AIC Auto Sales

AIC Auto Sales responded

This review is quite puzzling... He came to look at a 996 Cabrio for the wife that he saw in our display at the Hershey Swap Meet. We agreed on a price, and that the car would get a full PPI and Safety Inspection at Heistand Automotive in Manheim. He then noticed a 930 slant nose in the other shop and ask about it. I told him it had not been through the shop as yet, and I had a customer in Florida who wanted to buy it. He pushed really hard as he wanted that car, and eventually I offered it to him for $XX, including the PPI, Insp/Emiss done at Heistand Automotive in Manheim, (the Porsche Guru here in the Central PA Region Porsche Club.) He left a deposit for the 996 then decided to go home and "think about the Slantnose". The next day he called and wanted to negotiate further. I held firm and he eventually agreed. Once again, after giving his word, he pulled back again to "think about it". Meanwhile the negotiations with my Florida customer that I had been working with progressed to a deal based on him seeing the car, and, he was fine with having Heistand Auto bless and service the car.. He would be flying in from Florida the end of the week. Later that day, after I took the Slant Nose to Heistand for the FL customer, this reviewer called back and demanded to have the car taken elsewhere for a PPI. I told him it was already at Heistand to be checked out for my FL customer later in the week. He became a bit angry, demanding that I drive it out of this region and have someone else do another PPI! He eventually settled down once I agreed to sell him the car, and he agreed to Heistand doing the PPI, and taking care of whatever the mechanic deemed necessary. He even spoke with Heistands, going over the PPI and the service they just completed. The next day he he showed up with a Bank Check, and happily drove off! I called my customer in Florida gave him the sad news and offered to pay for his flight. End of story.

AIC Auto Sales responded

On January 18 2011, Rick Burke, of Victoria, Melbourne Australia, was the winning bidder of a 35-year-old motorcycle (part of my personal collection) that I had stored in the corner of my garage for 10 plus years. It was clearly advertised on e-bay as not running for many years, and had a locked-up motor. It was an original 3,500 mile Kawasaki H-1 500 Triple that was fairly well preserved, as you’ll see in the pictures, but considering its obvious mechanical state, was sold as-is. I was amazed at the money being bid for it. However, the bidders were from Europe, and in Mr. Burke’s case Australia. When you considered the exchange rate, the Europeans were bidding with a considerable dollar advantage over US buyers. Although he never came to check out the motorcycle, he did call one time before his final bid. He told me the locked up motor was no problem, as he knew it was quite a common problem with these old two stroke engines, and, stated he had experience restoring motorcycles of this type. We also discussed the cosmetic condition, and I mentioned a few paint bubbles, that had not broken through, on the left side cover (battery cover) that were not visible in the pictures, and a spot on one of the three chrome exhaust pipes, that appeared to be a dull spot on the finish. We then spoke for about an hour about both of our experiences with cool bikes, and cars, and the unfortunate devastating flood that had just happened around Melbourne. I liked him…he was a professional teacher, (Economics, I think) like my wife, many of my friends, and most importantly, a fellow enthusiast, who sounded like he knew what he was doing. What could cause Rick Burke, a self-proclaimed experienced motorcycle restorer, to suddenly forget to “connect the dots” still has me in a quandary. I even found a photograph of Jay Leno sitting on the same model Kawasaki H-1 triple Rick submitted to Classic Motorcycle Mechanic magazine. Evidently, Rick took this photo during one of his many runs up the hill to the Rock Store. He claimed to be a regular there. From this it would appear that he was very knowledgeable about these bikes and would know what it would take to restore one. The e-bay bidding concluded on January 18th, and Rick was the high bidder at $5,200. US. He out bid several other experienced motorcycle restorers and collectors from Europe that I had also spoken with. He called again, to say that he had sent the down payment, but stated he was traveling back to his other home in Oxnard, California in a week, and asked if I could wait until he arrived to send the money from his California bank. I agreed, eventually the money showed up, and a few more weeks later a guy who ships motorcycles and furniture across the country showed up to pick it up one winter morning. He was an unlicensed shipper with a pickup truck and trailer. I helped him push it 400 feet through the ice and sleet, up my driveway, and onto his trailer. He loaded it sideways tight up against other motorcycles. I commented, that he better put some padding between them, and he assured me he would. Off it went to its new home in California, or is it Australia? Many weeks later Rick called me to say the bike had gotten there, and told me how happy he was with the well preserved condition. As a fellow enthusiast, I asked him to keep me updated on his restoration progress. A month or so later he called after finishing his restoration, to complain about all the work it needed. I was completely puzzled that someone who projected himself as an experienced motorcycle enthusiast, let alone with his claimed mechanical repair experience, would not expect to do the very things he complained about! I reminded him that he knowingly purchased a motorcycle sight unseen, with a locked up engine that had not been run in over 10 years, and in as-is condition! Furthermore, everything he was complaining about would be expected to need service or repair! Making no headway, he then directed his anger to cosmetic condition, to complain about the spot on the chrome exhaust…calling it rust! He also said the side cover with the small pimples looked like they were spray-painted! I took a deep breath, and explained that the exhaust spot was clearly a dull spot, and not rust, and furthermore if anyone wanted that part to look new, they would need to re-chrome it anyway! As for the removable side cover (battery cover), I told him the paint on it, as on the rest of the bike, was 100% original. I was sure of that because I checked the paint thickness on every panel of that bike with my Qnix model 1500 digital paint gauge. It was all 100% original paint, period. I suggested that maybe his shipper scratched it, and perhaps tried to hide it with touch up…. But he would not calm down, or listen to logic. That pretty much ended the conversation on my part, as by now, he was irrate, venomously rambling, declaring I lied, and stating he would get even! He posted negative feedback on my e-bay page, and has posted this complaint on several complaint sites. All in all, a vindictive flame job! I just hope anyone who reads it, has enough patience to read my side of the story. I have been selling exotic automobiles for over 35 years, and value my reputation and honesty with customers above all else. By the way, if you check the H-1 web boards, and e-bay, you’ll see several very similar bikes have since sold for $7,000+. Not a bad return on his Aussie dollar! Well, that’s it, I’ve told my side…if you’re ever looking for a classic Porsche, check out http://www.aicauto.com ! I always try to do the right thing, and have been for 35 years! Thank You, John Witmer AIC AUTO SALES INC.