As I mentioned last week I’m in the midst of selling the rumblehog and trying to buy a nice little tool-around car — $4K or less. No daily commuting, no long trips, steady as she goes. I’ve looked at several modest vehicles that seemed promising, but which were quickly sold before I had a chance to clear my throat and make a move.
The basic rule is “take a test drive, look the seller in the eye, and then buy with your gut.” That’s because sellers are always evasive when I ask for the VIN# (basic history search), which of course makes me suspicious. And with most of the sellers living in outlying burghs like Compton, Bell Gardens, Long Beach, Santa Ana or Camarillo, arranging to show the vehicle to my West Hollywood mechanic (standard procedure for any sensible person) is damn near impossible.
I’ve been seriously focused on six or seven cars over the last ten days and they were all sold before I had a chance to talk turkey. So if I’m willing to buy a car without having time to search the VIN# (buyers have been resisting this request during initial texting) and I’m willing to buy it without my trustworthy local mechanic (Carlos at the corner of Fairfax and Melrose) having a looksee, I might be able to make the deal.
But if I think cautiously or methodically and meticulously — any stalling or any kind of step-by-step inquiry, or even trying to arrange for a mere verbal conversation — if I do or say anything other than “Yes, I’ll be right over with the money!” — somebody else will swoop in and buy it within a day, and sometimes within hours.
Compton seller last week: “Everyone knows that if you buy a ten-year-old car, you’re buying a car that will experience a few problems. There are no whistle-clean deals…no blemish-free, pure-as-the-driven-show used cars. You just have accept that and go with your gut…”
