Oh, woe is me. and a WARNING to all.

[texasnative46]

folks,

i got up early this morning, drove to northern MD (>180 mile roundtrip!!!) to pick-up a manual trans-equipped '85 MB diesel that i had "made a deal for" last evening.
(i've always wanted a nice, low mileage, "Euro-spec" W123, with manual everything = i.e., no vacumn stuff to fool with.)

when it came time to swap $$$$$ for car/title, i found out that the "owner" is:
a. in fact NOT the actual owner,
b. cannot get the title
&
c. is the "soon to be" ex-husband of "the owner".
(note: the longer i've thought about this, on the way home, the more i've wondered if his wife even owns it. = something FUNNY about his "in person demeanor", that i cannot "put my finger on".)

the MB is evidently "tied up in" the divorce case & it may be MONTHS until it's settled (if it ever is). = PURTY car with just over 100K, too.

my advice: ask LOTS of "really specific" questions BEFORE making "a road trip".
(this one "is on me".)

yours, tn46

[lutzTD]

Originally Posted by texasnative46

folks,

i got up early this morning, drove to northern MD (>180 mile roundtrip!!!) to pick-up a manual trans-equipped '85 MB diesel that i had "made a deal for" last evening.
(i've always wanted a nice, low mileage, "Euro-spec" W123, with manual everything = i.e., no vacumn stuff to fool with.)

when it came time to swap $$$$$ for car/title, i found out that the "owner" is:
a. in fact NOT the actual owner,
b. cannot get the title
&
c. is the "soon to be" ex-husband of "the owner".
(note: the longer i've thought about this, on the way home, the more i've wondered if his wife even owns it. = something FUNNY about his "in person demeanor", that i cannot "put my finger on".)

the MB is evidently "tied up in" the divorce case & it may be MONTHS until it's settled (if it ever is). = PURTY car with just over 100K, too.

my advice: ask LOTS of "really specific" questions BEFORE making "a road trip".
(this one "is on me".)

yours, tn46

its good you could walk away, this is one of the things that always discourages me from bidding on fleabay cars. they want the cash or at least a deposit up front, then you have to work to get it back no matter whos at fault

[POS]

I've had it happen to me too - you look at enough old MBs and you're going to get one of those stories sooner or later.

[texasnative46]

lutTZ;POS;all,

well guys, this deal, from 8AM till well after noon, was a GENUINE, absolute, PITA!!!

not only did i REALLY, REALLY, want the M-B (navy out/navy MB-Tex inside & "clean as a pin" - someone has really taken care of/babied it.) after i saw it in person BUT i "had other things to do" rather than needlessly driving up/down I-95 for over half the day & for NO good reason.

BUT, as i said before, "this one's on me". = just should have asked a LOT more specific questions.
(i'd guess being an OF & "having decades of experience in trading cars" doesn't always help, especially when you're "dealing with a slickster".)

yours, texasnative46

[toomany MBZ]

Sorry to hear about it.
I once drove three hours one way with a co driver to look at a CD that was "in good shape." What a piece of garbage THAT car was! The two of us drove back home, a day wasted.

[warpdriv]

Maybe we can get a sticky for buyers questions.

[texasnative46]

toomanyMBZ,

fwiw, i'm NOT "whining". i'm throughly PO'd & mad at ME, however.

yours,tn46

[texasnative46]

warpdriv,

GOOD idea, though i'm not at all sure that it would have helped in this particuliar instance.

i now think i was just "dealing with a slickster" (who believed he could "beat someone") & perhaps something worse.

yours, texasnative46

[babymog]

I've flown around the country looking at and buying cars and coaches for my personal use, it is more common IMO to be disappointed than to find that the seller has disclosed everything honestly. I always ask specific questions which have objective answers, still I get the "for it's age" type of response when I arrive.

I have never been disappointed in flying home without, but driving a disappointment home would be a mistake, done that twice. DON'T get attached to the car nor feel that you've invested in the trip already, and accept the car anyway.

I also have never sent a deposit. I get on the plane or in the car and arrive before the deposit is due.

[asnowsquall]

Originally Posted by toomany MBZ

Sorry to hear about it.
I once drove three hours one way with a co driver to look at a CD that was "in good shape." What a piece of garbage THAT car was! The two of us drove back home, a day wasted.

But yet in the big picture its all part of the excitment of the hunt. Think of the times you drove that far and found something beautiful on the other end.
My point is was it really wasted? You could have gone to the dealer 10 minutes down the street and said I want this one here brand new, lost 10-15% driving off the lot. That to me is a waste. Now I just worked how long for that depreciation....

[LUVMBDiesels]

Originally Posted by toomany MBZ

Sorry to hear about it.
I once drove three hours one way with a co driver to look at a CD that was "in good shape." What a piece of garbage THAT car was! The two of us drove back home, a day wasted.

I did the same thing when looking for an MGB. Turned out to be a cancer victim with no working gauges! Waste of time.

If you go chasing cars long enough, you will run into this kind of thing.

[yellowbenz]

Originally Posted by texasnative46

lutTZ;POS;all,

well guys, this deal, from 8AM till well after noon, was a GENUINE, absolute, PITA!!!

not only did i REALLY, REALLY, want the M-B (navy out/navy MB-Tex inside & "clean as a pin" - someone has really taken care of/babied it.) after i saw it in person BUT i "had other things to do" rather than needlessly driving up/down I-95 for over half the day & for NO good reason.

BUT, as i said before, "this one's on me". = just should have asked a LOT more specific questions.
(i'd guess being an OF & "having decades of experience in trading cars" doesn't always help, especially when you're "dealing with a slickster".)

yours, texasnative46

Complete waste of time, but what hurts the most is missing out on the "Holy Grail" of w123's!

[moon161]

3.5 hours each way on grease, 85 300D, good turbo engine,5 years on 2 tank diesel/grease, solid body, working sunroof, looked like a dog flipped out on the interior (not a deal breaker- I have a perfect one in a parts car). The tipping point into 'no you can't another project car' status was farmered up electrics The klima had an external on/off switch, spooky windows, driver mirror was held in place w/ a sheetrock screw or a nail, I forget.

We did meet some organic farmers, see some friends, buy some neat stuff for the kids, and have tasty burritos for dinner before heading home.

[kerry]

Originally Posted by babymog

I've flown around the country looking at and buying cars and coaches for my personal use, it is more common IMO to be disappointed than to find that the seller has disclosed everything honestly. I always ask specific questions which have objective answers, still I get the "for it's age" type of response when I arrive.

I have never been disappointed in flying home without, but driving a disappointment home would be a mistake, done that twice. DON'T get attached to the car nor feel that you've invested in the trip already, and accept the car anyway.

I also have never sent a deposit. I get on the plane or in the car and arrive before the deposit is due.

X2. Always buy a round trip ticket and have a plan to walk away.

[imagesinthewind]

Originally Posted by kerry

X2. Always buy a round trip ticket and have a plan to walk away.

X3.
Oh, yeah. Ask me how I know. . .