car-selling liars (aka why I won't buy a car on eBay)

Okay, all of these stories come from when I lived in Northeast Ohio, and maybe lying to people is more accepted there, but over the years I have had the following happen to me:
Saw a car for sale in the paper
Called about it. Was told it was nice, a 2-door, V-8, runs perfect, etc.
I get there and discover that:
1. The car only looks "nice" if you're drunk, it's raining, it's dark, and no small animals happen to run in or out of the numerous gaping rust holes all over the car.
2. It is a 4-door sedan. (I could never figure this one out - they think you won't notice? Or, they think you'll get there, say "oh, what the heck" and buy it anyway??)
3. It's a six cylinder. (see #2)
4. It hasn't run in years, has four flat tires, and there's a tree growing up through what used to be the trunk floor.
etc., etc., etc.

My all-time best story was when I went to look at a '56 Pontiac that was supposed to be "really nice." The guy was asking a price that was reasonable for the car if it really was as nice as he says. I rush over to his place, and the car is a piece of ****. He's all smiles, like nothing is wrong. I'm a polite teenager, so instead of spitting on him I say "Oh, it's my fault, I forgot to ask you if the chrome was in good condition." This dude puts his foot up on the rusted, pitted, painted-silver-last-week bumper/grille, looks me in the eye and says with a smile "the chrome IS good on this car." I guess he was trying to hypnotize me.
A few years ago some guy got my Dad all excited about a '54 Studebaker that was subframed, late-model "built" small block, etc, etc. I call for him, and it's a 10 hour drive from my house, so I say "if I get there and it's a hunk of junk, I am going to be very angry." He says "let me send you some pictures." It was a junkyard body, with all original suspension, a junkyard Pontiac motor just layed into the engine compartment, and generally everything the guy said about it was a total lie. I mean it was literally a field car, and this guy was claiming you "might be able to drive it home if you do a few things to it."

Those are my stories, and the reason I will never, ever buy any car that I can't touch and drive first. Anyone got better stories?

 

Can't really top any of your stories but I'm also done buying anything unless I can put my hands on it and look at it first. Next rule is ALWAYS look at a car in real daylight and bring along another set of eyes if you can round them up.

 

Can't top yours (I've been lucky I guess) but I agree with the premise that I'd never buy a vehicle that I couldn't kick the tires.

One rule I definitely live by too is, "never go look at a car when it's raining". Unless of course, the car's in a garage, dry as a bone

 

Yep, the sad part is that some people really are that stupid and don't know wtf they are talking about when describing the car.

 

now you tell me

my motto:
buy high, sell low
and make up for it in volume

 

." This dude puts his foot up on the rusted, pitted, painted-silver-last-week bumper/grille, looks me in the eye and says with a smile "the chrome IS good on this car." I guess he was trying to hypnotize me.

This is the best line ever...lmao!

 

There are always bad stories like you say. I Rode a Bus 1500 mile to get a car I had bought on ebay. hadn't paid for. when I got there it was every thing he said it was, and more. I realize this is the exception. I like the idea of another set of eyes. The car drove home great.

 

i went an looked at a 70 caddy convert was said to be solid with lots of extra parts recent rebuild motor.

what i found.
layed on my back to look under it stuck my finger threw the frame rail and pulled a chunck of rot out of it.
open hood and look a fresh spray canned motor with tons of oil grease caked on and painted over.

looked at the guy and ask him where the car he described is that this POS is not what he was talking about.

 

Why not? It may hide fading paint, but will show leaking window and windshield seals and rusted cowls.

 

I had the same Luck
bought my coupe originally on Ebay and drove it home (400 miles away) that day!
I guess it's a gamble whether it's advertised on Ebay or in a news paper. some people just have a hard time telling the truth what they are selling sometimes
goodluck on your future car purchases!
CAB

 

Ok, how about the other end of the spectrum, the guys that have no idea what they are sellin. I bought a 63 Caddy Sedan Deville two weeks ago, I've been after this car for the past 5 years but the guy wouldn't sell. He hadn't driven it in the past 4 years, and it got beat up by some tree limbs in a bad storm a couple years back. Last year he was arrested and his mother offered me the car for bail money, like 500.00, but she got him out before I got to the bank for the cash. Well he got himself evicted and the car had to go, cash price 100.00! Got there with the trailer and he was tellin me about how it had an electrical problem and how it had set so long that the engine was siezed. Got it home, cranked it up, and backed it off the trailer. Everything in it works, the gl*** is perfect, and the engine was overhauled at 98000 mi (it's got 102000 on it now). I did put new brakes on it and found that the alternator was not charging, but all that's remedied now.

