Crash while test driving a vehicle

[cidley69]

Fellow beyonders, I need some advice on a crappy situation....

If anyone has their 2 cents, I'd be happy to hear.

Went to take a private sale vehicle for a test drive. Asked the owner if the vehicle had ever been in an accident, or if it was a rebuilt salvaged vehicle, and he stated emphatically NO.

So, now that we established the vehicle was legit, we want to take it for a test drive. I ask the owner, "Is your vehicle insured?"

Yes, is the answer, and I don't ask for details regarding the insurance (in retrospect, asking for details of insurance would be the right thing to do).

So the owner said he was insured, and I went to take the vehicle for a test drive.

Half way through the drive the ENGINE light comes on, and stays on, the vehicle is also trembling and lugging badly, as if it had no power at all. We were only a few blocks away, so we speed up a bit and try to get back to the owner fast, thinking the vehicle might crap out before we make it back to our starting point.

As we were pulling into the parking place we took the vehicle from, it pulled hard to the right, as if the wheel alignment or steering linkage was heavily messed up.

Basically, while test driving this vehicle we crashed into another car while parking. I've driven hundred of thousands of kms, and parked 1000's of times with no acccidents on record.

I think the vehicle we test drove was faulty to begin with, and our accident was a symptom of the vehicle's shotty condition.

When we asked for the test drive vehicle's insurance we were told it has "one way insurance only," I think this means PLPD?

When I asked to see the vehicle registration it stated the vehicle status was "Rebuilt".

So, after asking if the vehicle was salvaged and them stating no, it turns out the vehicle was actually salvaged. To me this means deliberate deception, which isn't a good starting point for a business transaction such as a vehicle purchase......

I think the vehicle was an unsafe POS to be driving on the street in the first place, and them letting people take it for test drives thinking it is insured properly is a major deception.

That said, I'd offer to pay their deductable for the damaged door and no more.

I know their is a moral correct and the legal thing to do here, please help me decide which course of action is the right thing to do.

[Guillermo]

pay the damn deductible, dude.

[cidley69]

Yeah, paying the deductable would be good, but if they have only PLPD, which doesn't cover the car being driven, what then do I offer to pay?

[revelations]

Ya I'd man up as well.


On a similar note....I cant believe the trust some sellers have.... I was looking at this used IS300 (in really nice shape) and dude just tossed me the keys when I mentioned a test drive. Told me to take it for a spin, no mention of time or place.

Did I mention this was in the NE ?

[InRich]

When I was selling my accord alot of ppl wanted to take it for a test drive. I let 3 ppl take it, and I would always be in the back or passanger front seat...

In your situation. I'd say fuck it. buddy fucking lied to you, not to mention, put YOUR life in danger by letting some piece of shit like that drive on the road... on 2nd thought, you put my life in danger aswell. soooooooo tell him to eat a cock.

Otherwise.... imagine you ended up buying it? we'd have yet another beyond CSI.

The guy was POS scammer man... make him eat it. simply walk away.

[Hakkola]

Should have pulled over when the car went to shit, pay deductible regardless of what the owner said.

[cidley69]

Um..InRich, I like your sediment. And agree.

But, in the spur of the moment, and feeling like I was a douche that crashed someones car they were trying to sell, I signed a piece of paper written by the vehicle owner.

The paper was printed by the car owner, and said "I will fix the damage to the door I caused", and was dated and signed by me.

Looking back, it was stuipd to sign anything, but I didn't want the moral problems associated with screwing someone over if I was in the wrong.

Anyways, I don't think any blank paper with printing and signing on it would hold up in court, what do you think?

[CUG]

I'd try to sue the owner of the vehicle, actually. If what you say is true, you're not at fault for the collision.

[cidley69]

BTW: their is no deductable because the car only had PLPD insurance, this means only the other guy is covered in an accident, not the car's owner.

[CUG]

The owner can beat it then. He wasn't honest with you about the condition of the car, it's too bad.

[Scuderia]

Yeah, sounds made-up. There are some greasy ass sellers out there but you gotta have balls to say outright "NO it is NOT rebuilt" when it really is. Secondly, why would you keep driving if the CEL came on and you KNEW the motor was fucking up? Pull over, call someone to drive you back to your car, tell the seller thanks for your time and GLWS. Third, and most unbelievable, cars don't just yank to the right. 99% of the time, the CEL has nothing to do with the suspension, steering, tires, etc. The only thing I could see happening is the car turning off while your were turning in the parking lot, the steering wheel locking, and you panicking and slamming into a car. Fourth, why the fuck would you sign ANYTHING that guy scribbled down, when you have just exposed him as lying sack of shit in a mere 5 minutes? Was signing a contract he just whipped up really the best thing to do? Sounds like you just wrecked the car. What kind of car was it OP?

