you owe them nothing!if anything the "mechanic" they took it to should be giving them some money back!if they're dumb enough to fork over $250.for $10 worth of sparkplugs,and a half hr.of their time,thats their loss.then again if they can't change a set of plugs on a 30-35 yr,old car,maybe they shouldn't have bought it in the first place.go to sleep at night,guilt free!
I agree with the last three posts 100% I would have added Johns in there but he doesn't need the money as much as I do.
Here's the situation as I see it. First, there seems to be no deception on your part in regard to the selling of the car based on what you've said. Obviously, I wasn't privvy to the conversation with the buyer so I can only go by what's been posted. I'm not familiar with Nevada consumer laws so I can only reference Pennsylvania ones, but they're likely similar. Bacically, private party sales are "caveat emptor", buyer beware. I't's doubtful that you guys have any liability for this situation as long as you haven't intentionally deceived the buyer. He would have to file a civil suit and be able to prove deception on your part and that would not be easy for him to do. As to the plug issue, the entire question of "wrong plugs" is a rhetorical one. Some wrenchers feel that you only should put what was original in any specific engine, some don't care. Some have a personal preference like I have a fondness for Bosch and others like Champions. I've never heard of plugs burning up and I'd be REALLY curious to see the alleged bad SplitFires. Even if those were a heat range off, they shouldn't have suffered physical damage. This whole allegation stinks. And then $250 for the diagnosis and replacement? If that's what a minor tune goes for in Metro Vegas, I'm moving and setting up shop tomorrow! I'm definately in the wrong business in the wrong state. This itself sounds really fishy. The $150 for the tow may be reasonable depending on whether it was flatbedded and the time of day, etc. A tow goes for an average minimum of $75 and up around here. I just sold the Bronco II that I've had for sale all winter. I protected myself by having a bill of sale drafted and specified in it that it is an "As-Is" sale. You live and learn that everyone is not as stand up on business deals as you might be. If you want to reimburse this guy out of the goodness of your heart, that's up to you. I have some reservations on how legitimate his claims are based on the facts presented here so far. Just beware that if you do refund him some money, you might leave yourself open to having him try again the next thing he screws up on the car. The end decision is up to the two of you.
t.l., you know i was just giving you grief. Xtasea, tell them if they want their 250 back to post the car here or on ebay and sell it.again, anyone who pays that much for spark plugs for a straight 6 doesnt understand cars enough to own one without a warranty or friend who does. are you guys thinking about bringing the grabber to knotts this weekend?
I would offer to pay for some new spark plugs-- SIX DOLLARS, and that's it... (Motorcraft, Autolite, Champion, or Bosch Super)
If you were to happen to give them anything for their problems, you might be implying some sort of warranty that leaves you vulnerable in small claims court. A judge might construe it as showing some sort of guilt or maybe that you did offer a warranty and are now going back on it. If it was your word against theirs, you would give credibility to their word. Tell them you empathize with their problem, but you gave no warranty. Dave
Sorry to hear you sold the car. Scared me when I read the title, I thought you wrecked it or something. And as other said, I would absolutely not pay them a dime. I would tell them sorry, the car is over 30 years old and you bought it as it sits, period. May have been fine and dandy to help them out years ago, but now days you gotta expect everyone is out to get you with everything they do until they prove otherwise. Showing class or not, you gotta cover your own ass. Sorry for 'em. Anyone who will pay $250 to get their plugs changed isn't too bright to begin with.
I cant believe I even wasted time to read this thread. This a waste of bandwidth. What I want to hear from is the new owner of this car, someone we can help. So instead of bashing a new owner, maybe we can help them to keep their car on the road. Dan
The new owner has the guts (?) to ask the previous owner to pay to have the car repaired AFTER the deal has been completed and the car long gone. I don't think so. Seems like this thread has served it's purpose.
New members I completely agree with Dan. Couldn't it be possible that the new owners aren't "bad"? That they are just inexperienced and were told by the mechanic that they had gotten ripped off? I have known some pretty shaddy mechanics that justify there " bill" by redirecting the blame for the high bill back to the previous owner. I think XTASEA should tell the new owners about this site, because it sure does sound like they could use some guidance. After all, they are now part of the family, whether they know it or not..What better way to show that Xtasea wasn't trying to cheat them, than to hook them up with unlimited tech support!
While possible, it's wise to cover your own a$$. I don't have a problem with helping them, but when they go asking for money, thats where the help would end.
