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  #1  
Old 12-28-2005, 11:22 PM
redassag00's Avatar
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Ebay 300TD Is this right?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-300-Series-300TD-1985-300TDT-STATION-WAGON-W123-TURBO-DIESEL-WARRANTY-FL_W0QQitemZ4599149578QQcategoryZ6330QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I thought all 300 Turbos had tachometers.....

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  #2  
Old 12-29-2005, 12:02 AM
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Some one is pulling a fast one. If you look closely at all the interior pictures, some of them have the tach/clock combo, but all of the ones that show the instrument cluster clearly only have a clock. Strange?
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  #3  
Old 12-29-2005, 12:16 AM
carson356
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boardmonger
Some one is pulling a fast one. If you look closely at all the interior pictures, some of them have the tach/clock combo, but all of the ones that show the instrument cluster clearly only have a clock. Strange?

I ASKED HIM ABOUT IT, LETS SEE WHAT HE SAYS
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  #4  
Old 12-29-2005, 12:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boardmonger
Some one is pulling a fast one. If you look closely at all the interior pictures, some of them have the tach/clock combo, but all of the ones that show the instrument cluster clearly only have a clock. Strange?
Right on the money. Excellent.

Here is the photo of the tach:




And here is the photo of the clock:


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  #5  
Old 12-29-2005, 12:26 AM
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Take a look. Something isn't right. Either there are two cars that look similar, or:



The above is from the site. Notice in the upper right corner, the smaller clock, indicative of the tach/clock combo.



The above shows the clock solo. Also, I notice the cluster is half pulled. Makes one speculate just what the seller was doing, if in fact the cars were the same.
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  #6  
Old 12-29-2005, 12:46 AM
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I believe it to be the same car, based on smudge on right side of brake pedal being the same.
This is discussed on another thread here.
There are only a few reasons for the switch:
Hiding an inop tach
Switching to a lower mileage odometer by swapping entire cluster
Hoping for a near sighted buyer fixated on knowing the time....
It points to a seller to beware of, otherwise it should have been duly noted. I would have......


**edit**
I read back over the auction, and there is just no way I would buy a car from someone who throws in so much CRAP and FLUFF in their listing. Now, they're getting a fortune for that wagon, so maybe they are just smarter than me (not difficult), but what crappage.....
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Last edited by JimmyL; 12-29-2005 at 12:55 AM.
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  #7  
Old 12-29-2005, 12:59 AM
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That's not the only thing to be aware of. The car has been repainted poorly - you can see overspray which I mentioned here:

Nice w123 and w126 on ebay

Also look at the close-up pictures of the outside door handles and some of the side moldings - you can see more overspray on the black plastic parts closest to the body which is evident of an el-cheapo Maaco paint job.



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  #8  
Old 12-29-2005, 09:08 AM
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the car does

look nice. but obviously there are some credibility issues here. i always shudder at those chrome lips on the fenders and wonder what atrocities are being hidden.

the instrument cluster is hard to justify in any way that is good. and it does look repainted so you wonder what lies beneath. after taking all that pain to clean and spiff you have to wonder about the dust on the turn signal stalk. just odd, not significant.

i would want some careful inspection before springing big money for this one.

tom w
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  #9  
Old 12-29-2005, 10:30 AM
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I'd leave this one alone entirely. People play switch-the-components with these cars way too often. When I got mine the pass seat was from a 240D and the cluster had been swapped out. Dunno how many real miles are on the car. Little blowby so I'm not worried. But still... shady people. Don't buy eBay cars!!!
As crafty as I am with Photoshop I could make a real killing if I sold on eBay, like taking candy from a baby you know, but that's like stealing only more deceptive. Again, don't buy cars off eBay. It's been said time and time again. The mere fact that they are auctioning the car online instead of trying to sell locally says a lot. I think eBay should be alerted about this. I love to do that to sneaky sellers!
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Last edited by d.delano; 12-29-2005 at 10:42 AM.
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  #10  
Old 12-29-2005, 11:26 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by d.delano
Don't buy eBay cars!!!
Again, don't buy cars off eBay. It's been said time and time again.
Just because this person is an obvious scammer, and there are a lot of others, doesn't mean everyone is. That's why they say BUYER BEWARE. I've bought a car from Ebay, and had a good experience. I may be an exception, but afterwards I got some emails from others wanting to know about the dealer, so I told them honestly what I thought. They were great.
I'm going to list my TD online soon, but there will be no scamming going on.
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  #11  
Old 12-29-2005, 12:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by d.delano
Don't buy eBay cars!!!
I think that's far too broad a generalization. It's possible to get royally ripped off by a local seller, and it's also possible for some folks to get exactly what they're looking for at acceptable prices on eBay. It all depends on the details.

Yes, it can be harder to evaluate a vehicle from a long distance, but not necessarily impossible. Again, it all depends on the particulars. A thorough PPI from a recommended indy mechanic might be arranged from a distance, and I'd put more stock in that than I would in a cursory in-person tire kicking session.

