Random drunk guy car update

"JasonStern911" (JasonStern911) 01/11/2020 at 20:22 • Filed to: None

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So good news on the Z4. Paid a more mechanically gifted friend to come check it out and he just laugh/cried. Poor Jason. He was so close. Move (unnamed piece) a quarter of an inch, and he had it.

(Don’t buy newer German cars if you are not confident in your wrenching abilities)

Drive it, steam came out, ugh.

Drove it again, all the seals sealed. So be aware of that. The BMW seals are stupid. Most radiator clamps all the way around the hose. BMW just has side clamps. Apparently heat makes a seal, but that seems like it is prone to failure- oh yeah, that is why I am doing this in the first place on a sub-70k car.

But respect to BMW for making a 6 cylinder roadster. I can ish on it and miss my Boxster all I want, but credit where it is due.

996 has been rock solid reliable. Fear new Porsches because VW/Audi interference, but the hatred of 996s combined with Porsche independence makes them such insane value.

2002 Xterra keeps being 2002 Xterra. When the planet is wiped out of human existence someday, only cockroaches and 1G Xterras will roam this planet.

In the market for a car as a birthday gift to (redacted) for her (redacted) birthday. Have some time on this, so not rushing it. Threw this out as my buyers’ market start:

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(redacted opening)
Based on limited information from the ad, this sounds perfect. I’m seriously interested and have cash, but due to the insane number of scammers out there, I’m afraid that I’m going to be a bit annoying about this. But I assure you that it is to protect us both.
If you’re trying to dump the car due to major mechanical issues, we can avoid wasting both of our time and just say “no” now.
I’m watching (redacted) this weekend, but I can check it out Monday through Friday after work, or pretty much anytime during the day if I give my boss heads up.
I’m hoping you can pick a time that works for you for me to check out the car. You pick the place. Obviously I’d prefer a cold engine just in case there are starting issues, but to ensure your comfort and safety we can skip that. Pick where you feel comfortable - in front of a police station is fine by me. I will give it a look over with my limited mechanical knowledge. Make sure that there isn’t any obvious non-disclosed mechanical problems, body damage, etc.
If everything looks good, I might ask for a test drive. I will show you on my phone that I have cash in my bank account and not trying to joyride. I’m not meeting a stranger alone off the internet with thousands of dollars of cash in hand. You are more than welcome to sit next to me. I might take it to redline once with the windows down to make sure there are no obvious problems under load. I promise that I am not going to hoon your car. I assure you that I have my own toys for that.
If the test drive goes well, I will ask for a pre-purchase inspection from a local mechanic at my expense at your convenience. I’m not a (redacted) expert, and this isn’t a car for me, so having a second set of eyes is important.
After that, if the car looks good, we can negotiate price. If the pre-purchase inspection turns out fine, I’m not going to argue at all on price. If they find some minor issues that would affect the overall reliability (less concerned about cosmetics/aesthetics), I might try to negotiate a bit to have some extra cash to fix those issues myself.
If we then agree on a price, you can come with me to a (redacted) bank and be there in person when they withdraw the cash. You can then use a bill validating pen to ensure that the bank isn’t trying to screw you. With cash in hand, we will go to the DMV together, fill out Nevada bill of sale forms, and complete the sale with you there during the title transfer. This ensures that there’s no duplicate title scams going on.
At that point, you have proven legit cash, the DMV has the title reassigned to me, and we’re both probably annoyed by how much work this is, but happy that a deal was finally made. And I know this seems like a lot of paranoid overhead, but I don’t want to get scammed out of cash (working sucks!). You don’t want to get scammed out of a car. I get if this is too much work. But each of these requests are again for our own protection, and skipping any steps should raise red flags for both of us. Let me know! Thanks!

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Guy responded with:

Have you been scammed before? Sounds like you’re covering all your bases. I think this would be a great car for what you’re looking for. I really don’t want to get rid of it but I have three other vehicles and parking is getting to be a nuisance. The car is going to need a brake job in the near future. I have already drop the price to compensate for that. And there is a issue with the stereo. Other than that the car runs great I’ve driven it on road trips, everything works. It would be great for an everyday driver. I am willing to do everything you are requesting on one of my days off since it sounds like it’s for a good cause. My days off are Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday I will contact you with the best time that works for me and see if that’s good for you.

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I responded with the following book:

A few years ago, I bought a “low mileage” Honda Del Sol from a senior citizen that supposedly bought it from his wife. The “low mileage” was due to a broken odometer, which I missed because the old man seemed so nice! And I was arrogant enough to think I got a good deal on it because I found the one oil leak and torn CV boot and thought those were the only problems - they weren’t. At least it was a cheap and easy car to work on, but I would have much rather paid more to spend my free time watching football rather than working on an old Honda!

But I’ve heard horror stories from people in (Redacted) recently. One guy tried to buy a Crown Vic and did the fake printed bills wrapped around real bills. Seller caught that pretty quick. But this one I had never heard of - a girl filed for a missing title from the DMV, got it, pawned the car in a title-only loan, then sold it using the duplicate title. The owner then had to pay off the lien in order to keep the car. If it’s non-violent, the police are too busy to care about that kind of theft. Court would go her word “I said it had a lien” versus his, with no real proof either way. Sad times that are easily avoidable with a bit of due diligence.

The car is 16 years old and you’re asking (Redacted) Expected maintenance like brakes, fluids, plugs, wires, belts, etc. are all fine. Regardless of what car I end up buying, I intend to do the easy stuff regardless just to help ensure at least a few years of trouble free ownership. I just don’t have the time/money/skills for major engine work, transmission work, or body work.

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Guy seemed okay with this. See him sometime next week, hopefully.

jimz > JasonStern911 01/12/2020 at 03:47

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Most radiator clamps all the way around the hose. BMW just has side clamps. Apparently heat makes a seal, but that seems like it is prone to failure

hose clamps are not meant to seal anything. the snug fit of the hose over the barb/nipple is supposed to provide the seal. The clamp is there solely to prevent the hose from backing off of the nipple.

if you’re depending on tightening the clamp enough to stop a leak, something’s wrong.

JasonStern911 > jimz 01/12/2020 at 22:01

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(Sees you own a Ford and not a BMW)
:)