Never trust a friend of a friend

[daviemck2006]

As the title says, never trust a friend of a friend. I sold Gabby to a guy recommended to me who said he wanted her for the engine and gearbox to transplant into a pug 205. Part of the deal was that he was going to remove the interior, the cracking set of leather seats, and return them to me so I could put them to another use. I discovered yesterday that this guy promptly sold her on, complete to a young guy to use as a park race car, making a bit of profit along the line. Now I have no beef with this young guy who did race it, in the process totally wrecking it then sending it to the scrapyard. My beef is with the guy who bought it from me, telling me a heap of lies in the process. With the problems she had it was uneconomical to fix it and heep it on the road, but I thought at least the good bits, the engine and box, and immaculate seats would live on. I will never again trust a friend of a friend, and I am really disappointed that what was a brilliant car for the year and a bit and 20k miles that I owned her ended up with such an undignified end. I'm still getting life lessons at 56 years old.

[mickthemaverick]

A sad tale but well learned. When we are born we have 100% trust in Mum and then, as we grow, trust in others goes on a roller coaster with good times and bad. Generally Mum passes away at some point and in my experience the only other living person you ever get to trust 101% is yourself, and sadly as the years go by you will even begin to doubt that!! But then comes old age and you don't care anymore so look on the bright side and enjoy life for what it is!!

[Michel]

Apart from a bloke on here that I trust, and my missus. I have one other friend who I'd literally trust with my life. The rest? No. I have a few that I'd call good friends, but there's only one who'd help me whenever they could not withstanding other commitments, and one who'd literally stop what they were doing the moment I needed them if it were an emergency.

As for Gabby, sad, yes, but .. as far as I'm concerned, however good a car was, or however much I was attached to it, as soon as the money is in my hand/bank account when I've sold it, I don't really care what happens to it after that.

[mickthemaverick]

Having read your comments Michel I feel that my earlier response could be misinterpreted. What I was trying to say was that trust is a two way street and you don't always have control over which way you are going. I am lucky enough to have many friends who I trust implicitly but anyone of them could choose not to trust me at any point and that may affect my trust in them. Hence my reference to 101% trust!!

[Stickyfinger]

Shame that David, they were the best set of leather I have ever seen in a Xantia.

[daviemck2006]

That's what I'm most annoyed about really Alasdair, that they are sent away to the crusher. I would have liked to hold on to them until another use could have been made of them. I was promised them back. At the end of the day the car was uneconomical to repair and it is now no longer on my drive in my way, and I got an equal amount as I would have got from the scrappy, but, I just hate being lied to, which I was. Oh well unfortunately it's another xantia away to the graveyard, and I'm happy with my two cars I'm left with now.

[Michel]

Having read your comments Michel I feel that my earlier response could be misinterpreted. What I was trying to say was that trust is a two way street and you don't always have control over which way you are going. I am lucky enough to have many friends who I trust implicitly but anyone of them could choose not to trust me at any point and that may affect my trust in them. Hence my reference to 101% trust!!

Not misinterpreted at all Mick, I certainly trust the two people mentioned more than I trust myself!

[doctle]

I think the only guy you can kind of trust is the guy you see when you are brushing your teeth and sometimes he will let you down too. As you sold it for parts it's a pity you didn't remove the seats before the car was taken away, done is done but not nice to get let down.

[van ordinaire]

Davie, I suppose we all shared your hopes for Gabby & your disappointment about her undignified demise but was the person that bought her from you really a friend of he who recommended him, I mean, how would you know? Furthermore, it doesn't seem to me that it was any friend of yours that made the recommendation - although it may well have with the best of intents. So, yes, it's never too late to learn (otherwise we might as well give up breathing) but don't let this episode sour your views of friends & friendship.