The Widow Story

[stomachmonkey]

We've all heard them.

Little old lady selling her dead husbands car for a steal.

I met one this week.

Backstory. I manage our community FB Buy / Sell / Classifieds page. It's strictly limited to people who reside inside our community.

Yesterday morning over coffee I'm perusing the posts looking for any potential issue which in truth we have very few of so I don't do it regularly.

I come across a post for a 2000 996 in the neighboring town so it gets my attention cause a) it's a Porsche b) outside our community and c) $16k OBO?

The woman shared a for sale post made to another classifieds group but she lives inside our community so that's allowed.

Plenty of pics of the car and it's had some good stuff done to it.



First I'm thinking scam but the posting doesn't really feel like a scam so I conclude, "they don't know what they have and are selling too cheap"

I'm starting to send the woman a PM to let her know she's leaving money on the table then decide, **** it, lemme go take a look.

I grab my buddy Bryan because the car is in his neighborhood. Bryans got a 76" Targa and we regularly go look at cars together.

We get there and the car is in nice shape for a 22 year old car with 98K on the clock.

Of course first thing I look for is the sticker that shows the IMS has been done and don't find it so a little bummed there.

The deceased owner kept great records, 20 years worth almost exclusively from the premiere P Car shop in the area. The only shop I would have taken it to for a PPI.

As I'm looking through this 2 inch stack of records I find rear main seal done within the last two years so bonus there. About half way through, there it is, the receipt for IMS bearing. Score.

So now, even though I need this like a hole in the head, I'm interested.

But if you know anything about me by now I have a fairly strict moral compass and I'm feeling not great about maybe buying this thing at such a low price. I'd feel guilty taking advantage of a sweet old lady, my conscious won't allow it.

At Bryans suggestion I ask her "how did you get to your asking price?"

Well, they'd had Carmax look at it (Ughh) and asked some of the local PCA guys. She says "we know it's well under priced but honestly, Dad passed unexpectedly and Mom can't bear looking at the car, it makes her sad so she just wants it gone.

I offered her $15k she accepted and that's how I ended up with a new P Car that I don't need and wasn't looking for in my driveway this morning.

[Noah930]

Great story. Also great that you acted like a gentleman and not a shark around the widow.

[pwd72s]

So...is this kind of a "for sale" ad?

[jhynesrockmtn]

A text went to several local PCA members a few years ago. Lady had a 72 914 the couple had owned for many years. Her husband had started down the path to get a few areas of rust repair done and fell into I'll health. The car is quite solid, mint interior, but had been sitting for years. She wanted $1,600 for it. I said I was interested, but given the condition and boxes of new parts, it was worth more like $3 to $4 thousand. She said nope, I just want it gone and to someone who will restore it someday. Someday is still a few years away of course.

[mgatepi]

So I have to ask......you knew the car was under priced so you offered her less? And she agreed....

I am a little lost on this one.... Is this a good guy thread or a shark thread?

[Scott Douglas]

So your 'moral compass' couldn't come up with an extra $1k to give her full asking price even when she told you they knew it was way under priced?

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

So...is this kind of a "for sale" ad?

LOL, no.

Not flippin it.

I'll drive it and correct some of the minor issues and we will take it as it goes.

I haven't driven my 84" much, need a crank position sensor and to be honest it's too damn hot in TX to enjoy driving with it's crap stock AC.

I almost forgot how fun these things are.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by mgatepi

So I have to ask......you knew the car was under priced so you offered her less? And she agreed....

I am a little lost on this one.... Is this a good guy thread or a shark thread?

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

So your 'moral compass' couldn't come up with an extra $1k to give her full asking price even when she told you they knew it was way under priced?

No, and yeah I thought about that but she was looking for best offer and it's going to cost me the diff in taxes anyway.

Like I said, I wan't looking for this car, took my wife, my buddy Bryan, my brother and Shaun to talk me into actually buying it so I made an offer that I was comfortable with for a spontaneous purchase and it's the number the seller was looking for as well.

But thanks for judging.

[KFC911]

Can I call dibs on any boxes of golf balls in the frunk?

