guy called to the house to see if my car is for sale out of the blue

Casey_81

Hi,

Im not sure if this is the right place for this query - so apologies if its in the wrong place.

Just to give you some background... i live in a semi-d house, we have two cars I park mine at the front, and my hubby parks his at the side of the house. My hubby works evenings & so his car is always parked at the house in the mornings. We have two dogs that my hubby generally walks in the mornings sometime between 10 and 1pm.

Anyway, I was working from home today at about lunchtime a guy rang our doorbell and asked me if we were selling my hubbys car cos he's seen it parked and it doesnt seem to be moved much.

Kinda freaked me out to be honest, am i overreacting or do you reckon its legit?

TestTransmission

What's the car?

Casey_81

TestTransmission wrote: »

What's the car?

megane - old model 1998 - lots of scrapes & scratches.. its well parked up beside the house so noone would have been able to have a proper look at it from the road

forgot to say we live in a cul-de-sac about 6 houses so no reason for anyone who doesnt live there to drive in.

Andrew33

Casey_81 wrote: »

megane - old model 1998 - lots of scrapes & scratches.. its well parked up beside the house so noone would have been able to have a proper look at it from the road

Definitely dodgy, probably checking out your house to see if its occupied during the day.

DonalN

Casey_81 wrote: »

megane - old model 1998 - lots of scrapes & scratches.. its well parked up beside the house so noone would have been able to have a proper look at it from the road

forgot to say we live in a cul-de-sac about 6 houses so no reason for anyone who doesnt live there to drive in.

don't suppose you want an old scraped and scratched 00 mondeo to add to your collection??:D

Casey_81

DonalN wrote: »

don't suppose you want an old scraped and scratched 00 mondeo to add to your collection??:D

ha ha.. have a pretty old micra too so think i've plenty of old bangers

Marty McFly

Definitely sounds a bit dodgy to me, did any of your neighbours have the same thing happen to them?

seanybiker

Fella I used to hang around with used to always go upto peoples doors and ask em where they selling their car.
He was only looking for cheap ould yokes.
He bought one or two from doing it.
If I didnt know someone though and they called to my house asking to buy my bike I would get a little freaked out. Happened a few times in town and that but thats grand.

Casey_81

luvbulmers01 wrote: »

Definitely sounds a bit dodgy to me, did any of your neighbours have the same thing happen to them?

nope.. the guy just got into his car & drove off

heno86

had a guy call into my house enquiring about my old corsa he ended up buying it but i live on a main road,definitely sounds a bit dodgier in a cul de sac tho

Casey_81

heno86 wrote: »

had a guy call into my house enquiring about my old corsa he ended up buying it

seanybiker wrote: »

Fella I used to hang around with used to always go upto peoples doors and ask em where they selling their car.
He was only looking for cheap ould yokes.

I suppose it could be perfectly legit. Seen as we live on a cul-de-sac it made me feel as if he was keeping an eye on our house though. Although to be fair to the guy he didn't do anything wrong by asking.

Anan1

It's happened to me before, unless the guy seemed dodgy I wouldn't worry about it.

scudzilla

walkin down the road today and saw an old Megane outside a house, went and knocked on the door but some scorpy old one answered, wasn't interested after that

Padraig Mor

Andrew33 wrote: »

Definitely dodgy, probably checking out your house to see if its occupied during the day.

+1. Could well be casing your house. Common diversionary tactic - see Patrick Nally case.

Anan1

Andrew33 wrote: »

Definitely dodgy, probably checking out your house to see if its occupied during the day.

Come on now, definitely? It might possibly have been dodgy, but it was more than likely innocent.

Casey_81

Padraig Mor wrote: »

+1. Could well be casing your house. Common diversionary tactic - see Patrick Nally case.

Yeah thats the flip side isn't it... I mentioned it to one of my neighbors & they said they'd keep their eyes open too. my hubby usually goes to work at about 3 and they work flexi-time usually one of them there from then onwards.

