Winning bidder puts the brakes on buying motorized recliner

The latest failed effort to unload the confiscated motorized chair, tricked out with a stereo, cup holders and lights, "has just been a nightmare," said the police chief of Proctor, Minn.

Star Tribune

Last update: November 10, 2009 - 11:31 PM

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Oops. A California man said he made a mistake and withdrew his $10,000 online bid for a motorized recliner made famous because its creator drove and crashed it while drunk in Proctor, Minn.

Proctor Police Chief Walter Wobig said Tuesday that his latest failed effort to unload the confiscated contraption, tricked out with a stereo, cup holders and lights, "has just been a nightmare."

The winning bid on eBay, $10,099.99, was submitted by 24-year-old Clayton Adler, Wobig said. When the city asked Adler about his $2,000 deposit, which hadn't shown up, Adler replied by e-mail that he was backing out of the offer. "I apologize," Wobig read from Adler's e-mail, "but there seems to be a mistake. I did not mean to bid this amount. ... I am truly sorry for the mixup and waste of time."

In an interview Tuesday, Adler said, "I have no idea" how the bid topped $10,000. He said he thought his last offer was more like $1,500. "I definitely didn't mean to bid that high at all," said the health-care business consultant, who lives near San Jose.

PAUL WALSH