Date: Wed, 20 May 2020 21:27:18 -0600
Reply-To: Vanagon Man <t3vanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Vanagon Man <t3vanagon@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Heads-Up - Potential Odometer Fraud
In-Reply-To: <CACrM94+xrXJOwsodMj-PKW5eVsL5Cdf+WeBVetTzuzCnj7166A@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
LOL So was I! 😆
> On May 20, 2020, at 8:18 PM, Abel Longoria <houstonphotog@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 
> Damn. Ouch.
>
> I was thinking $9k
>
>> On Wed, May 20, 2020, 7:58 PM Vanagon Man <t3vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
>> $17k-ish
>>
>>>> On May 20, 2020, at 6:11 PM, Abel Longoria <houstonphotog@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>> 
>>> Yea... Not cool. Pass.
>>>
>>> How were their prices? If they're low enough maybe someone looking to get into a van relatively inexpensively will take a chance on them.
>>>
>>>> On Wed, May 20, 2020, 6:52 PM VW Vanagon <t3vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Yeah, Peacevans would be a no-brainer.
>>>> I've been following them for a while and am consistently impressed by how well they maintain their fleet.
>>>>
>>>> This on the other hand, was clearly a van that was not properly cared for.
>>>> They have no idea what service or maintenance has been done on any of their rigs. Period.
>>>> And again, wouldn't even let me hear it run.
>>>> I would ask and there was no acknowledgement that I'd even asked a question.
>>>>
>>>> And for the sake of perspective, here are some of the odometer readings:
>>>> 7/12/2003 - 168,172
>>>> 3/15/2005 - 103,974
>>>> 3/9/2007 - 87,851
>>>> 3/10/2009 - 71,890
>>>> 4/2/2011 - 98,749
>>>> 4/18/2019 - 189,072
>>>>
>>>> Last night I was told it has 189,073 miles on it, which (all things being equal) would tell me that it hasn't moved in over a year.
>>>> Today on the call that went down to 145,000 and I was told that she mistakenly gave me the miles of a different van. . .
>>>>
>>>> But to then tell me it's simply not important and that it's someone else's fault without hesitation or any other consideration tells me that I'm not the first to bring it up...
>>>>
>>>> This surpassed "red flag" stage and went straight into "traffic flares on an interstate overpass train derailment" stage in the span of about 3 minutes.
>>>>
>>>> But if this process was simple, it wouldn't feel like a rewarding accomplishment on the other side, would it?
>>>>
>>>> Onward!!!
>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, May 20, 2020 at 5:26 PM Abel Longoria <houstonphotog@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> What's probably true in this case is they have so many vans they don't know the history or story on all of them.... I know when I rented. It wasn't necessarily the best kept van mechanically. It was a money maker so maintenance was probably minimal.
>>>>>
>>>>> All the more reason not to purchase a van that's been used as a rental vehicle.
>>>>>
>>>>> Although... I've rented from Peacevans as well and those vans are awesome. I'd purchase one from them in a heartbeat.
>>>>>
>>>>> Good luck with your search
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, May 20, 2020, 6:21 PM VW Vanagon <t3vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Valid argument. Fine for others, but that ain't my jam.
>>>>>> Like I said, there were other red flags - like "I don't know how to drive a manual transmission, so I can't let it idle."
>>>>>> And telling me different mileage today than she did less than 12 hours ago, by 40k+.
>>>>>> And the list goes on and on.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Bottom line is that f I can't trust the seller to tell me basic information, I can't trust that the van is ANYTHING they say it is.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Caveat emptor. . .
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Wed, May 20, 2020 at 5:16 PM Abel Longoria <houstonphotog@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> Really not important in my mind either. I bought my van with a broken speedo/odometer. I replaced it with a new speedo that was zeroed out mileage wise.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> If the van is in good shape and it looks good mechanically then I wouldn't worry about it too much. These are 30 year old vehicles. They're gonna have a lot of miles on them... That's just how it is.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Abel.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Wed, May 20, 2020, 6:13 PM VW Vanagon <t3vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Howdy all-
>>>>>>>> I'm in the process of finding an 86+ Westy to start taking my family on
>>>>>>>> some Montana adventures.
>>>>>>>> (side note: if you have a lead on a solid one, hit me up).
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> In the process of the search, I came across a listing for an '89 in Maui
>>>>>>>> (turned out to be a damaged, spray painted and rust-eaten can on wheels)
>>>>>>>> and that, in turn, turned me on to some folks down in CA who are selling
>>>>>>>> the last few of their rental fleet.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I texted back and forth with the seller last night and arranged for a video
>>>>>>>> call today to check things out.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Throughout the very short call, there were red flags *ALL OVER THE PLACE*!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I won't go into the gory details, but I ran the CarFax report and
>>>>>>>> immediately saw that the odometer has clearly been rolled back multiple
>>>>>>>> times over the course of the past 10-14 years.
>>>>>>>> I asked her about it, and got all kinds of excuses and reasons why it
>>>>>>>> wasn't important.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> This will be my 3rd Vanagon, and with the previous two I learned to follow
>>>>>>>> my gut and *always* to run a CarFax report!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Moral of the story:
>>>>>>>> THAT REPORT IS GOLD!
>>>>>>>> GET IT EVERY TIME! :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The search goes on!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> -Drew
>>>>>>>> Missoula, MT
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Drew
>>>>>> Missoula, MT
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Searching for our next Westy!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Drew
>>>> Missoula, MT
>>>>
>>>> Searching for our next Westy!
| 
