Alright guys, so I have to get some things off my chest. First, the bad.

Now this is going to seem relatively complicated so listen up. As some of you know, my girlfriend and I moved to Virginia from Michigan about 8 months ago, and basically since we got here our lives have more or less been hell. But the fiascos surrounding our vehicles have been the worst of it.

Because you see, in Michigan it is your god-given right to drive a shitpile deathtrap if you want to. In Virginia, there are state inspections that would absolutely fail probably about 75% of Michigan driven and owned cars. So here begins my story. I used to drive a Pontiac grand prix, an old ass one, and it was the shittiest pile of . I didn't quite know how it was until I took it in to be inspected in Virginia as the tags on my plates were up and I had no choice. Needless to say, it failed miserably, with problems ranging from damage to the frame ( ) to a seized caliper, which I knew about, but had hoped was bad brake pads...and they got me on some little things like my exhaust tip and whatnot.

So long story short, I began trying to unload that car, while my girlfriend gave me her old saturn wagon which only need a set of ball joints replaced to pass inspection. And she proceeded to get a loan for a 2007 Toyota Corolla. SHAZAM!

And thus, we were hustled. Big time. As we listed the car on craigslist for $1000, as the price of cars as you get further south is insane, and the car DID after all have a rebuilt engine and transmission. It was just the structural damage that was the worst of it. After receiving little interest we dropped the price to 900 and received a little more interest. We got texts from a girl who asked if we'd take 800 for it, and we said sure! We were really prepared to take as little as 500. So then, the girl cuts to the chase and asks if she can pay half now, half later. I'm not really in any position to say no, as my girlfriend has GIVEN ME A CAR to help me out of this mess. So I tell her it's her call, and we go and meet with these people.

Now I'm not an idiot. We drew up a bill of sale that would stand up in small claims court, one detailing the conditions of the sale, no warranties, returns, etc and that we were going to receive payment in two weeks' time, and in the meantime the couple would use the car because they were in a bind. How, I didn't know, as the insurance was cancelled, the car was plateless, etc etc. But with money in hand and a promise for more, while I retained the title and one copy of the bill of sale, I thought things would be ok.

Needless to say, we got her to sign the bill of sale but we found out today that she signed with a fake name. We were supposed to receive the other half of the payment on Friday but, of course, the people didn't show up at the agreed place and time. When we tried to call them at their number we had reached them at before, it was mysteriously disconnected. And when we went to their house, prepared for the worst, neither they nor the car were there.

And so as the neighbor lady pulled in across the street we decided to ask her if she'd seen the car or what the deal was. She said "Oh, you mean that little car they packed all their stuff into, drove away in, and haven't been back since?"

So we left a note on the door, which was apparently the girl's grandma's house, saying we were reporting the car stolen and leaving a number they could reach us at. Few hours later, the Grandma calls and tells us that the couple had picked up and left while she was at work, and she had no idea where they went. But they had probably fled the state and we should call the cops. She then went on to tell us the girl's real name (presumably) and all of these personal details that they had had multiple falling-outs before, etc. So tomorrow we go to our local police station to see what our options are which amount to "not much" if I had to guess.

Now I'm telling you all this because I try to see the best in people, but I'm also a realist. I tried every way I could think of to protect myself from this type of thing, except the thing I should have done which was say NO, we are not doing the half and half thing. But really, who in their right mind is ghetto enough to flee the state in a car that you only half paid for, without the title, with no insurance or valid plates? I've never had any major crime done to me before, never been assaulted, stolen from, murdered, etc. This just serves as the first and hopefully only situation where I am forced to see what incredible pieces of some people are. Willing to victimize a young couple, and for what. A car so they can flee Virginia? And go where? And do what? I just don't get it.

I hope the Cosmos serves them up some fierce karma, that they end up stranded 60 miles from nowhere, with a phone that doesn't work and all their god damned belongings in that devilcar. The dirtbags.

But anyway, the great news is that I got accepted to the local university and will begin work on a Master's Degree in literature come September. Hopefully lessons learned and connections made will help me get the hell out of your friendly neighborhood WalMart.

Anyway, sorry for the epically long post. Thanks for listening, and remember: don't trust anyone. Ever. For any reason.

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Only if I can borrow $200.

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That sucks, but, I can't help but feel you did everything you legally could (besides refusing to sell) to protect yourself. You did say you were prepared to take 500 for it, so you haven't lost a huge amount, I guess that's the only good thing you can take from this.

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luck man. some people are dirtbags. with any luck, they will get stopped by the cops OR in a small but sever enough accident that requires the police. then they will get caught, you get your car back/paid for the car.

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Damn, those people sounded like real douches. I hope they get stopped by the cops, and you get the car back. On the plus side, at least you are going to start to work on your degree good luck with that pursuit.

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Never, ever, EVER list anything on craigslist. That site is a total piece of full of inconsiderate morons, people who never show up in spite of calling six times in the past day, self-entitled that think because they've given you a phone number they should be the ones to set the price, and of course, "nigerian royalty".

