"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
02/11/2016 at 09:00 • Filed to: None
11
95|
"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
02/11/2016 at 09:00 • Filed to: None | 11
| 95 |
There is a disproportionate number of problems in this world caused by car sales between relatives. If you do not know this yet, you just haven’t been around enough. But I get the phone calls at my office . . .
You think you’re helping out your brother/sister/cousin/deadbeat-dad by selling him/her/it the car you’ve been driving successfully for the last 5 years. A week after the sale they call to tell you the engine blew up. Can they have their money back? Will you pay to fix it? Did you do this to them on purpose, you poor excuse for a relative?!
Like all my other advice, you are free to disregard everything I say. After all, most people do. Where do you think my clients come from!? But the point is that you should familiarize yourself with the pitfalls of such a transaction before you embark on it. Go in with your eyes open. That way, you won’t be able to call and tell me I should have warned you. I did. Here’s the audio:
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And the video:
And the pic above is a pile of my new book. Should be !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! any second now. Meanwhile, anyone who wants a signed copy and cares to navigate the intricacies of the internet, feel free to email me directly: Lehto@kennon.com.
Follow me on Twitter: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Hear my podcast on iTunes: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 24 years, almost exclusively in consumer protection and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! He wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
This website may supply general information about the law but it is for informational purposes only. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is we’re not billing you by the hour for reading this. The bad news is that you shouldn’t act upon any of the information without consulting a qualified professional attorney who will, probably, bill you by the hour.
Prophet of hoon
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:27 |
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All the stars - the age old adage goes “if you want to be rid of a friend, loan him money.” This goes triple for cars. Unless you plan on maintaining it for life, you’ll be far better off selling it to another and listening to the whine of the entitled relative (who claims you “stole” the car from her).
I do think there is an exception, if you’re not a Jalop. My aunt, would wouldn’t know where the motor oil goes, can sell her hoopties to relatives all day long because she has real deniability. Of course, she buys a new Honda every year, so that prices her cars away from the bottom feeders that are described in the 1st paragraph.
xxmixedxtapexx
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:34 |
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I agree that selling a car to a relative is probably a terrible idea. The only way I think it makes sense to do so is if you have an extended warranty on the vehicle. I sold my car to my dad after driving it for two years but the upside was that there was still 3 years and 60,000 miles left on the extended warranty. Not gonna lie the headaches about repairs are no worry when it’s still covered under warranty haha
alan
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:35 |
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My uncle owned a really nice 1989 Mecedes i think it was a 190E. It had way over 200,000miles on it and he put at least 4 transmissions in it, and lost track of what else. But he bought it new, had 4 kids after that, so he kept it as a reminder of his bachelor days and did not want to spend money on new one. around 2006 he got tired of putting money into it and decided to get something new and got a top of the line stick shift Audi S4
one of my cousins who was a senior in high school wanted it, because it was a mercedes. my uncle refused to sell it to him personally. so my uncle sold it to his mechanic and told my cousin to go buy it off the mechanic if he wanted it.
It was a smart move too on my uncles part. everything kept breaking on it.
Moral of the story, if the owner wants nothing to do with the car so bad that he sells it to someone else to sell to you, do not buy the car lol
Rykros the Disdainful - Supposed Petulant Capitulant Junkie
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:35 |
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My family is rife with “sell me your car” whether it’s broken, or not. I’ve bought and sold many with relatives and friends of the family. Sometimes it’s successful, sometimes it’s not, but we all have the same basic understanding:
You’ll be informed of it’s history and maintenance, and once it changes hands, it’s all on you. If it blows up next week, that’s too bad. Might lend a hand because it’s family, otherwise, it’s just luck of the draw.
No one complains. Everyone knows better. They would just generally rather have a vehicle with a known history. So it all works out.
Skippy the McWaffle
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:36 |
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Hey Steve, relatively new to your podcasts, but I just bought a used car at a dealership (a ‘14 Ford Fiesta ST) and read all the documents, negotiated a price I wanted, looked over the whole car and got a bumper to bumper warranty. I feel I got a great deal on this thing, and wanted to say thanks for all the advice!
