Mikhail Gazovski, a 40-year old bitcoin enthusiast from the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, is selling his Mercedes-Benz by bitcoin auction. The starting price is 1BTC with bid increment being 0.01BTC.
The announcement was made on Gazovsky’s page on VK social media site, with the lot description looking pretty quaint:
“A legendary trophy. Victory parade participant since 1990. Still up and running. The car suffered a minor collision with an aboriginal inhabitant. The totally thrashed suspension is still better than that of VAZ [Russian car manufacturer]. The automatic four-speed transmission is alright. However, the reverse gear doesn’t work, but for the real Kraut it’s actually a good thing. The hatch is well welded, so a regular grenade can’t reach the driver. Only one windshield wiper which saves you up to 50% on technical inspection for this kind of a car. Broken brakes will easily handle any road issue. New radiator, starter, belt and roller. The right turning signal is stored in the trunk because the vehicle tends to turn to the left. The KE-JETRONIK system is well repaired. The engine is built to last a lifetime but the valve cover gasket has to be replaced. The car starts and rides not only downhill. The button replaces a keyhole for quick-start purposes”.
We reached out to Gazovsky to learn that he opted for Bitcoin since he didn’t trust the Russian currency and because of the recent events in the country.
“The pension indexation has been frozen (I save mine in Bitcoins). Irresponsible attitude of the Central Bank that lets the ruble exchange rate float free. Enormous credit rates. I run a small machine embroidery business, and earlier I have announced that I would sell the chevrons I embroider for bitcoins only,” told Gazovsky.
According to Gazovsky, he doesn’t care much about the amount he could potentially get for his vehicle; the goal is to make a bitcoin deal. Besides, he’s willing to consult potential buyers who know nothing about cryptocurrencies.
“I don’t know what to expect from the auction and I’ll be happy to get 1BTC. But it’s crucial that the deal goes through the bitcoin blockchain. If the potential buyer is not familiar with cryptocurrency I’ll be happy to consult him. It would be really great if this works so that I can tell my daughter that I’ve sold a car for bitcoins. She’s 8 years old and I teach her to interact with bitcoins. She must understand the importance of investments. She already has an account with a cloud-mining service, and this bitcoin is for her.”
link: vk.com/mersforbtc