So, now you are trying to CANCEL the terms of sale - AFTER agreeing to buy it? That's dishonest to try and do to the seller.

You owe the Seller the deposit. You agreed to buy it at $5,800.00. That's a deal as far as I'm concerned.

Have you ever bought a car on ebay.co.uk ?!?!?

I have. 7 in total now, and only for breaking into pieces. Only once was the car as described. I've also bought a digger and two trailers. All in significant poorer condition than advertised. All the others had more or less important faults that the sellers never told me. "a little slow on engaging reverse". Yeah, right. I discovered a little too late why the car was backed (probably pushed) into the drive way. It had no reverse at all. It might be the sellers don't care when they know the car is going out of the country.

Since 2000 every vehicle (4 motorcycles and many cars) I have bought and sold has been via ebay UK, never had a single problem of any kind either way.

The only one I lost money on was a Peugeot 405D that I paid £199 for and sold 2 years later for £140, having done precisely nothing to it except one filter and fluid change.

Either he's the nicest seller in the world or reluctant to have someone who knows these things start poking around, and happily canceled the transaction.

Get a local guy from here to check the car out and inform the seller that you are wanting to do so...if he is confident in his advertising ethics, all should be well provided that you are courteous in how you communicate. As Skid said, you did make a deal. A "man's word" keeps lessening in value...let's not add to that!

If you don't ask, you don't get. The seller was completely cool with my request and it wasn't dishonest because I didn't intend to take this course of action when I ended the auction on Saturday.

I didn't end the auction due to the concern listed here, there was something personal that occurred which forced my hand.

That being said:
I think you've had a bit of chip on your shoulder with me since you stated that the seller had alluded to rust on the car when in fact I thought his statements were clear that it didn't have any at all:

I'm not sure where you got the "strong likelyhood" but this is what I considered to be a declaration that the was no rust on the car:

If you had said "I think he is lying and there is absolutely rust on that car somewhere" I wouldn't have said I thought you miss-read the description. That's all I'm sayin'. :D

If he had not been cool with my request then I would have found a way to make it happen. Fortunately, he was cool with it. I told him I hope the bidding goes well over the $5800 on the next auction.

HEAR! HEAR! We all know when you make a bid on an ebay item you are promising you will buy what you bid on. Try bidding and flaking at a real life auction. I fear the only lesson learned when a seller lets someone "off the hook" is that it is ok to be a flake.

X 2

He agreed to buy something he had NO intention of buying.

I had his number all along.

Or, he was given a heads-up on the flakey bidder from California. . .:D

I don't particularly care for the buy then drop, as a seller I'd be pretty unhappy. However, seems like this car is not the car that the seller would like potential buyers to believe, I'm pretty happy that he didn't sell it misrepresented (yet).

Yes, the buyer should have done his research up-front, and not bought until he was "ready, willing, and able".

On the car: Faded interior, un-documented and likely incorrect miles, badly mismatched console wood, faded gauge needles, bad paint (at least on hood), IP lines missing clips, headlamp wipers missing, sun-damaged bumpers, black speaker grille on RR door, no front seat photos, more I'm sure.

The good? Someone did swap in a leather steering wheel.

Seems pretty rust-free, could be a straight car. With the mileage issue and cosmetics though, I feel it's overpriced by about $2k or more. I might be wrong (have been before, I'm married!).

I appreciate the benefit of the doubt.

Regardless of what Mr Chip on His Shoulder thinks I arranged to borrow $4000 until I could sell my E320. I made the mistake of bidding before I had the cash in hand and come Monday the lender wasn't able to come through due to an unexpected letter from BofA. Lesson learned.

You entered into a legally binding contract without money to fulfill your end of it. Somehow I have no trouble believing that. It's just not real grown up activity to pull on unsuspecting people as you did.

Why is the oil pressure at 3 with the engine off?

I think you're on the other '87 300TDT thread.