 

Cmon guys id never buy a car sight unseen.Hell i one time bought a amc hornet and gave it to my wife ( her 1st car and it blew reverse i after only 3 weeks)and i drove it after lookin at it.After 32 years of marriage she still brings it up(remember the time) yeah honey i remember.

 

the only thing that happens here is *** tards jack the price on incompete garbage and absolutely refuse to deal AT ALL.

I hate buying cars locally.

 

I bought this only from pictures on Ebay.......AFTER it didn't sell and I was able to talk by phone a few times with the seller. After a few decades you can pick out a ********ter in a very short time. He was not a ********ter and I'm very happy. I had to swallow hard and believe in my own judgement when I mailed the check off. There are still some honest old car people in this world. Don't let the bad guys ruin your faith in your fellow man...but Caveot emptor

 

I sold a car on ebay. '66 pontiac tempest/gto clone. 3 days into it this guy calls me asking if it would make it 1200 mile from SC to his house. I flat out told I would drive it there, but I have had the car 4 years and knew. I then told that I wouldn't buy **** 40 years old site unseen and drive any distance until I went over it. I didn't want to talk him out of bidding, I just didn't want some thing to happen. He won the auction and sent a truck as I requested. I called him when it was supposed to arrive. I had he was happy, I called him again a few maonths later. Still happy, but wishes I would have let him dirve it home. oh well.

My reasoning for not letting him drive it is. I don't know him. what if the car was a great runner, but breaks fan belt and overheats, warping heads, or anything else than can happen. It was a 40 year old car **** happens with old cars. I wanted to make sure it got to his house safely.

 

why is it, that when you buy a complete car, that really is in decent shape, it is usually goes for a reasonable price. But worn out **** is always owned by someone who thinks thier **** don't stink and wants top dollar?

i like getting stuff at impound auctions, you get what you pay for, and there is no annoying seller in the way. to tell you how rare thier P.O.S. is, and how much the blue book value on thier little jem is.

And with that in mind, who the **** uses the blue book value anyways?

i love the line about "the chrome on this car IS good", i am still laughing!

 

I've have the good fortune to have bought 3 cars on ebay without a problem. Each car had problems that were well-do***ented so there were no surprises. Maybe it would have been a different story if my expectations were higher.

 

Unfortunately some peoples vision of "clean" or "nice" is different than others.

 

"the chrome IS good on this car."

he was trying to jedi mind trick you. "These aren't the droids you're looking for"

 

I probabally shouldnt say this but I will. Dirty 31 sold his truck to buy a 32 he called on friday to make shure the guy would be there sat. so we could come check it out he said it was ok that he was driving it at the moment. Well we leave dallas at 3:00 am and drive all the way there only see the car wont run. 1st the fuel pump switch bad ( we fixed ) second no water ( he said water pump leaks ) finally got it running and it wouldnt make it 5 car lengths till water is spraying every where. So we left empty handed. Its still a good deal if you have deep pockets !!

 

I have bought and sold over a dozen cars on E-bay. I always describe mine to the best of my ability. Never had a complaint from buyers.


Usually I can spot a ********ter. But Once and only once I got nailed good. There was offered at auction a car like I had many miles of fun with in my younger days. It was claimed to be an SS with a few options that made it quite rare. A rolling body. No engine trans. Missing interior parts.

I have the guy send me some more pics. He says they are a "couple weeks" old. I won the car. send paypall. I call and make an "appointment" to pick up the car, a 1200 mile treck to his house. I Tell him I'm going to have a tow dolly for gas economy on the long trip. (I normally use my car hauler/ramp truck).

Off I go to the backwoods of Tenn. I get there at the appointed time. Nobody around. Wait three hours. All the while trying to raise him on the phone. Nobody. Go to dinner. Take wife to a mall, kill time. NOBODY Around. Had the police dept check to see if something might have happened to him. Get motel room for the night.

Next morning I get out and about. Call every hour, check at his house about every two hrs. Finally it is just about dark and as I pulled down his road I see a car backing out of the drive. I stop the car. It's him. Talking on his PHONE! I recognize the voice. OH! Where have You Been!!! he says. I thought you weren't coming after the car. KEEP KOOL I say to myself. Fists/teeth clenched.

