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Looking at an FD but it might be a scam

Old Mar 25, 2009 | 07:58 PM
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Looking at an FD but it might be a scam

So I found this FD for 6k. It says 27500 miles but the body shows some damage on the right rear and the seat looks pretty worn. Just wondered if anyone in the CHARLESTON, SC area might be able to take a look and get some compression numbers for me. Don't want anyone to go to far out of there way but definitely dont wanna jump in on this only to find out that its 127k miles instead lol. I'd be willing to give you some money in paypal for your time.
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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 08:06 PM
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It seems a little low for that kinda mileage even if its an auto with minor dents and warn seats. It just sounds to good to be true IMO.
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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 08:09 PM
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Go to the regional forum to find someone to look at it.
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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 08:22 PM
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Realized that and posted in both... yes i know spamming... It does sound too good to be true and there's no VIN listed. I don't want to go to SC only to find out that I've been lied to lol. If it's all real then wow I am getting a deal!











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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 08:37 PM
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For the mileage, that seems too good to be true, unless the title is salvage which is why the VIN isnt listed. The seller should explain that anyway. But with the economy now, you never know.

I would ask for the VIN and work from there.
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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by 1QWIK7
For the mileage, that seems too good to be true, unless the title is salvage which is why the VIN isnt listed. The seller should explain that anyway. But with the economy now, you never know.

I would ask for the VIN and work from there.
Ya that's my plan. I let him know of my intentions to have someone check it out and asked him to call me tomorrow. If he does call then I'll be asking him about the miles and for a VIN. At that point I'll try to get a carfax done (and if someone on here has an unlimited use of carfax at this point that wants to offer a use up to me that would be great). The thing is the phone number is registered to Missouri. So that will be something else to ask about.
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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 09:36 PM
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I've seen numerous ebay auctions where the mileage listed refers to the rebuilt motor and not the chassis, which typically has many more miles. Something to look into.....
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Old Mar 25, 2009 | 10:07 PM
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I know there is a company in that area that sells a lot of fds and e36 m3s that are usually salvage titled or the mileage isnt correct. I contacted them about several cars and things never did add up, 93 tachometers on 94 model cars, 93 plastics in a "94"car, etc, etc. It may be a realistic deal with the current economy. There are services online where you can have companies inspect cars for you for around $150.00. If the $150.00 sounds steep then this isnt the car for you in the first place.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 04:11 AM
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Lol...
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 05:32 AM
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scam



later
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 06:06 AM
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Originally Posted by gmonsen
That seat has a LOT more than 27,000 miles on it unless the owner had Parkinson's Disease... I wouldn't even bother pursuing it.

Gordon
I was just thinking the same thing. And like rich said, that could refer to the engine mileage.

Brent
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 07:10 AM
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At 27k miles the seat should look almost new. Something isn't right.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 08:21 AM
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Originally Posted by gmonsen
That seat has a LOT more than 27,000 miles on it unless the owner had Parkinson's Disease... I wouldn't even bother pursuing it.

Gordon
Politically not correct, but I have to say Gordon, that gave me a nice chuckle this morning
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 08:50 AM
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Yea those seats are worn to crap. I have 60k on my seats and they don't look nearly as bad. I agree with goodfellas. I have actually seen the same thing a bunch of times. Sometimes they list motor mileage on the title and in the description they will list both. Sometimes the sellers are well... less honest.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 09:06 AM
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I contacted the seller and he got back to me after several days. The following is what he wrote me. It smells badly of scam. What I don't get is that it costs $60, give or take, to put the car on AutoTrader. I wouldn't think a scammer would spend the money.



Hi there Brian!

Sorry for the late response; something came up and I had to leave urgently on a business trip and I forgot my cell back home. I wanted to let you know that the car is still available.
I am selling it for $6,000. The 1993 Mazda RX-7 looks like new. The car is in great condition inside, outside and mechanically.It was purchased new by the original owner from Freeman Mazda in Dallas. Always maintained at the dealer. I bought from him about a year ago and I also maintained it at the dealer. I am using it as my daily driver and is always fun to drive. The original owner did create a dent behind the right rear wheel by backing into something stationary. Slight damage that did not so much scratch the paint as simply push in a portion of the panel. It is surprisingly not that noticeable, but it is there, and you should be aware of it. Also the leather seat is worn on the sides from getting in and out. It will come with a clear title, bill of sale signed by me as well and all the papers (including the original manuals and keys) that you will need to register it under your name. I want to sell it because I don't have much use for and I could use some quick cash right now, rather than waiting for a better offer (selling takes a lot of time too...). So I'm willing to let it go for $6,000.00 and since I only have one, First come, First served.
Although I am not home, we can still make the deal through ebay. I have a purchase protection program with them (Condition Guarantee by Seller Program), so ebay will guarantee up to $50,000 for any vehicle I sell. Shipping is already paid, because I recently moved from North Charleston SC to San Diego CA and before leaving I have made arrangements to ship the car here to me in San Diego. Now that I am selling it there is no point in shipping it here anymore. The trucking company will not refund me in full but offered to ship the car anywhere within continental US, so I've left it at their warehouse and it's ready to ship at anytime.
Also, this purchase protection guarantees that the car is exactly as I described; basically, once delivered, you'll have 3 days to inspect it at your home and if you decide not to keep it you will get refunded in no time and they will charge me with the return costs.
If you agree with these terms, please email me your shipping name and address so I can start this process through eBay and I will also get back to you with more details on how the ebay process works. You should know that it’s not necessary to be a registered user with eBay to benefit from their vehicle purchase protection program so don’t worry if you are not a registered user with ebay. Email me if you want more photos.
I await your email with the requested details if you are interested in the car.
Best regards,
Marc Edwards.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 09:24 AM
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SCAM....

