Here's my take on this (and I've edited for brevity's sake):
90Pioneer said:
Well when I drive into the tumbleweed, apparently it was concealing a large rock. I hear a bang and a scrape. So I stopped immediately and looked under the jeep...
Turns out I drove the driver side control arm onto a rock... So I jogged back to my garage and drove the owner back out to the lot in my jeep.
I explained what happened and asked him to drive it off the rock. Well, I don't know what to say about him other than he just made the situation a lot worse, and basically moved the rock against his front diff, leaving both front and rear tires without traction, after the wheel spin. In hindsight I should have driven it off the rock myself, but it's too late now.
First question: why did you drive into a tumbleweed? I live in a desert climate and have hit my fair share of them while they've been moving - but one that's stationary is equivalent to the brick under the hat that's laying on the sidewalk waiting for someone to come along and kick it.
When we arrive, little did we know, we were in for a surprise.
Dude. Given the previous night's events, how could you have
not at least had some inkling?
Like I said, after we added more fluid to the clutch reservoir, it started working fine again...
Okay, I can't keep responding to this point-by-point - it's just too long-winded, even though much of it is there for a very good reason. So, in summary:
- You admitted to nailing a rock on a test drive.
- He can legitimately hold you responsible for that damage.
- Problems past that point will require him to prove that you caused them.
Now, with that in mind:
Don't buy this Jeep. Walk away, go find another one, and for God's sake don't ram it into a rock on the test drive. Tell the guy that you'll make good for the damage that you know you caused, but nothing more - and if he wants to make an issue out of it, tell him that he can take you to small claims court.
Honestly, for as much of an asshat as he sounds like, I can't entirely side with you since you damaged a vehicle that you don't own during a test drive. Yeah, he's only entitled to ask you to take care of the damages you may have caused, but it sounds like he's a slimy bugger himself and will try to hit you up for whatever he can.