Classic For Sale By Owner Encounter

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A co-worker sent me a link to a nice looking 21' Chris Craft Concept bowrider located about an hour away. Had Volvo Penta V8 EFI power and looked well cared for. I talked to the owner via text and it sounds like the boat was well taken care of. When I got there I had to park 1/4 mile away as the thing was stored in a barn and the road down there was muddy. Son mentioned the boat was "pretty much mint."

So I walk down there, and immediately see a huge 1 foot gash in the side of the hull. It's an old boat, and stuff happens. I notice the drain plug is in after being stored all winter. Not good.

So I get aboard (the owner makes me take my shoes off) and open a ski locker. Get an immediate whiff of gasoline. Looking further down, I notice the locker drain is plugged up and there's an oil slick in the drain. "That's just condensation." Yeah, OK guy.

Engine hatch is opened, bilge is filthy and has much more water than a simple condensation accumulation. Why this guy stored a boat with the plug in I'll never know. I noticed a few oil drips as well. Moving forward in the boat, I noticed the fiberglass floor liner separating from the bulkheads, which were cracked. The rest of the interior was pretty clean, but that's par for the course for most boats I've seen where the owner claims it's been "well maintained."

At this point I was pretty annoyed, but it was almost to be expected from a seller like this ("my son posted the ad on Facebook for me. Selling for health issues, blahblahblah.") The final straw was when he said he wouldn't take a certified bank check, "cash only." He also made up some excuse about not being able to start the engine because he couldn't get water down to the barn. I left shortly after that.

I feel bad for whoever buys that boat. He said he had two other people coming with "cash in hand."

Anyone here have a similar story about looking at a used private sale car/truck/boat/suv?
 
Taking cash only is a pretty good idea, lots of forged checks out there. But if you insist on it he should be able to meet you at your bank and take the check from the tellers' hands.
 
Run away from that boat.

As Chumlee said on pawn Stars, "Rick, do you known what BOAT stands for? Break out another thousand"...... Lol
 
Yeah I’m totally down with not taking a “cashiers check" from a total stranger, that has a better chance of being fake than a Gucci bag on e-bay (or a back alley in Milan).
 
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First 4.5 paragraphs spent (seemingly appropriately) trashing this boat.

Then.....'he wouldn't take my check'

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Originally Posted By: Imp4
First 4.5 paragraphs spent (seemingly appropriately) trashing this boat.

Then.....'he wouldn't take my check'

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Dont put words in my mouth. I never offered the guy a check.

Also, id rather have a certified bank check with someones account and routing number on it than a wad of cash. A simple phone call to the bank is all it takes to verify. I guess cash cant be counterfeit.
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high

Dont put words in my mouth. I never offered the guy a check.


Who's putting words in your mouth?
You said this in your original post:

Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
The final straw was when he said he wouldn't take a certified bank check, "cash only."


That pretty much implies you were planning on buying it from him, and inquired about how he wanted to accept payment.

And seriously, if you weren't going to buy it, after the description of it that you gave us, why would you know how he did or didn't want to be paid, and how did that become the last straw? If you didn't want the boat because it was in bad condition, it shouldn't have been a straw at all.

BC.
 
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high

Dont put words in my mouth. I never offered the guy a check.


Who's putting words in your mouth?
You said this in your original post:

Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
The final straw was when he said he wouldn't take a certified bank check, "cash only."


That pretty much implies you were planning on buying it from him, and inquired about how he wanted to accept payment.

And seriously, if you weren't going to buy it, after the description of it that you gave us, why would you know how he did or didn't want to be paid, and how did that become the last straw? If you didn't want the boat because it was in bad condition, it shouldn't have been a straw at all.

BC.


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I told him I’d hand him a check only after a marina inspection and sea trial, and that’s how the cash only topic came up.

Again, don’t put words in my mouth or assume things.
 
Originally Posted By: NormanBuntz
A shyster like that seller deserves a beat down. I'd be burnt up having spent the effort to see that POS craft. And I wonder what kind of bill of sale this fraud will give to the eventual buyer.


In theory, if you did a cash deal and didn’t have someone notarize it, the guy could take you to court and say you didn’t pay, and he would probably win. With a certified bank check the sellers name is on your bank statement, which matches the bill of sale, which matches the sales tax paid, and so on and so forth. But everyone knows that, right?
 
When i hear "mint" i cringe.
Very few things are mint unless never used and properly stored and with much
luck..!!
 
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high

Dont put words in my mouth. I never offered the guy a check.


