Advice Needed on Gumtree Car Scammer

LKers on 24/06/2018 - 20:25
Last edited 24/06/2018 - 20:26

Hi everyone,

Around two years ago my younger brother and my father went and looked at a Car advertised on Gumtree.

The car was advertised as $4,500, and he listed the 'problems' the car had.

Long story short, my father purchased the car for my younger brother, later down the track it has much more serious problems.

At this period I was in Europe on holiday, and felt so bad that I myself couldn't inspect etc.

Noticed that this bloke is selling another car that he has owned for '5 years'. Since last year I have had suspicion that this bloke is selling dodgey cars for years, and today I found an identical vehicle that my father bought for my younger brother.

Should I act like a buyer and confront him?

I know it was two years ago, but that's not the principle.

My father saved and saved for my brother to get that car (literally a year for a small amount of $4,500) and to find out 2 weeks later it had serious problems.

I know my father should of got it inspected etc. It's not the point; My point is that my father doesn't have much money and he saved generously for the car, and too find out that he must be doing this often.

Any advice?

Automotive

Comments

  • Ughhh on 24/06/2018 - 20:36
    +19

    What's the purpose? To make him refund you? To tell him to stop selling cars that were advertised as having problems?

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 17:41
      +7

      Exactly. Serves no purpose whatsover.
      And cannot prove anything.
      Problems come up with cars all the time - even near new ones.
      And how does OP know that the seller was aware these problems might occur - probably not.

      Maybe OPs brother is to blame instead.
      Did OP consider that?

      What do you expect with used cars anyway?

      LIke OP says car should have been properly inspected.
      Its OP's father that made the mistake. Not the seller.

      Dept of Fair trading clearly says BUYER BEWARE!
      OMG some people are so unrealistic.
      They expect a new car for next to nothing - get real please !

  • Melb69 on 24/06/2018 - 20:38
    +1

    I think gumtree and even Ebay has backyard car dealers. I'm sure there's a guy up the road that sells cars on Carsales has there are always cars for sale parked opposite the golf coarse near us. So its always buyer beware. Don't know whether its worthwhile to confront him now. Do you even know its definitely the same seller.

    That's the risk you take buying from these sites. Buyer beware and to get the inspections. The guy must of seen your dad coming.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 17:47

      The risk is not the site(s)

      The risk is the fact its a used car and the appropriate tests, inspections and investigations should always be carried out.

      OP's father failed on all accounts so OPs father is to blame or OPs brother if he insisted he wanted that car. After all fathers only try to please.

      You would have more to fear from one of those little used car yards that specialise in selling cars that dont need to be covered by the statutory used car warranty.
      i.e The ones that buy cars from the wholesale market where new car dealers off-load traded cars they are not prepared to resell.

      End of the day its just another used car that requires repairs - as most do

    • psych23 on 27/06/2018 - 23:44
      +1

      I wouldn't go as far as blaming the father; until you've been screwed over or just caught what was going on, it's really hard to know spending the $80 plus dollars on a proper inspection (please don't start an argument on this cost - it will vary massively and it always helps to have a great relationship with your mechanic. Especially when buying a 'new' second hand car)

      You're correct @Dedbny; there are some dudes who make a living out of reselling trashed cars, that should never make it back onto the streets. I had a job which involved working out of a metal machining business years ago. I'm a 'white collar' worker but grew up in the dodgy part of town - so I'm always curious to know/watch what happens next door.

      So this guy operated out of the warehouse next door, where he had usually 2.5 to 3 cars in various states at a time (at least 2 of them where usually of the same make and often colour). It was literally a chop shop of non stolen cars. Instead of stealing them he would buy them from auctioneers or re-sellers of cars that had mostly been in accidents (some were the dead trade-ins we've made to a dealer as we couldn't justify making and extra few hundred dollars to make it someone else's problem). These cars are included in the sales price you pay at a dealer, they make that money back on it's resale.

      Also, somehow there's a way of being able to continue a registration if a car has been written off by your insurer but can have the option to include the value of 'what's left' in the payout. I think this means that the car is not necessarily reported to Department of Transport as busted and cannot be re-registered. I don't have functional knowledge just a vague understanding of how it used to work. I believe some of these loopholes have been closed but not all (I still see the signs of similar ops being continued). Basically so long as they have at least one car with a 'rolling rego' that either doesn't require a pit inspection at all, or just the usual vin number to to engine number check and the casual 20-30 min check. Some of these chassis are terminal; never mind the moving parts and electronics of the vehicle.

