# Funny thing just happened... [help/advice]



## tdimeister (Feb 19, 1999)

I have had an e-mail exchange with someone in the last 24 hours replying to my ad to sell my S4. A guy named Chris with a Hotmail address identifiable only with the initials "C I" had been asking me about my car with terse one- or two line e-mails like, "Where is the car located in Europe?" "Do you have more pics?"
I try to be as thorough and cordial in answering his questions. Wanting to be sure that he's genuinely interested before I share more information, I say to him:

_Quote »_I don’t want to offend you by my asking this at the outset, but am I to assume a genuine interest on your part in the car? As you can understand, the process of buying and selling a car sight unseen in real-life spanning two continents requires building up a level of trust and confidence, and this is a two-sided street. So far, all I have is a very terse e-mail correspondence from you and I don’t know who you are on any forums. I’m just protecting myself from scammers out of Nigeria and the like, while I’m sure that if you’re seriously interested in the car, you also want to build a level of trust in me.

If what I’ve said above hasn’t upset you and you’re still interested to know more







, then yes, I do have more pics I can upload and share. As I did with another interested party, I expressed straight out that the car is not a show car, and there should be reasonable expectations of the condition of a 15-year old vehicle. I have and I will disclose in excruciating detail, as best as I can, any imperfections in the car, so that there cannot be a chance of any surprises when the eventual buyer takes possession of the car. For this reason, I will not share this information openly with just anybody from the street, if you catch my drift. To a genuinely interested party I think it’s in mutual interests to take the discussion beyond e-mail and can gladly be reached by phone or Skype.

Where are you located?


Kindest regards,
Dave


... to which he replies accusing me of being a scammer for the simple act of advertising my car for sale in the first place:

_Quote »_David,
You've talked me out of it. Scammers are those that post the ads in the first place so that give's me reason to think that perhaps you are one yourself.
If not, good luck. I'll buy a car over here instead.
Thanks.


Was I out of line?
If "Chris" still thinks I'm a scammer, maybe posting under my 10 year old member name might change his mind.








My answer to him:

_Quote »_Whoa, I’ve got an Internet identity in almost every major English-speaking VW/Audi enthusiast website with thousands of hits on my name in Google with activity that dates back over a decade; I welcome to talk on the phone one-on-one, while you don’t even properly identify yourself and accuse ME of being a scammer?!?!
Good luck on your search.

I think I have a pretty thick skin, but I got nuts when someone libelously slanders my good name and hard-earned reputation. If he's legitimate and a member here, then he wouldn't mind this vetting among peers. I will in turn retract everything in this thread.
I'm going to have a nice German brew and go to bed.








Have a good evening everyone.


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## uncommonvw (Mar 13, 2004)

*Re: Funny thing just happened... [help/advice] (tdimeister)*

I know exactly where you are coming from. So many people just kicking tires or very vague questions that end up going nowhere. What you have to remember is that words on a screen have no tone to them so people might read it differently than you would speak it. Next time just ask for a phone number to reach them and give them a call.
That said, my advice would be to bring the car to Canada and sell it here. Not too many people are comfortable buying a car sight unseen for about $12000 no matter how honest and upfront you are. 
Love the car BTW. I wish I could get my hands on a S4 Avant here. 1 more year and the 15 year rule applies for US cars.
Good luck.


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## speedtek40 (Jul 8, 2005)

Screw him, I wouldn't give it another thought. From the sounds of it he's just some dreamer who couldn't possibly afford it anyways. It'll sell, I was still pretty seriously considering waiting until June to buy that sweetheart until I found my ultra low mile UrS6. If the timing had been a little closer I may very well have waited, but I needed something a little sooner and mine was just way too cherry to pass up.


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## Chapel (Jun 23, 1999)

*FV-QR*

once that car gets over here, it'll sell in days.


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## speedtek40 (Jul 8, 2005)

so what's the verdict? You going to just import it over on spec or only if it's pre-sold?


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