As for this article, I couldn’t agree more. Helping a family member buy a used car, and selling them one of yours are two COMPLETELY different things.
StalePhish
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:37 |
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Whoops! I recently sold my car to my little sister now that she’s old enough to drive. I bought it new 7 years prior and it had served me well and was still in great shape. I thought it was a pretty convenient move, because I had already got a new car and didn’t want to have to deal with Craigslist strangers, so I took $500 off what would’ve been my asking price and she went for it. Now (being very sentimental), I still get to see my old car from time to time, and money in my pocket!
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SteveLehto
> Rykros the Disdainful - Supposed Petulant Capitulant Junkie
02/11/2016 at 09:38 |
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You apparently have that rare thing: A functional family.
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SteveLehto
> Skippy the McWaffle
02/11/2016 at 09:38 |
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Thanks for the note.
I apprecitate it!
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SteveLehto
> StalePhish
02/11/2016 at 09:39 |
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I just hope the relationship can survive it if the engine blows next week.
MikaelVroom
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:40 |
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I restored a 1984 Honda Motorcycle a few years ago and got it looking and running really nice.
I had a coworker looking into learning to ride so I sold it to her with the stipulation that she’d take the MSF class and get her license.
A week later I get this picture.
Before taking the class she took it to a parking lot to practice and dropped it. Fuel leaked out of the carb vents onto the hot engine and that was it.
She chalked it up to a freak accident and didn’t hold it against me, but because she didn’t get full coverage insurance, she was out the $1500. The next year she bought a Jeep instead.
MTY19855
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:40 |
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Don’t even GIVE a car to a relative.
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SteveLehto
> MikaelVroom
02/11/2016 at 09:45 |
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That’s one angle I missed - What happens when they wreck it? (If sold to a stranger you’d probably never find out.)
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> MikaelVroom
02/11/2016 at 09:47 |
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AAAAAAHHHHHH THAT’S A NICE SABRE!!!! I WANT IT :(
My X-type is too a real Jaguar
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:50 |
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Wing car book in Print, Tucker Book done, What’s next Bricklin, Davis or Delorean?
MP81
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:56 |
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When my now-wife bought her new 2014 Cruze, I took ownership of her then-242k mile 1998 Cavalier.
I knew what I was getting into with that, though, considering I’m the one who worked on it since she bought it in 2012. So I suppose that doesn’t count, haha.
On another note, my father-in-law sold my younger brother their 2001 Buick Century for his first vehicle. It was actually his mother-in-law’s to begin with, so it has quite the family lineage (and a jog). But luckily enough, it’s a great car. And my brother has me as a resource to work on it.
That said - I’ve heard plenty of stories that haven’t gone as pleasant.
computiNATEor
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:57 |
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My family is infamous for trading cars around. My grandmother and aunt, both widowers, generally retire their cars down the line of cousins. My grandmother’s beige Accord with red velour interior and electric seat belts became my oldest cousins car in 2005, and is now the surfboard transportation machine for my youngest-but-still-older-than-me cousin. It’s still running like a top.
My aunt’s 1995 Camry V6 is a little bit worse for the wear; four years next to the ocean and a lack of washes at Pepperdine fried the dark green paint’s clear coat, and the aftermarket alarm system is super sensitive, enough that a dog’s tail can set it off. My poor neighbors chocolate lab will never, ever approach the thing again. But other than that, it’s a great starter car for my sister, and makes a perfect pizza delivery vehicle!
Here’s the secret: the cars were being disposed of already; not traded in or sold. Despite their perfect mechanical condition, their age meant that the family got them for the price of the $15-inter-sibling title transfer, and a little arguing over who would pay for the check at lunch!
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computiNATEor
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 09:59 |
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I have the same! It's fantastic, though wierd, to be, essentially, on good terms with everyone in the family. Sure, there are a few skeletons we don't mention, but I think having a family where the extended family stops at 16 total helps a bit.
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computiNATEor
> MTY19855
02/11/2016 at 10:03 |
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Hmm... Our family’s 1995 Toyota Camry has been given to different members of the family a total of 4 times now (from aunt to oldest cousin, middle cousin, me, my sister) throughout our college years, and we have yet to regret it! It helps, of course, that it's gone to the same mechanic all its life, and we as a family are on excellent terms with each other.
