Please be careful when buying a vehicle....

This couple went on a search for the car of their dreams. It did not end well. I don't know how we can protect ourselves, but we must. Whether it means carrying protection or going in larger groups, we MUST be careful.

http://www.charter.net/news/read/category/Top%20News/article/the_associated_press-bodies_found_after_ga_couple_lured_by_craigslist_c-ap

Broken link.

Broken link.

Mmmm....it seems to be o.k. for me. Try this link.....

http://www.13wmaz.com/story/news/local/2015/01/24/telfair-police-search-for-missing-cobb-county-couple/22276947/

Whenever I doubt that someone actually has a car/part that I want to buy, I will have the seller take a photo of an odd area or angle of some part that nobody would normally take. That way, if they say they cannot get a photo of that part with that angle, i pretty much figure out that they are not telling the truth.

This has been all over the news here. It's a very sad story, but at least the suspect turned himself in.

Very Sad Situation. Dandy Dave!

Sad indeed.

Craigslist...not the best....

Hopefully it happened in a state that still endorses capital punishment. Free room and board for life is not adequate punishment. May the deceased rest in peace and may their families somehow find comfort in their memories ! wayne

Sad. Things like this come to mind when going out to look at a car. So far so good. One thing I do is to look for the advertised car near the address and sometimes start looking at it while waiting for the seller to approach.

I am having second thoughts about placing wanted adds on craigslist.

The couple of times I've bought things off Craigslist, I arrange to meet at a very public place like the nearest 7-11. I also take my large dog with me - she watches my back very well.

Regards:

Oldengineer

Oh Yeah. I tried to buy a Devere Lawn Mower a few years back off of Craigs List. After a few questions, the seller would no longer talk with me... I can't help It, I wonder. Dandy Dave!

That wmaz website is impossible to view for the damn ads...

That wmaz website is impossible to view for the damn ads...

Press the refresh arrow and the pics will appear.

And all this comes as I'm looking for a 50 era car. I think i mentioned that I was looking at a Desoto on E Bay that had problems with the paperwork. I asked the guy if he would put the car in his name and he told he would do it only after I bought the car. Big red flag, The next big red flag was that the question was never posted to the questions part of the ebay ad. Sometime you just have to look at the car with the faith that you will come home alive. I still have faith in mankind but this has me on notice to keep my eyes open.

I think that one of the problems with the situation in the original post is that the guy put a "WANTED" ad out with the car he wanted. When someone does that, it is fairly easy to attract someone by taking photos off of Google or other search engines and pretending that a certain car is yours to sell. Once someone with money shows up, the situation can go south very easily. I don't think it would be as easy to rob someone if the actual seller of a car put an ad out. That way, you have numerous paper trails (or at the very least, an electronic trail to follow if something does happen. Just a thought.

Will,

it is understandable the seller wouldnt put the car in his name-not everyone is interested in doing all of the paperwork only to have a buyer back out, or have to pay yet another state tax and fees. All of the cars listed on ebay dont always have a clear title. Many titles were lost over the years. Again, doesnt mean the seller is suspect.

I have sold on ebay and had many questions asked, and I only post those that I feel are pertinent. Doesnt mean the seller was a bad guy.............. suspicion is good to a point.

I always meet at a Walmart if the situation is questionable. Many people and always busy.

In this case, I believe the buyer placed the ad for the Mustang and unfortunately was lured in.

Will,

it is understandable the seller wouldnt put the car in his name-not everyone is interested in doing all of the paperwork only to have a buyer back out, or have to pay yet another state tax and fees. All of the cars listed on ebay dont always have a clear title. Many titles were lost over the years. Again, doesnt mean the seller is suspect.

I have sold on ebay and had many questions asked, and I only post those that I feel are pertinent. Doesnt mean the seller was a bad guy.............. suspicion is good to a point.

I always meet at a Walmart if the situation is questionable. Many people and always busy.

In this case, I believe the buyer placed the ad for the Mustang and unfortunately was lured in.

I agree. Many, many times I have asked questions of the sellers without posting the questions and answers on the listing.

Problem is that my state will not allow a bill of sale or a third party paperwork and if the paperwork is not to my states standards I could very easily end up with a expansive lawn ornament. Thats not going to help me obtain a 50's era car. I've noticed there is a growing rise in states cracking down that will not allow you to register a car without the right paperwork. Here in NJ the registration / title has to be signed by the last registered owner. I would not had a problem buying that Desoto if he would had put the car in his name. In my state you can transfer ownership and not put the car on the road as long as the paperwork is from the last registered owner. That was my insurance that everything was legal and up front. Now I'm not saying anything directed at anyone but, My feeling is unless you're hiding something then you should not be afraid to post the questions and answers that were placed on ebay. Its just an honest way to do business.