It's fine as long as one spends his money based on what he can find out about the vehicle and how averse he is to risk - and that applies to any transaction, no matter where the car is located.

I don't normally shop for cars on eBay, but if I were looking for a particular combination of make, model, condition, etc., I would recognize the simple fact that I might die of old age before the right car turned up locally.
Quote:
Originally Posted by d.delano
The mere fact that they are auctioning the car online instead of trying to sell locally says a lot.
I strongly disagree. If I were selling a "commodity" car - readily available almost anywhere - then I'd sell it locally. Nobody's going to want to travel 500 miles to pick up a garden variety car at market price.

If I had something special, however - something where the equivalent can't simply be picked up anywhere, anytime - then I'd seriously consider the much larger pool of prospective buyers that might be available to me by advertising the car on eBay, AutoTrader, etc. I'd have to weigh the prospects of a much higher sale price against the possibility of hassles with long-distance dealing, prank bidders, flakes, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by d.delano
I think eBay should be alerted about this. I love to do that to sneaky sellers!
It's fine with me if you want to bust on bogus sellers. I do it myself on occasion. That's far more productive, IMHO, than tarring all sellers with the same brush.
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  #12  
Old 12-29-2005, 01:22 PM
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Eskimo, good of you to speak up, but the general consensus is if you ever want to sleep at night don't buy a greedBay car. eBay is a seller's market not a buyer's. I agree that if you're looking for something special eBay may be the only place you find it, but sellers 8 times out of 10 lie or omit critical details about what they're selling, or merely act dumb. The advice that I have gleaned on this forum is don't buy eBay cars. The words 'russian roulette' come to mind as I have read them in the posts. If you must have an eBay car be sure and inspect it thoroughly. People can sure put the shine on them and digital cameras don't capture rust on the frame rails all that well. A digital camera sure as hell won't capture a bent rod or a spun bearing. These are conditions that will allow the car to run and operate quasi-normally and to the casual car buyer will pass inspection but how would you feel if you got suckered like that? This thread is wholly about one more such incident of not telling the truth/omitting facts and I find it hard to not paint things with a broad brush when I see stuff like that day in day out. It just seems like eBay attracts the wrong social element, the greedy one.
After reading about the trials and tribulations of others I think it best to save yourself the hassle and stay away from eBay cars altogether. Craigslist is a much safer marketplace for cars.
A fool and his money are soon parted, so caveat emptor.
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  #13  
Old 12-29-2005, 02:10 PM
carson356
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carson356
I ASKED HIM ABOUT IT, LETS SEE WHAT HE SAYS
i said: "WHY DO THE PICTURES SHOW A DIFFERNT CLOCK AREA? ONE PICTURE SHOWS A CLOCK, AND ANOTHER SHOWS A CLOCK WITH TACHOMETER"?

he said:"It only has a clock,no tachometer"

then i asked: "I understand that, why two different pictures? Seems you were photographing two different cars"

then he said:"That is possible,but the car has the clock"

seems odd
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  #14  
Old 12-29-2005, 02:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carson356
i said: "WHY DO THE PICTURES SHOW A DIFFERNT CLOCK AREA? ONE PICTURE SHOWS A CLOCK, AND ANOTHER SHOWS A CLOCK WITH TACHOMETER"?

he said:"It only has a clock,no tachometer"

then i asked: "I understand that, why two different pictures? Seems you were photographing two different cars"

then he said:"That is possible,but the car has the clock"

seems odd
Playing dumb eh. I rest my case.
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  #15  
Old 12-29-2005, 02:53 PM
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You're welcome to make your personal decisions based on such broad generalizations if it makes you comfortable. In so doing, you avoid some risks, and at the same time exclude yourself from some opportunities. If that's what makes you feel good, that's fine.

Yes, I already understand that digital photos won't reveal hidden rust or internal engine damage. Reading over my post again, I don't think I ever wrote anything along the lines of, "Bid wildly on eBay cars bases solely on the pictures and text that the seller has provided, and take that information as the gospel truth"! (Though, judging from the prices some fairly dodgy auctions bring, it would appear that some folks do that!) Wherever I happen to find it, if I'm looking at an ad for a car, I'm trying to decide whether to (1) forget about it or (2) pursue further information about the vehicle. Any number of things can prompt me to go the "forget about it" route.

To me, as a prospective buyer, eBay is just another way for me to find things that other people want to sell. From there, I have to exercise due diligence to determine as best I can the true nature of the goods, and then make decisions on how much money I'm willing to risk. It's the same story if I find the goods through Craigslist, AutoTrader, response to a want-to-buy ad, sign in a window, local newspaper ad, etc.; some are simply easier to evaluate than others.

Personally, I don't scour eBay looking for cars, as I'm not willing to pay the prices that market usually brings for the makes/models/conditions of cars that currently interest me. I figure that my chances of scoring a sweet deal there are slim enough as to not to be worth my time. I do regularly scan the (often vacuous, content-free) newspaper ads in hopes of turning up a real "find". It hasn't happened yet!

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