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SteveLehto
> My X-type is too a real Jaguar
02/11/2016 at 10:05 |
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I had someone else ask me about Davis, because of perceived parallels with Tucker. Not sure what the next book will be. Stay tuned . . .
Caddyman
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:09 |
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I tend to get my parents hand me downs now that I am married with kids and broke, they buy new cars for themselves all the time and their existing cars aren’t worth the trade so they give them to me. Before the family I had new jeeps, trucks, etc. NOW I have had my parent’s give me a Chrysler Concorde and most recently my mom’s old 99 C230K Benz. I do love the benz (she did too) and it needed work which I have done. I want to buy a new car for myself now, finally, and my mom is hinting that she wants to keep the car....killin’ me.
I think she will eventually give and let us trade it off, it is in bad shape and just not worth keeping, it is a sentimental thing for her, her first Benz.
Paullubbock
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:10 |
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Sometimes you shouldn’t even loan a car out to family or friend. I never let anyone drive any of my vehicles. I had to break that rule this past weekend when I enlisted the help of a friend to go to San Antonio and possibly buy a car I had seen on a website. Turns out the vehicle was as good looking and good driver as the ad indicated so I bought it.
I was thinking of letting my friend drive my Carrera back and I would get familiar with the new vehicle an 06 Cayenne S. But we ran into a problem with the alternator on the Carrera and had it replaced while in San Antonio. I asked him to move my car around and judging by how badly he was treating my clutch, which made the Porsche tech wince, I decided it was a bad idea to let him drive it. I remembered he went through several clutches on all his manual autos and generally drove badly.
Sometimes people don’t know how to take care of their vehicles and you shouldn’t give them something you have taken care of only to see it destroyed.
drdude
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:11 |
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Steve. I am having a good day.
I just wanted to tell you about it.
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SteveLehto
> drdude
02/11/2016 at 10:12 |
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While I appreciate the thought, that’s not a phone call.
CobraJoe
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:16 |
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I once had the rare problem of not being sold a car from a relative.
Of course, it was a ‘48 Ford F2 that was parked on his property that he was going to give to me for free, until he found out what they were worth in good condition.(Please note it was missing several pieces, no engine, trans in the bed, and was sitting on the ground, so likely very rusted)
I doubt it ever left the overgrown weeds where it was found.
Boxer_4
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:22 |
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My Grandfather learned this lesson as a buyer. He bought a 1987 Plymouth Sundance from his cousin sometime in the mid-90s. His cousin said that everything was fine (and everything seemed OK after a very quick once-over) so my Grandfather took his word.
A couple years later, my Grandfather spilled something in the trunk (gasoline I think). During the clean-up, he removed the trunk carpet. It was then that he discovered a lot of poor-quality welds all throughout a white trunk (the car was red). He called his cousin, who said “
It was in an accident, but don’t worry, it was repaired
”. My Grandfather kept the Sundance another year or so, then traded it in on a brand-new Ford Taurus.
My Grandfather’s advice:
Never buy a car from your cousin.
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drdude
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:27 |
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Do you REALLY want me to call? Your number is listed publicly... lol.
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SteveLehto
> Boxer_4
02/11/2016 at 10:28 |
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In all fairness, it was a
Sundance.
jariten1781
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:28 |
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I’ve done it. I’ve also loaned money to family. Both are terrible ideas if you treat them as a business transaction. However, it can be rewarding to give the people you care about opportunities they wouldn’t be able to get otherwise. You have to treat loans as gifts with some likelihood of being returned when they're no longer needed and cars (this goes for puppies and property as well) as gifts that may require support for the duration. If you can do that comfortably within your budget and without holding a grudge if they flake the return can be greater than the risk.
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SteveLehto
> drdude
02/11/2016 at 10:28 |
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I’ve been looking at the phone now for the last 15 minutes, wondering if you were going to.
SP23
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:29 |
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I bought a 1991 Toyota Tercel off my uncle. Though to be fair the thing wasn’t running when I bought it anyway.
