Catching out shonks, scammers, and generally dodgy random posters

[dat2kman]

Recently, a 240z here in Brisbane popped up for sale, at a fairly high price, it hit other non Datsun sites, at even higher prices, ie $30,000 on one, $27,500 on another.

It was listed on Ebay, and the succesfull bidder bid was $17,100, but it was not able to be delivered by the "seller"

 

Scammer? no, but a frequent user of the flatbrimmed Tard sites like BoostLoosing and SkyWhines.

 

We have had odd randoms sign up, made just one only post, and dissappeared, never to be seen again, some totally non car related, and some car related, it happens, we live with it.

 

But, when some get on here, and attempt to pass off a  blatant " pigs ear" as a gold plated "silk purse"  and nearly gets away with it, possibly burning others in the process, i, and no doubt others, get a little concerned.

Yes, Caveat Emptor, and all that, and sure the internet is a wonderfull thing, but, any vehicle ypu are serious about, should warrant proper physical inspection, not just a few posts on an auction site, and a " i'll check it out when i pick it up" attitude.

 

This particular car was as bent as the Great Ocean Road.

My posts kept getting deleted, as the "seller" had a whinge, but luckily for some, there were sufficient warnings, and it was questioned, to the extent, the car has now "dissapeared"

For a while, anyway.

[Zedman240®]

Again as requested by the OP, I was asked to delete the "240Z for sale" thread and I did. I didn't ask for any reason... In case anyone was wondering.

[dat2kman]

Dimitri, we all have the ability to "pull" posts off the forum, no issue there!

Just as we also have the ability to post comments and ask relevent pertinent questions.

 

I was keen to purchase, if only to rework it, get it right, ( i have gear to do so) and then move it on.

I simply just knew far too much about what it was.

[Johnboy]

I understand your frustration dat2kman, I have  been sold a product throught this site that was not nearly the standard i was expecting.

 

The ad stated:

''Fully reconditioned with late model Synchro mod on all gears and a full bearing kit."

"The gearbox was rebuilt by [named gearbox rebuilder], the synchro's are all brand new. The rebuild also included ALL new bearings throughout. Every gear has been checked for wear and replaced where necessary, all shafts inspected and only the best parts used.

 

The product was purchased from a regular Auszcar member who seemed trustworthy.. yet once i got it to my mechanic he was amased i purchased it.

 

And after being rebilt again costing me just shy of $500, the seller offered me $50 and that was after several calls after many emails.

 

In the sellers words:

"I just made the poor assumption that changing the bellhousing was within my capacity."

 

 

 

 

[Retro Z]

Funny how the said person selling that 240z also deleted me on facebook and threatened me via facebook messenger once i put up the post about the origins of the car on here...then 30 mins later the thread is also gone..   hiding much?

[dat2kman]

Funny how the said person selling that 240z also deleted me on facebook and threatened me via facebook messenger once i put up the post about the origins of the car on here...then 30 mins later the thread is also gone..   hiding much?

Haha!

I got pm's on here threatining " do you know what i do for a living?" with further abuse, so, i called his bluff, asked What do you do, and his reply, like a little child "not telling!"

 

Also, the websites, the facebook etc " japtwoYou" is a total sham, no stock, no product, but will take your money, and make promises to deliver, but it all turns to sh1t.

 

I understand these things will get through, but, if you have a concern, it should be able to be voiced, so as others can then satisfy themselves..

Oh, i do miss the local Trading Post newspaper, every fortnight, something'd be advertised, you would ring someone from your home phone, to their home phone, get a true address, drive out, have a look, and if all OK, did a deal!

 

Today, texts, sms's forums, offers no inspection, Nigerians and offshore oilrigs, ,,,,,,

But then again i'm just old fashioned!

[nizm0zed]

I got pm's on here threatining " do you know what i do for a living?" with further abuse, so, i called his bluff, asked What do you do, and his reply, like a little child "not telling!"

 

Heheheh, i had a friend who got that line a few years back during a business dealing. Unlucky for the dolt that said it, his best man at his wedding works for ASIO, after a phonecall and a little bit of digging (shh, nobody ever uses gov resources for personal business) my mate gave him a nice brief of the idiots life and ended with, "yes, i know exactly what you do for a living..."

[Scottz]

That was the 2nd worst zed I have questioned.

The worst was another white 240Z in Brisbane and I wasted money on air fare and taxi to see the car. Seller (AM) was also a Boost member and originally asked 27K, later dropping to 23K. On inspection it was a rust bucket with lots of poor cut and shut retro fits and badly attempted mods. It had some good bits but all put together by amateurs. I was shocked when I found out a year later it sold for 16.5K.

