screwed on ebay - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

kingkos · #31 03-14-2006, 03:22 PM

I know that some of you think that I got what i paid for, but like I said, I paid for a car that was described in the ad. I got a car that belongs in a scrap heap. I emailed the seller a couple of times with the pictures to show him what i was talking about. I told him if he doesnt get back to me by thursday, I was going to report this to ebay, paypal and mastercard. I am somewhat mechanically inclined, and i'm sure i probably could start taking the car apart and selling off the parts to recover my costs, but thats not really what I wanted out of this purchase. I expected a clean car that needed some work to get it on the road. The problem now is that just to get it road worthy, i need to get 4 tires ($400), new windshield ($300), body work ($300-$500), mono-heat valve ($100), and miscilaneous (sp.) parts ($300). That would be just the minimum to get it on the road. Then it would take another $1000 - $1500 to make it respectable (interior work, window seals, transmission work, etc). As you can see, for that amount, i could have just payed the big bucks up front and gotten a car in much better condition. EIther way, I cant really afford to put that kind of time or money into it. I do accept some responsibility for not being more suspicious, but I was just so excited to get a W123 with an "immaculate interior" and "excellent paint". Anyways, I'll probably just get what i can back from the seller, then sell the car as-is or part it out. Like I said, good engine, and bumpers, bad everything else. I'll let you know how it goes.

steve

Krueger · #32 03-14-2006, 03:33 PM

The car was $950.00 - and from what I've seen, it's not in that bag of shape for the price. Sure you can find a better car for the money if you really look - but why don't you take the time to clean the thing up and then take a step back and see how she looks. Better yet, you're so worried about trivial things like a cracked piece of wood trim, or a crack in the door pocket. How does it run? The most expensive repairs are under the hood and under the chasis...

kerry · #33 03-14-2006, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhodes2010

I too think you got out okay. If you factor in what the car will need in parts only, plus the original $1450, that comes out to what the car should be worth.

The post about rust inspection is important.
The blue and yellow license plates indicate this was registered in California
for a long time (those plates have not been used for quite a while).
Usually CA cars are rust free.

The seller has 100 percent positive feedback and a rating of only 13.
Been a member for year and a half. All 13 could be as a buyer.
I am not standing up for the seller at all. It was a terrible listing.
But did the seller intentionally lie and mislead ? Or were they just ignorant ?

One month ago I bought a $1500 300SD off Ebay. $500 in hard parts later
the car is safe for driving on the streets. The seller and the sellers mechanics
are complete and total idiots. It was not intentional that they said the
car was fine, but the term TLC was taken a little too far.

In my case, even though I had to put in a lot of work, in the end, I got a good deal.

I do think that you can resell that car for your $1450 and do it honestly,
something the other seller did not do.

Just my 2 cents.

Seller had a previous Ebay ID for which I could find no feedback. Huge red flag.

babymog · #34 03-14-2006, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alabbasi

In reading the eBay ad.. The seller wrote that the interior was immaculate and there was no rust. Regardless of what was paid, if the car arrived with poor interior and rust that is openly visible on the doors then he did not get what he paid for.

I agree 100%.

I know some believe that it was still a good deal, but that is not the point. It might be a way that Steve can bail out of the deal, but it still appears to be fraud. I'm a bad one to ask, I have about $1500 into a straight one-owner 190DT and think paying even $1000 for a ratty 240D is a rip, I've walked by cars that nice in the u-pick scrapyard.

Unfortunately Steve, I think your method is the best. Recover what you can, if you can find a way to reverse the deal better still. My experience with legal remedies however has been to only gamble what you can afford to lose. If you can afford the time and money it will take to go through court proceedings and possibly recover your money, go for it. If you can't, and considering the small amount of money involved (compared to legal fees) you are probably better off cutting your losses by selling the car if you can (in my opinion).

Good luck, and hopefully the next car will be the one.