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SteveLehto
> jariten1781
02/11/2016 at 10:29 |
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I agree. I mention that in the podcast - if you have that mindset then you’ll be fine.
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SteveLehto
> SP23
02/11/2016 at 10:31 |
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You should have gone to family reunions and whispered to people, “Uncle Joe sold me a piece of junk Tercel. Wasn’t running. Watch out for that sneaky bastard.”
Agrajag
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:31 |
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I bought my brothers Isuzu Trooper off of him. He had it for about 6 years with zero issues. First day I had it the fuel pump went. Fixed that and then the headgasket went. It seems almost guaranteed that something awful will happen during these exchanges. Like letting a neighbor borrow a tool. It will inevitably come back broken. There are dark magics at play here, Steve.
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SteveLehto
> Agrajag
02/11/2016 at 10:32 |
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And worse, they will assume that you KNEW these things were about to happen.
You bastard!
screaminghairyarmadillos
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:34 |
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I had two cars go to a nephew and niece via my parents. Both cars got totaled. I didn’t want to get rid of one of the cars, but my own family event made it too small. I think they learned their lessons.
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Boxer_4
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:40 |
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True. The advice could easily be
Never buy a Sundance
.
CalzoneGolem
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:43 |
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I want to know how many phone calls telling you that things are all good this nets you
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SteveLehto
> Boxer_4
02/11/2016 at 10:45 |
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There’s a whole generation of late 80s, early 90s Chrysler products where almost 100% of the population was scrapped long ago. That was one. The little Dodge Chargers with the 2.2 liters is another.
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SteveLehto
> CalzoneGolem
02/11/2016 at 10:45 |
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As of 10:45 ET, zero. Proves my point.
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CalzoneGolem
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:46 |
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I got you fam.
Umrguy42: Add $5 for shipping and handling
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:49 |
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Can’t listen to the podcast (yet!), but for my wife, we bought my grandmother’s 2002 Ford Taurus. Had like 70k miles on it, because my grandmother barely drove it herself, and my uncle and then dad drove it around a few times late in the game and kept up regular maintenance. We bought it cuz she’d definitely hit that point where she couldn’t drive herself any more. Probably overpaid a bit, but the worst was getting back to NY, and NY going “hey, we need you to pay sales tax on that car too!” (oy) when registering it. It wasn’t bad, but I’d had one too many times of the front passenger door deciding not to stay latched properly (including several body shop visits), that I finally said screw it and traded it in and bought the family van about 2 years ago...
David E. Davis
> screaminghairyarmadillos
02/11/2016 at 10:50 |
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Same thing almost happened to me.
My in laws asked if I’d give a niece and nephew our old Forester we bought from said in laws several years prior. I’d been using it for a couple of years as a DD after the wife got a new car and to keep miles off of my WRX. I just said no and that I was using it. Never heard another peep.
SirPoopyPants
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:53 |
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I went through this when I sold my FR-S. A teenage relative wanted to buy it off of me (part of the reason I sold the effing thing, I’m 36, car was way too boy racer-ey) and even had his parents willing to co-sign on independent financing for the damn thing.
Problem is, I modded the hell out of it to use as a track day car. Meaning, while it was a 2013 car made by Toyota/Subaru thus probably pretty free of any real major faults if left stock, with all the warranty voiding stuff that had been done to it plus roughly 3000 hard track miles, I didn’t want to sell it to someone that I’d have to see at Passover and hear how unreliable the second-hand-extensively-modified-hard-driven car I sold them is.
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MikaelVroom
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:58 |
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She said right away that it was a freak accident and that she didn’t blame me, but it could very easily have gone very wrong. I’m fortunate in that regard.
Mattbob
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 10:58 |
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Never mix family and money is something I try to live by. The only way it doesn’t cause problems between the two people at some point is if one of the parties is dead.
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MikaelVroom
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
02/11/2016 at 10:59 |
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Ascot! VT500. Though I did have a V65 Sabre for a while, too.
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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> MikaelVroom
02/11/2016 at 11:00 |
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UUUUUNNNNGGGGGHHHHHHHHH IF YOU NEED ME ILL BE IN MY BUNK!
