Hot Rods Just bought the last car I will ever buy without seeing in person.

I've bought and sold quite a few cars on the Internet. Every time I have sold one, the buyer always says that I described the vehicle very well and there were no surprises. Often times they say the vehicle is far better than described. I never want anyone to get a car from me and say that I lied. Quite a few of the vehicles I have purchased have been nice. Some have had a few things wrong that I didn't expect but not real bad. Lately, though, I haven't had good luck at all. So much that I don't think I will ever buy another car without being able to put my hands on it first. Here are a few examples.

I bought one a few years ago on eBay that was a supposed low original mileage car with a clean ***le and a great driver with original paint. I talked to the guy on the phone and he seemed to be a great guy. It shows up with a rebuilt salvage/flood/TMU ***le. The car couldn't be driven because the master cylinder, booster and the rear ended were filled with water and frozen. All the wheels bearings were rusted and trashed. You could see the water line up to the rear armrests! The car had body work and ****py paint. I called the seller only to get "You win some and you lose some!" I sure lost on that one. About $6k to be exact.

I purchased another car off of eBay last fall. Talked to the guy on the phone and again seemed like a straight shooter. The car had large rust bubbles and rot. Couldn't see any of that in the pictures. None of the locks worked. None of the gauges worked. No heater box in it. Gl*** was delaminating. It was a supposed show car.

I've had pretty good luck on the H.A.M.B buying cars so I decided to buy another one here. I talked to the guy on the phone several times. I felt like I had made a friend. Car is supposed to be a 9 as far as condition. Super straight and solid. Only a small amount of filler in rocker. Needs nothing. Well, I blew it AGAIN. I'm really bummed. The car is nothing like I imagined. I had a strange feeling about this one and I should have listened to that little voice in back of my head.

In each one of these cases, I blame myself. I should have gone to look at them in person or just not bought at all. I feel stupid and gullible.


Do yourself a favor. Don't do what I have done. Go look at those cars in person. It's the only way to be sure.

Woody

 

Been there, done that with the same result, and yes, it ****s.

Sorry to hear that you got burned.

I'd love to hear the conversation you had with the guy, as in "Hmmmm...seems like you forgot to tell me THAT THE CAR WAS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED...kind of a big omission, don't you think?".

Chris

 

I believe me and paypal would have had a chat about that.

 

He said "you should have come to look at it." "you win some you lose some."

 

Unfortunately I was stupid and did it outside of eBay.

 

Sorry you had such a bad experience. Hope we all remember this when we go lookin.

 

Thanks. I just want others to learn from my mistakes.

 

The only car I would ever buy sight unseen would be a parts car.

 

Friend of mine dealt on an F1 down in Alabama. Was in one of those auto trader magazines. Takes a mutual buddy and drives truck and trailer from NH down there. He had talked to the guy, gotten more pics of it, and was certain it was the one for him. Guy ***ured him it was rust free mint southern truck. Arrives in LA (lower Alabama) to a 1950s looking used car lot replete with old fabric wiring naked light bulb strings. Guy is a double for Boss Hogg from Dukes of Hazard cigar and all. Truck frame is rotted out on both sides under the bed and "repaired" with conduit braces held on with Bondo. Our mutual friend was scared my buddy was going to physically ***ault the seller who took umbrage at the "piece of ****" comments regarding the truck and they would be in jail by nightfall. But he was able to get my buddy back in the truck and on the road home with the thought that at least he only lost gas and toll money. Sorry Woody for you troubles but your advice is spot on. Always play by the rule that you only trust what you can see and touch, because in this day and age a pictures and videos can lie and a lot of sellers can too.

 

I bought one car sight unseen several yrs. ago . Never again !

 

Lets see the pics you were given and what you ended up with!

 

Sorry to hear about your buddy. That would **** to lose all that time and gas. At least he didn't get stuck with it though.

 

Ive only bought three on Ebay and didn't look at them. 1951 chev sedan delivery. 55 GMC pickup and a 65 impala ss. And they weren't my better deals. Never again will I buy a pig in a poke vehicle. Ive only done it three times and lost on every one.

 

Maybe later this week. I'm just sick over it. Don't even feel like going out to the garage.

 

Would you buy a local car that's advertised in local newspaper without going to look at it? Or would you call the seller and say, "I'll take it. Where do I send the money?" You wouldn't dream of doing that locally, so why do you think things are different when buying a car based upon pretty photos and a description that may or may not be accurate? Due diligence is your responsibility.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

i have been known look at em in person and still get burned ......lol!!!

 

Integrity ? Becoming a rarity, see, feel, touch, only way today, IMO. I want to believe in my fellow man, BUT, have traveled with cash for cars that were grossly misrepresented and the Pics looked real good, Photoshop ? Sorry you learned this lesson the hard way. Other side of coin, Alot of good people in our hobby and in general, always a few rotten apples that spoil it, KARMA will settle it.

 

Sorry to hear you've been burned too.

 

Im a big boy I can take my licks. Pretty bad it took me three purchases to learn my lesson.

