Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[gresham flyer]

I would like to start by saying that I have been interested in classic and vintage vehicles since a child,say 45years,so I am not a novice.


This week I have experienced 3 wasted journeys viewing advertised cars.

Yes I have asked all the relevent questions beforehand,before you ask.

In each episode I have had lengthy telephone conversations with the owners,sometimes 3 calls,before embarking on the trips.

Plus I have studied the photos in minute detail,the surroundings it was kept in,,was it kept indoors or out in the elements,did the location look like a scrap yard or a posh suburban front drive.

Could the owner spel or dicribe the veecul proper,was it a runer,no coroshun,selin fur me uncul as e aint got a computa.

Only old school,genuine,2 owners from new,never been out in the wet,zebarted from new, salt of the earth owners give a land line number to call for more details, everyone else has a dodgy mobile number,or only contacts you through ebay protected email.



The first trip took 2.5 hours each way,on arrival I thought the car on the drive was a spares car and the real one would be in the garage-WRONG. :

The second trip was an hour away,again the owner thought no floor in the car was normal for a 1950`s classic.

The third trip today 2 hours each way,was again wasted.

Each time I have politely imformed the owners to change their listing to show the obvious state of their vehicle,and to save other enthusiasts from a wasted journey,but to no avail.

The people selling were supposed to be fellow enthusiasts,why falsely describe what you are selling

If I knew of someone in the localities I would have gladly paid their petrol and a drink to run a cursery glance over my prospective viewings.

If you are viewing say 30 miles from home,you can always say a wasted journey was at least a run out,but 150 miles to view a wreck is no joke,plus a day wasted.

Could we perhaps set up a tongue in cheek warning system if we have viewed cars wrongly described.
People are still bidding on the cars I think are only fit for the crusher,I feel sorry for them.
The sellers are out of order.

I know you should aways view a car but somtimes work,distance and other commitments sometimes get in the way,especially if they appear a reasonable price.

I know some folk who would have thumped the owners I met,but I am a gentleman and would not dream of doing such a thing,or I should have.

But perhaps if I asked someone else in the country to view a car I was after they would tell me it was not for me,but purchase it for themselves

An out of pocket and fustrated

Gresham Flyer.

[Brookie]

Could not agree more-we have similar problem in Australia and many times distances are greater.

In major cities it is better because many members of Forums for a particular make will do a basic check for you which will cover major points and a bit more info on seller but unless they know vehicles well-especially older models- you can still get caught.

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1972 Mercedes Benz 280E -Sunday car
1995 Mercedes Benz E280 -drive car
1974 VW Super Bug 1303

[Riley Blue]

I entirely sympathise; I once drove from Somerset to north of Leeds to look at a car. Rust on the bodywork had been Photoshopped out in the advert photos and the car had suffered a front end shunt - there was the imprint of the alternator on the back of the radiator.

After a brief test drive (when a rear wheel brake hose split) I left but left the seller dangling for a couple of days until I phoned to say 'Thanks but no thanks'.

And yes, I did ask a lot of questions before viewing...

[lowdrag]

Years back I made many a similar trip in vain. Then, later on, I joined the respective club appertaining to my wants and found a good car honestly described and moreover well known in the club, as was the owner. My advice to anyone is to follow this route and ask the seller if he is a club member and then contact the club to find out more about the car in question.

Last year a friend saw an advert for an inlet manifold and three "DCO4" carbs which are rare as hens teeth. The photos were fantastic and all seemed well. Except that the vendor had sand cast some tops, fabricated the plates and put them on new DCOE45 carbs underneath. A complete fraud perpetuated by, no less, a classic car dealer in the west country.





Luckily I had copied the photos onto my computer, but it took him a long time to get his money back. We aren't talking of peanuts here, but not far off £8,000.

[StoneRoad]

I would suggest complaining to E-Bay itself, trading standards/police and putting a warning in the form of negative feedback on the sellers' user id.

Also perhaps contacting DVLA, the relevant marque club/association and the local paper(s) and trade press.

How much out of this list depends on how ****** off you are!

The minimum for me would be leaving negative feedback - giving the sort of details as in the OP, especially as the seller had been asked (politely) to give a more accurate / corrected listing.
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[fordf350camper]

There are a lot of people out there who think old cars are worth lots not always the case.When i have sold cars on ebay and the buyer comes to collect it they always say its a lot better than i had described it.