WTF, weekend from hell!!!

[mike95125]

It has taken more than 24 hours for me to be able to write this.
I saw a white 71 914 for sale at traderonline.com for $450 bucks. It said that it had a bad engine, but I have a good one and the car seemed straight. I called the guy and left a message for him with my number, and the specific instructions to not call me after 10pm (college student that needs sleep). So he calls me a 11:15pm, and says that I was the only one that sounded earnest enough about buying the car so he thought that he would call me back even though I said not to (warning).
I asked him the basics about the body. Is rust here? No, there, No. So I agreed to go up to his place after classes on the 4th of Feb, tues. I had to ride my motocycle 3 hours in traffic to get to this guys house. He claimed he was only 1.5 hours away.
So I look at the car and t he battery tray area was in good repair supprisingly. But when I went to the back of the car there was a good sized hole in the trunk....right where I asked him if there was one, and he said, "No, looks great dude." He said to me when I pointed it out," Oh I must have forgotten to lift up the carpet." Yes because when I was concerned about rust, and asking questions, it was inregards to the terrible carpet rust that these things suffer.
Let me go on record as saying that $450 for this car was still a good deal. This is not my beef. Read on.....
So I see that the front drivers seat bracket is no longer there, and the gasket channel in the front trunck rear drivers corner is partially gone, and I tell the gentleman that his price is more than fair, but the car is out of my "level of expertise as far as body work goes."
He said," Dude, I thought that you were someone that knew what you were doing on these things." Rather rude I thought. He was starting to present himself as an A-hole. I let it go....
I then told him why I didnt think that "I" could use it, and he continued to say things to me in a derogatory manner. Again, I let it slide...
Finally I call my buddy, and resident 914 nut James (red-beard).
I tell him what my concernes are regarding this car, and he assures me that these are doable, and that he will help me. I tell the owner that my friend agrees that these are easy fixes, and the owner proceeds to tell me that he told me so. I let it slide again....
Then he gets wierder. He says to me that he wishes me to have the car registered in my name before I tow it so as to remove him from liability. In CA you sign the pinkslip, and you are now liable. He doesnt have the pink he tells me. He only has the paper for the previous owner that is supposed to have been filled out to get the new slip. It had not been filled out by him, and still had the previous owners name on it. Odd.....
I asked why the previous owner had only a city, state, and zip for his address. He got slightly excited, and said whay does anyone nned to know his, or anyones address for that matter. Odder....
He says that if I feel odd (theres that word again) about this that I could just pay him on Saturday when I come to pick it up. I tell him that he is a generous guy to offer such a thing, and that I would be a fool not to take him up on the offer (being that he is being kinda screwy).
I plainly tell him that, "thank you very much for your time, and I will deffinetly be seeing you on Saturday." I told him to call me if he needed any thing, or had any questions, and that I would not be calling him (busy college student) unless the day of pickup, or time changed. He agreed. I went home.

Saturday, 8 Feb. Jamesand I head out early to pick up some things that he won off of ebay. The person was in Hesperia, about 2 hours away. We then proceeded due west to Woodland Hills north of Hollywood to get "my" car.
I called this guy at 11:30am to tell him that I would bee ther soon, and to give a call if anything was wrong.
James and I arrive at 12:30pm, the agreed meeting time between me and the owner.
No Porsche.
Hum......
I call, no answer, I leave a message saying hello, and we are here and waiting. ( I still sounded positive)
He pokes his head out after a couple of seconds and asks what I am doing there. He looks at James and says, "Who the hell is this!?"
I tell him (calmly) that is is James, my friend. He getts adgitated, and says to James, " I am sorry that he dragged you up here (rather snotty like)" James says," Hey man, dont tell me tell it to him, this is between you two."
the dude gets freaked out and tells James that he doesnt care for his attitude, and to "get the F off of my property". James complies most gratiously, and heads to the Jeep. I then begin to have a respecfull, but heated discussion about what was said, and what was agreed. He BSed me, and finally I asked, " so the car is gone?" He snottily says ya. I then say," Man you are the flakiest person that I have ever had to deal with."
I turn to go to the car to leave at this point and he flips out.
"what you MFer, you Fn talkin to me......." He ends up getting about three inches from my head, while yelling at me to leave (as I am going peacefully). I asked him if he were threatening me, and he said, "I'll do more than that if you dont get off my Fing property." I tell him that this is a bad Idea (getting hostile) and that I am leaving.
James and I eventually get the trailer and Jeep off of his property.


So in summary: I make deal to buy car. Show up at designated time, with rented gear, and help. The Car is gone, and the now previous owner is threatening to kick my a$$.

Just when you think its all over....
I return the trailer, and am home for about an hour when my roommate calls from up in santa Monica saying that his car has broke down , and could I please come get him.
I rent the tow dolly, I leave at 9:30pm to go 2hours up north to get him.

Why me?

Sorry for the long read, but it was a story to tell.
Did any one here buy a white 914, 71 in Woodland hills CA in the last two or three days for $450 from a nut. I wonder if another pelican head met this wacko.

[jkeyzer]

Wow Mike... That sucks. I am going to stay the hell out of Woodland Hills now. What a nut.

Recently a friend of mine paid $500 for a 914 and it was made of two cars (salvage title) and had some pretty big accident damage... I think maybe in that case he was the nut.

[red-beard]

Uh - "What he Said!"

James

Whoa! He was a freak!

[John Rogers]

A couple of years ago I called a guy in that area about a transmission and the lady that answered the phone asked me if I was from the government or the police???? I decided not to check it out!

[Kenny Powell]

Hey mike, it probably was a blessing that you didn't get that car sounds like there was something fishy about the title! like John says when people act Deceitful stay away!

