In my frustration with the problems in my current MB, I was searching around for something else. I ran across this listing on cars.com for a 1997 E300 diesel that has a very nice color combination, low mileage, and a price too good to believe. I sent a query e-mail to the seller, and after two days, he answered, (first clue of it being a scam - two days to answer an e-mail from a potential purchaser).

Second red flag is the location. I saw the ad first in the San Diego listings. Then in the Orange County and Los Angeles listings. Okay, I thought, he just wants some market penetration. I'd drive to San Diego for a good car at a fantastic price.

Third flag is the price itself. $2,500 for a '97 diesel with only 66,000 miles on it?!!?? Who knows? Maybe a divorce/revenge situation? A fellow just lost his job? Something. I wrote it off because at that price, I didn't expect it to last the weekend.

The final two red flags that indicate that this is a scam came in his reply to his e-mail. He said the car is located in Houston, the car was still available, and that his price is still $2,500, delivered! Delivered to SoCal? At that price! Scam for sure.

For reference, here is the listing. Maybe it is for real. It would be interesting if someone in Houston on this forum could check it out, and maybe get a really good deal. If it is for real, and you get it for $2,500 . . . I'll purchase it from you for twice the price! How's that for doubling your money. (But, I don't want no Katrina car.)

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Never mind. Just pulled up the cars.com web site to post the link, and it is gone. Must have been flagged as a scam. Still a good warning. If it is too good to be true . . . it probably is.

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-Steven

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1959 190b, totalled
1968 220D, sold
1969 230/8, sold
1980 240D manual, gave away at 300k (stupid me)
1985 190D 2.2 manual, gave away to a youngster
1989 300CE, sold when I retired - major regrets

good catch. A lot of scammers out there just gotta be careful and read carefully everything whether your buying a car or a house and ask yourself questions and make good judgements

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1986 300SDL, 211K,Dealership serviced its whole life
1991 190E 2.6(120k)
1983 300D(300k)
1977 300D(211k)

I belive a Katrina e300d should be worth more then 2500$ in parts...even sitting on the bottom of Lake Ponchatrain.

Always ask the seller for a faxed copy of both sides of the title and a faxed copy of the registration. Works to stop these illegal scammers.

I had a similar experience several years ago with a friend who was beside himself over a tricked out Jeep for some ridicules low price. He asked me to step in because I used to own quite a few. Seller wouldn't give up a phone number and I could never pin the guy down to do a pre-purchase inspection. By some strange event the seller had to leave the country and the car behind and not reachable by phone. Is there any place in the world that has internet service but no phones? YES Sierra Leone and Nigeria................

I'm looking for a horse trailer now.. same crap. "I'm in the military ... the trailer is at a third party holding company... send money and we'll ship it to you"

These ads are listed on the same page that has in huge letters ... "look out scams asking for money and shipping the trailer."

Time for the same treatment as the Somalian pirates.

I wonder if I've stumbled onto something similar. I live in SW VA and did a search on Autotrader.com for a 200 ml. radius. A 96 e300d in great shape with 123k came up--asking $3,300--easily half of what a car in that condition should fetch, seems to me. I emailed with some questions and he said he was in Fla, but that he could ship the car free because he was in the military; also said Autotrader would be the go-between party to protect us both--an escrow arrangement I suppose. I asked him to send images of the documents, but he emailed back the VIN and that was it. Since the car is supposedly located in Fla., I think I'm passing anyway. But it sounds very fishy. With all the Nigerian Prince money scams going on, I think I'll stick to car purchases where I can deal with someone in person. I don't know if this one's a scam, but I thought this information would be helpful to others looking.

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1998 E300D, 287k, barely broken in.

If any of you want to "buy" this car, I'd be happy sign over the checks I've received from Google, Exxon Mobil and the NFL that are in the thousands of dollars for a $800 beater/almost a parts car. I tend to think that these fine organizations are rather unlikely to be interested in what I have to sell and that the checks may be bogus.

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Hanno
'79 6.9 Sold (after 27 years)
'83 280SL, 5 spd.
'94 E320 Sdn. 5 spd conversion
'02 E320 Sdn.(on loan to mom!)
'87 300E (5 spd. conversion) Sold
'05 E500 Wagon

Any listing that is below any reasonable price and includes shipping is a scam. Always ask to inspect the vehicle. If it is out of state, suggest that you coincidentally have relatives wherever the vehicle is supposedly located, you'll never hear from them again.

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On some nights I still believe that a car with the fuel gauge on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio. - HST

1983 300SD - 305000
1984 Toyota Landcruiser - 190000
1994 GMC Jimmy - 203000

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