I am 23F and was about to buy a used car from a guy who’s leaving the country. He’s also selling his house. I told him I was interested but only if I could get it inspected first and take a longer test drive. He agreed and said I could take it whenever I wanted for the inspection and then bring it back.
When I went to pick it up I started pulling out of his driveway. As I tried to hit the brake the back of my shoe got caught in the floormat. It was this thick wool like material and somehow my shoe wedged into it. I tried to unstick it and I did manage to free it but in the process I accidentally hit the gas and the car lurched forward straight into the front of his house.
It was completely my fault. I admit that I should have taken a moment to make sure I felt comfortable with the pedals and that weird floormat before actually driving.
After it happened I told him I didn’t want to buy the car anymore. I was shaken up and honestly I didn’t feel confident with that car at all after that. He got really upset and said I had to buy it because he was depending on the sale. He also said that because of this he can’t leave the city yet and can’t sell his house until everything is sorted.
I told him I understand it’s unfortunate but that’s exactly what insurance is for. His own insurance company told him they’d cover it since when you lend out your car you lend the insurance too.
Now he’s mad and saying I’m screwing him over by backing out and that I should pay him myself or still buy the car. I said no because I never signed anything and the whole thing was conditional on the inspection anyway. I get that it was my fault but he also has not been pleasant about it and called me dumb and was like wool floormats are totally normal.
AITA for backing out after the accident.
you crashed his car!!! YTA. Are you kidding me here. Major YTA.
This is really tricky, but you aren’t obligated to buy a car. As long as you are upfront with whatever he needs for insurance and apologetic, an accident is an accident.
Having said that…. that’s very rough for the seller.
Since it is his car and I have no car yet the insurance is on his policy.
His policy covers for whoever he lends the car to.
Since it was on private property the cops said it is a private issue and made no report but if he needs anything like more from me I will assist.
YTA. That poor guy! Your bad driving isn’t his fault.
>It was this thick wool like material and somehow my shoe wedged into it.
Were you wearing heels, or flip flops? You’re not T A for not buying the car, but if you were wearing shoes like that to test drive someone’s car, then Y T A
Did you offer to repair any damages that occurred because of the accident you were involved in?
If not, YTA
YTA – just, wow. The mental gymnastics to not take any responsibility for the crash you caused.
“My shoes would have been good with normal floor mats” is not a valid excuse.
YTA, the least you could do is pay the insurance deductible he has to pay out to get the car fixed.
100% YTA and now the poor guy has to cop the premium. It is your fault that your shoe got caught in the floor mats.
The fact that you’re arguing with people in the comments telling you how it is makes you a bigger asshole
But, regardless I’m not sure why you’re asking because it seems you’re fine with your decision and you’re obviously not legally obligated. Either accept the fact you did a shit thing or do the right thing
YTA
Not for not buying the car. For not attempting to make it right – paying any excess for the insurance, or paying for the damage.
You have no obligation to buy the car at all. Even if everything had gone well and the inspection was good, you still didn’t have to buy it.
As far as any damages, you didn’t state what that was and you should be covering any deductible but that is all you owe. And make sure you verify amounts and don’t just let him tell you a number. You need to see that from the insurance and verify that he actually filed a claim.
Not sure you fully understand this.
1. Insurance has a limit. In the USA it’s probably $100,000 on the auto.
2. Car vs. House is going to eat up that limit-fast!
3. Anything over the limit, dude is getting stuck with (although his homeowners may jump in at that point but it’s not guaranteed)
4. In addition to how much exceeds his coverage limits, this man will have to pay his deductible (possibly on 2 policies – auto and home), minimum of about $500 on the auto alone
5. If that weren’t bad enough, there’s a chance he limited his auto coverage to liability and doesn’t carry collision coverage. If that’s the case, there’s auto policy will pay on the damage to the home, but nothing toward the damage to the car.
You could be costing this man thousands! And you’re worried about whether or not you have an obligation to buy the car?!? No, but you have an obligation to cover anything insurance doesn’t cover and he could sue to make sure you do.
Edit: YTA
YTA
You damaged his car which will not only cost him money and time to fix, but you potentially lowered the value of the car after it is fixed. You also damaged his house costing him time and money yet again.
Yes he has insurance to cover the damage. They will require him to not only pay whatever deductible that he has, but they will also raise his rates for the next several years. The insurance company is not going to eat the cost here.
If he decides to sue you for the damages he will win.
When his insurance company sues you for damages they will win.
Your cheapest option was to pay for the damages out of pocket. Your correct option would have been to pay full asking price for the car and pay for the damages to the house. But that would require you to be a decent person, and from your story and your responses it is very evident that you are not.