- Jeff Miller
190DT

d.delano · #35 03-14-2006, 04:31 PM

Episodes like this are why you really shouldn't buy a car off eBay unless it's local and you can go see it. The guy used some adjectives he should not have used to describe the car. There is a principle there that was violated. However, you got a car for 950 bucks, with shipping 1450. The average new car today costs 26k. You will not achieve satisfaction tangling with eBay, and hiring an attorney will only cost you more than this whole fiasco is worth. Threats may or may not work. You want justice, and I feel your pain. I'm telling you with a little work you could make a few dollars and put this whole debacle behind you. I noticed in your sig you have a TDI, after you get rid of this car I think you should stick to those, or newer vehicles w/ warranties(you know the kind where they change your wiper blades out for you and the rest of the world's candyasses

just kidding keep your shirt on). These w123s are cars that you have to work on, simply put. Not to be rude but folks like you don't have any business buying 25 year old cars expecting the sky out of them regardless of what the seller promised. In a nutshell, you should have seen this coming because 1)it's eBay after all 2)it's a 25 year old car fer chrissake!
I hope you get your money back because putting myself in your situation I can empathize. If you intend to pursue this to the bitter end you are in for a protracted battle, so make sure and clear a good spot for the car on your property because it will sit there for a while. Newbies shouldn't go buying 25-year old cars off eBay unless they have secured the proper can-do-can-cope-will-learn attitude beforehand, and if you've ever been to this forum before you'll know that PPIs are recommended for long-distance auctions. So basically you are in the wrong on every front except the seller misrepresentation aspect. That's the only ground you have to stand on. I will be rooting for you but you should never ever do this to yourself again. That eBay ad was obviously sketchy; you're in OH and the car's in CA. Hmmm. Gotta do your homework or you'll get burned.
There ain't no WAY I would have bought a car in the manner that you chose to. I can't believe your Dad let you do it. That's just taking an unnecessary risk. You gambled and lost, and now you're pissed. At some point you have to buck up and take some responsibility. Also, remember this- if you had taken the seller's writeup with a grain of salt(meaning totally disregarded his version of the car's current condition) and ASKED him POINTED questions beforehand and he STILL misrepresented the vehicle, you probably would have made a better case for yourself and would have a better chance for a refund.
Dems da breaks.

kerry · #36 03-14-2006, 04:52 PM

I thought he was in Canada. In fact, I was wondering how he got it across the border. Aren't those customs inspectors supposed to say, 'Piece of Ebay crap. Send it back.'

Larry Delor · #37 03-14-2006, 05:13 PM

Howdy Steve,

Sorry to hear about your luck with ebay.

As far as parts goes, you may want to shop around first. You can get a mono valve kit from this site for under $60, not the $100 you are thinking - Installation is a breeze. For a windshield, I would definitely check out a junk yard first - the one near me charges $25. I bought some tires last year at Sears (Kumhos) for less than $40/ea.
I don't know the rules about rust where you are, so I can't add my two cents there.

As far as the tranny goes, it could be shot, or it could just need some adjustment, perhaps even just a busted vacuum line.

I would put the windshield seals towards the top of the list...cuz all the bad ones are doing now, is watering the moss.

See if you can get some money back....but also keep in mind, it could've been worse.

Good Luck!

-Larry

kingkos · #38 03-14-2006, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.delano

Not to be rude but folks like you don't have any business buying 25 year old cars expecting the sky out of them regardless of what the seller promised. In a nutshell, you should have seen this coming because 1)it's eBay after all 2)it's a 25 year old car fer chrissake!....

So basically you are in the wrong on every front except the seller misrepresentation aspect. That's the only ground you have to stand on.

Folks like me??? haha, thats funny. My golf is the first car i've driven that is less than 15 years old. I have some experience with older Benz's including my dads '86 300E, '77 240D and my (now gone) '87 190D. I love mercedes diesels (thats why i'm on this forum), and I agree that I took a chance and got burned. Like I said, I'm not a mechanic, but I can find my way around a car. I dont need someone to change my wipers or top off my wiper fluid. (I'm not upset, I just think you got the wrong impression of me). I also agree that if I put some time, effort and money, I could get the car running and looking respectable, but I wasnt looking for a "project car". I dont have the time right now to do that.

Also, the seller misrepresentation aspect is the ONLY thing i've complained about. The only thing I did wrong was trust a crappy ebay ad and the word of the seller. Considering the amount I paid for the car, it was a calculated risk. It wont happen again. I bought an '88 300SE for my dad in arizona, but I actually went down there to pick it up for him. I inspected the car in person before paying for it and it worked out great! The car was mint with just a couple minor flaws. Now I know what sorts of things to watch out for when buying a car on ebay. Lesson learned.

