Deadbeat Craigslist Sellers

[black_falcon]

This is probably a minor complaint compared to other stories out there..

Today was suppose to be an exciting day. I set off on the 1hr 40 min road trip to purchase what I thought was going to be a really nice, low mileage, rust and accident free, 4.0L XJS Convertible. After all, the seller had assured me it was a excellent car that needed very little, and it looked just as good in the photographs.

I arrive, cashiers check in hand, and the car looks great from ten feet. My heart sank when I walked up and immediately noticed the rims absolutely full of curb rash, and it was downhill from there.

To be exact..

- Large chip in windshield
- Rust spots from cracked paint on the edges of the bonnet
- Damaged front chrome trim pieces, plastic front grill cracked and broken. Front impact apparent.
- Rear bumper cracked on both ends from an impact
- Wheel cocked to the left while driving -- possible frame damage
- Pulled hard left while breaking, pedal pulsing very apparent
- Convertible top had extreme wind leaks while driving, very noisy
- Temperature reached 3/4 quickly -- over heating issues.
- Metallic grinding sounds, possible brake dragging.
- Paint chips, dings, and over buffing.
- Wheels badly curb rashed and scratched.
- Interior brittle, dry and tired.
- Warm AC
- Horrible panel gabs from shoddy accident repair(s)

He blatantly lied as I specifically asked about most of those issues on the phone. I can't imagine what an inspection would have revealed. The upside was the girlfriend and I had a fun day in the historical little town, but I learned a valuable lesson about ignoring red flags and going with your gut when a seller makes those spider senses tingle.

Any similar experiences?

[aap1966]

Originally Posted by black_falcon

- Large chip in windshield
- Rust spots from cracked paint on the edges of the bonnet
- Damaged front chrome trim pieces, plastic front grill cracked and broken. Front impact apparent.
- Rear bumper cracked on both ends from an impact
- Wheel cocked to the left while driving -- possible frame damage
- Pulled hard left while breaking, pedal pulsing very apparent
- Convertible top had extreme wind leaks while driving, very noisy
- Temperature reached 3/4 quickly -- over heating issues.
- Metallic grinding sounds, possible brake dragging.
- Paint chips, dings, and over buffing.
- Wheels badly curb rashed and scratched.
- Interior brittle, dry and tired.
- Warm AC
- Horrible panel gabs from shoddy accident repair(s)

You did realise this was a (at least) 16 yo Jaguar?
Most came out of the factory like this.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It's craigslist. The fact that the seller even had the car at all and that you actually bothered to show up is noteworthy in itself!

Sorry for your trouble - there will be others.

[pharlap71]

Over the years of buying cars I have learned to take the description with a grain of salt. What is "pristine" is different things to different people. I like it when people describe the "good, bad and ugly" especially on older cars. It is rare that a used car (or new car) does not have some issues. On the other hand it is a joy when you go and look at one that goes beyond your expectation.

[recycled sixtie]

I am impressed that u drove that far to look at it. You made the effort and it did not work out. Well this is not unusual for a seller to put lipstick on a pig of a car. This is all seller's marketing and advertising ploy. There must be other XJS out there but I would do what u did and take the long drive to look at others. As AAP1966 says amusingly that some came out of the factory like this LOL. What I hate to see are folks that buy say a Porsche sight unseen and then put on the forum how do I fix the following after obviously paying too much in the first place. Congrats for the long drive and walking away.Lemonade is one thing but walking away from a lemon is refreshing!

[Christien]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

It's craigslist. The fact that the seller even had the car at all and that you actually bothered to show up is noteworthy in itself!

That is EXACTLY my experience. CL sucks, generally.

[J P Stein]

Craigslist is something of a crapshoot but I seem to roll 7s there.
I just bought a replacement Tacoma from a seller there......this is my second run thru. I also sold my Mr.2 T on CL recently and a old Ford pickup a few years ago.

Maybe it's a regional thing. Around here (PNW) folks seem to be pretty stand up guys as a whole. There is some overstating of condition of the vehicles but nothing drastic. I try to keep as close as home as possible and search for a few weeks for those cars that I want to go look at. ( yeah, I've missed a few) I only carry enough cash to "hold"
the car if I want it.($500 bucks or so) I've had some folks volunteer to bring the rig to me...motivated sellers are gud.

I'm something of a fan of CL.

[71 3.0 911]

I am a fan as well. I have bought and sold 5 cars and multiple powersports vehicles on Craigslist. Never once had a problem. The old adage of "you get what you pay for" seems especially acute in these cases.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I have great luck on Craigslist, most of my car buying and selling is done there. All you can do is your best due diligence, as some people are either not that particular, stupid, or just plain shady. I'd say that I strike out on 25% of the cars that I look at, which is still better than most used car dealerships that will always tell you that a car is mint. My buying hints:

-Ask specific and informed questions, it's an easy way to identify a moron or someone that has neglected the car. It's also a nice way to cut through the generalities of "this car is nice" or similar statements.
-Don't travel without lots of pictures. Pictures can easily lie, but they are also a great way to weed out blatantly bad cars.
-Find someone local to check the car out. Before you travel a long way, either get a PPI or find a local Pelican to check the car out.
-Favor cars with service records. Normally the anal retentive owners keep records, it's a good indication that the car was cared for.
-Don't buy cars from idiots. If the person is a moron via phone or email, you'll probably be disappointed in the car.
-If a deal is too good to be true.......

My RX8 was a Craigslist find in Omaha. Four 996s, one 986, my Land Rover, etc were all Craigslist. There's lots of good stuff, you just have to sift through the crap to find it.

[pharlap71]

I'm a CL fan too. I have gotten where I can peg the scams. I also have scored some really good deals on ebay for parts. No matter where you go you have to remember "selling a used car will make liars out of honest people".

[skunked]

been burned a few times, but I've learned who to respond to when selling and I can usually spot a shady ad.

[intakexhaust]

You've spent enough time but spare a few delightful minutes with a return favor. A CL reply post to warn others about that seller and the car. Make that seller look like the schmuck they are...

Ex: 4.0 XJS convert Do NOT buy or bother. Schmuck selling jag (how appropriate). Give the location and describe it as you see it.

[JavaBrewer]

I have had great luck buying and selling all sorts of stuff on CL. Obviously I have picked up some sort of technique to navigate through the garbage but I honestly can't put into words how it's done. My most basic rule is to have a quick phone conversation with buyer/seller. If I catch anything off then I move on.

[aigel]

Some sellers think that as long as they can get you there to look, you will end up buying the car.

I take a risk if it is 30 minutes or less, if I drive any further, I need to have a real good warm and fuzzy. Any slight uptick on the BS meter and I pass.

In the end it is part of the hunt. You will not get a good deal if you don't go look.

G

[Joe Bob]

What about deadbeat buyers? Yeah...I'll be over at 1pm....no show, no response on their cell, no email response....Fuch....

[stealthn]

I'm buying a pcar sight unseen right now from a fellow pelican. It's in Florida I'm in Calgary 4400km's away. If it's crap it's my fault (but i know it's not)