eBay Nightmare - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

mtldieselguy · #1 04-15-2007, 07:21 PM

Well, I'm sure it's happened to other people in this forum, but I have just become the latest 'sucker' to buy a car off eBay.

I bought a 1987 300D with 200,000 miles from the New York area. Went to pick it up with a uHaul to bring it back to Montreal, Quebec.

I took the wheels off and started to fiddle around to see what kind of work it needed. I unfortunately found a large rust hole under the left rear mount for the driver's seat. This is repairable. I also found that the right rear front sub frame mount is coming apart due to rust. I've been quoted between $1500-2000 for the repair because the sub frame has to come down.

The seller has stood by saying that the car was solid, but structural rust (in my opinion) wouldn't make the car solid.

In short, as you guys may or not be aware, be careful when you buy on eBay. I have little choice but to pay for the repairs (I am a DIYer) to the sub frame because it will not pay any safety inspection until those repairs are done.

I will probably speak to eBay about the buyer protection program to see if it will help me recover some of my money.

With all this said, does anyone know where I can find structural parts online? I need to try to find the little triangle which is welded to the body which attaches to the sub frame. Thanks, and any help would be appreciated.

POS · #2 04-15-2007, 07:44 PM

Sorry to hear that. I have found cars on ebay, but always bought them outside of the auction after an inspection. I'm a Craigslist whore, checking it 2-3 times a day, and I've looked at lots and lots of Benzes. Photographs lie - it's that simple.

From the cars I view in person, I walk away from 9.5 out of 10, but I'm a picky Buyer. But with those odds, buying from ebay would be insane.

mtldieselguy · #3 04-15-2007, 07:52 PM

The problem is that there are extremely few MB Diesel's up here. I wasn't interested in a w123, so that limited me even more. But I sure regret this purchase.....

hangit · #4 04-15-2007, 08:53 PM

Sorry to hear about your dilemma, but I also had a similar experience with an ebayer. Pictures can be made to deceive. Luckily with lots of help from this forum and my mechanic brother, my W123 is just about roadworthy for my daughter. Ebay buyer beware!

John

fj bertrand · #5 04-15-2007, 08:58 PM

One thing that all buyers should remember is never buy a car out of New York State. The salt they use in the winter is incredibly corrosive. Sorry about your luck. I have bought 3 ebay cars, all with good luck. My last one, the 85 300SD for $1700 needed the typical tires, brakes, shocks, etc., but it is a beautiful runner.

Knightrider966 · #6 04-16-2007, 12:21 AM

I bought my 300d on ebay too. I got lucky with an honest seller and he represented the car really well. It was here in Phoenix though and no rust!

! I'm satisfied and the sale went great, but I would seriously beware when buying in snow country. I used to live in the East Coast and can remember well how long car bodies would last!

BioPOWER · #7 04-16-2007, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtldieselguy

The seller has stood by saying that the car was solid, but structural rust (in my opinion) wouldn't make the car solid.
...
I will probably speak to eBay about the buyer protection program to see if it will help me recover some of my money.

If you're gonna deal with the "buyer protection program," do it RIGHT AWAY!!! There's a 35-DAY TIME LIMIT and after that Ebay will just shrug off your claim. You can probably nab the seller for drastic misrepresentation of the car; he said it was "nice and solid" but in fact it was full of rust.

I tried working the "buyer protection program" when I bought my Jetta TDI. The car hadn't shown up after six weeks, the seller and trucker were in cahoots and were lying to my face, and I was getting a little worried. I went to Ebay's "buyer protection program" (I use quotes because it's riddled with fine print and red tape...Ebay sucks as a company) but repeated requests to be refunded were denied simply because I had submitted my claim over 35 days since the auction ended.

Eventually (with the help of the police, my attorney, and the FBI) we located the car and picked it up, it's running great today, but I learned that Ebay is all about turning profits and doesn't care for its customers as it should. The whole saga is right here: I got the TDI!

I hope you can either get your repairs paid for or get refunded for the car, my two car-buying experiences on Ebay have been relatively positive, and it's a shame to hear a story like this.

Shorebilly · #8 04-16-2007, 06:33 AM

I purchased the car in my sig. via E-bay......checked out quite a few before winning it.....FWIW "Cartruckdonation" is an honest and reliable seller.....

SB

hitwtom · #9 04-16-2007, 08:36 AM

Is that the one 40 miles NE of Washington DC?

Hatterasguy · #10 04-16-2007, 10:54 AM

I'm done with Ebay car buying. After my friends S320 experiance, its way to risky. Well unless the car is in a location that allows you to inspect it.

Their is a lot one can hide with the right digital camra.

TX76513 · #11 04-16-2007, 11:05 AM

Everyone is quick to dun EBay. Most of the horror stories have one similar problem - the buyer never looks at the car before purchase. If it's been said once it's been said a hundred times, you have to look at the car or have it inspected by someone.

Cephallus · #12 04-16-2007, 11:10 AM

i have purchased two cars sight-unseen on ebay, and have done o.k. both times. i bought the 240d on ebay, and it was not quite as cosmetically perfect as the seller advertised. torn bolster on the driver's seat, some cracked interior plastics, etc. the seller did disclose the small rust spot by the real taillight, the cracked dash, and the missing chrome trim piece on the rear quarter panel...so i gave him the benefit of the doubt.

realistically, i view anything around $5k and under as play-money when talking about cars. it's a cash transaction, and not going to put me into bankruptcy. if i were taking out a loan to pay for the car, you'd better believe i'd have to inspect the car in person and have a complete ppi done at a good mechanic first.

rwthomas1 · #13 04-16-2007, 01:00 PM

I bought my 300D on Ebay. The seller stated plainly that the car would meet or exceed the description or the deposit would be refunded. I showed up to pick up the car, found a few minor issues that were corrected that day and I was on my way.

Since you went to pick it up why didn't you inspect it then? You can simply walk away from any deal that isn't worth it. I don't think I would buy a car that I couldn't personally inspect.

RT

mtldieselguy · #14 04-16-2007, 01:38 PM

I saw some of the rust around the jacking points, but i wasn't concerned. I didn't notice the 2 holes, not sure why. I could have never seen the subframe mount rust without taking the wheels off. The car is from south N.J.

Aside from the body, it still needs a bunch of repairs (shocks, brakes, windows, etc.) but those are well within my ability to repair. There is also a transmission issue, but that doesn't concern me all that much because of all the info on this site (thanks

. I've also already priced a used tranny locally.

Has anyone experieced rust in this area in the past? The Pics are on these 2 links:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a84/yatzee_1/RearSubframeMount2.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a84/yatzee_1/RearSubframeMount1.jpg

SwampYankee · #15 04-16-2007, 01:39 PM

Sorry to hear about your deal, mtl. I actually bought my '00 Wrangler through eBay a few years ago but it was a seller in CT so I was able to check things out beforehand. I won't say that I'd never buy an out of state car off eBay but I'd be a lot more leery and diligent. Hopefully you can get some recourse.