DrumBob Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Has anyone ever bought a car from Classic Car Deals in Michigan? I found something that interested me on their site and sent an email expressing interest. I got an email back from a man named David Krouse, who when I called t discuss the car, knew absolutely nothing about the vehicle. When I asked for specifics, he hemmed and hawed and said he'd try and contact the seller, "But sometimes they're hard to get." I asked for photos of the undercarriage and his reply was, "People usually can't take pictures of the underside." He went on and on, saying it must be a good car, because the upholstery had been done over and it had been painted, and that he does his best to sell good cars to people. Let's just say, my red flags went up. So, has anyone done business with this guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Smolinski Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 The poster of “To Buy an Edsel?” Stated a dislike of the statement “run don’t walk away” from a vehicle. In this case one should heed the advice of said walk/run statement IN SPADES. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 NEVER, EVER buy a car from any person that does not have immediate possession (or access) to the vehicle!!!! Typically you will be dealing with the owner, but dealers and brokers do exist. Any owner (who wants to sell) will be happy to go outside and look at, measure, photograph any part you are interested in. Any legitimate dealer will have the car (even consignment) in their possession and should be happy to go outside and look at, measure, photograph any part you are interested in. A broker might not have the car in their possession BUT they should be readily able to contact the owner and arrange to have the owner or themselves go to the car and look at, measure, photograph any part you are interested in. They are running the ad, They want to sell the car, the entire situation should have been arranged to make the experience seamless long before they ever ran the ad. When you call on an advertised car IF there is EVER any feedback that: "I cant get to the car" "Its not here right now" "I cant contact the owner immediately" "These are the only pictures I have" Assume that the offer is 100% FRAUD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 55er Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Best advice on purchasing an antique vehicle, as always, is to make the effort to go and see the car in person and inspect it yourself. Never trust someone else's opinion of it, especially someone you don't know and have never met. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumBob Posted April 30, 2022 Author Share Posted April 30, 2022 I had a feeling this was a shady deal, but wanted to know if anyone has had direct dealings with the man I mentioned, David Krouse. The fact that he couldn't supply anything more than generalizations was a huge red flag, as I said. Also, the fact that he hemmed and hawed about contacting the seller put me off. Guess I'll be running away! I wonder if he'll call me back at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesR Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 (edited) 23 minutes ago, DrumBob said: I had a feeling this was a shady deal, but wanted to know if anyone has had direct dealings with the man I mentioned, David Krouse. Maybe we should leave it at avoiding a certain type of used car business on principle. The man mentioned may or may not be a legitimate dealer...most of us can't know, either way, and assuming things about him (as an individual and publicly) wouldn't be correct. I like 55'er's advice of seeing cars in person. I've bought online cars sight unseen, and while that approach may have worked out for others on occasion, it's never really worked out for me. Some parts from those cars still take up space in my garages. I kind of consider them trophies from winning first place in a stupid contest. 😄 Edited April 30, 2022 by JamesR (see edit history) 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-mman Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Seeing a car for yourself, in person is ALWAYS the best way. But you also need the answers to basic questions before you spend the hours and dollars to view a car that’s a long distance. “Is it worth the trip?” 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Not to defend the guy, but he's probably not a scammer and the cars for sale probably exist... somewhere. As a middle man myself, this guy is simply the most middley of middle men. He's finding cars for sale online, contacting the owners and telling them that he can greatly expand their advertising coverage and he won't charge them a penny and will get it from the buyers (or worse, he's just doing it without their knowledge and then when he has a buyer he contacts the seller saying he has a buyer and will put a deal together for a fee). Then he lists their cars using their photos and description, and never takes possession or even sees the cars. Hence his total ignorance of their condition or specifications. He's just selling ad space and knows nothing of the cars he's selling. He can try to reach the owners--with whom he has no real relationship--but since he's just the guy helping advertise the car, well, they're not going to waste much time on him. So I don't think it's a scam per se, but it's a shit way to sell cars. He's probably not looking to rip anyone off explicitly, but he's completely ignorant of the cars he's advertising and doesn't have the cars in stock (but doesn't want you to know that). Find the cars advertised elsewhere (use a Google image search to find the photos) and contact the owner directly. Chances are, he won't even remember they booked this guy. