Saturday, February 09, 2013

Sold my 1999 Volvo S70 this Morning

A few years ago I bought a used navy blue 1999 Volvo S70 to replace the red 1996 Volvo 850 that got destroyed in an accident.  I drove it for a number of years until in 2008 we bought my wife a new car and I inherited her Honda Odyssey and my son inherited my Volvo.  He didn't take real good care of it but it served him fairly well for a number of years.  It was getting a bit quirky and on occasion would stall in stop-and-go traffic.  He put up with the annoyances until he had options.  Last June he got a real job that pays reasonable money and after stalling a few times too many, he decided that it was time for a new car.  So he bought an economical Toyota Prius C.  And he delivered the Volvo back to me.  "Thanks Dad", he said as he drove off.  Actually, I had to go to Charlotte and get it.

We didn't really need the car and it was in the way so finally, after buying a new battery ($174) and killing it and buying a charger ($36) and trying to resurrect it and failing and finally going and getting yet another battery (this one was free), I put the car on Craig's List for $1000.00.
I put it up around noon.  Very soon I got an email from a guy named Mike who wanted to buy it.  We made arrangements for him to come by the next day to see it and take it for a test drive.  I may not have asked enough for the car.  While I was on the phone talking to him, I looked over at my email account and noticed that there were five more emails in my in-box.  By the time I was off the phone, there were 11.  I quickly replied to the first few that I had made arrangements with the first caller and that I would work  through the list until I sold the car.  By the time I had done this for a few, there were even more emails.  

So I changed the ad and said that due to the large number of responses I might not get back to everyone who inquired.  Then my cell phone rang.  It was the second emailer.  He had gotten my name from the email and looked up my phone number, called home and my wife had given him my cell number.  I told him that if the first guy didn't want it, he was next.  He thought the first guy would buy it for sure and offered me more money.  I told him I'd already given the first guy a shot.  He seemed bothered by my bout of ethics, but said he understood.

Meanwhile, the emails continued.  By the time I went to bed after midnight there were around 55 emails.  Most said, "I want the car, call me at 919-blah-blah."  When I got up the next morning, there were 4 or 5 more and one from Mike saying he was on the way and should be there by 9:00.

Mike arrived with a friend soon after nine and looked the car over.  I kept pointing out the little problems and Mike kept telling me all the positive things about the car.  Eventually we went for a drive and as I kept pointing out all the little ticks and oddities about the car, Mike was becoming more and more convinced that he was going to buy it. When we got back to the house, he gave my wife 10 C-notes, swapped the plates and off we went to the bank to find a notary.  Sun Trust didn't have one but Wells Fargo did.  We chatted a bit while we waited for the notary to get finished with the people ahead of us.  Then we went in and I signed over the title.  I shook Mike's hand and left him with the Volvo and drove home.  After about 16 years, there is no longer a Volvo in my life and, hopefully,  I won't ever have a Volvo nightmare again.