Would like to think that I see the good in people but I suppose you cant be too careful these days

positron

Someone did this to me once, and that was when I had my banger outside the door. I could be wrong about this particular instance, but in general some people with a van or something go around looking for bangers, as the owners might be just thinking of getting rid of the car anyway, and this guy can probably bring it to the scrapyard for a few hundred euro. Just may be..!

Dilynnio

My friend got a note on her car asking was it for sale and they left a number.

A blue Renault Megane 96/98, its a bit bashed up but it goes like a dream!

Maybe they r good for reselling? Maybe there is a demand?!:D

5T3PH3N

Was this in the Clonsilla/Blanch area? This happened to me last week, scummer knocked and asked about my car, not for sale so he fecked off. I heard the house down the road was broken into that evening.

They went into the wrong house though, the homeowner's son found out who it was that day and got their stuff back, and left him in a bad way.

whippet

didn't 'Frog' Ward drop in to someone to see if he was selling something ..............

Casey_81

Dilynnio wrote: »

My friend got a note on her car asking was it for sale and they left a number.

A blue Renault Megane 96/98, its a bit bashed up but it goes like a dream!

Maybe they r good for reselling? Maybe there is a demand?!:D

Suppose, I've heard that parts for old renaults are expensive & hard to come by

stellarartois

scudzilla wrote: »

walkin down the road today and saw an old Megane outside a house, went and knocked on the door but some scorpy old one answered, wasn't interested after that

Oh wow what a funny and original idea for a post. :rolleyes:

Dilynnio

Casey_81 wrote: »

Suppose, I've heard that parts for old renaults are expensive & hard to come by

Yeah they are got a quote once for €350 for a part to fix the mechanics in the window but I knew this garage and the guy there just took it out of an old renault he had out the back!

kravmaga

Casey_81 wrote: »

Hi,

Im not sure if this is the right place for this query - so apologies if its in the wrong place.

Just to give you some background... i live in a semi-d house, we have two cars I park mine at the front, and my hubby parks his at the side of the house. My hubby works evenings & so his car is always parked at the house in the mornings. We have two dogs that my hubby generally walks in the mornings sometime between 10 and 1pm.

Anyway, I was working from home today at about lunchtime a guy rang our doorbell and asked me if we were selling my hubbys car cos he's seen it parked and it doesnt seem to be moved much.

Kinda freaked me out to be honest, am i overreacting or do you reckon its legit?

The guy sounded well dodgy, he was casing out your house as most burglaries according to Garda stats happen during the day time now.

If you still remember what he looks like you should let the local Garda station know.
If you noted down the reg of the car he drove off in and give to Garda they can check him out....

Yawns

I live in the country and used to get this once or twice a week. There's 2 old cars out on the road opposite our row of houses laying alongside a 10ft wall. Vans and chanchers always driving in, looking around and knocking on doors.

They knock on all the doors along the row just to find the owner and be told no. There was 1 persistant guy who knocked once a week every week for about 5 months. He only stopped after the owner came out with his boxer to tell him it was a defo no, but I do still see him coing in with his van and checkign the cars still there lol

kravmaga

Yawns wrote: »

I live in the country and used to get this once or twice a week. There's 2 old cars out on the road opposite our row of houses laying alongside a 10ft wall. Vans and chanchers always driving in, looking around and knocking on doors.

They knock on all the doors along the row just to find the owner and be told no. There was 1 persistant guy who knocked once a week every week for about 5 months. He only stopped after the owner came out with his boxer to tell him it was a defo no, but I do still see him coing in with his van and checkign the cars still there lol

Was he a member of the travelling community?