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CalzoneGolem
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:06 |
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Poor Steve is lonely!
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SP23
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:16 |
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It was my own fault, really. I knew the state the car was in before I bought it. I was young and broke and needed a cheap ride. I learning a good many repair skills with it as well. That little car lasted four more years after I fixed it up.
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Boxer_4
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:16 |
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The Acclaim is a third (which my Grandmother had).
Surprisingly, I still occasionally see Omnis and Horizons (more than Sundances and Shadows).
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Michael
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:18 |
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Transactions among family members are just not worth it in my opinion. If you have cash to burn, sure, go for it. Otherwise, the risks FAR outweigh any potential benefit. I could sell my car to a family member (knowing it works perfectly) and if something broke while they owned it I would feel bad regardless of whether it was my fault or not. I’d rather sell the car for asking price, then give the discount I would’ve given my family member in the form of cash.
And damn it Steve! I’m still grey under your posts haha.
gofry
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:32 |
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Sadly, this can get taken too far. I’ve been trying to buy my father’s 1969 Mercedes 450 SL from him for 5 years (at fair market value) but he won’t do it because he’s afraid it will break down and I’ll get upset.
Instead, he sold it to some stranger for $2000!
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SteveLehto
> gofry
02/11/2016 at 11:34 |
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And that is a problem. No one can win here sometimes.
HoleInTheRoofNoHood
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:41 |
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I sold a 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible to a coworker in 2011 for $750 on the basis that it runs at the moment. I was moving overseas and had to get rid of it, and she needed a car. As far as I’m concerned, nothing can be guaranteed for a car for that little money. She drove it for two years before it died for good, and got transportation for $750. We still talk and laugh about that car, but I wouldn’t sell anything to a coworker in the future, either.
sgtyukon
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:52 |
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When my wife’s grandmother died, my father-in-law gave us his mother’s car. Nana was a terrible driver. She always insisted on a manual transmission, but the way she drove meant she ate up clutches. I wound up driving the car because my wife can’t drive stick. While trying to teach my wife to drive the car, another clutch went south. The car was quite old and a clutch for it was next to impossible to source.
I felt complaining to my wife’s deceased grandmother would have been ineffective, so we just junked the car.
TheCraigy
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 11:58 |
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Here’s one pitfall of my almost-best-case scenario.
I’m selling a car that my mother-in-law likes. It’s got high mileage and a bunch of known little problems, mostly cosmetic. Always ran great. I think I was asking $8,500 for the car at the time. She tells me she wants to buy it from me.
I am very upfront, tell her all of the issues, explain that she’s taking it as it is, tell her I’m not even sure I want to sell it to her because of all of the little stuff, but she’s used to driving old cars, and she doesn’t care. I give her the mother-in-law price of something like $6,000 which was rough trade or maybe even a little lower. She pays cash, we go to the title transfer place, do everything the right way.
Almost immediately she’s asking me stuff like “why does the seat squeak” and “the quote I got for the paint was really high.” Months later, she’s got a flat tire. Then over a year later the car overheats and she’s calling me again, explaining her woes, asking what she should do. Next, the horn won’t work when she goes to get her inspection sticker.
I don’t mind helping her out, but now everytime that old car hiccups, I’ve got to hear about it, my wife has to hear about it, the family has to hear about it, and it somehow reflects on me, no matter how far I am removed. But I do like seeing the car, and I know she enjoys it most of the time.
So yeah that’s best case.
ateamfan42
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 12:29 |
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I will say the family/friends thing can work, when everyone involved is honest and up front (and reasonable). A lot of the stories about a family member who lied and said everything was fine with the car (when it had in fact been in a wreck) makes me wonder if that seller is notorious for being dishonest. If your cousing/uncle/grandmother/whatever is often dishonest to others, wheat makes you think they are going to be honest with you?
I sold my 1998 Civic to good friends in 2003 with about 89K on the odometer. I gave them a very fair price, so that I would feel zero guilt if something unexpectedly blew up on the car. I also agreed to let them make payments. Because I value our friendship at least as much as I value cash, I insisted we write up our agreement so there could be no misunderstandings later. Each time they gave me money, we both recorded it so we had agreeing documentation on the balance left.