      So this particular example had a 2nd warehouse he would sell imported furniture from across the industrial way. Quite the charmer. Apparently the cars were sold on Gumtree; the leftovers were sold for scrap and/or parts. I'm not that mechanically minded but I was given quite the rundown of values of certain parts of different cars as they came through. There is quite a lot of money to be made from the the cars that are not being sold on Gumtree, often a lot more (i.e. by scrapping and parting).

      Summary - vehicle check essential. You need that car off the ground to see what's underneath and someone who knows what to look for. The fact that other cars have the $10 stuff you put in with the fuel that quietens the 'sputtering' the engine makes and reduces or stops the smoke that comes from the exhaust for awhile (only one of the many things to do to 'cosmetically' improve a mechanically unsound car). SO the under the hood knowledge is essential too.

      I wouldn't confront the guy. It won't be the first time he has been confronted, he will be prepared. I'd ring your Transport Department and report him - find out their process for these things. They should have one as I believe it is something that WA has dine something to try and rectify residential car wholesalers (no idea what to call them), but it still goes on whilst insurers are saving money and there is a buck to be made. Various versions of what I have described are everywhere.

      I have seen plenty of advice about buying used cars on here, there are many threads I think. Just don't confront the dude. Take as much information as you have or can glean from your father (and some searching online re dodgycarsalesman1's other related car sales), to Your Department of transport. They may refer you to s section of the constabulary. It's up to you but I would not suggest direct confrontation. Consider also that you may have the car your brother has taken away; and these dudes tend not to associate with nice people and usually aren't themselves.

      Evening rant over. Pointing fingers at friends, family members or yourself won't help. You were on holiday. It's a lot of money to some people, but don't expect to recoup the losses or get absolute justice. Hand it over to those that use your information and hopefully info from others to stop this individual and potentially others as well. Ok now the rant id over,

  • Peter Enis on 24/06/2018 - 20:38
    +41

    People can list products for whatever price they like on Gumtree. It's the buyer who ultimately determines the sale price because they are the ones handing over their cold hard cash. If the buyers aren't doing their due diligence, does that automatically make the seller a "scammer"? I think not.

  • Halo375 on 24/06/2018 - 20:40
    +6

    Let it go…. but if you were going to do that you wouldn’t be coming here for advice.

    Confronting this guy only escalates what isn’t your problem. If you must do something you could place another ad on gumtree warning about this guy but that’s about it.

    Don’t get inolved - just let it go and move on.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 17:53
      -6

      And risks getting sued for defamation
      So OP ends up losing everything he owns.
      Now thats great advice.

  • follow on 24/06/2018 - 20:41

    sure you can, but he can also ask you to leave. If you dont, he can just call the cops

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 17:54
      -1

      Or get his mates inside to sort OP out.
      Not a good idea at all

  • Pikaloo on 24/06/2018 - 20:48
    +10

    If you don't have much money, be smart with it, get it inspected. If you cannot do your own inspection then be prepared to take the hit. Whether he is dodgy or not as a buyer you need to do your due diligence. The fact that your family did not go back to the seller after that occurred within 2 weeks of purchase and expect a response 2 years down the line is also a problem. Also, if your father saved up for 1 year why would he rush to buy the car? Why couldn't he wait for you to get back? or wait an extra day or two to get it inspected?

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 17:58
      +1

      All very good questions
      People are too quick to lay the blame on others when it rests right in front of them

  • tsunamisurfer on 24/06/2018 - 20:52
    +54

    I know my father should of got it inspected etc. It's not the point;

    That is precisely the point, with private sales the onus is on the buyer to be careful.

    Buying a car without inspection is imprudent.

    Buying a car without inspection from a Gumtree seller is risky.

    Buying a car without inspection from a Gumtree seller when you have little money and saved religiously for the purchase is pure lunacy.

    I know this is a matter of principle and you need to confront the party at fault, in which case you already have your Father's number and address.

    • PissLUR on 24/06/2018 - 21:18
      +2

      This.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 17:59
      +2

      Brilliant !

  • CyberMurning on 24/06/2018 - 21:21
    +29

    2 years ago and still checking his listing? Wow…

    • dcep on 24/06/2018 - 21:28
      +29

      becareful , he'll remember each & every comments in this post

  • salmon123 on 24/06/2018 - 21:23
    +4

    Long story short, my father purchased the car for my younger brother, later down the track it has much more serious problems.