Who's putting words in your mouth?
You said this in your original post:

Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
The final straw was when he said he wouldn't take a certified bank check, "cash only."


That pretty much implies you were planning on buying it from him, and inquired about how he wanted to accept payment.

And seriously, if you weren't going to buy it, after the description of it that you gave us, why would you know how he did or didn't want to be paid, and how did that become the last straw? If you didn't want the boat because it was in bad condition, it shouldn't have been a straw at all.

BC.


I don't mean that as a dig, but the OP did not imply anything that you're stating... You're reading into it. When you go into a business negotiation, one of the first things discussed is, how to pay. Cash rules, but most people will take other forms of payment (most typical for me, is PayPal.)
 
I've had an opposite issues, as a seller, when I was selling stock Subaru wheels and tires (with 8/32"+ tread). I posted pics of the DIRTY wheels, with multiple close-ups of the curb rash that made it look like the whole wheel was curbed. After cleaning the wheel and seeing it in person, it was objectively very good condition.

I was selling for like $500 for all four wheels, with tires and TPMS, IIRC. The guy tried to knock another buck off, saying he wasn't aware of the curb rash. I pulled my phone out, showed him the forum post then and there, and his dad nodded and told him to pay the agreed upon cost. I met him halfway (I think it was a half-hour drive for me), so I was [censored] when he said the condition wasn't as advertised and he wanted more money off!

I've had similar instances selling vehicles privately. People will always seem excited, until it's time to discuss brass tacks!
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
The final straw was when he said he wouldn't take a certified bank check, "cash only."

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I don't mean that as a dig, but the OP did not imply anything that you're stating... You're reading into it

Fellas, when you complain that the seller won't take a bank check, it implies you tried to negotiate the sale. Just sayin.

As stated earlier, and quite well I might add:
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
And seriously, if you weren't going to buy it, after the description of it that you gave us, why would you know how he did or didn't want to be paid, and how did that become the last straw? If you didn't want the boat because it was in bad condition, it shouldn't have been a straw at all.
 
If it was in a barn with no chance of rain or snow, he could have done winterizing and then put the drain plug back in to keep mice out of the bilge. Although I think it would be next to impossible to keep mice out.

Not saying that was the reason.
 
I know this pertains to a boat, but my experience with Craigslist with vehicles is pretty much the same. I have found that most vehicles are advertised as excellent condition, only to find that there are rust holes, the side not shown in the pictures is side swiped, check engine light is on and is leaking oil. More often then not, this is the case or some combination of this. In some cases I think people in there minds dont see the defects, (after all we are BITOG's) and some are just straight up lairs. Case in point, I looked at a car about a year old, looked in the engine bay, brand new aftermarket battery. Red flags go up, start looking closer you could see that body work had been done, panels did not line up quite right and right behind it was the battery. I asked several time, was the car ever in an accident??? NO NO NO, she was the original owner, so she said. I was more [censored] that I had wasted my time..
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high

In theory, if you did a cash deal and didn’t have someone notarize it, the guy could take you to court and say you didn’t pay, and he would probably win. With a certified bank check the sellers name is on your bank statement, which matches the bill of sale, which matches the sales tax paid, and so on and so forth. But everyone knows that, right?


Huh? A bill of sale is also a cash receipt. If you have the keys and physical possession, it's yours.
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The only thing a notary brings to the table is positive identification of the seller, useful for real estate transactions, and sometimes required by states for car transfers but mostly so they get their tax money/ people don't "flip" cars as easily. A notary does NOT add legal protections to a poorly worded contract.
 
Originally Posted By: Imp4
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
The final straw was when he said he wouldn't take a certified bank check, "cash only."

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I don't mean that as a dig, but the OP did not imply anything that you're stating... You're reading into it

Fellas, when you complain that the seller won't take a bank check, it implies you tried to negotiate the sale. Just sayin.

As stated earlier, and quite well I might add:
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
And seriously, if you weren't going to buy it, after the description of it that you gave us, why would you know how he did or didn't want to be paid, and how did that become the last straw? If you didn't want the boat because it was in bad condition, it shouldn't have been a straw at all.


I thought reading comprehension was still a part of elementary studies. Hmmm.

Seriously, he’s recounting the story after-the-fact. We don’t need to guess the intent or make any assumptions; the freaking OP is here to clarify, which he did...
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high

I feel bad for whoever buys that boat. He said he had two other people coming with "cash in hand."
Anyone here have a similar story ?


I ALWAYS "call that bluff"

"Fine, go ahead and sell it to them"

I call 2 weeks later and they usually have it.... for a lot less
 
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