My faith in humanity has been restored - what would you do ?

Hondajimz

Well-known member
May 6, 2021
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I bought a used Polaris Rzr back in September and the seller was proud of the fact he replaced the top end. Not because it needed it but because he said it's a weak design by Polaris. Long story short, first ride out and it shut down on me.( Didn't even get 30 miles on it ). Took it to a shop and they found the cam covers were cracked and a bolt was missing. Said whoever worked on it didn't tighten the bolts properly. Motor needed major work as the bolt went down into the case and chewed up the gears on the crankshaft.

I was bummed and reached out to the seller trying to get info on who he had work on it. Total silence. This made me more upset that he would ghost me when I wasn't asking for anything other than information. So I decided if he wasn't decent enough to at least talk with me, I would try my luck taking him to small claims court. I sent him a text with pictures of the damages and the estimate for repairs. Told him I would have been happy to split it with him but since he chose to ignore me I planned to sue him for all the repair costs once it's complete.

It's been over a month since my last text and out of the blue today I received a check in the mail from the seller. It was actually for more than 50% of the cost. Needless to say I am speechless. I am feeling that humans are still decent when given the chance.

I buy and sell a lot and have always made it a point to work with a buyer if something unexpected happened. What would you guys have done in this situation ? Either as a buyer or seller.
 
As the buyer: it’s used. It happens, and probably wouldn’t have done much more than tell him and see if he rogers up.

As the seller: I’ve had a truck experience a problem on the way home for the new buyer. Guy called me super pissed that I sold him a lemon. After calming him down and assuring him it had never given me a single issue, I told him to take it to a shop and I’ll pay the tab. Turned out to be just the batteries needing replacement (which I told him about before selling) causing the ECU’s voltage regulator to get pissed, but the guy was so thankful we kept in touch for a while after the sale. Wouldn’t have sat right with me to leave him hanging like that.
 
Just sold a truck and waiting for the guy to call with something. I described everything so I will sleep.

I did sell a 2008 teryx 10 years ago and these 2 kids show up in a car and buy it and said they’ll just drive it home (about 40 miles through the city, it wasn’t set up for that) Called a week later asking why the engine blew up. I sent them a service manual!
 
I just sold my 7.3 to a 20 year old kid becoming a fire fighter. I was clear as day with everything that I had done to it and the troubles I had with it. He knew that I had done everything I could to get it running in tip top shape and was thankful for the transparency. On his way him it kicked a CEL for low boost. He took it to a shop and the turbo bolts had backed out causing the turbo to shake and crack the housing. Needed an entire new turbo. He opted for an aftermarket turbo so I split the difference with him for the price of a stock turbo. He was thankful and we've stayed in touch. He's super happy with the truck and I'm happy it went to a good home. When I buy things I know it's as is, but when I sell things I try to be as transparent as I can. Would like to think people like buying from me. But I don't always like buying from some people.

Sounds like the guy manned up.
 
I sold a Class C motorhome, the buyers contacted me 6 months later telling me it had water damage on the sleeper over the cab.
I paid for a complete inspection from a dealership with documentation prior to selling.
The folks that bought the Moho accused me of knowing about the damage. In the year and a half I owned it we had a massive drought in California with little to no noticeable rain. The drought ended a week after they bought it and they had the rig in outside storage with the front of the Moho about 1’ lower than the rear bringing all the roof water forward.
I felt horrible and offered them $5K towards the repair. In response I got a series of threatening phone calls and letters from the wife.
They sued me. In court they came in with pictures, pieces of the damaged roof and estimates.
When it was my turn to speak I said, “I sold a used vehicle which I believed to be in great shape with no warranty implied or otherwise.”
I was notified roughly 10 days later that I won.
Entering into a business arrangement with strangers is a toss of the dice.
 
i just sold my 03 silverado xt cab 1500 4x4 with 200k and got 9500.00 for it. it was clean. but i had the old part for damn near everything that's been replaced, and told him to drive it, crawl all over it, have it looked at, inspected or whatever but i wasn't budging on price. had 2 people coming after him. he was a paint/body guy, checked it all out and bought it. I made him sign an as is where is no warranty implied or expressed. showed him receipts for trans rebuild a year earlier and it had a rear main leak that i had paid to be fixed 3 days prior so i felt good about selling it and he appreciated my transparency and felt good I had told him anything and everything i've done. never heard a peep from the guy.
I would not have expected to come out of pocket after he left.
 