[Guillermo]

Everyone here is assuming that the owner is evil, but the fact is that you wrecked their car. If it was me in your place, I would pay the deductible OR repair the damage. For all we know, the current owner is (like many people) naive about automobiles and rebuilt titles, and was ripped off by an unscrupolous used car salesman when they bought the car. :dunno:

[InRich]

Originally posted by cidley69
Um..InRich, I like your sediment. And agree.

But, in the spur of the moment, and feeling like I was a douche that crashed someones car they were trying to sell, I signed a piece of paper written by the vehicle owner.

The paper was printed by the car owner, and said "I will fix the damage to the door I caused", and was dated and signed by me.

Looking back, it was stuipd to sign anything, but I didn't want the moral problems associated with screwing someone over if I was in the wrong.

Anyways, I don't think any blank paper with printing and signing on it would hold up in court, what do you think?

I think your kinda fucked... you signed something saying you were going to fix it... if he took your to court you would lose. I think... I'm still with you though.

And as for everyone else... I think what happened here, was that our beyond member was trying to park the car. As he was attempting to park, something killed the motor, in turn killing power steering, and breaks, and in the midst of parking, he couldnt steer the car away from the angle he was going in.

am I right?

still. I think your now responsible, what possessed you to sign that shit is beyond me. guy risked your life!!! lol. and everyone else on the road. and yes i know you were trying to be a nice guy and at least try driving the POS car back to the owner.

Seriously guys who just leaves a test car in the middle of no where? lol. was it an east indian trying to sell you the car? just curious. :devil:

[derpderp]

Is the owner fine with you just paying out a deductible? In this situation it might be your best bet might be to pay up and let it end there, because if you piss him off and tell him to pound dirt he might take you to small claims and you could end up with a court order to pay not a detectable, but the total cost of the repairs.

If he is willing to just take the deductible and this guy likes contracts then I would get him to sign a form that says the detectable payment is the final deal and if he was enough of an asshole to still take you to court you’ll have that contract saying it was suppose to end after you paid the deductible.

[cidley69]

THERE IS NO DEDUCTIBLE TO PAY! as the vehicle only had the bare minimum insurance (ie. PLPD).

So, morally I might be justified in not doing anything, as he was selling a POS car that barely ran under false pretenses. But legally because I signed a contract to fix it, I am stuck fixing it.

So how do I have a car fixed that barely runs? I don't even know if it will make it to an autobody shop without breaking down. Do I pay $100 each way to have it towed to a shop to be fixed?

Does anyone know a mobile dent removal service that would come give me an appraisal?

The guy was asking $5500 for a 2001 CRV with 175000km on it. As soon as the door damage occurred he said just buy it now for $4000. An immediate price drop of $1500!

I was going to post a link to the add, it has been removed from all websites.

I would consider buying this car for $4000 if I knew the mechanical problems could be fixed. Does anyone know a good mechanic that could figure out all that's truly wrong with this vehicle?

This is a really crappy situation and I do appreciate all your thoughts on this.

Thanks again Beyond.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by cidley69

I was going to post a link to the add, it has been removed from all websites.

If you're lucky it might show up in google cache if you remember any exact parts of it.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by cidley69


2001 CRV

Oh, sure it was Shadowman (http://forums.beyond.ca/st/318876/tuner-shop-wrecks-a-ford-gt-says-owner-is-responsible-/) , sure it was :rofl:

[jonnycat]

Your Insurance should transfer over to whatever car you are driving, no?

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by jonnycat
Your Insurance should transfer over to whatever car you are driving, no?


Some policies do, some don't. It would be cheaper for him in the long run to pay for towing, fix the door, then tow back though.

[blitz]

Once it's running, then you fix the door. No way you should be responsible for towing that POS to and from the body shop.

[Barlow]

I personally think you should be responsible for all charges.

It would be someone elses problem if you had taken de dilligence!