When I was looking for my FD these scams were all over, must have had 6 or 7 emails sent to me that read the same way... Car is always at the shipper waiting to be delivered. If you ask the seller to see it in person because you live in the same town, he will always reply that the shipper will not allow any one to see it. I reported every single one of these to Autotraders scam dept and had them removed from their listing. Every reply I received from the sellers was forwared to them as well so they could see how every seller, though "different sellers" had the same excuses/reasons for the sale.

L8R
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 09:26 AM
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Originally Posted by Brian S.
I contacted the seller and he got back to me after several days. The following is what he wrote me. It smells badly of scam. What I don't get is that it costs $60, give or take, to put the car on AutoTrader. I wouldn't think a scammer would spend the money.



Hi there Brian!

Sorry for the late response; something came up and I had to leave urgently on a business trip and I forgot my cell back home. I wanted to let you know that the car is still available.
I am selling it for $6,000. The 1993 Mazda RX-7 looks like new. The car is in great condition inside, outside and mechanically.It was purchased new by the original owner from Freeman Mazda in Dallas. Always maintained at the dealer. I bought from him about a year ago and I also maintained it at the dealer. I am using it as my daily driver and is always fun to drive. The original owner did create a dent behind the right rear wheel by backing into something stationary. Slight damage that did not so much scratch the paint as simply push in a portion of the panel. It is surprisingly not that noticeable, but it is there, and you should be aware of it. Also the leather seat is worn on the sides from getting in and out. It will come with a clear title, bill of sale signed by me as well and all the papers (including the original manuals and keys) that you will need to register it under your name. I want to sell it because I don't have much use for and I could use some quick cash right now, rather than waiting for a better offer (selling takes a lot of time too...). So I'm willing to let it go for $6,000.00 and since I only have one, First come, First served.
Although I am not home, we can still make the deal through ebay. I have a purchase protection program with them (Condition Guarantee by Seller Program), so ebay will guarantee up to $50,000 for any vehicle I sell. Shipping is already paid, because I recently moved from North Charleston SC to San Diego CA and before leaving I have made arrangements to ship the car here to me in San Diego. Now that I am selling it there is no point in shipping it here anymore. The trucking company will not refund me in full but offered to ship the car anywhere within continental US, so I've left it at their warehouse and it's ready to ship at anytime.
Also, this purchase protection guarantees that the car is exactly as I described; basically, once delivered, you'll have 3 days to inspect it at your home and if you decide not to keep it you will get refunded in no time and they will charge me with the return costs.
If you agree with these terms, please email me your shipping name and address so I can start this process through eBay and I will also get back to you with more details on how the ebay process works. You should know that it’s not necessary to be a registered user with eBay to benefit from their vehicle purchase protection program so don’t worry if you are not a registered user with ebay. Email me if you want more photos.
I await your email with the requested details if you are interested in the car.
Best regards,
Marc Edwards.
I would spend $60 if I had the chance to make $6,000!!

Note that the car is with the trucking company, in their warehouse (where no one can see it) and you get to inspect after it is delivered!! WHAT A DEAL!!

I would contact eBay and confirm the vehicle protection program to see if they have one and what the rules are.

My FD had 12,847 miles on it and the leather seats were in pretty good shape althopugh the side was getting worn a little. It later ripped, but i had 127,000 on her when i sold her. Those seats look worn and used beyond 27,000 miles!!

I vote SCAM!!!

Good luck in your search!

Super77
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 12:03 PM
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I'd have to agree with all of you on it being a scam. If the guy responds though I will ask him at some point which shipping agency or w/e lol. My first concern was looking at the seat. Definitely looks like over 100k miles. My A4 has 139k and shows the same amount of wear if not less. It would be fun to out scam this guy though hahaha. Ask for a scan of the title maybe lol.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 12:22 PM
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remember that swapping the odometer for a lower mileage one is not that difficult...
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Super77
I would contact eBay and confirm the vehicle protection program to see if they have one and what the rules are.
This is 100% without a doubt a scam. eBay has no vehicle protection program and certainly not for a deal down outsite of their auctions. Scammers often offer this fake program and people assume its ebay, they are huge, this must be true!

Walk away. Or even better, prank the guy.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 01:07 PM
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call the dealer he mentions and ask if he's got the car serviced there since he gave you his name in the e-mail response.

here's the number - 972-438-2121 for the dealer he mentions.

Tim
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 03:05 PM
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Originally Posted by parid
This is 100% without a doubt a scam. eBay has no vehicle protection program and certainly not for a deal down outsite of their auctions. Scammers often offer this fake program and people assume its ebay, they are huge, this must be true!

Walk away. Or even better, prank the guy.
Check your facts, Ebay certainly DOES have a vehicle purchase protection program:
http://pages.motors.ebay.com/buy/pur...ion/index.html
If you would like more information on all of Ebays buyer protection services here is a link:
http://pages.motors.ebay.com/services/overview.html

Scammers do however use this to make potential victims feel more secure, and it is definitely something that is only available with purchases made through ebay.


This is without a doubt a scam, forget about it and move on.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 03:24 PM
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+1 Don't do that! SCAM for sure.
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 03:34 PM
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Reveal the scammer !!



Ask yourself - are you smarter than the average scammer ?



Later
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Old Mar 26, 2009 | 05:50 PM
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I just got an exact copy of the email super77 got hahaha. So who wants to take this guy down?
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