After thinking about my last statement it may have come off a bit offensive and I did not mean that to happen. Let go about this ebay thing a different way. The seller has listing fees they have to worry about rather the product sells or not compounding the problem if the product does not sell. Sellers main concern is to not waste his listing fees by selling their product. The buyer only concern is if he wants the sellers product. The question is, How many buyers are drove away by what the seller does? In the case of the Desoto I considered on ebay I was ready to put some good money on that Desoto until he chose to ignore my request that I made only to protect myself from getting stung with a car that I could not do anything with. So I was scared and backed out. Im sure I'm not the only ebay buyer that feels this way. Im just one buyer and I don't buy that much from ebay but you should ask yourself how many other potential buyer are you losing.

May I recommend A Heckler and Koch P2000 in 9mm? If even 1 hair stands up on the back of your neck, pass. My heart goes out to the couple who's lives were lost, and to us it's exponentially tragic. 99.991876% of "us" are some of the greatest folks you'll ever meet.

The problem is NOT, nor ever has been Craigslist, it's no different than the paper ads of yore, merely a different delivery method. The same things happen with print ads too. Information is much more easily disseminated now so we hear of these incidents more than we used to.

I always tell the people I'm meeting that I can bring a $100 cash to hold the car until I go to the bank and full payment doesn't come until after we made a deal and all in in order. When I come back to pay and pick up the car I have a friend with me and do the deal outside, never in the home. No legit person has ever had a problem with that. I also have my concealed carry permit, just in case.

I have had many people try to sell me an Amphicar that didn't exist. After asking for pics in the water and the usual specific photos I require, he sent me a photo of me in my own car! I spent almost a month pulling is chain. He asked for a moneygram (HUGE red flag) to be sent to a specific location. I said I sent it and he got there and of course it wasn't there. He called and I apologized profusely saying I had accidently sent it to a location 90 miles away. He begrudgingly said he'd go get it. Of course it wasn't there. Another call from him, I said they called me and said the had computer problems and it was at another location 30 miles further away. I did this 4 times until he was almost 300 miles from where the 1st location was. Then I told him I was so sorry and I would add $150 for his trouble to it but it would be at the 1st location. The phone call the next day was precious! He was VERY upset especially when I said that I already owned that car and now he was the scammed and not the scammer..... CLICK!

I don't post all questions I receive in an ePay auction. Some just don't translate well and can be perceived as negative. It is on a ? by ? basis. That does not mean I'm hiding anything, it just means I'm not going to allow someone's sometimes pointed questions diminish the value (or perceived value) on my car. I know of some who post questions specifically to cast a bad light and hold the price down. It's my auction and I'll decide how I want to run it.

Amphicar Buyer, your exploits with a scammer are hilarious!

Criminals should find it very risky to commit a crime.

At some point, they will pay horribly for their evils.

Love it, I will do the same when I get bugged by a telemarketer.

The problem is NOT, nor ever has been Craigslist, it's no different than the paper ads of yore, merely a different delivery method. The same things happen with print ads too. Information is much more easily disseminated now so we hear of these incidents more than we used to.

I always tell the people I'm meeting that I can bring a $100 cash to hold the car until I go to the bank and full payment doesn't come until after we made a deal and all in in order. When I come back to pay and pick up the car I have a friend with me and do the deal outside, never in the home. No legit person has ever had a problem with that. I also have my concealed carry permit, just in case.

I have had many people try to sell me an Amphicar that didn't exist. After asking for pics in the water and the usual specific photos I require, he sent me a photo of me in my own car! I spent almost a month pulling is chain. He asked for a moneygram (HUGE red flag) to be sent to a specific location. I said I sent it and he got there and of course it wasn't there. He called and I apologized profusely saying I had accidently sent it to a location 90 miles away. He begrudgingly said he'd go get it. Of course it wasn't there. Another call from him, I said they called me and said the had computer problems and it was at another location 30 miles further away. I did this 4 times until he was almost 300 miles from where the 1st location was. Then I told him I was so sorry and I would add $150 for his trouble to it but it would be at the 1st location. The phone call the next day was precious! He was VERY upset especially when I said that I already owned that car and now he was the scammed and not the scammer..... CLICK!

I don't post all questions I receive in an ePay auction. Some just don't translate well and can be perceived as negative. It is on a ? by ? basis. That does not mean I'm hiding anything, it just means I'm not going to allow someone's sometimes pointed questions diminish the value (or perceived value) on my car. I know of some who post questions specifically to cast a bad light and hold the price down. It's my auction and I'll decide how I want to run it.

[h=2]Scammer gets scammed, priceless![/h]

I was thinking this: