Butch's Amoco Ames, Iowa renegs on car purchase agreement Ames Iowa
Butch's Amoco had a car which they'd towed to their impound lot because it'd been abandoned at a local business.
I expressed interest in the car and they offered it to me $250.00 for and deliver it.
I accepted their offer and left them my number to call me when they were ready to do this.
After a month and a half of repeatedly calling them and not getting to talk to the owner, I FINALLY got to talk to him and he referred me to one of his tow truck drivers, who informed me that it would now be $350.00, since he'd done a bunch of footwork trying to procure the title for the car. I told him that Butch and I had an oral contract for the car for $250...AS IS, and thus it wasn't necessary for him to have tried to get the title, plus the fact that I wouldn't be getting anything extra for the additional $100 he was tacking onto the original price.
He then called to say he had in fact gotten the title, to which I replied I would then give him his $350 he wanted--since I'd actually now be getting something for the extra $100.
He said he'd talk to Butch and then called me back the next day to inform me that Butch "thinks he'll just pass on selling that car."
In other words, he figured he could now get a little more money out of the thing and simply reneged on his offer, which I'd accepted, which is unethical and illegal.
Meanwhile I'd paid $25 to get on CARFAX to assure the title was free of liens or outstanding loans, plus had traveled to the area (120 mile round trip) several times in the interest of this car, which my 14 year old son had his heart set on
--it was going to be a father-son project.
We had an oral contract and he just blew it off, knowing it was unethical and illegal. But he probably figured if I pushed it he'd just lie about it and deny everything.
So it disappointed my boy and cost me a bunch of time and money--just so he could make a little extra...on a car he got for free anyway. Ironically, I had been trying to get this car long before they'd ever gotten ahold of it, but the mgr.of the motel where it was abandoned at didn't want to let anyone try to procure it legally it since it wasn't in their their way; so I tried sending a registered letter to the car's owner but got no reply... then the motel got a new manager who had Butch's tow it away--by which time I had more time and money in the car than they ever did, even now.
James
callender, Iowa
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
James
Callender,Iowa,
U.S.A.
Car deal was Butch's suggestion
#3Consumer Comment
Fri, March 31, 2006
The offer to sell the car to me for $250 with no title was Butch's suggestion, not mine.
Since I had already been trying to procure the before this, I had been in contact with the local DMV of how to procure a title per their parameters, given the circumstances.
The car was towed per an order from local law enforcement, hence a police report was extant.
I had already gone the route of trying to contact the owner, with no response, only a signed USPS paper saying they'd recieved the registered letter.
Butch simply didn't follow through with his offer, which is my main complaint. Remember, it was HIS idea.
It could have been titled into my name legally. The car's owner obviously didn't care about the car--they didn't even live very far from where they'd abandoned it two years ago.
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
Is this for real?
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, March 29, 2006
Did you really think you could buy a car without a title?
The extra $100 is so Butch can SELL the car. He cannot sell the car without first getting a clear title on it. Until he gets the title, the car still belonged to the previous owner of the car. If you really think you could have gotten a title on the car, you need to get educated.
The previous owner would have simply gotten his car back from you for FREE when you attempted to title it. Since YOU would have had no legal claim to the car(a lien), the DMV would have notified the registered owner of the car and informed him/her of what you were attempting. The DMV would have denied your request.
Buying a car is not like buying a TV.