Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 11:16:25 -0700
Reply-To: Zoltan <zol@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Zoltan <zol@FOXINTERNET.NET>
Subject: Internet car purchase
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Yes, maybe I should.
I was under a car for the last two days.
Well, my experiences are not terrible, except one. And that one has changed
my view on the whole. Until than I was happily flying around the country
and picking up drivable campers that needed some fixing.
And when I got to this one, I puked. A stomach that has been conditioned
through the years to take a lot, gave up on this. When you find a unit that
is totally misrepresented, inside, outside, mechanicals and the guy will
keep your 500 deposit, and you have spent 600 on travel and two full days
sitting on your butts there and back, suddenly the light goes on. It is not
wise to have it not checked out at least by a list member in advance.
Rather pay him to do that first than end up with a rotten lemon. Yes, there
is a risk. If you don't buy it, you will loose your deposit and the travel
expenses and heart.
If you buy it, you will loose even more. I chose the first, unhappily.
The Lord has healed me right away when I picked up one later that has little
damage cost only one G, and it will be worth ten.
In my opinion; you will have to wait for the opportunity, have money, ask
someone to look at it for you, make arrangement for the deposit to be
refunded or not being paid, get picked up at the airport or have an address
and instructions how to get there. For travel; have credit cards, take a
sleeping bag, change of underwear, little food, a box of basic tools, some
emergency parts, a Bently, all in a rollaway cabin size bag, the sleeping
bag would be attached.
In one case I had the choice of either fly across the country and drive back
or have it shipped for nearly the same price without the loss of time and
physical effort. They brought it close to my house, I got on a bike to meet
the flatbed in a parking lot, paid him and drove home with the bike in it.
It has to be really worth it to ship.
The car I failed on did not have enough pictures, the rust all over did not
show at all on the little picture that was presented. The guy did try to
sell it again on Ebay, but I felt it is my Vanagonite duty to let the next
victim know, so I made up the correct description and one after the other
cancelled the bid, the price went down and down. It did not sell. But I
was already the third victim, I think.
All in all, there are just too many things that are involved in a car
purchase. And to put a deposit without laying an eye on it, is just too
great a risk for our pocket. A car is a Pandora's box, full or surprises,
even after you have taken it for a ride, looked it all over, or even if you
have taken it to the dealer for an inspection. Although I think that is the
best. If the seller takes it for an inspection and is willing to pay half
of that fee and he sends you the report, I think he is fair, he is serious,
and you can make a deal. You can send the deposit. And you can still be
screwed if he is really a rotten fellow.
The car's paint is the one that you can not see well on any picture. Even
if it is presented the best way. The interior same. It may look fine on a
tiny picture, but not the same in real life.
Let's face it; we don't even put deposit on cars that we see first let alone
the one you have not. It is the price that is the lure. Imagine what type
of condition that car has been, if I had to leave it rather and take my
losses at a time when I was getting close to the periodical bottom.
I bought one which was loosing water. But I was only told that when I got
there. I took it, it was a nice unit, it did still ride great, I put in a
new cylinder head when I got home 2000 miles later. But I was not sure I
will make it home with it. Imagine the expenses that would have had to
taken place if it got stranded. Talking about taking chances.
It is a war out there. There are honest sellers too, yes. They have money
and don't care if they sell it for nothing. To them it is no value.
But most are not and they will misrepresent the cars in many ways. They
will not mention any of the faults that you would not see right away but
they know of. They will not let you know if the car just arrived to it's
certain periodical service time, when some crucial parts are to be changed
that have time elapsed on them. Pandora's box.
You will be taken far easier on the Internet than in life, where you are
taken too if you are too trusty.
When I sell a car, a lot of people will call, some of those will see it, and
only one of those will buy it. Most of the time that one of those will take
it to the dealer for an inspection before he buys it. He will make me fix
those that they find wrong and only than he will buy it, most probably. Not
sure.
On the Internet you are the winning bidder. The car is off the market, at
least until it's readmitted if you won't take it. Now it's up to you if you
send that 25% deposit before you have really seen the thing. With good
communication you won't have to. It is serious effort enough for you to go
there. But once you are there he can refuse to sell the car too. Sure he
needs the money, but you are in a dependent position where you can loose the
time and money spent for the travel.
He can even make up a story and make you pay for a repair or whatever more
above the price. I worst case, they can take you from the airport to their
woods and do anything they want to you. Life can be a lot tougher than it
looks. From one minute to the next.
There is no contact on the Internet. Ten percent of goods bought on the
Internet is not delivered. It is digestible if it's only fifty bucks or so.
Not when you are talking a thousand. And yet it is still not big enough to
go to the lawyers. The legal recourse is not attractive. It breeds
criminals. They are there too, using the same medium.
There is not much more to it, I guess.
As it is written at the entrance of the Wimbledon tennis complex; "if you
can take the good with the bad, you may succeed", or something to that
effect.
Zoltan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Kay" <CTONLINE@WEBTV.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 9:04 AM
> Dave,
>
> I just thought of something else-------
>
> If you would like some "hands on" advice about long distance purchasing,
> contact Zoltan---I'm sure he could enlighten you a bit.
>
> Zoltan, why have you not opened up on this thread?
>
> Later,
>
> ______________
> |[ ] [ ] [ ]\
> | | | |
> ||-(())----(())-|
>
>
> Terry
> 74 Campmobile (Clementine)
> 85 GL
> 86 BMW 325 ES
| 