I’m happy to report they paid off the full balance on time, and the car continues to provide them service now in 2016 with over 380,000 miles on the odometer. I provided a little free assistance on some troubleshooting over the years because I want to see just how far the car will make it.
So it can work with credible honest folk who aren’t interested in ripping off their friends. But you have to be selective whom you trust that way!
Mike
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 12:42 |
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I had a pristine Audi 200 that I bought for $200. I flipped it to my brother in law a week later for $1200. A month later the engine gave up the ghost. He was cool about it but I felt terrible that I made money on him AND it blew up.
Bladecutter
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 13:01 |
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Hey Steve,
Great article as always.
I have two stances when it comes to selling car to relatives:
1- Don’t do it. If they want your car, help them buy one that’s just like yours, but not yours. Then they can’t blame you for abusing and using up your own car, while you owned it, and now the transmission went to the great junkyard in the sky.
2- If they want you to cosign a loan or lease, and you’re going to anyway, have them make the payment to you every month, and then YOU pay the bank. If they skip out on payments, then you know whats happening, and you can start the process of getting the car back quicker, and have less damage done to your credit rating.
Honestly, I would rather finance a new car myself, and just give the whole thing to my relative than co-sign a car loan or lease. I don’t think there’s anyway anyone can get me to co-sign a lease, because at the end of the lease period, that relative will have incurred high over-mileage penalties, and wear and tear penalties, that the car’s going to be worthless anyway.
Ultimately, they are your relative. You will already know if they are potentially a deadbeat, or if they will abuse the vehicle, or if they will stiff you on payment of the vehicle. If they are already bad with money, and the bank won’t lend them money, why on earth would you, as a family member, loan them money?
Just don’t do it.
magnum1978
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 13:18 |
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My Sundance was scrapped? So what have I been driving to work everyday? They do a great job of playing pick up truck when needed. Seriously I really like mine but you can’t be the cheapest American made car on sale at the time and not expect people to thrash them and neglect them. I live with the simmering hate people feel for it.
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SteveLehto
> magnum1978
02/11/2016 at 13:29 |
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You have one on the road NOW? How many miles and in what state?
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magnum1978
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 13:40 |
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157000 miles, perfect body and interior. Paint falling off. All electrical works. 2.5 is a . Maintenance and attention make all the difference. 2.2 turbo 1 slated to go in next year. Off topic did you know Chrysler paid JoHan’s tooling for the Turbine car model kit? Among model builders it’s regarded as one of the best most frustrating over done kits ever.
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SteveLehto
> magnum1978
02/11/2016 at 13:46 |
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Wow. I never thought those cars could hold together that long.
I had never heard that about the models but it doesn’t surprise me. I have seen the kits but never tried building one. I have a couple of the smaller ones that Chrysler gave away at car dealers.
Would the 2.2 turbo be the same one that I had in each of the Dodge Chargers I had back in the late 80s? If so, be careful about the turbo itself. I only had one of them fail but I heard it was a fairly common failure.
Scotchead
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 13:58 |
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take it one step further, I threw out a snow blower that was 10yrs old and giving me fits. Cheaper for me to buy a new one. A neighbor grabbed it and put some time in and got it working. Blew the engine on it during the first storm and he had the balls to ask me to chip in on the replacement engine for it since it was mine... I literally laughed in his face and called him an idiot. He is still pissed about it and brings it up constantly. Now I wait for the scrap guy to come by and give him first dibs on stuff like that.
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SteveLehto
> Scotchead
02/11/2016 at 14:16 |
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Wow.
That takes some nerve.
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magnum1978
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 14:17 |
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Yes it is. We know a lot more now how to keep turbos happy. My wife found me a pocket calender that says “Thank you for participating in Chrysler’s turbine research program.” It is probably not worth anything but it is my piece of that utterly cool car.
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SteveLehto
> magnum1978
02/11/2016 at 14:20 |
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It pretty much boils down to one bearing as far as I recall. When it goes you know it - the car starts billowing smoke (vaporized oil) out the exhaust.