Tough deal buying used is always a risk and I always took it as is sale. You never know these days what some buyers may do to get a better deal out of something. (Not in this case with you either)

I’ve heard of some screwed up stuff where buyers will purposely damage something and claim it after they get home. Same goes for sellers who just barely patch up something make mo mention of it.

For me imo depends on situation if I would help with a repair or not. As a buyer I have had things not as claimed but small enough to repair on my own. As a seller I try best to describe it as best as I can with potential problem. Or something I would address
 
I am always honest about the stuff I sell. If something was questionable, buyer would know about it prior to purchase.
If I bought something that broke a week later, that's on me.
You bought a used off road vehicle and got pissed when you found out it was broken then threatened to take the seller to court. I would have told you to pound sand personally, but that's my feeling. Maybe he knew it was compromised, maybe he didn't. It's on YOU to look over the vehicle prior to transferring money.

I purchased a rail with VW power years back. Car ran great and test drove perfectly. I made the purchase. Week or so later, took it out to the desert and it fell on its face. I could not figure out WTF was going on. After a few hours going over everything, I found a rocker arm was loose. Pulled the head off and found a wing nut wedged between the seat and valve. My guess, the guy cleaned the air filters before I got there and dropped the nut down the carb on accident. Well, shit happens. I wish he would have told me before the engine consumed it, but he didn't. I fixed it and moved on.
 
Tough deal buying used is always a risk and I always took it as is sale. You never know these days what some buyers may do to get a better deal out of something. (Not in this case with you either)

I’ve heard of some screwed up stuff where buyers will purposely damage something and claim it after they get home. Same goes for sellers who just barely patch up something make mo mention of it.

For me imo depends on situation if I would help with a repair or not. As a buyer I have had things not as claimed but small enough to repair on my own. As a seller I try best to describe it as best as I can with potential problem. Or something I would address
Valid points. My goal is to go to sleep with a clear conscience, if people are cool I have no problem being on the losing side to make things right. If people aren’t cool I’ll spend $10,000 to keep them from getting $0.5.
 
Seems as if his claim of work being done on the top end was BS. He never said what shop did the work right? Probably because it was a garage job done by him or someone else who didn't know their stuff.

Why else would he send you a check for half, without any communication prior?

He was clearly avoiding a bigger issue if it went to court and proof would be requested by a judge, etc.

Used Vehicles are "Sold as is" between private parties, your a savvy buyer/seller and you say you "Tried your luck", I disagree. Yore experience in these transactions led you to believe the Seller was full of it. Smart move IMHO, just because an item is used, doesn't mean you take it in the rear.

Good job. Fix it right and sell it, there are probably other items soon to become your next item to fix. 2026 Models will get announce soon and the Fan-Boys will be selling their old 2025's soon. Also Speed UTVS are coming down in price too, "Hardly used", "Never Raced" and "Wife's ride"

LMAO
 
I buy new or from people I trust for peace of mind. When I buy used and do not know the person, I offer less to hopefully offset the risk. If I buy something where someone "claims" it was rebuilt I ask for documentation and follow up with the builder to verify. I think the small claims threat is fine if you feel good about it but not my style. Most people that operate in the grey will ignore you or wait to see if the person actually follows through in small claims court to settle with a demand letter. If he simply sent the check after the threat it sounds like this is more of a fear action than a humanity issue.
 
I have sold a few offroad vehicles. I ALWAYS am up front with the buyer. I tell them the good and the bad of said vehicle. I always sell something with a peace of mind that I know that it was maintained properly and professionally. I always want both parties to feel comfortable with the deal. It is the buyers responsibility to verify that the car is in good running order and maintained properly. Too many "shady" sellers out there.
In this case, knowing just your side of the story, Id say you got lucky as offroad vehicles are sold as is.
Now Jim.... lets turn this around and say you sold this vehicle.... What would you have done? Lets say you had the work done and have receipts from a shop. Then how would you have handled it?
 
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