Also, part of the reason I wanted an older car is cause cars older than 15 years old dont need to go through an inspection to import them into Canada. I only had to pay a 6% duty. Newer cars have to be inspected to conform to Canadian safety standards.

d.delano · #39 03-14-2006, 06:00 PM

Folks like you: people who just don't like to work on cars
Some folks do, some folks don't

Hey look I wasn't meaning to sound condescending. Just patch-fix it as cheep as you can and get the hell rid of it for as much as you can. You should have no problem selling it, but the amount will depend on how much effort you put into the patch-fix. I still say you can get your money+ if you will just take a little time.

dynotronics1 · #40 03-14-2006, 06:02 PM

You should try gotgripe.com! They were very good at getting me a refund on an ebay item that was not as discribed, and to boot, its free right now!....JM

Diesel Giant · #41 03-14-2006, 08:02 PM

Just a question. Why would you buy a car without even looking at it in person????

imagesinthewind · #42 03-14-2006, 08:18 PM

Before you send money and maybe even before you BID on an auto on eBay you should consider doing the following:
Before bidding send the seller something like this;
'I promise to fully purchase this car IF at the time of pick up, the car is in described shape, the miles are within 150 miles of the pictured odometer, if there is no rust, the engine starts without problem and the condition is as originally explained by seller. I reserve the right to NOT purchase this vehicle after inspection if the seller has misrepresented anything in any way.
If car is to be shipped to me, seller will pay for car to be shipped back if the car has been misrepresented by seller.
Seller, by accepting and cashing this deposit check accepts the terms above.'

If the seller will not sign something like this, don't do biz with that seller.

Just the way to COA!!
Ginny in Denver

Matt L · #43 03-14-2006, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imagesinthewind

Before you send money and maybe even before you BID on an auto on eBay you should consider doing the following:
Before bidding send the seller something like this;
'I promise to fully purchase this car IF at the time of pick up, the car is in described shape, the miles are within 150 miles of the pictured odometer, if there is no rust, the engine starts without problem and the condition is as originally explained by seller. I reserve the right to NOT purchase this vehicle after inspection if the seller has misrepresented anything in any way.
If car is to be shipped to me, seller will pay for car to be shipped back if the car has been misrepresented by seller.
Seller, by accepting and cashing this deposit check accepts the terms above.'

If the seller will not sign something like this, don't do biz with that seller.

Just the way to COA!!
Ginny in Denver

And a great way to ensure that you won't buy a car. I would never sign such a statement if I were selling a car, and I would have no intention of misleading the buyer.

I'm a picky buyer, and have bid on vehicles on ebay. I drove them first.

sixto · #44 03-14-2006, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomguy

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1983-mercedes-benz-300D-turbo-diesel_W0QQitemZ4621424204QQcategoryZ6330QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
This looks like one to be wary of. Look at the interior shot in the rear - It looks like the carpet is moldy (or SOMETHING). Seller's short description (along with the similar "Dash has a few cracks" story) would make me not buy this car.

The seller's handle tells the story.

kingkos, sell it for the best offer you get after a week of listing it and put this episode behind you. It's tempting to put effort into it to squeeze a profit but you don't want to learn more about it to further sour your memory... and that you'll have to disclose. Just say you bought it sight unseen and discovered you don't want it. Be advised that the quality of prospective buyer you're gonna get from a <$1500 listing will likely lead to another unpleasant episode.

Sixto

kingkos · #45 03-15-2006, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixto

The seller's handle tells the story.

kingkos, sell it for the best offer you get after a week of listing it and put this episode behind you. It's tempting to put effort into it to squeeze a profit but you don't want to learn more about it to further sour your memory... and that you'll have to disclose. Just say you bought it sight unseen and discovered you don't want it. Be advised that the quality of prospective buyer you're gonna get from a <$1500 listing will likely lead to another unpleasant episode.

Sixto

I will probably go with this option. The seller finally got back to me and offered me partial compensation for my trouble, but he kept stressing how he is "not obligated to do so". Whatever. Normally, I would insist on a full refund, but this is a bit more complicated since the car would have to be shipped back to him (another $500), and I know its not worth it for me or him to pay that. It seems like the only winner here is the shipping company anyways. I'm just waiting to see how much he'd be willing to refund. I think $500 would be ok. Although it wouldnt really cover the costs of fixing the car up to the description he made. I dont really feel like disassembling the car piece by piece to try and get the other $1000 back, so I will just sell the car as it is and hopefully get back another $500 or so. I appreciate the suggestions and help. Thanks.

Steve