I don't NEED any golf balls either

[MikeSid]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

...
But thanks for judging.

In all fairness, you did open the door to that line of questioning when you brought up your moral compass. For what it's worth, I had the same initial reaction.

I'm sure the surviving spouse is happy to have the car gone so quickly and a good deal is always struck when both sides are happy with it. It could have gone worse for her or taken much longer.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by MikeSid

In all fairness, you did open the door to that line of questioning when you brought up your moral compass. For what it's worth, I had the same initial reaction.

I'm sure the surviving spouse is happy to have the car gone so quickly and a good deal is always struck when both sides are happy with it. It could have gone worse for her or taken much longer.

My original intent when reaching out was to offer them some help in getting more out of it.

I’d actually proposed it and her response was she wasn’t looking for that, they wanted it gone.

If i were actively in the market i would not have looked at the car because it’s black.

I don’t want a black car so i made an offer that reflected my honest interest in the car.

She would have taken even less for it had i pressed it.

[Scott Douglas]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

But thanks for judging.

Edit: You posted as I was typing this:
I don't understand how asking a question is judging you.
If it'd been me, I probably would have offered to get the car out of her sight while trying to sell it for her at a fair market price.
As long as you can look at yourself in the mirror while shaving and feel OK about how it went down, more power to you.
I would have a hard time with it knowing that a grieving widow had been taken advantage of because of her ignorance about what the car was really worth.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

But thanks for judging.

I agree.

Sometimes it is just best to let it go.

You didn't need it, she wanted it gone. Two adults making a deal.

Enjoy it.

BTW, when I bought my LC from a friend of mine I did exactly what SM did. He wasn't interested in price shopping, making deals with strangers, he wanted it gone with as little muss and fuss as possible and I was "sorta" in the market: "Give me 10K".

"Uh, Vic, it is worth more, a lot more."

"Give me 10k."

"Cash or check?"

[herr_oberst]

Wow.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

...I would have a hard time with it knowing that a grieving widow had been taken advantage of because of her ignorance about what the car was really worth.

Thats how I got involved to begin with.

I thought for sure they had no idea what the value was and was offering to help.

Where and how they posted it was not the best marketplace for these things.

Once it became clear they had done their research and had priced it around where THEY wanted to knowing it was under value it became a different situation.

They had intentionally posted it low to move it.

She would have taken the first $13k or better offer that came along.

She didn't even blink at $15k and responded "Done" immediately.

[speeder]

First of all, it's not worth much more than that. Second, it's a nice car in good colors. Third, you did absolutely nothing unethical, which most car shoppers Ould without blinking.

I habitually buy project cars or cars that have been sitting and if it's from a friend, I always tell them that they could get more from someone else if I think it's the case. If it's a stranger, I will also tell them this, depending on the circumstances. The answer is almost universally, "I don't care. I want it gone."

The internet is a strange place and you should have anticipated some of the responses here. Enjoy the car!

[masraum]

Very nice! Congrats on the score and trying to give her the info on reality!

Looks like a heck of a buy, especially in the current market.

[Baz]

Congrats...great story! How fast will she go?

I was the website guy for our local PCA region and used to get all the classifieds before anyone else saw them. How do you think I wound up with Tangerine?

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

She would have taken the first $13k or better offer that came along.

The old Swinger’s Dozen.

[mgatepi]

Originally Posted by speeder

First of all, it's not worth much more than that. Second, it's a nice car in good colors. Third, you did absolutely nothing unethical, which most car shoppers Ould without blinking.

I habitually buy project cars or cars that have been sitting and if it's from a friend, I always tell them that they could get more from someone else if I think it's the case. If it's a stranger, I will also tell them this, depending on the circumstances. The answer is almost universally, "I don't care. I want it gone."

The internet is a strange place and you should have anticipated some of the responses here. Enjoy the car!

He stated "moral compass" and this is what I found very confusing. I understand the seller was just wanting it gone and he was in the right place / time. It happens. No big deal but you have to wonder about the moral compass statement when you first read his post. No one attacked the monkey here.
Get over it.