So I go to get the car. It's in an impound type lot. Faced in, covered with a couple years junk, three flats. NO HUB, WHEEL OR TIRE on the right front. I ask about it. Well, somebody must have stolen it last night. I look closer and the other front wheel/hub etc. Is from a drum brake car. "It was disc when it came here" was the answer. I'm pissed, trying to keep my composure in front of a new wife. (thats another story).

Off I go to fill my air tank and fix-a-flat stuff. Stop at a TSC store and buy a farm wagon hub and a wheel/tire ***embly for same. Lug nuts, grease. Meanwhile the seller dissappears again.

I get back to the car and in the dark with flashlight. unpile the junk off and from the car, cobble up the right hub/wheel ***embly and hold it together with vise grips. I roll the car back to turn it around for the tow dolly and the rear axle slides out and the tire rubs the inside of the rear quarter. NO F""""NG GUTS IN THE REAR!!!!.

I get the car loaded, Backwards on the tow dolly. Rear bumper contacts my truck taillights on turns. Pissed off. And get another motel.

Next morning I go out to look at this thing. The only thing SS on it is a poorly hung left front fender. "Southern car!" maybe south Traverse City Mich. No guts in dash. Floor humped up from a blown driveshaft. A green rear seat dyed black with acrylic enamel to match the wet carpets and water ruined door panels. Quarter windows are gone. Windshield has an odd scratch down the center that can only be seen from the right side. Barely enuff bolts to keep the fenders/bumpers on and two body mounts missing. No rear shocks or mounts, no gas tank. But, a trunkload of chrome trim! For a Dodge.

It made it all the way back to Michigan only problems were turns took out two truck taillights and people trying to wave me down about the Vice Grips holding that spinning tire ***embly on !!!!

WHAT A BUY!!!! Findin em is half the fun!!! BOB

 

It happens here on the HAMB also.

 

Boy Oh Boy - sounds like you might be the runner up tonight for an award of some sort.So anyway Mr. Lincoln, outside of that - how was the theature? Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy P.S. What did you end up doing with the car?

 

This is an interesting thread about ********ters. But it seems that people who are misrepresenting their cars are doing it in the paper. I would much rather buy a car on eBay than out of the paper. I can look at pictures and read a description of more than 25 words. I can see a feedback rating and I can email my questions.

If a car is in the paper or Hemmings or something like that, the only way you're going to know if it's for real or not is to make the trip up to see it. At least on eBay I've got pictures and a real description to help me decide if it's worth looking at.

And if a car is 1000 miles away, have a HAMBer go look at the damn thing before you buy it. With the HAMB network of knowledgeable car guys spread out all over the world, there's no reason any one of us should be getting screwed on a car deal.

The ****ty part is, if you look at a car out of the paper, you GO and LOOK at it and decide for yourself what it's worth. NO ONE EVER seems to go and look at cars for sale on eBay. I've sold a lot of cars on eBay and I can't think of one car that I sold that was inspected before bidding. Then people ***** because they got ripped off. Ridiculous.

 

I've bought several cars off of ebay, but I have flown out and inspected each one before I bid. I will not buy a car sight unseen unless I know and trust the seller. Not only are some people dishonest, but my idea of good is not always the same as theirs. I've got a brother who has two teeth in his mouth and he thinks that his smile is "pretty good." Airfare is just too cheap to not go look at a purchase as large as car.


Doc.

 

Squa and I have sold dozens and dozens of cars on ebay, I can only think of a couple times people have been unhappy, all because they didn't look it over and there was something either we missed(not on purpose) or the person can't read a simple description.

You all piss and moan about ebay all the time. The people who claim false things get bad ratings, don't you ever look at feedback?

The biggest problem is when STUPID people look at pictures, but don't read the description. This has happened to me DOZENS of time. First line of the description could read DOES NOT RUN in 54 point bold type and the person will drive 1000 miles to pick up and show up with their Honda with their buddy and want to drive it back. Yes, that type of stuff happens, more than you will think. Is that MY fault? Guess so since I am selling it, right?!? WRONG! That is YOUR fault for not being prepared to buy something that needs work.

