Steve Zarnekow
 

Hello,

Has anyone here done business with Steve Zarnekow. I am about to sell him a 911 and he resides in Germany. He provided a shipping agent (Carrie Int.) as well as two references here in the states. It all seems on the up and up but wanted to ask just in case I'm missing something.

Thanks for your help.

Is he sending you a check for more than the amount of the car?

How is he paying? Wire or check?

Where in Germany is he?

No, he haggled and we agreed on a lower price. He will be paying through a freight company and they are located Solingen Germany.

So someone from Germany is buying a Porsche from the US and having it shipped to Germany?

I'd think that you could get a Porsche in Germany without having to have one shipped back from the states. Personally, I'd avoid international auto sales unless it was a special deal like when Hugh sold his Aston.

In my opinion you should ask for the funds via a secured wire transfer, a few days before you let the car go. You could also use an escrow service. Anything else, deal is off!

I don't think I even understand what "paying through the freight company" means.

My understanding is that older Porsche 911's are rare in Germany and that the Euro to US Dollar conversion makes US 911's a attractive.

Gogar, He has a fright company that he apparently works with and they will be sending the wire transfer before they pick the car up. Wire transfer will be my prefered method of payment.

Dig up Harald Juelicher's contact info, maybe on the Rennlist 993 board. His shop is in Moenchen Gladbach, which is not too far from Solingen. He might know this buyer. Harald is a Mensch.

Euro is under .7 so may be cheaper to buy here.

Remember back in the 80's when the dollar was flying, ton of gray market cars came over here.

Article in Excellence last year was talking about a large amount of 911's going back home due to the weak dollar and the prices that good examples are going for over here compared to there. early 911's in good condition are much harder to come by over there at reasonable prices.

Only thing I find odd is his name, Steve is not Germanic although Stefan is derived from it.

Have a few friends named Stefan and never heard them use Steve.

that's a typical scam approach. "my shipper will be sending you the funds". i'm surprised you haven't heard of it.

I thoght this sounded like a scam as well but I have spoken to sellers who have worked with this potential buyer and they claim he is honest. We'll see what happens. I have spoken to my bank and have a clear plan on how to proceed with a wire transfer. I'll let you know what happens in about a week.

I sold my 914/6 to a buyer in Germany. Gerd Follman was the agent and Helmut Weibel was the buyer. He wire transferred the money to my USA account BEFORE I released the car to the shipping company.

I would say that if you do ANYTHING other than get money (confirmed money in the bank, not some arbitrary slip of paper) in hand FIRST, then release the car for shipping, it could be a shame-on-you situation....

I agree!!!!!! Cash first. I drafted a letter with the following info.......

This letter is to confirm an agreement made via email on October XX, 20XX for the purchase of a 19XX 911S with VIN # as shown above. The agreed upon purchase price is US$XXXXX.00. The vehicle will not be released to any party until all monies have been received by the SELLER. The SELLER will consider the vehicle sold to the BUYER until October XX. If no monies have been received by October XX, the SELLER has the right to place the vehicle on the open market for sale.

The vehicle described above will be sold AS IS with NO WARRANTIES and the BUYER will be responsible for pick-up and shipment of the vehicle to a destination chosen by the BUYER. Once monies have been received and confirmed by the SELLER and the vehicle is in the position of the BUYER or an agent designated by the BUYER, the vehicle will be considered SOLD as stated above. A clear title will be made available with the vehicle upon completion of the sale.

That sounds great. Further, and maybe this goes without saying, the title never goes with the car when it is shipped. Always after delivery and through Fedex or similar. This protects you from potential BS on his end, but even more so it protects him from the shipping company, no matter how trusted they may be.

I agree, Harald is a stand up guy, I bought a motor from him and have been to his shop in Mensch.. PM me and I'll give you his cell phone number. He's speedster94 on here as I recall. Last time I talked to him he had a killer GT2 that was scary fast..