Bought misrepresented car on ebay, need help

[Luke__805]

What is the name of your state?I live in CA, the car is a 1949 ford purchased from Colorado. The owner did say the car ran and drove fine. Then when time came for it to be loaded onto the car hauler I paid for it couldn't. He claimed it just needed a fuel pump. I finally got the car home, and put on a brand new fuel pump. Still wouldn't run. The carbereutor wasn't in any working order. Took it to a mechanic who works on vintage vehicles and he said there's NO way that car could run with all the garbage that was in the carb, and if the owner did run it like that it would most likely do damage to the engine. I know that as far as the running stuff of the car is a he said/she said type deal that's really a grey area and hard to pursue, so he probably can get away with that even though he shouldn't. But in the ad text he clearly states that the car has NO RUST. The vehicle arrived and it has rust underneath the car, on the exterior. I'm guessing it would take around 2,000 in bodwork to make this a "rust free" car like the owner claimed. I wouldn't have purchased the car for the amount paid with the rust damage it has.I just was wondering if I could pursue the owner at least for the rust damage he lied about? What steps would I need to take in doing this? Thanks

 

[dallas702]

I'm in the same situation with an Ebay "gem" ('66 Mustang GT convertible). So far the "only needs new interior and a repaint ..'NO rust'..." has cost me over $10,000 in body and paint (haven't gotten to the mechanical disasters yet). From all info available the only way to recover if the seller isn't willing to refund you some money is to sue him in his own state's court. You have to weigh the cost of this against your current loss. You need to start with a certified letter of demand for payment. You'll need professional evidence and estimates, along with the advertisement and any proof of subsequent communication. You may be able to find an attorney who will file for you in CO, but that will add to your expenses.

I've bought 5 cars off Ebay. 4 were as advertised, but it only takes 1 lying thief to wipe out a lot of good deals.

 

[U2Edge]

I don't know how long ago you purchased it, but E-bay offers some kind of car guarantee that it is "as represented". Gross misrepresentation, it sounds like, is what you got.

Also, what method did you pay for the car with? You can challenge that kind of stuff with paypal, could cancel payment on the check, etc.

Good luck! I'm pondering buying a car from NY (I live in Atlanta) on E-bay and this makes me think twice about it.

 

[dallas702]

U2edge;

If you are going to spend any significant amount of money on an unseen car try to get a local inspection through a shop or car club. I ask for lots of pics, but a good conman can still hide a lot if they know how. ALWAYS get a current pic (that day) before bidding on any car. There are many, many scammers out there who capture old auctions, repost them with a new username, and don't even have a car to sell. Most factory dealerships are pretty honest because they have far too much to lose. But, first of all know the car you are buying (its history, history of maintenance/problems of that model, real market value [NADA tends to be inflated], and all rust issues).

 

[U2Edge]

Thanks for the advice...I'm going to have some people in the area that I trust take a drive to check it out before I throw any money their way.