Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2001 21:29:47 -0700
Reply-To: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David Marshall <vanagon@VOLKSWAGEN.ORG>
Subject: Letting someone take your car for a test drive - read this
In-Reply-To: <F19w2vatfWYqHSPVYAt00014ffb@hotmail.com>
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Sometimes you learn lessons the hard way. This is what I did with my 1987
Volkswagen Fox that I am selling.
My experience with buying cars is I visit the owner and they usually throw
me the keys and let me take it for a test drive myself or they will at least
accompany me during the test drive. Well... you shouldn't do that... read
on.
On Wednesday, my wife took a call from this kid who wants to look at the VW
Fox we have for sale. My wife asked him to show up after 4:30 so I could be
home when he gets there. He shows up early. When I am home the kid and his
mother are standing around waiting for me. As soon as I get out of my
Transporter I ask the kid if he wants to take it for a test drive. I throw
him the keys, I get in the passenger seat and off we go.
The drive starts out good enough, the 18 or so year old kid knows how to
drive a stick, but I think it was with a V8 as he was shifting way too early
for the 4 cylinder. Finally we are at 80km/h and POP! - the hood pops up
and is held in place with the safety catch... the kid isn't slowing down, I
lean forward and look at him and he pays no attention to me... just as I was
about to say something to him the safety catch fails and the hood starts
flapping up and down. At this point the kid is looking confused, but we are
STILL doing 80 - then SMASH!!! The engine bonnet flies right back and into
the windscreen, spraying glass over us and breaking the hinges that used to
hold to hood on. The kid then looks over at me and says "Hey man, I can't
see" and is still doing 80... I yell at him to "put your foot on the f___ing
brake you idiot!", "But I can't see" he tells me again (really! no smegging
shit!) Finally he clues in to stop the car, the only reason why I am still
alive is that I live on a back road with very little traffic and this happen
in a straight stretch with no cars or people coming. I now get out the car,
I am furious, I look at the engine bonnet that is now held on with only the
washer fluid hose. Very p.o.ed about the situation I fling the engine
bonnet in to the ditch and tell the kid to get in the passenger seat. I
drove home. When we arrived in the yard the kids mother looks at the car
and asks what happened. The kid told his mom that he didn't latch the hood
correctly when he was looking at the engine - the fact that he looked at the
engine at all was news to me as I would have checked to make sure he did
latch it correctly! The mom goes on to state "Well I guess we are not going
to by THAT car" and they quickly got into their Honda and drove away.
Now... the moral of the story... there are many.
1 Make sure you have a disclaimer that you fill out with the test driver's
drivers licence information. This makes sure that they ACTUALLY HAVE A
LICENCE and that you know exactly who you are dealing with. I didn't have
any of that information.
2 Make sure on this disclaimer you state that the TEST DRIVER is liable to
any damages done to the car, speeding tickets and other nasties that you can
think of. Also make sure that you put on the disclaimer that if they are in
an "at fault" accident that they agree that it is THEIR INSURANCE that takes
the hit and not your insurance. (In BC I am at fault if you smash my car
while you are driving it).
3 Make sure that you state in the disclaimer that if they are hurt or killed
while driving your car that it isn't YOUR PROBLEM and they accept ALL RISKS
in driving the car.
I can't help but to think if the engine bonnet hit the glass a little harder
and the kid, or myself got injured or killed by flying glass / engine bonnet
or the car loosing control and going into the ditch / someone else... very
scary thought indeed.
C.Y.A. - in case you don't know what that means - COVER YOUR ASS - it is a
litigation based society these days. I have very thankful I got off with a
$300 bill for a new windshield and had some spare hinges to make the Fox "as
good as used" again. Anyone want to buy a Fox - going cheap!
Beware, be smart and take this example to heart.
David Marshall - Volkswagen Enthusiast Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada
78 VW Rabbit [1.8L]
84 VW Westfalia with 105hp I4 [For Sale]
84 German Army VW Double Cab [For Sale]
87 Audi 5000 Quattro
87 VW Fox Sedan
88 VW Syncro Double Cab
David's Volkswagen Home Page
http://www.volkswagen.org <http://www.volkswagen.org>
Fast Forward Automotive Inc.
http://www.fastforward.ca <http://www.fastforward.ca>
