Yesterday early evening a guy stopped by and asked if I wanted to donate / sell an old junker car I have sitting in the side yard. He said he was in an auto shop class at the local junior college, and they need some projects. Some negotiation, and he agreed to give me $100 cash, which he did, five $20 bills.
The car is a junker, a Volvo, 20 years old, 250k miles, engine blows copious amounts of thick black smoke, transmission slips, torque converter leaks badly, unibody is bent, interior is torn to hell. I have a California title for it, Nevada plates, (we live in Washington, just across the river from Portland, OR) the registration is a couple years expired, and it has a few old parking tickets attached to it. You can see why I would be thrilled to get $100 for it. None of this scared him off.
We are filling out the paperwork, the pink slip and a bill of sale, and he gives his name as "Bob Lee". My wife was writing it all down, asked him if his full name was Robert, and he insisted it was just Bob Lee. Fine, whatever.
Wrapping up the paperwork, I wanted to get his driver's license number just in case. He hemmed and hawed, saying he just moved, is getting it updated, doesn't have it. I pause right there, get a little more insistent, and he says ok and shows me a license with the name Robert Acosta with a different address than he gave us of course. The wife says no way deal's off, and I agree. I give him back his money and send him on his way. He tries to tell me he just got married and is taking his wife's name, just moved in with her that's why the address is different, blah blah. Utter bs story.
I just can not figure his angle.
He wanted a title and VIN to swap to a stolen car? Maybe, but that's a lot of work for not a very valuable car even in top notch shape. The wife thought maybe he wanted a car to run drugs, but I said why would you run drugs in a car that probably will fall apart on the way. She also suspected the money was counterfeit, but I said what's the upside? I didn't give him change or anything. Best I can figure is some sort of insurance scam, but I don't know how buying a clunker under a fake name helps.
Any ideas?
The car is a junker, a Volvo, 20 years old, 250k miles, engine blows copious amounts of thick black smoke, transmission slips, torque converter leaks badly, unibody is bent, interior is torn to hell. I have a California title for it, Nevada plates, (we live in Washington, just across the river from Portland, OR) the registration is a couple years expired, and it has a few old parking tickets attached to it. You can see why I would be thrilled to get $100 for it. None of this scared him off.
We are filling out the paperwork, the pink slip and a bill of sale, and he gives his name as "Bob Lee". My wife was writing it all down, asked him if his full name was Robert, and he insisted it was just Bob Lee. Fine, whatever.
Wrapping up the paperwork, I wanted to get his driver's license number just in case. He hemmed and hawed, saying he just moved, is getting it updated, doesn't have it. I pause right there, get a little more insistent, and he says ok and shows me a license with the name Robert Acosta with a different address than he gave us of course. The wife says no way deal's off, and I agree. I give him back his money and send him on his way. He tries to tell me he just got married and is taking his wife's name, just moved in with her that's why the address is different, blah blah. Utter bs story.
I just can not figure his angle.
He wanted a title and VIN to swap to a stolen car? Maybe, but that's a lot of work for not a very valuable car even in top notch shape. The wife thought maybe he wanted a car to run drugs, but I said why would you run drugs in a car that probably will fall apart on the way. She also suspected the money was counterfeit, but I said what's the upside? I didn't give him change or anything. Best I can figure is some sort of insurance scam, but I don't know how buying a clunker under a fake name helps.
Any ideas?