Do I know this from experience? Years of experience? Yes. That site is utter and needs to finally die and rot in hell. So do the troglodytes that respond to the adverts...

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Imagine a perfect hideaway
Without a time
Imagine a perfect Eden
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Yeah I've had a few people tell me to sell something I had on Craigslist or buy something I needed on Craigslist and I was like "haaaaaaaaaaaahahahahanoidontthinkso."

But you're right, I wouldn't have expected them to pack up and leave in a car they didn't have the title or plates for. Typically cops will stop people without plates so you might hear something in a while once you visit the police.

If it's any consolation, the fact that her grandmother was giving her a place to live and she up and left without even letting her grandma know just proves how low of a person she is. I hope it doesn't truly make you think you can't trust anyone. You just ran into one of the worst ones.

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.Legendary themed months are back! Maybe.

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The word Moron insults those who were legally labeled that but i still agree with you with how bad craiglist can be From both experience and news stories on bad experiences, including violent ones.

I've never heard of someone being labeled a "moron" legally.

Lander, I'm sorry to hear that you've had to deal with such scum. Being a pessimist, I can't say I've been in your shoes, but I certainly do feel bad for you. I hope they're caught or otherwise impacted because of their poor choices.

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Queen Black Dragon Kill Log

Anytime man.
Sorry people are pathetic.

Now I've never had any real problem with Craigslist. I buy and sell on there all the time. Mainly buy because I don't have anything worth selling :p

Whoever searches Craigslist and sees an OBO obviously means ( Let's see how far I can drop his price... And Still most likely not buy ). People are scam artists and I've also heard the line ( My loss for your gain a lot, which means they are trading me a piece of for whatever I'm selling )

Those people were just another pair of scam artists who don't really think about the "after affects" like what to do with an unlicensed car, no insurance, no title and well... stolen. Buy the car for 400 then bail.

They'll be lucky to get the 500 out of it especially if it is in as bad condition as you said. Just have to watch your ass when dealing with people. Anyone who you don't know personally... Sometimes even them. Be sure to get all the information and make sure it's a legal trade if it's anything big like a car.

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Road to Insane Final Boss

Amazing that they would do that for essentially $400. As for craigslist, I have had many great experiences without a single bad one.

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Same. You just have to know what to do, and what not to do. Personally, I would never accept a half-now-half-later offer. If the sale can't be finalized in one transaction, then you're asking for trouble.

You were smart to create a bill of sale, but you let an uncertainty slip by when you assumed that she would sign with her real signature. What's to stop her from scribbling something else? What do you have to compare it to? At the very least, you ought to have compared it to the signature on her driver's license.

Never let the other person dominate or have more control over the sale than you, especially if you're the one selling. You should always assume that the person you're dealing with is untrustworthy, self-seeking, and that they will you over if you give them the opportunity. Never depend on the good will of a person that you don't know. You're dealing with strangers, you don't know how they'll act.

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I also have not had issues, as both a seller and a buyer. You just need to know what to look for and what to avoid (like someone offering to only pay you half of something up front ). And if you're buying something, make sure it works before you buy it. I will say Craigslist can be an awful site, but it can also be an incredibly useful site.

Best of luck to you Lander.

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There's a demo. Play the demo. Form your own opinion.

"Cash only. Delivery not available. List price is final."

I had always put that in bold letters on my adverts. Guess what three things the leagues of idiots contacting me about sales kept asking me about anyway...

I don't care how many precautions you take; people on craigslist are more boneheaded than your average mac user.

Anyway, this car bollocks reminded me of this:

[youtube]-9CynvMlFyo[/youtube]

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Imagine a perfect beach
Without a mermaid
Imagine a perfect hideaway
Without a time
Imagine a perfect Eden
Without a friend, without a serpent
"Feeling lonely and content at the same time,
I believe, is a rare kind of happiness"

HAHAHAHAHA

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Me either. I looked it up and it looks like it's been deprecated for well over a decade.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moron_(psychology)

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.Legendary themed months are back! Maybe.

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Wow, you guys made me feel so much better.

Called the cops and they more or less said I'm an idiot and I cannot report it stolen, because once you enter into a civil agreement you take all criminal implications out of it. Soooo basically if I wanted to get them back, I would need to sue. Over 400 dollars, and somehow be able to serve them papers when they have no fixed address.

Yup, we got and it's a valuable lesson learned. I feel stupid and it was stupid, but I just cannot fathom someone driving off with a car that isn't legally theirs in this instance.

I'll likely get a call from police/towyard in the coming weeks or months saying they have my car in florida, and to come and get it...or pay for it...in which case, I can't and won't, which really sucks.

At least I'll know then that those don't have it anymore.

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We please to aim...

__________________

Imagine a perfect beach
Without a mermaid
Imagine a perfect hideaway
Without a time
Imagine a perfect Eden
Without a friend, without a serpent
"Feeling lonely and content at the same time,
I believe, is a rare kind of happiness"