I have a car for sale and a guy wanted to come and look at it and have a test drive.
He know how much I want and that I want it cash.
He shows up with a mate that drives him.
They want the keys and tell me that they will give me a ring when back in town!
I said: No one goes for a test drive without me!
The older guy that is the driver has sunglasses on and he looks at me and tells that I am paranoid!
I tell him that I want to be in the car when the car is tested.
He asks why!
No offence but it happens that cars do disappear when taken for a test drive.
I have never seen these guys before.
He says that he is humiliated and that I am paranoid!
I say: ok no test drive! We are over and done!
I start to walk away.
The buyer then calls me back and says that I can keep his mates car keys while they are out.
Hands over keys to a new and exclusive/expensive car.
I say: no thanks but I want to be in the car.
The sunglass man now shakes his head and just repeats that I am paranoid.
I tell him that the car he gives me the keys to might not even be his and they might have “borrowed†it and then when they do not come back with my car it might be me sitting with a car that does not belong to him.
He says that I am paranoid again.
What on earth should they do with my car?
They could have a car the same as mine and make it disappear and use it as a spare part car.
When I call the police a couple of hrs later they might show up and say: ooh here is the expensive car that got stolen in manukau yesterday and I would have no car and no insurance that covers that I have given away my car voluntary with the keys.
Am I paranoid or just as I say street smart?
I told them that I have worked within the car business and seen this happen to others.
The driver/friend of the presumptive buyer was now humiliated and steaming angry!
I took one of the guys out with the car and then when we came back he wanted to buy it and offers 25% less than the price he knows that I want!
He does not even have the money and wonder if I accept 25% less and just some of the money today and the rest later and he can take the car with him today?
NOOO NOOOO NOOOO!
Am I paranoid?
The last time I went to test drive a second hand car from a car yard the sales person hopped in with me - quite surprising as had never had that before, so maybe a sign of the times?
When we test drove a new car, hubby left his keys there for the sales person, but the sales person had seen hubby before as he got his car serviced there also.
I certainly wouldn't let any tom dick or harry test drive a car without leaving some collateral with me BUT I would also not get into a car with two guys that I didn't know and go for a test drive either, so you are really stuck either way! Any suggestions from anyone to get around this stumbling block??
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when I worked at a large car comapny in europe we just looked at their drivers licenses and wrote down their details.
some came in and borrowed cars with a tow bar and stayed away for an hour or two and then you knew that they probably had rented a trailer and did shift house or tow a boat hahahaha
I do not like to get in to the car with totally strange people.
One I can handle but two?
I told them that the parking space is under surveilance camera so they would be on film but that I still would not let them go out by themselves.
I had also told people what I was to do,
but not much of a comfort if something bad happens since they might be able to identify the people but what would that help if something did happen?
[:0] I hadn't thought of that, witheze, good point. Suzanne, consider the Emma Agnew case currently on the news, the cops think she went off to meet someone who had expressed interest in the car she was selling [V]
Is there no way you can sell it through a car fair or similar? Might be less risk than folk on your home turf in a rural area - and esp if you other special cars are visible when they come around...
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Insurance issue with car yards these days apparently tigger - heap big excess if salesperson wasn't accompanying would be buyer. Darn irritating as I like to look at things by myself.
No, you're no paranoid. Look what happened to poor Emma Agnew, she was going to meet some guy interested in her car & she ended up dead You can never be too sure of anybody.
you stick to your guns. 
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You can never be too sure of anybody.