Posted by Lars BendOr e12z on May 15, 2002 at 15:58:30 from 66.62.152.10
In Reply to: Opinions about the overpriced M535i in GA posted by Robert Knowlton on May 15, 2002 at 11:50:48:
First... the judgement issue. Most people on these boards seem to have good intent, but are highly critical. Every specialty car, or high priced car gets torn apart without reservation, particularly if the price seems a bit high. Frankly, price is only an issue between the seller and buyer, since none of us know the final deal on any of these acquisitions. I count myself among those willing to venture an opinion on prices without having complete information available. A very human fault, which I gladly own up to.
Second, cars such as the one you posted are always under attack as far as veracity. It rarely occurs that the car may be legitimate, particularly if one slight modification was made.
Third, it is unheard of in these circles for someone to just stand up with a wad of money and say "Hey, I just want to buy a finished, or presentable car, that needs no work. I am very specific about what I want. Can you all help me out?" In response, many will consider it their right, if not their duty to convince you to go another way altogether. Again, I am privileged to this kind of thinking as well. My reason: I simply find it impossible to consider writing a Ten Thousand Plus check for a car that I only have to drive to enjoy. That way is insanity??? Not??
Third. European acquisition. I have had a friend who has been finding and importing cars from UK and the European Continent for years. The one thing he learned early on, and I have learned by association.... (here I get blasted) Europeans have an entirely different concept of what constitutes a high quality car. Yes, that's a generalization, and there are exceptions to every generalized statement. However, the amount of care that must be given to detail, the amount of direct questioning, the amount of highly detailed photos and documentation, the paperwork and the exhaustive communication are all endless, taking months for each transaction. The only way I would ever consider overseas purchasing on used is if I were willing to just write a big check and not be concerned if the deal fell through and I never got my money back, or not care if the car did not look a bit like the one I thought I was going to get. The last deal my friend was involved in totalled $35000 of other peoples money and two cars that almost never made it to the country. One of them was non-existent for 8 months. Nobody knew where it was. And yet, everybody involved in all sides of the transactions had documentable history for their abilities and honor in these types of transactions.