Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:35:33 -0700
Reply-To: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Careful what you wish for (Vanagons FS on Craigslist)
In-Reply-To: <CAJRLdXYfNRqrgaxS1Xinh5W1mwDkFOD=7c0vKvo0E0RJPOVS=Q@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Report it to CL too.
Stuart
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
TJ Hemrick
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 2:23 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Careful what you wish for (Vanagons FS on Craigslist)
All,
Over the past few months, I've been looking to get a newer Vanagon.
After hitting Craigslist many times, I found many possible choices over
that time and even one guy I had to turn down after he told me, "I don't
have time for inspections..." I actually felt good telling him off even if
I did do it politely. Anyhow, the other day, I came across the proverbial
"perfect" and "must have" Vanagon. A white, 91, perfect shape, and a really
good price. I sent 4 emails from 4 different email addresses as I did not
get a reply after the first few days and while I kept my mouth shut about
how great the van looked, I made sure I was doing all I could to get that
van first. I drew the line after a few days and gave up on it and then, out
of the blue, I get an email today about the Vanagon. All this stuff about
how it's perfect, maintained, no accidents, blah, blah, blah...
Suddenly, it occurs to me, that the reply seems familiar. VERY familiar
and my BS detector starts beeping. I take a line from the add and put it in
my Gmail search box and what do you know, the EXACT SAME words from another
Craigslist advertisement in my inbox from a few months ago. I'm talking,
word for word, punctuation, and even mistakes. Only the link to the
pictures is different. Different sellers name but in both cases, he's not
at home to sell the van, he's out of town at his daughters wedding, and I
can do the process through some pay service (similar to an escrow deal).
TOTAL SCAM! I'm shattered, but relieved. The van was so perfect but like
my Dad told me many times: "Believe none of what you hear and half of what
you see". Or; "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". Lastly,
and the best of all; "Let the buyer beware". Of course, he always said it
in Latin (damn show off). Well, all three were true and thankfully, I
listened.
Soooooo, if any of you EVER see this response to an add on Craigslist, avoid
it like the plague...
Here it is for the record:
"I still have the van for sale . It is in excellent shape, has a fresh oil
change, newer tires, brakes and Battery. I have always taken great care of
it and has all service up to date at an autohorized dealer.. Mechanically
the van is in excellent condition, engine runs great without any oil leaks
and does not smoke. Suspension is tight, there are absolutely no rattles or
noises. A/C and heat work great. The interior in great shape. It has never
been in an accident. It has a clear and clean title, free of all liens and
encumberances.
Unfortunately I am not home and I can't sell it myself because i left town
few days ago to help my daughter organizing her wedding and i may stay here
a while, but this is not a problem because i`ll sell it through OSD
services. I believe you know what OSD is if you buy and sell online often,
if you don't I'll be glad to walk you through the process. Let me know if
you are still interested See more pictures bellow:
https://picasaweb.google.com/111904259901178552443/1991VOLKSWAGENVANAGONCARA
T88KORIG1?authkey=Gv1sRgCPO1vKmytruuAw
Hopefully all of them do justice to the condition this van is in."
Sorry to suck up all the bandwith but I was lucky enough to have a record of
the offender so I'm going to out him hopefully before anyone gets fleeced.
Guess I'll go back to fixing my old 87 again...
Later,
TJ
| 
