[The Radium King]

so, i was almost the owner of an aircooled porsche. ad on the auction site read well, pics looked ok, so i threw in a bid and won. like a good guy i contacted the seller within 24 hours of auction close and got a deposit to him shortly thereafter.

i asked some questions. the ad stated “a complete documented engine rebuild and head job. Receipts total over $14,000 since I've owned it!” i asked for receipts and got two from a machine shop for around $1,300 for work on the magnesium case, and one from his own garage dated a year later - just before the auction - for $9,000 for engine teardown and reassembly (he owns a garage/bodyshop/dealership that specialises in high-end euro cars). when questioned he laughed and admitted that the work actually happened a year ago and that he had just created the $9,000 receipt recently for ‘tax purposes’. another point of interest, the receipt from the machine shop notes “block has pitting and corrosion on one cylinder sealing surface, used good sealer or epoxy to seal.” hmmm. big deal? dunno, but info sure wasn’t made available to potential buyers.

ad reads “no rust”. when questioned, apparently there is a bit of rust on the lower door. ad reads “I believe it's original color of red” except ... the car is guards red and the COA which he provided afterwards says peru red. when questioned he said he had no idea as the tag with the paint code on it had been painted over. at this point i am starting to wonder how much original car is under all that paint. i ask for vehicle history. there is none. title? open title from 2002.

ad says “it does need a cold start valve”. well, i thought, he does own a garage, so could i arrange to get it in to get a ppi and have the csv diagnosed? tried three times to get it checked out, but it became very apparent that he wanted it paid for before it went to a mechanic.

at this point i’d lost all trust in the transaction, especially a sight-unseen online transaction, and ended the deal. i asked for my deposit back. no luck.

this guy sells online, on ebay, and on this forum. i researched the name and didn’t get any bad hits so was comfortable paying the deposit. i would like to get word out on the seller and on the car so that someone else doesn’t get taken like i did, but first i have to determine whether I in fact i got taken. am i being too critical? vindictive? having lost my deposit i am a bit too close to all this still, and don’t want to burn a guy if the real issue is my lack of confidence in buying a car sight-unseen.

so, i am kinda testing the water here. if folks think i am out of line with my expectations then i’ll take my lumps. if folks think my expectations are justifiable then i’ll name names so that others will see this if they search and will be able to make a more informed decision.