need help with this guy who is looking to buy my 2 year old bmw 3 series!

sheishollywood

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Nov 29, 2006
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I need some help on how to handle this guy...

He is interested in taking over the remainder of my lease for my BMW 3 series because I am going to be down sizing a lot of the things I have right now for my anticipation of school.

He has his credit application in and we should hear back any day now. But yesterday he asked me to do an inspection for him. I said, I'd be OK with doing that, because I know nothing is wrong with the car. My client is one of the BMW dealerships in my city so I went to them first. They have 2 kinds of inspections.

1) 30-point inspection. More of a visual inspection for newer vehicles
2) 30-degree inspection. So old BMW's are certified.

Now when I told him that I was requested to go with option 1, he kept pushing to do option 2. I got a deal and paid $100.00 instead of $175 for the 30-point inspection but would've had to pay the full $375 for the 30-degree inspection and I really do not see the reason to do that because the car is still new and is under warranty.

Now he is giving me a bit of a hard time because he wants a very thorough inspection. I spoke with the service consultant and he said to be honest, it is a waste to get a 30-degree inspection on this car. The point of it is because if we have a older BMW come in and things have been repaired and changed, the 30-degree inspection gives the tech's more time to figure out whether it was a good job or a botched job. The 30-point inspection is sufficient enough since you have all your service records and you haven't changed anything. We will be able to tell right away if something is wrong.

So I've explained it to this guy and he seems to be understanding. I just sent him the copy of the report, and I'm afraid he's going to come back with "why is it so short" kind of remark.

I have no idea how else to handle this situation. He wants the car and has already got his credit application in but I just don't want him to think I'm dishonest. If i was, I wouldn't have changed the break pads earlier this week. I knew they had to be done.

Thanks for any input...
 
Just wait it out. He may not have a problem saying as you told him what you were going to do and you said he seems to understand. Do you have other buyers or people showing interest? I only ask because you seem down with this guy.
 
I do, however because he has already submitted his credit application, I have held off on showing the car. The last thing I want is someone super interested and can't put in a credit app because someone else has done it before he even saw the car. I just don't want to waste anyone's time.


I just got word that he did not qualify because he is self-employed or owns his own business, so he is adding his wife onto the forms. I hope this works out... I really need this gone.
 
So I just talked to him and he is like, "it's not very detailed" and I just responded in... how much detail do you need on a "perfect" car? There is absolutely nothing to elaborate on because there is nothing wrong. He finally realized what I was trying to say.

Now we are just waiting for the credit approval to go through. We already knew that his credit didn't go through because he is self employed and cannot "guarantee" salary for himself. However, his wife if fully employed through another employer and does not have the house in her name. So she should be fine... hopefully.

I'm just so nervous.
 
To me, if he wants a particular sort of inspection done, that should be out of his pocket. That's what happens when a home gets inspected - the potential buyer hires the inspector and pays him. If he wants to be picky, let him write the check.
 
^^^Exactly, PPI's are the responsibility of the BUYER not the seller. Additionally, if your car is only 2 years old, the BMW warranty will give him 100% coverage anyways if something happened. Not to mention, it is a lease for a year or two (I assume), not a purchase, so why is he demanding all this stuff?

It sounds like he has no idea what he is doing and so he is being pushy to just ACT like he knows what he is doing, KWIM?
 
^^^Exactly, PPI's are the responsibility of the BUYER not the seller. Additionally, if your car is only 2 years old, the BMW warranty will give him 100% coverage anyways if something happened. Not to mention, it is a lease for a year or two (I assume), not a purchase, so why is he demanding all this stuff?

It sounds like he has no idea what he is doing and so he is being pushy to just ACT like he knows what he is doing, KWIM?

Exactly... it is a lease for 3 years with one year remaining (which is what he is taking over). There is 4 year warranty anyway so he'll be fine. I finally was able to drill that in his head. Now we're just waiting for the credit approval to come in. The rep that I am dealing with at the dealership "forgot" to add the SIN number for the co-signer. So ANNOYING, so now we have to wait even longer.
 
you were nice enough to pay for the inspectional already.. all the previous cars I've sold, this expense was left to the potential buyer.. I think he's just giving you a hard time knowing it's hard to sell a used car nowadays..

stay strong!
 
this is basically a negotiation. part of good negotiation skills is developing the stomach for the conflict and strength to stand your ground.

he can ask you for the moon if he wants. you dont have to give it to him just because he asks. figure out what you are willing to do given the price he is willing for pay it. and tell him those are the terms.

if you are getting paid more than fair value maybe you give him what he wants. maybe you dont. just figure out what you are comfortable given the price and stick to it.

if he doesnt buy it im sure there are others that would be willing to buy it. if there are no others, then maybe you agree to his terms. kind of a chess match but you got to be willing to play the game.

i have a feeling if you stand firm he will meet you on your terms (especially since its still under warranty, etc.) get a tough skin and dont get emotional about the negotiations. try to have fun with it and think of it as a game if you can.

if you have trouble doing that, then ask a friend to serve as your negotiating representative and have him/her deal with the buyer.
 
I wouldn't have paid for that, especially when he seemed to expect it, and it's pathetic that he insisted on an absolutely outrageous amount like a 375 inspection! It should never be over 100. It's his responsibility to have the inspection done, period. The seller may agree to split the cost but even that's rare. Personally, I have my own trusted mechanic that I would prefer to use over a dealership, and would never ask the seller to pay. That guys an opportunist and should know better if he's in business. So can a business owner never lease a car?
 
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I agree with everyone... well the end verdict is that - IT IS GONE. The car had been taken over.

It was tough to find someone who wanted to take over the lease because there was only 10,000 KM left for the year end. But he wanted to buy it out in the end because he would be getting a very good deal because I paid half the car already, pretty much.

It was funny because after the papers were signed and I was done, and then his wife wanted to do a "visual" inspection. There are a few scratches and brushes against the bumpers because I live in the city and people tend to park close. And he already knew that and we already worked it into the agreement that he would take care of the cosmetics if it really bothered him because he put no money down and he is keeping my security deposit.

Anyway, I just told her flat that I wasn't paying for anything more because you got a wicked deal especially because you are planning to buy it out. And that was that.

I'm glad this ordeal is over!