[HMeeder]

if this is the same guy that I parted my '74 to? My relations with him were civil enough, but warning bells were going off in my head the entire time I was dealing with him. He was from the North Hollywood Hills area also.

Did he have any other 914s around?

[rockaria]

"I'll cut you man..."

Been there seen that. Only time I have seen that type of insanity was when a guy tried to sell me a stolen one and found out I worked from the same place it was taken... It dissapeared fast! With a "I'll cut you man..." when I showed up to take a look... No joke!

Then there was the one that some guy had who wanted $10,000 for a $500 pile of rust and he said "It's Porsche, have you seen the price on these lately?" I mean 914 is a bigger number than 911 so it must be worth more? The ad also read "Rust Free" I guess he figured he would knock the price down and give the rust away with the car... Did I mention it had been sitting for 5 years and did not run. Oh and it was crunched in the rear...

[sammyg2]

Mike, what ever you do don't post this guy's phone number. If you did, lots of people might accidentally call him in the middle of the night and he might not like that.

[red-beard]

You know, as Mike and I drove away and Mike's blood pressure dropped, we started talking about the different 914's we've bought and who we bought them from.

Without exception - they all have had a screw loose here or there. And to be honest, I think most of us fit that discription - me included! "That Guy's crazy, but it's a good sort of crazy...

This guy was _way_ _way_ out of the normal leagues. As soon as he saw me he started getting defensive and hostile. And he acted like Mike had done something to _HIM_. And when he profanely requested I remove my person from his property, I was happy to oblige.

You know what the worst part about this guy was...He seemed to be articulate and well dressed and in good shape. And just as capable of a Jeckyl and Hyde in no time. WOW!

I too would be curious to see if someone here also called this guy - NorthEast LA, Just west of 405 and North of 101, on Burbank....

Paranoid - That is the word. The guy was clinically paranoid.

James

Just Remember - you are only paranoid, if you're wrong....

[tryan]

you would have been screwed on the tittle. in tn, the tittle must be signed over AND you must have a notarized bill of sale signed by both parties. aa f'ed me with a no tittle tittle once.

as thomas earl petty says, 'you got lucky'

[ss6]

Mike, all the better that the deal fell apart. The fact that the paper for the car was incomplete plus the story (and the grief) you got when you quite justifiably asked him about it was a red flag (make that a BIG red flag) that this guy was up to something. Even more so when the car "disappeared". That car might link your wacko to a crime, tell your story to the cops.

[Buck toenges]

It must be something they put in them 914s. When I was in college a fellow a few miles down the road had a 914 rust ranch with a bunch of parts cars. He was real friendly and we got along fine and I picked up some parts. I called back a few months later to see if he had some more parts and he just blew up. Well needless to say I told him to plant one and never delt with him again.
Well twenty years later I decide to get me another 914 and called Brad Mayeur for some parts. I told him I got his number from a friend and that I lived in Ft. Wayne Indiana. Brad said that he had delt with some fellow close by Ft. Wayne Indiana a long time ago. I said AND?
Brad said that he was crazy and never would deal with him again.
and

[mike95125]

I dont feel so bad now. I was hoping to make my girlfriend her first 914, as it is more reliable than the kia she is currently "not" driving. This throws a wrench in the old wallet.
Probably a good thing for sure that I didnt get that pile of problems.
Thanks for your replys.

(I would love to put his number down, but he may have super paranoid powers, and a lawyer to find me)

[Zeke]

I've been waiting all day for someone to figure this guy out.

It's the drugs. This is how people on crack behave. And we have a whole lot of crackheads here in LA. He was selling the car to get money for drugs. I'll bet four bits to a donut that it wasn't his to sell.

[Bruce Allert]

Milt, ya beat me to it. Since Red-Beard said he was in good shape too it was prolly a combination of crack & steroids... (bad *****).
My Cousin & (a very good friend) retired from LAPD a couple years ago and has told funny & horror stories of trying to subdue people on crack. Ya jes' donwanna mess wit'm! You guys were right to turn around & walk off.
My cousin was called out to a scene where this crack head was "sitting on top of a street sign" NAKED (that's gotta hurt), talking to himself. When asked to get down he leaped like a cat on top of the cop and, at the same time, while in mid air, took the cops batton away & proceeded to use it on the cop.
They had to shoot him!(badbad*****)
bruce

[unclerichy]

Sorry to hear your story. I've worked in Woodland Hills for the last 4 years and have never seen this car. Unfortunately, most of the people I've dealt with using ads like this turn out to be hard to get ahold of or never show up when you make an appointment. I have to agree with the rest of the guys that you are better off not dealing with people like that. And as soon as anything sounds funny about the title run, don't walk, away.

[eric_ciampa]

mike I feel your pain. I too am a college student and come this September i will be transfering to Soc Cal for school. When i was shopping for my 914 i came across this guy who was just a jerk. didnt like me bringing my friend with me to check out his car. wouldnt return my phone calls and wanted the money right now! I really wanted his car it was beautiful but i decided that i didnt was to do buisness with the jerk and bought the one i have right now. MY opinion was you dogged a bullet and count your blessings. Where in SD are you. sorry i dont know where normal heights is. Maybe we can take our babys out for a ride this spring

[mike95125]

Eric,
I am near State, and I would be glad to!

[confused]

YOU guys are all wrong, not crack, this guys sounds like a guys I met in San Diego (N county) that is a TWEEEKER! Tweek as we all know is speed or methanphetimine. Crack makes you crazy but Speed changes the chemistry of your brain and you become very unreasonable! If you have ever bought Porsche parts out of the San Diego autotrader from "the TWEEKER on the hill" then you know what I mean.

[Jim Smolka]

Sorry to here the deal fell though and the wasting of a bunch of your time.

For me, time that you cannot get back would be the part that bothered me to most. However, glad we don't have his issues