Post by RuneDeer on Sept 11, 2008 22:08:00 GMT -5
I bought my son a used car last year; it was not a wise buying choice, but it was a complicated situation. He took it up to New Jersey and it broke down majorly about 4 months later. Nothing happened from October of '07 until May of this year. Just to get closure, I paid the thing off - the dealer lowered the price and shortened the payment period so that it took 3 months to pay it off rather than a couple of years.
So that's done. I have the title. The problem is, the car has been sitting at the same gas station for nearly a year now, with no work being done on it. The car WAS under warranty, but it expired in May and I did not renew it. Last fall I talked to the claims agent, who said the mechanic had only to call him and arrange for a new engine to be delivered. I would have to pay for all the incidental items such as the installation and whatever connections were made to the engine. Before I knew it was covered (at first they said it was not), I had agreed to pay the mechanic for the diagnostic work and he said it would be $250 total. I sent him $100 money order and was prepared to send the rest in a couple of weeks, after which time I'd have it towed off his lot. The dealer had even agreed to cancel out the entire purchase contract if I would get the car towed back to him in Chattanooga. But when the claims agent said the engine would be covered after all, I was quite dismayed when the mechanic ignored my calls and never contacted the agent to arrange for the work (the agent said the OK would have to come from him, not me). The dealer suspects that the mechanic wants to slap a lien on the car for having provided the parking space all this time. In anticipation of that, I wrote him a certified letter, outlining all of the above and telling him I would not be responsible for any charges beyond the balance we originally agreed upon for the repairs.
My son is now in college, far far away from New Jersey. I have no friends or relatives up there.
I have the title to this car and would like nothing more than to bid it a fond aloha and never think about it again.
I would like to sell the car to someone, and pretty much any offer would be accepted. After transferring the title, the buyer would then be responsible for dealing with this sleazebag mechanic, settling the terms to get it off the lot, towing it and then either fixing it up or disposing of it. Buyer would also be responsible for renewing the now-expired TN tag. I really want to wash my hands of this thing. Whoever takes this on should be someone who understands how people behave in NJ, and someone with legal connections - if this thing doesn't turn ugly I would be very surprised.
If anyone's interested in this, please PM.
Thanks.
So that's done. I have the title. The problem is, the car has been sitting at the same gas station for nearly a year now, with no work being done on it. The car WAS under warranty, but it expired in May and I did not renew it. Last fall I talked to the claims agent, who said the mechanic had only to call him and arrange for a new engine to be delivered. I would have to pay for all the incidental items such as the installation and whatever connections were made to the engine. Before I knew it was covered (at first they said it was not), I had agreed to pay the mechanic for the diagnostic work and he said it would be $250 total. I sent him $100 money order and was prepared to send the rest in a couple of weeks, after which time I'd have it towed off his lot. The dealer had even agreed to cancel out the entire purchase contract if I would get the car towed back to him in Chattanooga. But when the claims agent said the engine would be covered after all, I was quite dismayed when the mechanic ignored my calls and never contacted the agent to arrange for the work (the agent said the OK would have to come from him, not me). The dealer suspects that the mechanic wants to slap a lien on the car for having provided the parking space all this time. In anticipation of that, I wrote him a certified letter, outlining all of the above and telling him I would not be responsible for any charges beyond the balance we originally agreed upon for the repairs.
My son is now in college, far far away from New Jersey. I have no friends or relatives up there.
I have the title to this car and would like nothing more than to bid it a fond aloha and never think about it again.
I would like to sell the car to someone, and pretty much any offer would be accepted. After transferring the title, the buyer would then be responsible for dealing with this sleazebag mechanic, settling the terms to get it off the lot, towing it and then either fixing it up or disposing of it. Buyer would also be responsible for renewing the now-expired TN tag. I really want to wash my hands of this thing. Whoever takes this on should be someone who understands how people behave in NJ, and someone with legal connections - if this thing doesn't turn ugly I would be very surprised.
If anyone's interested in this, please PM.
Thanks.