Barlow

[Unknown303]

I'm one for saying screw the seller. He knew all along that he was feeding you a load of shit. The vehicle obviously wasn't road worthy.

Just say that you didn't sign it. If he's that hard up selling busted up cars I don't see him paying a lawyer to chase after you.

[cidley69]

News update on the situation...

I called my insurance company yesterday to ask if I was covered. They told me no, but that the owner's insurance should cover all damages.

If the owner lets people take his vehicle he is responsible for having proper insurance, if he doesn't he's personally liable for all damages.

I replayed the accident offer in my head several times, and now am sure reason I hit the parked car is due to the car I was driving stalling as I was at the sharp angle to park, just before I straightened out to be parallel the curve.

This would never have happened if the test drive vehicle was mechanically sound. I am sure of this.

So, I went to the police station and filed an accident report. The officer there said I have nothing to worry about, even the signed paper would not be admissible in court due to the circumstances of the accident and subsequent signing.

While at the police station the owner of the vehicle showed up, tried making the officer take his side, and lost.

Basically the officer told he he was at fault, and he could take me to small claims court if he liked, but he would definitely lose.

So, seems the situation has come to a close with the owner having a damaged door on top of a POS salvaged/rebuilt scam vehicle.

I have learned several lessons out of this situation:

-always verify insurance before driving anyone else's vehicle

-when on a test drive, have the owner come with

-see the registration before going any further if considering a vehicle

-if ever in a questionable accident, call the police and get them to take statements right away

-never sign anything at the scene of an accident

-Kijiji is chalk-a-block full of scammers (so refreshing to know the Beyond crowd is honest!)

Anyone have any further thoughts?





:dunno:

[Zero102]

Originally posted by cidley69
I replayed the accident offer in my head several times, and now am sure reason I hit the parked car is due to the car I was driving stalling as I was at the sharp angle to park, just before I straightened out to be parallel the curve.

Generally a car would stop moving when it stalls, not veer off course.

[kvg]

cidley69 I agree with what you decided to do. Good call:thumbsup:

[Unknown303]

Good call on all accounts there cidley69. Cops can be your friends in a lot of situations.

[bjstare]

Originally posted by Zero102


Generally a car would stop moving when it stalls, not veer off course.

He's saying that it actually stayed on course as a result of the stall (which cause the power steering to stop working and brakes to become weak, most likely). Have you ever been in a car thats rolling but not running when the power assisted steering and brakes don't work? It's a lot tougher to control, and if it happened quickly, could definitely take someone by surprise.

[calgary403]

Originally posted by cidley69

As we were pulling into the parking place we took the vehicle from, it pulled hard to the right, as if the wheel alignment or steering linkage was heavily messed up.




Originally posted by cidley69
reason I hit the parked car is due to the car I was driving stalling as I was at the sharp angle to park, just before I straightened out to be parallel the curve.



So which was it?

:dunno: :dunno:

[Scuderia]

Originally posted by calgary403




So which was it?

:dunno: :dunno:

He's lying, I don't get why everyone is playing along. Like I said in my first post, the only possible thing that could've happened is the car dying when he was turning in the parking lot, the steering locking, and the brakes not working. Then he would've panicked and slammed into the car. But fuck it, if it worked out for him then its all good.

[calgary403]

Originally posted by Scuderia


He's lying, I don't get why everyone is playing along. Like I said in my first post, the only possible thing that could've happened is the car dying when he was turning in the parking lot, the steering locking, and the brakes not working. Then he would've panicked and slammed into the car. But fuck it, if it worked out for him then its all good.

:werd:

What I think happened is OP got into an accident in a shitty car that could have been avoided if he was a decent driver. Then placed blame on the car for being a POS. OP you should have known how to handle a car stalling, what would happen if you ever blew a tire? 50 car pile up?

[thetransporter]

:P

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by Zero102


Generally a car would stop moving when it stalls, not veer off course.

I think he means it was getting close to stalling...

On my old explorer, we had some issues once. When it came close to stalling, during the jolts of the engine struggling, the power steering would go (as in shut off)...

On top of that too, if the wheel was cranked (like it sounds like in this situation when he was parking), the vehicle would turn further in if going at extremely low speeds.

Come to think of it, on my newer vehicle, if I suddenly turn the wheel, RPMs shoot down and I lose power steering (on my big SUV it's impossible to turn without power steering).

If I didn't have that happen to me, I wouldn't have believed the story... But I have.