Bought B Body online and reamed - Question - how would you feel?

[DonC1]

2 years ago I bought a small block B Body online for $5300. Asking price was $5500. with a nice set of road wheels and matching tires. Now I had never bought a car online before so it was a 1st time experience. I was nowhere near the location of the car but the pictures of it looked like a very good solid complete although non running car as seller stated. Seller also stated with the carb put back on and a minor tune up etc I could get it running in a weekend. So I think...hey sounds great..with a little work I can have a nice weekend driver. Seller mentioned car looked even better in person and that I would be pleased. Now I mentioned my hesitancy about buying online and trust issue over this but seller 'assured' me I would be pleased but time was running short and he wanted to sell asap ..ie taking it a big swap meet the following weekend. Ok then..I offered $5300 and seller agrees so I sent a non mopar knowledgable friend over who handed over the $$ and then transported the car to a storage facility where it sat undisturbed or 2 years. My driver sent me a few pics once it was parked...the nice matching rims and tires were no where to be seen and in thier place were some junk looking rims with non matching snow tires. I call the seller to complain, he says oh well since you offered me less I took the good wheels off for compensation! (1st clue) I finally get the car delivered here 3 months ago.....well....all is not kosher...matter of fact my keister is pretty sore. Sure the body appears solid but the interior's completely thrashed, the trunk floor is non existent and the rear pan is holy on one side and rusty throughout. The reg says car hasn't been running in over 10 years. There's a 8" crack in the windshield, the ignition switch is fried and something about the engine...seems fishy...ie nothing's really connected like linkage/hoses etc so I go to pull the engine out and LO and BEHOLD the OIL PAN is not even bolted to the block!! Not a F'ing bolt anywhere to be seen, no oil in the pan..nothing!!! The block is junk.
I've had over 50 cars...never have I been reamed like this guy reamed me..ya my keister's pretty sore!
How would you feel?

[Ghoste]

Honestly?  I would never buy a car sight unseen and the "better hurry" line dates back to stone wheels and caves so if I got ripped off in this way, I would mostly just feel foolish.

[Cooter]

Couldn't answer this one as I would Never play the game you played. All I can say is "And people wonder why there's a such thing as getting hosed by buying off E-Bay"....When people make it this easy, I can certainly see why the Vulchers come out..."I've had over 50 cars"..Sounds like to me you were bout due, or extremely lucky...

[Back N Black]

Your friend that looked over the car failed to mention the broken windsheild, crappy wiring, rusted trunk floor,nothing connected in the engine bay and trashed interior? You don't have to be a Mopar guy to see that. 

[rt green]

sounds like your friend needs glasses and a camera. sorry about your misfortune. is there any thing good about this car?

[64dartgt]

I felt pretty stupid when I bought a "rust free" gold jag with a tan interior with chrome wheels and fog lights off ebay from a guy in VA and it turned out to have a black interior with bond, dents in the roof, no chrome wheels and no fog lights.  I threatened to sue and he gave me back $500.  I was still stuck with the car though and now my Wife wants to get rid of it.  She can't understand that a Jag XJS that needs body work is almost worthless if it needs mechanical work too.  I never should have sunk another 5K into it.  Oh well.  Half of that was before I even saw the car.  I had the owner drop it at a jag shop and had the cooling system gone through so I could drive it home to MA over a long weekend.  Live and learn.  I'd say no more ebay vehicles for me sight unseen, but I bought my charger that way too.  But I knew I was buying a project.  Got my moneys worth!  Rebuild engine, rebuild tranny...but it is nicely optioned with a factory roof, power window and AC...and its not an SE.

[1970Moparmann]

Case in point to a thread I started a little while back.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,84170.0.html

As much as I agree that your friend should have looked the car over a little better, it really sucks that the seller screwed you.   Did you save the ad information?  Did you save the emails?   

If two years didn't pass you could have told the A-Hole that you misrepresented the car and with this I want to work this out for what is right.  If not, I have proof you misrepresented the car and I will take further action.

[bull]

I'm reluctant to reply because I really don't have anything positive to say. WTH were you thinking?

Nevermind. I had written a bunch more but decided to delete it. Good Lord, man.

[Ponch ®]

I'm reluctant to reply because I really don't have anything positive to say. WTH were you thinking?

Nevermind. I had written a bunch more but decided to delete it. Good Lord, man.

two words: due diligence.

[DonC1]

Ohh I feel foolish alright..all that and more. My driver friend just followed instructions and picked up the car. For the amount of work it needs just to be a weekend driver I'll have to spend another $4k just to pass inspection...hell I coulda bought a clean running big block 70 satellite for that much.  Thing is I read all the horror stories beforehand about buying online and ebay etc...so I bought it right off this board from a regular member here..someone with much more time on here than me. I just asked for $1,000. back...I figure that's fair..well if not then just reimburse me for the anusol eh Peter. ( I have all our emails )

[Troy]

It sucks that some people have no honor. I doubt you have much room to stand on since it wasn't inspected immediately and who can say what has happened in the time you had it stored?

I detest selling cars without a personal inspection - although I have on three occasions and the buyers have seemed happy so far. No matter what happened I doubt I'd have much sympathy if someone called/emailed me two years later and asked for a refund.