Beasy Mist
> magnum1978
02/11/2016 at 14:22 |
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My first car was a 93 Duster and it was everything I wanted. The 3.0 v6 and 4-speed electronic transmission were determined to shred themselves though. Most of the ones you still see running are what you have, 2.5's with either the 3-speed auto or 5-speed manual.
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magnum1978
> Beasy Mist
02/11/2016 at 15:03 |
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The 3.0 was a Mitsubishi unit. Like a hand grenade with the pin pulled. The stick trannys all sucked. Cable instead of hydraulic. Stretched constantly. Aftermarket replacements are cheap crap. Make your own and it’s fun time. The worst part of my car is the gauges. Like two people dancing to the same song but getting a different beat.
newgalactic
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 15:03 |
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Limit ALL business transactions with family.
Period.
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ateamfan42
> Boxer_4
02/11/2016 at 15:18 |
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I would argue the lesson should be:
Never buy a car from your dishonest cousin.
ScottsMerkin
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 15:37 |
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Oh lord, Im driving my wife’s car KC this weekend to give to my brother and my mom is giving me her old Acura. I hope to god my brother doesn’t flip his shit on me if something happens. I mean, I told him its a 14 year old Accord with 185k miles, but so far its hasnt broken on us. He will probably blow the engine before spring
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SteveLehto
> ScottsMerkin
02/11/2016 at 15:47 |
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I have heard SO many stories from people who had the most reliable car on earth - only to have it grenade within a few days of changing hands.
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ScottsMerkin
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 16:20 |
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For him, he says he is just glad to get a free car that has been in the family since new. and its better than no car that he has now, until the bill for the first thing that breaks! I did everything I could think of, I changed the oil, put new tires on it. Had all the hoses and belts checked. The transmission flushed, fixed the window regulators. Probably put a $1k into it just to give it to him. Oh god,its a 01 V6 Accord with those terrible transmissions. Its definitely going to turn out bad
Dy-no-mite Jay
> ScottsMerkin
02/11/2016 at 17:22 |
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If you are “giving” your brother a car, he better keep his mouth shut. It’s free.
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Dy-no-mite Jay
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 17:23 |
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This is why I will only GIVE cars to my family.
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Dy-no-mite Jay
> Scotchead
02/11/2016 at 17:24 |
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That’s insane!
Mad-Dawg-J
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 17:36 |
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Oh man. I once was going to sell a Lumina
Dustbuster
minivan for $850. My sister in law caught wind of it and wanted to buy it from me. I flat out told her that she didn’t want it because it had 230K miles on it. The front suspension was worn out and it had a few other issues that I don’t remember. Neither she nor her husband could change a spark plug and I didn’t want to hear about it
if
when something broke. For the record, I always divulge to any potential buyer of any vehicle that I am selling any problems that I am aware of.
She BEGGED me to sell that van to her. After about a week of not hearing the end of her begging, I sold it to her for $650. I made it abundantly clear that I did not want to hear about it if she has problems with it. Cash up front.
Not two weeks later I stopped by her place for something. Before I can get out of the car she is on the porch screeching for all the neighbors to hear:
“DO YOU HAVE A GUUUUUUUNNN!!”
“What?”
“I SAID, DO YOU HAVE A GUUUUUNNNNN!!” This time even louder.
“What on Earth is going on!?”
“DO YOU HAVE A GUUUUNNNN? ‘CAUSE I WANT TO SHOOT THAT &^#@*in’ VAN!!”
“Huh?”
“THAT VAN YOU SOLD ME IS A PIECE OF $%!#!!”
“Did I not tell you that you did not want the van because it was in poor shape? You begged me to buy it and now you are mad at me?”
*Silence*
I left and the van was never mentioned again. Turns out that something broke on it that I had no idea was on its way out. I don’t remember what.
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Mad-Dawg-J
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 17:52 |
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When I was dating my soon to be wife, she had a ‘75 Stang II. It had all sorts of mechanical issues. The body was decent and the interior was reasonable. It was time to sell and the price was $350, don’t even ask.
