Render unto Ceasar...

Two weeks ago, we sold one of our cars, a 2004 Impreza that just wasn't getting used.  Our Mazda got better mileage than the Subaru, and, well....I just flat out enjoy driving the F-150 more than I liked driving the Subaru.  It was too low to the ground, and...yeah, loud, and shaky, and just no fun to drive. 

So it sat, and we paid insurance on it.  And then I got a quote on new tires for my F-150, and decided that the easiest way to pay for those new tires was to sell the Subaru. 

I hate negotiating.  I hate negotiating for a better price when I am buying something, and I hate someone trying to get me to lower my asking price on something(probably one of the things that killed me the most when we were trying to sell our last house...I hate getting low-balled).  Instead I just talked to the wife and we decided on a price that we felt was fair, going as low as I would be willing to take.  I mentally decided that anyone who tried to offer a lower price was just going to be ignored.

I needn't have worried...as soon as I spread the word at work, I three people show immediate interest, wanting to know what was wrong with the car.  I was truthful...nothing major wrong(2nd head gasket, 2nd transmission, front bumper black, rest of car red)...I just wanted new truck tires more than I wanted a drive-way ornament. Hind-sight being 20-20, I probably could have safely asked for $300-400 more....but oh well...no negotiating. 

Everything was fine, dude came and looked at it, paid me cash on the barrelhead, and drove away happy.

Until he went to the DMV, to re-register the car, where the fine folks working in the office told him that I had not charged him enough, and they were going to tax him for the blue book value, since he and I were obviously attempting to de-fraud The Man.  Unless he had me fill out a form explaining why I charged him so little. 

I did it for him, but...damn...soooooo annoying.  Especially because I'm fairly certain that the extra tax money they wanted(and still might get) is not going to cost as much as properly routing that piece of paper I had to fill out will cost.