If I say PARTS CAR, it is a PARTS CAR, not a driver. People don't understand what that means sometimes. Had two dummies yesterday that wanted to buy cars off my place. I tell them it is junk, they insist that I should sell it to them to restore. I had one dumb *** argue with me that he could rebuild this '68 Galaxie 4 door I had. The frame was rusted off and MISSING from the center of the rear door to the back of the car. You could lift the entire rear of the car up and down about a foot because it was soo rusty. It was toasted, no way to rebuild. The rockers were so far gone that the rear door pillar was just barely on the car. But that guy could build that car to perfect #1 condition no problem, whatever!

So if I sell them the car, am I the one who is screwing them? ********! If you are too stupid to listen to somebody who is telling you the car has a rotten frame, then I will gladly take your cash. You badmouth me, I will beat your skull with a lead pipe. Your the idiot!

The biggest thing I learned over the years selling on eBay is that most people are inherently stupid. Yes, it is harsh, but very true. It makes me sad to say it, but proven time and time again...I could write a book with all the examples.

Good example of what we as sellers put up with:
I replaced my girlfriend's lexus turn signals with clear ones. Sold the old ones with the orange insert for $25/pair. They sell from Lexus for $125 each. The PS is perfect, the DS has a 5 inch crack that is barely noticable until your 5 feet from the car. Sara never saw the crack in over 120,000 miles. I knew it was there of course.
So I list them, fully disclosing the crack, with photos. Guy buys them, gets them, then complains there is a crack. DUH! Then sends them back and wants a refund. He claims the crack is over 7 inches. Guess his tape is made of rubberband or something. It measures 5 inches all day long. *****es that you can see it close up, duh, guess he can't read that I state the same fact in the description. On top of it, if he sends in a complaint, PayPal won't side with me, even though my description is 100% perfectly clear and honest.

This is the type of stuff sellers put up with time and time again. Do you ever hear us *****ing about that? We just hear from all the people who ***** that the '63 impala you bought for twice it is worth had a rusty frame. Read the description, ask questions, inspect the car and shut the hell up! If it is rusty, don't buy it, leave the guy a negative feedback and count it as a learning experience. Buy from people with good feedback and ask specific questions like...please send me photos of the rear frame rails....can you please look at the torque boxes and tell me if there is ANY rust. If they lie, then that is their problem, don't buy the car.


How many scammers do you see in the US trying to screw foreigners out of their hard earned cash? NONE. But yet how many outside the US do you see trying to scam honest american ebayers, THOUSANDS. That is because they get people to fall for their clearly bogus scams. Our country is full of ignorant people. The cashier's check scam has been around for years, yet people still fall for it every day. I get dozens a week when I have cars listed for sale.


Now I am driving 1000 miles on Monday to pick up a car I bought. I don't worry because I spoke for almost an hour with the guy who owns it. For the price I paid, even it if has some issues we didn't discuss, it was well worth it. Friend of mine just bought a $15,000 car on ebay. Had somebody local inspect it. He will be more than happy also. So just because you got screwed over a $500 beater, don't take it out on every seller.

That is my vent for today, thank you.

 

Too funny! I check my email right after posting and find the following email question on a car I am selling on ebay:

Hello, I am interest in purchasing your item with no delay,but first? What is the final price od the item? Is the price firm? Will you be accepting a certified Cashiers Check? or money order Contact me with the present state of the item and your contact information to mail out the payment to you as soon as possible. Name you want on check: Home Address: City: State: Country: Phone Number/Office Number. Regards richard

Of course it comes from a new user with zero feedback.
These guys don't ever give up.

Maybe we should all start *****ing about ebay selling issues instead of listening to all the **** about people getting screwed buying stuff. It is much more entertaining.

 

In the last two years I've purchased two '95 Lincolns and a '98 F-150 on ebay. All three have been great vehicles.

I also recently bought a '48 Plymouth from a HAMB'er in Texas...great car!

Bought all three without much more than pictures and a talk with the owner.

Just know what you are paying for BEFORE you buy it..

 

What ever you do don't buy from these guys
http://www.cl***icconnection.net/index.php

bought a 66 t-bird for my wife from them. I asked all of the right questions. When the car arrived it was not what the described to me. When confronted about it. I got the run around and was told that i got my moneys worth blah blah blah. When asked about the rust that they said was NOT visible on the car they told me "well we told you it was a driver", So basically they lied then used the it's a drive line to cover thier ***es. So don't buy from them unless you can go see the ride in person. Live and learn :O) On the plus side my wife loves the car



keith

 

That **** just cracks me up....