 

Integrity is becoming the rarity. It's sad. You used to be able to trust a man and his word.

 

Looked at a pu here local in Craig's list, as soon as the guy told me it was rust free and never restored....didn't even go look at it...56 Chevy with a life at the beach....

 

Sorry you got less than what you expected. It's the same in other hobbies. Dealing with friends Ive known for years, no problem with sight unseen deals. Dealing with somebody I don't know, I just ***ume I'm buying somebody else's junk and offer accordingly. If I can't see it in person first, it'd better be awfully cheap.

On the selling side, I'm like you. I'd rather describe in detail every possible flaw, send lots of pictures, clear and well lit ones. I want somebody buying from me be pleasantly surprised.

 

I have always lived by " If I can't see it,touch it, hear it run, I can't buy it"
I'm sure with the large number of cars that you own, you to will abide by that motto!
Sorry you were "stung" by cheats and liars, but that seems to be where society is headed and at a rapid pace!
Good Luck on future purchases.
KK

 

.... welcome to my world ! ****s. Three time loser here. All off topic vehicles, all from dealers. Like do it for a living ... auto dealers.

Convertible had football sized rust holes in the cowl both sides in the fender wells. It was a "rust free" unibody. Like free rust.

Lifted 4 by 4 was a roll over. Not speedometer. Rolled over as in kaboom. Glued sheetmetal with crown, dynagl*** fiber filler, and black paint for the pictures. Say cheese !

The deer struck 65 GTO was my back breaker. Fine with A pillar/top damage. Not so with the parchment colored interior removal, drivetrain ******, and PMD wheel removal.

All dealers AND I won every SleEbay case. Haha, 200 bucks each case. Thanks ? ! Also, they got kicked off the site permanently .... under their OLD names. Following that ?

Anyways, ban yourself from non personal vehicle purchases. Get an oil change. Cheaper then an appraiser. Cost me a pizza order, a conversation, and a prepaid oil change for the seller's car. Honesty by full stomach, by service professionals.

The h***le going after these guys is not worth the pain. My last one involved the Oregon Justice Dept, their dealer license office, and the FBI. All I got out of that was a fun website build exposing this guy's treachery, and MY stupidity.

Do not buy sight unseen unless you truly can afford the consequences. I can't, so I won't. Can't fool me four times !!!

 

Good thread and only adds to the "Buyer Beware" words we have all heard. I also have been burned. I remember very well the truck I flew fron Ca to Chicago to drive home as it was told to me " I would drive this truck anywhere anytime". Yea, Yea that didn't work to well as the damn thing wouldn't even run. Or the 55 Chevy that was already to go and needs nothing according to the seller, trouble was it didn't have one single wire hooked up to anything.

On the other hand it is not always bad. I have bought two cars off of the Hamb that the deals could not have been better. A 1947 Ford that as it turned out was a lot more car than the seller said it was. There was also a 1931 Tudor sedan that I could not have been happier with. In both of those case's I had great and honest sellers to deal with.

I guess in the end we all need to remember that when you are buying you are dealing with the Human Race some are good and some are not worth the air that they consume. Hard part is figuring which is which.

 

I agree.

 

I got burned buying off the autotrader with an OT but rare car...same story...got the car and it had looked like it was dragged behind a gravel truck. Contacted the seller and told him he misrepresented it and found out he was the director of a major realtor firm...BIG BUCKS...Busted his balls abit and told him he better just take the car back and that I would not stop until he did...long story short... he ended up paying for the paint job and never again will I buy site unseen....NEVER!!!

 

Thanks, KK. I have finally learned my lesson. Just a bit too late. Now I will sell this one and lose a bunch of loot because I can't screw the next guy. Or put a bunch of cash in it and lose even more money.

Looks like you are local to me. Maybe I'll see you around this summer!

 

If the car is out of State, tell the seller you have a local acquaintance and ask if he minds if he stops by to look over/drive the car first hand and take some detailed photos for you. If he says yes, tell him you'll try to make contact with your buddy and get back to him. Then post here and see if a fellow HAMBer is able to go look at it. If the seller balks, that's a HUGE red flag that he may be misrepresenting the car big time. Also ask the seller if he has it for sale at a local level. If he says no, that could also be a red flag that he's trying to hook someone from out of State because he only has it listed nationally.

Unfortunately, there's always going to be sellers that misrepresent cl***ic cars and parts at a fraudulent level. They're out and out crooks.

What really blows my mind is when you hear about a "car enthusiast" ripping off another car enthusiast by grossly misrepresenting cl***ic cars and parts. In my book, that's as bad as stealing a guy's parts, tools, or car. It's a compounded felony that should be punishable by forfeiture of all their old cars and a lifetime moratorium of participating in the car culture.

 

Every one in the cl***ifieds is not out to lie or cheat you,for every deal that goes bad there are hundreds that work out perfect.

Is the guy a long time member?

I'm sorry to hear another hamber misrepresented the car,maybe you can work something out with him or if he is a alliance member possibly Ryan can intervene.

BTW,I'm interested in seeing the car in question and calling the guy out before he does it to anyone else.HRP