I bought the other one, but none we available in my price range at the time.  The GT advertised has only 140k kms on it, nothing needed mechanically according to the ad.  Seems great!

I contacted the seller and agreed to meet last Monday to check it out.  First red flag - he had it running and warmed up when I arrived.  Second, rear brakes needed replacing (needs something mechanically!!!!).  Seemed to be rushing a little bit too.  Took it for a drive, it drove well.  As he wanted to sell as is (not safety inspected) I offered a little over $1k under asking price.  He said he had two other people looking at it that day and one said they were willing to pay over asking price.  Okay, good luck.  Told him to contact me if the others didn't work out.

Curiousity got the better of me last night and I checked auto trader and kijiji and saw he re-posted his ads, and was asking for MORE than previously.  So you had potential buyers and ALL shied away, and you RAISE your asking price?  I wouldn't take that car on a bet now.

But seriously, is this what we've come too?  Lying and then asking for more when you don't sell?

I am relieved I didn't buy it, cause it smells really fishy and I think I would have taken on a huge headache.  Just aggravating that people behave this way.  

[Ghostender]

Good call on the “already warmed up” part. And not wanting to allow a safety check – oh boy…

Couple more red flags - the seller who is only available to show you the vehicle after dark or the car is still wet as it was “just washed”.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who want something for nothing. Even a used car is a big investment, so take your time - lots of fish in that pond, especially with today’s technology.

Oh, and all this isn't confined to sales of used cars - as long as "caveat emptor" is acceptable in today's society, it will be a problem everywhere