Dear Eric: Almost a year ago, my husband, “Bob,” bought a 17-year-old car with 200,000 miles on it from a neighbor, “Jane.” It was in bad shape but ran well. Last week Bob bought a car with 100,000 miles on it. I put sale ads for the older car on a popular social media site that I know Jane is on, and an ad in the local paper, which I know Jane has delivered to her house. We also had the car in our driveway, pointed outward, with a large For Sale sign in it.
Five days after he sold his old car, Jane called me, very upset. She told me they had an agreement of “right of first refusal.” I asked if that was in the papers of sale that they signed. She said it was “verbal.” She was so upset about it and kept me on the phone for 45 minutes.
Later, she texted me a photo of the chicken-scratched “contract” she had written out. No dates or names or signatures on it.
When I got off the phone, I asked Bob if they had discussed the right of first refusal. He said absolutely not.
Should I just let it go now? Or should I text her and tell her Bob said there was no discussion of “right of first refusal”? I really don’t want to be the go-between.
—Frustrated
Dear Frustrated: Let it go and don’t engage with Jane about it if she brings it up again. She had emotional attachments to the car, which is all well and good, but emotional attachments and legal agreements couldn’t be more different. Feelings aren’t facts and they certainly aren’t legally binding.
Jane could’ve made this situation less complicated by stating up front, “If you ever decide to sell the car, I’ll buy it back.” (Kind of defeats the point of selling, but everyone’s mileage varies.) She could also have asked Bob for the contact information of the new buyer and reached out directly. She has options. But this is not your problem to solve.
(Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Follow him on Instagram and sign up for his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com.)
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