car sale scam? - seems odd

[aurora borealis]

Hi,

I have a car for sale through Autotrader.

First call tonight is from a man who asked a few questions about it and then said he'd fly over from Ireland tomorrow to buy it :eek: I put him off for a few days. The car is not special :confused:

I have his name and number and the arrangement is that he will come and collect, with cash, on saturday.

I don't get it - surely a bit strange??

[nickj]

is it a mobile no or a land line ?
it does seem a long way to go for a car

[tali]

could be he was travelling over anyway perhaps -kill 2 birds with 1 stone?

[withabix]

Cash = forged notes!
Ireland = theiving gypsy

I smell a scam.

[mrbadexample]

Might be ok, might not! :p

I'd be a bit wary, and try to hang on for other offers. If all else fails, make sure you check every note very, very carefully. ;)

[reehsetin]

Might be ok, might not! :p

I'd be a bit wary, and try to hang on for other offers. If all else fails, make sure you check every note very, very carefully. ;) or get him to come saturday morning and pay it straight into the bank, bank will soon spot if its dogy and as soon as you mention bank
if he's dodgy he'll run a mile

[Keith]

It happens a lot, the price of cars is much higher in Ireland, so its cheaper for people to fly over, buy the car, and take the ferry back.

Be careful but it's just like a buyer coming from anywhere else in the UK.

[aurora borealis]

I'm scared now!

What if he pays in euros - can I check them?

He says he has a company and comes over most weeks - I found one with a similar name to the one I thought i heard in Dublin ...

[aurora borealis]

cheeky bump :)

[Andy L]

What if he pays in euros - can I check them?

N. Ireland uses sterling, their own notes though, so it's the same deal as scotish banknotes: you don't have to accept them.

The republic uses euros but you've advertised the car as £x so you can tell him to poke off & come back with sterling

[zappahey]

If he pays in Euros then take him to the Post Office where they can be changed at a pretty good rate. You also get the benefit of the notes being checked by an expert ;)

My last car was sold on ebay and a guy from Ireland bought it. It's actually quite common.

[iluvmylexus]

very common at the moment for irish to buy cars over here dont be too concerned

[waster]

If you trawl back through the past 3 or 4 months threads there is one where someone was in exactly the same position as you are.

From memory it all went OK. And as posted by others this is now common for the Irish to come and buy their second hand motors on the “mainland” due to pricing differntials.

Only concern would be as with any cash sale that the notes are kosher. Do the deal Saturday morning and then go with him to a bank. Get him to change the notes at the bank and then take the notes that he receives from the bank as payment, not his original notes. It may cost a transaction fee but I'd rather pay say a fiver and be safe than sorry. In any case try and get him to apy any fee first and if not pay 50/50. Should be no problem if he's genuine.

[aurora borealis]

... I wish I'd been more accommodating now :(

Haven't heard from him again, as yet.

[merlinormartin]

the most likely "scam" would be ... half of the notes real half counterfeit ... after he has viewed the car .. arrange to ... exchange the money/keys at the local bank or borrow a uv light and check each note ..

[DKLS]

Dont worry to much, Once helped a mate deliver a posh caravan, to an address which was a Layby off the A1 near Newark, Was met and invited into another van, where my mate asked for the money, and a guy came in with a bin liner full of 50 pound notes. At this point I was bricking it, Thinking my corpse would be found in a ditch. But the "pikeys" were a pleasure, gave us Tea and cake as we counted 24K in real notes. With the guy muttering about Evil Banks.
I was given some great boxing videos, Not the Mike Tyson stuff.
Whole thing was quite an experience, but I must confess, that I thought we would be robbed on the way back up the A1, hence we headed for the first bank we could find, fear and paranoia is a funny thing, and unjustified in my case.

[aurora borealis]

Well he rang again.

He says flight tickets are mad because of the football final and he'll be here next week instead.

I have also listed it on Ebay (free listings this weekend ;))