I did not need to go to Brisbane and inspect BM's car. I gave BM plenty of opportunity to show proof of what he was selling and he never gave me a straight answer, not to mention his txt style of writing was very hard to read. Also like AM, BM's car photos were pro pics with photo shop touch-ups. Plus, if a seller is going to sell without rego and no rwc that has to be stated up front not ...oh...my, by the way! Once I had that info from BM I knew it was pointless to do an inspection myself, but I spoke to a couple of people who had knowledge about the car.

 

Last year I bought a '71 Mustang without rwc and rego. I had the car inspected by my mate (twice), the seller gave me the vehicle inspectors report (and I phoned the workshop to double check), we emailed several times, the seller gave me photos (that he took himself that day), my mate sent lots of photos from his own inspections, the seller and I spoke several times on the phone, we negotiated a deal and that was that. Car was dropped off at my mates house and 2 weeks later I drove the 2200km round trip with a trailer and towed it back home. Takes time but easy when you have straight up and down people and no bullshit.

 

I've been to Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane to inspect zeds for sale. Most were a waste of time. Here are some good and bad experiences I've had over the past 3 years:

I passed on a zed in Melbourne when the seller changed venue at the last minute and made no attempt to prepare the car other than a hose down. Not to mention the paint was lifting, car was full of sand and like BM no proof for the supposed 7-8$K motor work. I flew to Sydney twice to see the same zed because the day I landed on the first trip, the seller phoned me to say ...sorry my employer is sending me too Qld for a few days work. I returned 2 weeks later, bought the car and drove it 1350km home. Went back to Sydney 18 months later to look at another zed. Great car but another buyer got in and made a slightly higher offer than mine. The seller generously gave me a chance to match it since I was first in and I had already got the car inspected by a 3rd party. So I went down to Sydney, checked it out, had a good talk with the seller, drove it about and decided I wouldn't go higher. My offer stood as is. Naturally I went home without a zed. So be it! Still worth the double check though.

 

Some zeds I was interested in have been inspected by fellow forum members, but I have stopped asking for that assistance since the last guy gave me such an ear bashing when I questioned some of his answers. I have always offered to compensate people who do inspections on my behalf and only 1 person has accepted the offer. All others have very generously given their time and I really appreciate that. This is a great club.

 

I'm sick and tired of phukers like BM and AM spruking their junk and telling everyone - "It's all good bro, trust me". That goes for parts sellers as well. This is a club and our standards should be higher. When someone is busted they should be exposed. Sure, they have right to reply and if they can prove their position - fine. Otherwise phukoff. There have been plenty of sellers advertising their zeds for >20K and plenty of watchers quickly making comments about the car. There have also been plenty of "parts cars" looking for optimistic $$ and just as quickly someone has inspected the rust bucket and out-ed it. That's the sell / buy market, it's all part of the business. But fakers and frauds, please phukoff !

While I'm at it, lets ban txt style print. It is so over over already.

 

Scott.

 

 

[positivetennis]

Scotts. I have always found it difficult to justify travelling long distances to see a car. The photos don't always match what the car is when you see it in person . As it is I have wanted to buy a 260z 2 seater auto in Sydney for quite a while now. It is now quite hard to find a good 2 seater for a reasonable price. While waiting for the right car to come up I bought a z32 to experience what it would be like to own one and the fact that the price was under 10k. My thoughts are that once someone is asking more than $10k for a very old car I need to consider it very carefully as I'm not loaded and I work hard for a living. The other thing to consider is that even though I emotionally would love a s30, once the price gets up towards the high teens i start to question my motives and consider what else I could do with the money.

I think all potential buyers need to be very thorough with their purchases. Back in 1989 when the z32 was first released in Australia a Nissan car dealer in NSW who will not be named had a restored 240z placed in the showroom with an asking price of 25k. After sitting there for a year the dogleg area developed rust bubbles which were coming through the heavily sand blasted panels. The car was sold for 6k. I think you also need to be vigilant with what is on the market at any time. There are those who buy cars cheaply and flip them quickly for a profit. Obviously if the owner made substantial improvements to the car then that is added value, but how would you feel if someone bought a car for say 10k last month and is now you buy it for 17k without you knowing. I would feel quite bad.

[positivetennis]

To add to my previous post I would urge people to be vigilant in their activities so that they are not ripped off by becoming more aware of what is happening in the market place. While we live in a relatively free country we also need to look after each other and care. By being an interested follower of the car market I've seen some unfortunate practices going on. It would be good to post a guide to buying and selling cars to safegaurd consumer protection and reduce misleading and deceptive conduct. One piece of advice to purchasers is to keep an eye on the market and make notes of cars for sale, buy locally where possible and develop a sound knowledge of genuine car values.