SAN DIEGO—
A local couple learned the hard way that it can be risky selling valuables through online advertisements.Manuel Ramirez and his wife, Maria Tirado, posted an ad for their 1973 Chevelle on Craigslist.org. They have a new baby on the way and were hoping to make extra cash by selling the car. When a man responded to the ad, they thought they had a potential buyer, but they were wrong.
"I felt anger," Tirado said. "I thought, 'How could a guy come over to your house and just take off with your car?'"
The classic car was a beauty. It had new rims, new paint and was in good condition. The man who responded to the ad asked if he could come by the house and take the car for a test drive.
Eager to sell the car, Ramirez gave the man their address. The man dropped by unannounced and was unable to drive the car because of a flat tire, so the next day he returned.
"I asked the guy for a valid driver's license. He said yes, but didn't show it to me," Tirado said.
The couple still allowed him to test drive the car in a nearby alley off Imperial Avenue in Mountain View. As they watched, the car thief stepped on the gas and drove away.
"I told my husband to follow him, but he lost him because there are so many streets in our neighborhood," Tirado said.
Tirado said she called the man's cell phone repeatedly after the theft. Finally, a woman answered. She said she didn't know the man who had taken the car and asked Tirado to stop calling. That's when the couple called police, who found the car this week. Police said the case was still under investigation, but they wouldn't say if anyone had been arrested.
Authorities said that anyone selling a car online or through a newspaper ad should take several precautions to avoid getting ripped off like Ramirez and Tirado:
- Meet prospective buyers at a public place
- Ask for the driver's license and write down the name and number
- Ride along on test drives
- Bring your cell phone.