Sadly, if you didn't need a "driver" immediately you could have just bought a much nicer car in today's economy for the same money (well, a nicer car than you thought you were getting).

Troy

[RallyeMike]

How would I feel? I'd feel like the most foolish car buyer that ever existed. Let me get this straight - Bought the car unseen, had someone else pick it up, and didnt take posession for two years? - Come on !

Its hard to understand how sellers can be so dishonest, but that is the reality of our world. Additionally, as long as buyers such as yourself continue to buy this way, these sellers will exist and continue prey on other people. How many stories like this have bombarded this site over and over again ?

I know it sounds cold, but I have reached a point where I have zero empathy for buyers who don't take any precautions to protect themselves. And so while I still hate to hear that these kinds of transactions continue, and somone is getting screwed (yet again), the fact is that you invited this upon yourself. I wish you a lesson that is to be well-learned. Hopefully it won't be too painful, and hopefully a few other's will read this and learn something as well.

Good luck in reaching a resolution.

[1969chargerrtse]

I was one of the first to see this thread this morning. I didn't have time to respond but knew the thought of buying unseen was gonna be all over the place. Read my restoration thread and know I've been there done that. I put 15k more in the car than I expected. I have no real regrets and love the car. It was buy it now that caught me. I just didn't want to lose it.
Sorry for the issues but in today's time were all losing money on cars and homes. Hang in there.

[DonC1]

Thanx for the comments. Foolish yes...but hey it was my 1st online buy...and from a seller on here...who seemed by his long time posts legit...so don't see how I invited this upon myself ...entirely.

[billssuperbird]

 

[RallyeMike]

so don't see how I invited this upon myself ...entirely

It's human nature for people to look for others to blame, if even for only a small percentage of it. I have found myself doing it also.

Let me offer an analogy: The hunter goes into a jungle known to be full of tigers, without his gun, walks out the other side and complains of being mauled.  

You knew there were tigers in the jungle. You knew they preyed on people. You were the ONLY person in the position to make a decision to mitigate the risk, and you did virtually nothing about it. Maybe "invite" was not the correct word to use.

Again, good luck negotiating with the seller. I hope it yields some relief to you.

[John_Kunkel]

Seller also stated with the carb put back on and a minor tune up etc I could get it running in a weekend.

That would have made me suspicious, if the seller wanted to get a good price he would have invested the time to get it running.

I've purchased four vehicles off e-bay "sight unseen" and have been generally happy with the purchases. A friend once asked me "what percentage of buyer's regret did you have afterward"...never thought of expressing buyer's regret as a percentage. The worst of the four was probably about 15% and I've had worse than that on vehicles I inspected before buying.

[Back N Black]

Thanx for the comments. Foolish yes...but hey it was my 1st online buy...and from a seller on here...who seemed by his long time posts legit...so don't see how I invited this upon myself ...entirely.

So spill the beans, who was it? so no one else gets taken.

[charger Downunder]

 I bought it right off this board from a regular member here..someone with much more time on here than me. I just asked for $1,000. back...I figure that's fair..well if not then just reimburse me for the anusol eh Peter. ( I have all our emails )

[/quote]

Here we go come on Peter Start talking lets here you side.

[bull]

Seller also stated with the carb put back on and a minor tune up etc I could get it running in a weekend.

That would have made me suspicious, if the seller wanted to get a good price he would have invested the time to get it running.

I see it time and again in car ads. Something like, "all you need to do is spend a few hours rebuilding the carb and it will fire right up." Really? Then why don't you do it?

[69rtse4spd]

A cheap life leason, & you know what they say about assured & assume. Good luck, & do post his name, & local. 

[PA Dodger]

It happened to me, when I was young and new to the musclecar game. Only, it was some parts that were misrepresented. Then it happened again a few years later on a car. I didn't lose that much money. I have learned over the years.

I would think that being the car veteran that you are that you wouldn't be in this situation. Is this the first time you've been had?
IMHO, you can't judge the seller's character or integrity through Email any better than you can judge the car's condition by Email.

[Chryco Psycho]

As usual , you HAVE to go & look at anything you are buying online

[DonC1]

Understood:)

Sellers last 3 emails loosely ' imply ' I am at fault...what a nice guy.

ie his quote:

U have hade the car 4 over 2 years,,,I have no idea what has happened since u have owned it...sorry 4 ur disappointment

I'm not a vindictive person so won't reveal his name as of yet, it doesnt appear he has the balls to own up to at least some sort of acknowledgement of this misdeed.50 cars..ya I guess it was my turn...maybe I've just been lucky in the past. Mopar people as a rule are good people or at least everyone I've ever met in person has been. The interior condition and maybe the rust issue I can almost absorb...but the switched wheels and dummy block..well that's really low in my book.
I'd like to post pics of the before and after but haven't mastered that process.

[Darkman]

Well....I bought a car off Craigslist. For me the car was half way across the world and I made sure it was inspected and I got a video of it before I bought it. The car was almost exactly as it was described, but I couldn't take the risk, especially being soooo far away.

It only cost me a few extra $$$, but well worth it. Even if you spent the extra to travel ober there to see it yourself or even paid for an independent inspector, it could have saved you a whole lot more

Sorry to say, but I would also feel foolish. File that under "E" for experience!