The car Greg bought was mine, the good old green number 05 RX-7. I’ve been watching this thread passively, but I do believe this is a good time to offer my on point of view on the transaction – two sides to every story, and all that.
First and most important: Greg bought the car from me, not from Flatout Motorsports. It’s understandable that this would seem blurry, as he dealt with both Andy Bettencourt and Nick Leverone, my partners. But any lingering dissatisfaction should be directed at me and me alone.
Now on to other matters:
For starters, Greg bought a 23-year-old race car sight unseen. Naturally, he saw a lot of pics and asked many intelligent questions, which we answered truthfully. But a 23-year-old race car is not a Camry, correct?
Purchase price was $8200 or $8300 (can’t remember) delivered. If you’re a second-gen RX-7 guy, you’ll know I’m not exaggerating when I say I could have sold the wheels, diff, tranny and shocks for about that. The tranny and 5:12 Torsen were less than a season old, and the engine was three races old and was making HUGE power. A key reason for the low purchase price was front sheetmetal damage that didn’t affect performance (the car took two firsts and a third in its last three races with me).
Recap: Greg bought a 23-year-old race car with 2 sets of SSRs, a 5:12 Torsen, and a fresh, strong motor for $8200 or $8300, and he bought it under as-is conditions.
Now clearly, Greg had a problem with the car’s engine right from the start. This is a bummer. I wish it weren’t so. What was the origin of the problem? I don’t know. I know the car ran easy 1:00.5s at Lime Rock a month earlier.
I also think it’s appropriate for me to point out that in emails, Greg has complained to me about a host of problems in his $8200 (or $8300) race car, from the fact that we forgot to send the logbook with the car (a stupid mistake on my part, and one I apologized for) to the paint code.
I’m sure Greg is a good guy. I know it stinks when major purchases don’t work out the way you hoped they would. I wish he had climbed in my old car, lit the engine, and immediately loved it, the way I did when I bought it from Jeff Hill 5 years ago.
As to whether Greg is owed anything by me (not by Flatout), well … I’m interested to hear opinions from those of you who know me personally or by reputation.
Steve Ulfelder
Flatout Motorsports
Honda S2000
05 ITR
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Originally Posted by gpeluso
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