My sister’s idiot boyfriend wanted to buy it. He first told me we HAD to sell it to him for $200 as there was something immoral about having to drive a car with no power steering. I told him the price is firm and if he wasn’t man enough to drive a car that my fiance’ could easily handle, then he needed more help than I could possibly offer.
“WELL! If you are going to sell a car for $350, then you are going to have guarantee the car for two years. That is only right.”
“What?”
“Anything the car needs for the next two years, you will pay for.”
“Get lost.”
I sold it a week later to my brother. AND I am very pleased to say my sister dumped her BF a couple of months later.
Ladymopar
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 18:43 |
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Heey Steve! Have your book on pre order!! Sorry havn’t been on lately and sorry for change of subject.
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Dy-no-mite Jay
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 19:14 |
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New driver, different habits that the car isn’t “used”to...
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BenLikesCars
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 19:29 |
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Anyone who watches “I Love Lucy” or other episodic fiction works will know this as gospel truth.
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BenLikesCars
> ScottsMerkin
02/11/2016 at 19:30 |
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If it’s a straight-up gift, there should be no problem.
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BenLikesCars
> Scotchead
02/11/2016 at 19:32 |
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Sue him for theft!
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Ws6Tex
> ScottsMerkin
02/11/2016 at 20:30 |
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Well if your giving it to him he doesnt have much to say if there is a problem. Though he will probably be jealous tou are getting your moms car not him
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Rykros the Disdainful - Supposed Petulant Capitulant Junkie
> SteveLehto
02/11/2016 at 23:12 |
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Oh no, my family is a typically-dysfunctional lower/lower-mid class Suburban Metro D family. We just know when to say “shut the fuck up it’s not my problem any more be grateful for the kindness shown”.
Sean
> SteveLehto
02/12/2016 at 08:32 |
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I sold my old ‘06 Mazda6 to my son-in-law for the same price as the dealer would have given as a trade-in.
So far so good. He sold his old ‘03 Mitsubishi Lancer POC (piece of crap) for $3000 to some kid so it only cost him $2500 all up. For that he got a good car, regularly serviced and well looked after for a very good price.
So far he’s got one small shopping-trolley ding in the door for which I gave him a squinty eyed look about but otherwise all is good. Trolley dings happen...
Since part of the deal was that I get to borrow it back whenever I need to tow a trailer for something (I had put a tow bar on the car when I got it) I still get to drive it on occasion.
JimInRadfordVA
> SteveLehto
02/12/2016 at 11:38 |
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Even if you paid your cousin to take the car, you’re going to get bitched at the first time it breaks down. I steadfastly refuse to sell/give cars to relatives, friends, co-workers or anyone I know even casually. Nothing good ever come from it.
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JimInRadfordVA
> drdude
02/12/2016 at 11:56 |
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Are emails billable like calls are? Just wondering.
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drdude
> JimInRadfordVA
02/12/2016 at 12:56 |
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I’ll answer for Steve.
Since he specializes in lemon law and consumer protection law, his legal bills get paid by the people you are suing.
So, while his time to read an email, prepare documents, etc is billable... you will not be billed by him for emailing him about a potential case, or calling and talking to him about one.
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Joe
> Dy-no-mite Jay
02/12/2016 at 23:38 |
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New driver who also isn’t used to the old car’s qualities and deficiencies... Like clutches and shifters and those vital sorts of things.
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Xexyz
> SteveLehto
02/19/2016 at 15:06 |
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Last night my mom called me and wanted to know if I was going to sell my Dodge (I just got a new car a month ago) - her husband was thinking of getting it for his 16 year old son. I kept it up mechanically and feel pretty confident it wouldn’t just grenade if I started driving it again, but I still feel apprehensive about selling it to him.
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DS-Ferreira
> SteveLehto
02/21/2016 at 10:47 |
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Couldn’t find the article about the reposessed corvette. Do you happen to have a link for it?
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SteveLehto
> DS-Ferreira
02/21/2016 at 12:18 |
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Strangely, neither can I. Here is the court of appeals opinion that tells the story. http://milawyersweekly.com/fulltext-opini…
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DS-Ferreira
> SteveLehto
02/22/2016 at 16:31 |
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Thanks!