www.sushimotors.com

[garymorgan]

I am selling a car on here and have just received an e-mail from this company telling me they have a buyer for my car who has been looking for my type of car since 2006.

Does or has anyone had any dealings with them or know of them or is this just another scam.

Here is the email

Hello,I have a customer for you, in France.He is ready to pay for your car he is looking for THIS E30 since 2006.He have the money available .Please give me your land line, I don't manage to call uk cells phones.Please answer to me, I won't waist your time .We pay by bank transfer, and I come myself by plane and taxi to pick up the car only when you are sur that the money is really on your account .Thank you CheersMr Granger www.sushimotors.com My Phone No: 00336 2954 2630My Email Address: [e-mail]

[soad]

Sounds like a scam- the way it's written.
But not heard of this "company" either, so who knows?

[Chris_w666]

Sounds like a scam, website looks cheap, and despite being a desireable car would an E30 M3 really be something you would have to spend 4 years trying to source?

[plg]

They have a reasonable web presence and facebook profile.

Assuming it's the same one:
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/SUSHI-MOTORS/400706473222)

Does your vehicle match their specialism?

There is a shortage of good French used cars so it's possible. I know of a couple of people (French and Swiss) who came to the UK to buy their personal cars.

Ask him for a French address and land line; easier to verify and thats a mobile number.

His mobile matches to other cars for sale in France (you need to google 0629542630 France)
http://webmycar.com/zonecar/webacar.nsf/fr/D10A0B3...
And the region on the web site (Perpignan)

So may not be a scam. Proceed but with caution.

Edit - he may have put the email through Google translate...

Edited by plg on Wednesday 10th November 17:20

[Z4monster]

Personally I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

Looking at the website, it doesn't look like they do anything with BMW so don't know why they would be searching for 4 years for THIS E30. Also why can't he phone a UK cell phone?

Website also gives there location as Paris - Perpignan. The two places are over 600 miles apart so a strange place if it's two branches and odd if it's only one.

Too fishy by half for me.

[plg]

Just to empathise, there is a real shortage of good french used cars.... really, really bad and huge mark up on them.

With the Euro so strong, a UK car can look very attractive.

As a market, don't compare our 2nd hand market with theirs - they aren't comparable!

[marshalla]

Domain has been registered with a French postal address since June 2009 (matched dialling code given).

[plg]

Also referenced in French jap chat:

http://www.japancar.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?printer...
and
http://www.drift-france.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=...
and
http://www.japancar.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14338...

Bung through google translate...

Looks like a small dealer.

Edited by plg on Wednesday 10th November 17:33

[JonyPI]

smells fishy to me..........

[LRdriver II]

Yea.. cod be a scam, but I trout it

[Speedracer329]

Could be a scam yes, but I have just sold my XJR to a French dealer. He told me that cars were much more expensive over there. I was a little sceptical at first but he turned up on the dot at the allocated time, with cash in his hand, all good.

So, it could be true, just be careful.

[Roo]

plg said:

Just to empathise, there is a real shortage of good french used cars.... really, really bad and huge mark up on them.

With the Euro so strong, a UK car can look very attractive.

As a market, don't compare our 2nd hand market with theirs - they aren't comparable!

Yep, got some more French people coming on Friday for one of our trucks.

[smifffymoto]

He's legit.
Arnaud Christophe Gilbert Granger.
Born 23 may 1984 in Lagny sur Marne,just outside Paris in Seine et Marne(dept 77)
Registered the business 1st Jan 2010 with 10000 euro.
Siret number(all registered businesses have one in France) is 520 008 590 00017.
His trade registration number (RCS) is 520 008 590 and his NAF number is 4511Z
Address is 18 Boulevard John Fitzgerald Kennedy,66100,Perpignan.

Edited by smifffymoto on Wednesday 10th November 18:46

[Z4monster]

smifffymoto said:

He's legit.
Arnaud Christophe Gilbert Granger.
Born 23 may 1984 in Lagny sur Marne,just outside Paris in Seine et Marne(dept 77)
Registered the business 1st Jan 2010 with 10000 euro.
Siret number(all registered businesses have one in France) is 520 008 590 00017.
His trade registration number (RCS) is 520 008 590 and his NAF number is 4511Z
Address is 18 Boulevard John Fitzgerald Kennedy,66100,Perpignan.

Edited by smifffymoto on Wednesday 10th November 18:46

So he's only registered this business for 10 months but has been looking for THIS E30 for 4 years for a client?

Regardless of how legit or registered he is, I would still be very wary of selling the car to an overseas trader who could easily disappear along with your money and car and you would have a hard time tracing him.

[smifffymoto]

He may have been working "on the the black".After all the OP only has to phone him and then make his judgement if he wants to go further.If you read the post properley the client has been looking not sushi.

Edited by smifffymoto on Wednesday 10th November 19:11

[Gun]

Better to be safe than sorry in situations like this, ignore it.

[plg]

As per the previous posts - this doesn't look, with the evidence like a ruse.

Take the normal precautions as with any other small trader - doesn't matter which country he is in.

Send him photos, etc in request. If he wants to take the risk, collect from you and pay in UK £ in person to your bank account, then you have little risk. As a private sale executed in the UK in person, with the cash verified by your bank - he would have little comeback.

Anything else should be treated with caution, but this doesn't look like a scam, more poor English. Ask him in comms to write it in french and english and run it past a friend who speaks french. Plenty of people on this board could help verify the content if his English isn't immaculate.

As I said. the Euro is strong and a good market for used cars (and indeed, many used things)

I shipped a Canon lens to Paris earlier in the year via ebay and the buyer was willing to pay a good premium. In fact it was 2 french bidders bidding each other up

[ceriw]

i'd persue it with a little healthy caution. whilst working in france i have had offers for my uk plate bmw. the market there for 2nd hand cars isn't comparable to uk.

[fluffnik]

1. Wear your work clothes.
2. Once the bank tells you, in writing, that the money is irrevocably yours give him the keys.

[garymorgan]

Thanks foe the replies. I should have said my car is a sport evo one of only 600 made. So waiting 4 years for one to come up is not unusual.

I think I will play along as it just might a legitimate enquiry but I will as some have said ask for their landline number and address and proceed very carefully. How long does a bank transfer take to clear and how long does it take before the buyer cannot remove the funds.


Again thanks for the comments