Online commenters have dragged a man who promised he would sell his old car to his brother but then changed his mind about the price because he got a better offer.
In a post shared last Friday on Reddit under the username u/PlusLavishness9948, the man said that in January his brother told him he was looking for a secondhand vehicle. The poster offered to sell him his RAV4, which has 100,000 miles on it, so he wouldn't have to carry his baby around in his old, beat-up Honda Civic anymore.
After checking what Carvana, a used-car dealership, would offer, the poster told his brother he would sell it for $14,500. Without hesitation or negotiation, the deal was accepted.
American car buyers "forked out" an average of $46,437 for a new vehicle in January, a year-over-year increase of 4.2 percent, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co.
According to the Reddit post, the brothers agreed on the deal, and everything was sorted out. But the poster hadn't picked out a new car and wasn't ready to sell yet. Meanwhile, his brother was checking with him every week.
The poster wrote: "In the end, we decided to hold onto the car until our trip to Disney this past week. I checked Carvana again and they offered me more. This time $16,500. I texted my brother telling him he could have it but he would need to match Carvana's new offer."
His brother responded by saying that he was "not haggling." He also said he had been putting off buying a car for months because he thought they had an agreement. He accused the poster of stringing him along for three months and then asking for $2,000 more.
The poster wrote: "I'm just trying to do what is right by my two kids and one on the way."
Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, California, told Newsweek that both brothers have a good point, so they should split the difference.
"The car-owning brother should offer it to his brother for only $1,000 more than his original asking price," she said. "He can make sure it's clear to his brother that he's making this $1,000 sacrifice because having a good relationship with his brother is worth more to him than the money. Hopefully, the brother will appreciate this and they can celebrate over drinks or dinner."
The post, originally shared on the r/AmItheA****** subreddit, where people discuss their actions with online strangers, has gone viral, receiving over 10,500 upvotes and 3,500 comments so far. Most users are taking the brother's side, saying the poster should have kept his word.
One user, idontcare8587, commented: "[You're the A******]. If you had checked today and it was LESS than when you had made the agreement, you wouldn't have said s***."
Agreeable_Tale1305 said: "Agreed. And give me a break trying to 'do right by your kids.' You do right by your kids by teaching them how to be an ethical man."
Accomplished_Ad9655 added: "[You're the A******]. You gave them a price that they agreed to right away. Holding off for what? Raising it 3 months later.... Did you drive to Disney also???"
Hockeymatt85 said: "[You're the A******]. You offered a specific price and they agreed and were waiting on you. That's a terrible thing to do to your family. You just did a trip to Disney so it's not like that extra $2000 was going to be the difference between your family being homeless or starving to death, so get that 'trying to do right by my two kids' garbage outta here."
Hockeymatt85 continued: "If the roles had been reversed and the car lost value, would you want them to do the same? Would you want them to be 'oh sorry I know you were counting on that extra $2k we agreed to for your new car, but we're going back on that because Carvana would buy it for less?' It would be pretty douchey right? Go apologize and ask for a check for $14,000, call that extra $500 off a 'sorry for being an awful brother' tax."
Pure-Flamingo4444 added: "[You're the A******]. You're not reliable and you're greedy."
Newsweek could not verify the details of the case and reached out to u/PlusLavishness9948 for comment.
If you have a similar family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, ... Read more