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Good advice Matt! I was thinking of adding that these middle middle middlemen are the reason one can find statements in places like Craigslist and FB Marketplace to the effect that "I do not need help selling this car!" Sometimes they try for an agreement with the real seller? Sometimes they just harvest the information and no cost advertise to a wider audience hoping to find a buyer before the real seller does hoping to make a thousand or two for no real effort or expense. Unfortunately, it is usually potential buyers that often get hurt by it if anything goes wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 (edited) I would advise you not to do business with "Classic Car Deals." Below is a past thread from 2016 where we discussed them and exposed their alleged methods. I believe that they merely re-post cars that are for sale elsewhere. And they mark up the price, when the same car may be available elsewhere FOR LESS by the actual owner! In searching www.carsforsale.com, several times I saw an ad there by the actual owner, and an ad by this "Classic Car Deals" for the very same car, with the same pictures, for about 25% more! I believe that Classic Car Deals doesn't even get the owner's permission to re-post the cars. They may have hundreds of cars listed at any given time. In some of these cases, the actual owner was an antique-car dealer himself. I don't think an antique-car dealer would need "help" from them in selling his cars! Avoid them, I say. Edited May 1, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrumBob Posted May 1, 2022 Author Share Posted May 1, 2022 (edited) Thanks all. I did a little research on Classic Car Deals and they don't appear to be disreputable, but I guess they're just middlemen with little or no knowledge of the cars they are peddling. I'm going to look for the rightful owners and try to go direct. Update: I did a Google Photo Search and tried to find the car. I did. The only photo online is from Classic Car Deals. I also scanned Craigslist in the state where the car is located. No deal. I have decided to talk to this dealer/middleman on Monday, just ask for John Beebe, the owner, and explain what I'm looking for and ask him about how he does things. Can't hurt. Edited May 1, 2022 by DrumBob (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 Too bad none of these guys have had the guts to come to the forum to introduce themselves and explain their business model. That in itself is revealing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Terry Bond said: Too bad none of these guys have had the guts to come to the forum to introduce themselves and explain their business model. That in itself is revealing. In the 2016 topic to which I linked above, someone from "Classic Car Deals" did appear and explain his operation. He claimed to have approval from the 1000+ owners he represented. Whether that's true, I can't say. For example, why would he be advertising for a dealer when the dealer also has his own ad, for the very same car with the very same pictures, on the same website? Edited May 1, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Fan Posted May 1, 2022 Share Posted May 1, 2022 3 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said: In the 2016 topic to which I linked above, someone from "Classic Car Deals" did appear and explain his operation. He claimed to have approval from the 1000+ owners he represented. Whether that's true, I can't say. For example, why would he be advertising for a dealer when the dealer also has his own ad, for the very same car with the very same pictures, on the same website? He is trolling for someone with more money than time. here is one example: Vs https://www.classiccardeals.com/Listing/296321/1959-Cadillac-Series-62.aspx This is the same car (both pictures have the same red non authentic interior). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 That is a good illustration, Cadillac Man. The seller is trying for $115,000; Classic Car Deals has the same 1959 Cadillac convertible listed at $136,995! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS S23 Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Yes they take everyones car and post it for $10k or more... Mine is very real and anyone interested can come to my garage and inspect it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 59 minutes ago, CHRIS S23 said: Yes they take everyone's car and post it for $10k or more... Mine is very real and anyone interested can come to my garage and inspect it! Chris, did they get your approval to repost your car with their own mark-up; or did they do it unasked? Where did they get the pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Im with Matt, not trying to discredit or approve, but this guy is just trying to make a buck, and not in a very effective way! By all means look at the car in person, if not when shopping, DEF before handing over any money. There is one particular broker that sells cars in Hemmings. I do not know his name off hand but he advertises a lot of cars and when you look them up it says something to the effect that they may or may not be in his possession at the time. This is all fine and good if you find the car you really want and are happy paying the asking price. Again LOOK at the car in PERSON regardless. Unless this is a hard to find vehicle chances are with a little bit of effort you can find another someplace. I was at a show Saturday and was talking with a couple of fellows in regards to a particular model. The guy that did not own the car was talking about a few cars he 'recently listed for sale' for a few guys. He said he was presently without an antique car but liked going to shows. I got the feeling that he was a broker looking for business. All well and good but I wondered why someone would ask someone else to sell their car on FB (which he said he had them listed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Mead Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 Maybe the Seller wasn’t a Facebook member, preferring to get Facebook distribution without the Facebook hassles……. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_S_in_Penna Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 (edited) On 5/4/2022 at 8:10 AM, Jim Mead said: Maybe the Seller wasn’t a Facebook member, preferring to get Facebook distribution without the Facebook hassles……. That could be. But Classic Car Deals also is seen to re-advertise the cars of antique car dealers, at a higher price. A dealer would have experience in marketing cars, and would not need ANOTHER middleman to advertise cars for him. This point has not yet been addressed in our discussion. Edited May 7, 2022 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 44 minutes ago, Jim Mead said: Maybe the Seller wasn’t a Facebook member, preferring to get Facebook distribution without the Facebook hassles……. Possibly, and I am one of those people, LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 4, 2022 Share Posted May 4, 2022 I have learned a lot from my regular job working in power plants and building operation to give you what some people call a Bernieism. Most problems can be traced to someone who didn't know what they were buying from someone who didn't know what they were selling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now