F-Stop

most burglaries according to Garda stats happen during the day time now

So wait, am I supposed to shift back from being paranoid at night when I go to bed, to during the day when I'm at work? I wish they'd make up their minds, now I'll be up all night worrying that they'll rob the house when I'm away tomorrow instead of imagining every creak to be their footsteps. Please tell me you heard this on TV3, 'cause then I can ignore it the fear mongering blastards.

seanybiker

Casey_81 wrote: »

I suppose it could be perfectly legit. Seen as we live on a cul-de-sac it made me feel as if he was keeping an eye on our house though. Although to be fair to the guy he didn't do anything wrong by asking.

Ah I suppose being in a cul dec sac could freak you out a bit. Personally I wouldnt worry about it, easier said than done I suppose.



some fella came along to my girlfriends house today, middle of nowhere in wexford. Asking could he see her landlord. Your man bought a volkswagen beetle a few years back. Fixed her up and wanted her landlord to sign the ownership over to him. I know it doesnt sound bad but me girlfriend got wiped out when he started asking do many people be in and out of the place. He said he would call back next week and give her a bottle of wine!! I shall have my chav vest on next week waiting for some random chap to call around in a van.

Casey_81

seanybiker wrote: »

Ah I suppose being in a cul dec sac could freak you out a bit. Personally I wouldnt worry about it, easier said than done I suppose.

some fella came along to my girlfriends house today, middle of nowhere in wexford. Asking could he see her landlord. Your man bought a volkswagen beetle a few years back. Fixed her up and wanted her landlord to sign the ownership over to him. I know it doesnt sound bad but me girlfriend got wiped out when he started asking do many people be in and out of the place. He said he would call back next week and give her a bottle of wine!! I shall have my chav vest on next week waiting for some random chap to call around in a van.

That sounds like something you'd make up! So having failed in getting the car he's going to ply your girlfriend with alcohol knowing that she lives in the middle of nowhere and now knows how often other people are on the road... I'd be well freaked out with that one

Anan1

blueeyedboy wrote: »

Was he a member of the travelling community?

You can drop that line now, thanks.

hipster2009

beyond a doubt this guy was dodgy.

gpjordanf1

Dilynnio wrote: »

A blue Renault Megane 96/98, its a bit bashed up but it goes like a dream!

WOW

Your really trying to wind up the locals!

seanybiker

Casey_81 wrote: »

That sounds like something you'd make up! So having failed in getting the car he's going to ply your girlfriend with alcohol knowing that she lives in the middle of nowhere and now knows how often other people are on the road... I'd be well freaked out with that one

I know yeah bit dodgy. He said he called around yesterday with his wife but couldnt see any cars so left. He noticed that the "spare" house had its key in the door.
girlfriend said she thinks it was an eircom van that he had today.
she took ownership papers from him to get her landlord to sign them, even though she said to just sign it himself and post it away. (i done that with my last bike, well the last owner posted it for me cos I bought it as is, with a mate collecting it for me).
Her landlord is getting married soon so heopefully there will be loads of people around the house over the next while. Landlord is yer man off nationwide (michael ryan) and girlfriend lives in the small house beside his big house.
your man wouldnt leave until me missus kept on saying she doesnt like wine and so me man decided he will call back when he has the car on the road to show her!! What the fook like.She never seen me man in her life. I dunno.

Yawns

blueeyedboy wrote: »

Was he a member of the travelling community?

No. While some people that knock are memebers of the travelling community, they tend to take the 1st no as the answer. This persistant guy is a regular lazy joe bloggs. He buys ol bangers and tries to make money on em privatly, failing that it goes to auction.

But whenever he is buying it from someone it's the same old excuse. I need a big car like that estate for going around with the lawnmower.

R.O.R

I've sold 2 cars (well swopped one and gave one away) this way - might be totally innocent.

First one was a Kit car that hadn't moved for a while and a guy who knew the next door neighbour knocked in and asked if it was for sale. He couldn't come up with the money, but offered a swap for a car with tax and MOT so I went for it - couldn't afford to tax or MOT the Kit car and needed transport.

Second one was an old 190E. Injectors gave up and it would have cost more to fix than it was worth so it sat on the road for a few weeks. Guy in a 230E (I think) in the same colour as my car knocked in to see if it was available because the spoiler would fit his car and it was the same colour. As I was moving to Ireland a couple of weeks later it was easier to just give it away rather than trying to get my friend to sell it, or pay to have it picked up for scrap. He towed it away there and then (after I signed over the V5 of course).

cpoh1

This is 90% totally innocent, i wouldnt buy into the paranoid scaremongering on here.

I sold my last car in the exact same manner, fella called round asking about the baleno that was parked up quite a while and offered me 500 quid for it. I bit his hand off!

I have had fellas routinely calling to the house wondering were some of the parked up cars for sale, the mothers old mini cooper was a magnet for them. The chances of it being some assassin looking to murder someone is very remote.

metzengerstein

ive had that a few times ,seems very dodgey,ive a spare car that kinda not moved for a while and always people asking about it and all have seemed very dodge.

this one guy came one night and told me some story about his daughter who had a crash and what something had happeped the imobiliser and the car wouldnt start, he then asked me where the imobiliser was in my car ,how dodgey is that

Theta

Has happened to my brother a few times when he has a banger of an old 3 series in the driveway. Also to another mate who had an old corrado. In fact he used to get a steady stream of people knocking in asking if he would ever sell it.

You never know to be honest.

ocokev

Maybe it that guy STEVE RAYNER who won Bill Cullens The Apprentice trying to scrap your old renault for a new model with their fantastic range of cars and the best scrappage allowance deal around.

neilthefunkeone

chillax there op.. i had an old mazda parked up in my garden for ages and got a few pikeys rocking up asking was it for sale... Id say no and they would leave..

no harm no foul!!!

T-Maxx

I don't see anything dodgy about it at all. It's an old banger, parked out on the road seemingly not being driven for some time, the guy came up and asked an honest question. Breakers buy up all sorts of cars all the time.

I've had the same thing happening to me a number of times, even notes left on the car, it doesn't bother me, and I don't think you should be either.

metzengerstein

T-Maxx wrote: »

I don't see anything dodgy about it at all. It's an old banger, parked out on the road seemingly not being driven for some time, the guy came up and asked an honest question. Breakers buy up all sorts of cars all the time.

I've had the same thing happening to me a number of times, even notes left on the car, it doesn't bother me, and I don't think you should be either.

thats true enough ,but the guy asking where my imobiliser was that really worried me .lucky i dont know where it is and didnt let it slip

Yawns

OP for your question I wouldn't worry about them casing the place out as you say your OH's car is only there in the mornings as he uses it in evenings. So these lads havn't been around to your house in the evening time as they han't seen the car moved.

During the day your hubby is at home with 2 dogs so if they did come back he could do the ol meet n greet the dogs lads, it's their car they kip in and around it all day every day. They will defo not be casing your car then



And yes most break-ins happen during the day because most people at home during the day are generally at home with children, a lot of which are in school. So when the parent is out collecting the kids, the other in work, the thiefs break in. Less likely for someone to spot them as most houses are empty at this time of day.

Ghost Rider

I'd be alerting the authorities. He could have been checking to see where the owner of the car lived before breaking in to look for the key.

Casey_81 wrote: »

Hi,

Im not sure if this is the right place for this query - so apologies if its in the wrong place.

Just to give you some background... i live in a semi-d house, we have two cars I park mine at the front, and my hubby parks his at the side of the house. My hubby works evenings & so his car is always parked at the house in the mornings. We have two dogs that my hubby generally walks in the mornings sometime between 10 and 1pm.

Anyway, I was working from home today at about lunchtime a guy rang our doorbell and asked me if we were selling my hubbys car cos he's seen it parked and it doesnt seem to be moved much.

Kinda freaked me out to be honest, am i overreacting or do you reckon its legit?

Ghost Rider

Oh wait - it's a 98 Megane! Ha ha! What was I thinking?

No, I doubt he was casing the joint, in fairness.