    How much down the track? Guys who flip cars as a side-hustle would barely drive the car for 10km. They probably have no clue about the actual condition about it.

    I know my father should of got it inspected etc.

    I generally find inspections a waste of time. They can't tell you if the engine or transmission are going to fail. The inspection reports have things like seat belt conditions and rust checks … you can do that stuff yourself.

    Any advice?

    Should've just flipped the car, when you knew it had issues … take a hit on the stamp duty (I'm sure your father marked down the value on the transfer papers anyway)

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:04

      yes, get rid of car as soon as any serious problems are evident is the cheapest way out probably.

      Otherwise understand you are buying a used car and it will require repairs sooner or later.

      Dont blame the seller for that.

      • Mitch889 on 25/06/2018 - 22:23
        +4

        “Should've just flipped the car, when you knew it had issues … take a hit on the stamp duty (I'm sure your father marked down the value on the transfer papers anyway)”

        So basically do to the next owner what the OP is saying was done to his father.

        • HighAndDry on 02/07/2018 - 17:07

          Not really. If the new buyer does their due diligence, they'll lowball OP's dad and pay a price they agree on.

  • qwerty on 24/06/2018 - 21:35
    +6

    caveat emptor

  • dasher86 on 24/06/2018 - 21:37
    -1

    Bikies

  • Cheeper on 24/06/2018 - 22:21

    There is no end to con artists selling everything today… Do you want to tackle all of them?
    The real solution is to thoroughly check any used item you purchase privately because when you hand over the $ the deal is done.
    It always takes two… a con artist and a sucker. Con artists will always be around… suckers can clean up their act and be less of a victim.

    • HighAndDry on 25/06/2018 - 10:14
      +1

      Doesn't even sound like a con artist. The guy sold a $4,500 car - I'd be more surprised if it didn't have issues. OP's dad's issue for not getting a car bought second-hand off of Gumtree inspected.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:09

      And did anyone consider that OP said the problems developed "later down the track" (unspecified) and maybe OPs brother is to blame for maybe driving like a hoon, lack of taking care of the car, failing to check water, oil and fliud levels and conducting regular maintenance as per service book - as young kids fail to do. Hmmmm

  • Marcsie on 24/06/2018 - 22:30

    lol

  • [Deactivated] on 24/06/2018 - 22:32

    It sounds like he might be an unlicenced car dealer which is illegal. Report the guy

    https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/unlice…

    • lplau on 25/06/2018 - 08:01
      +2

      Need to first prove he is selling enough cars to be considered a car dealer… if the guy is selling like 1 car a year, it doesnt sound like he is a car dealer.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:10

      Report him for what?
      All he is doing is selling the odd car. Nothing wrong with that at all.
      And if he is like me he might be selling cars for friends because they have no idea.
      So he is just helping out his friends and family.

      Bottom line is its OPs father thats to blame.

      • [Deactivated] on 25/06/2018 - 21:49
        +1

        Depends how many he is selling. If your regularly selling car without a dealers licence then you are breaking the law and risk getting fined. There is plenty of cases of it happening.

        • Euphemistic on 26/06/2018 - 07:58

          A guy at work buys and sells cars after fixing them up. He got a warning from the RTA that he was selling too many and risked a fine. He backed off a bit and still does it.

        • crazyboy on 27/06/2018 - 10:48

          @Euphemistic: How many is too many to sell in 1 year?

        • me4president on 27/06/2018 - 15:13

          @sahilchaudhary: Max is 2 cars for sale under your own name as the ATO can catch you out if you are selling more, however people get around this by having the cars in family members names.

        • HighAndDry on 27/06/2018 - 15:15

          @me4president: Are you sure? From memory it's 4 a year in most states.

  • TheBilly on 24/06/2018 - 22:33

    Op to be honest, no point. Dont know how else to say it. All I can say is make sure you learn from this mistake and don't do it again. People have had alot worse, some people have had a lot less but it still hits them hard.

  • JimmyF on 24/06/2018 - 23:10
    +5

    Noticed that this bloke is selling another car that he has owned for '5 years'.

    You know people can own more than one car at once? So could have had it a few years ago when you brought the OTHER car they owned.

    I know my father should of got it inspected etc. It's not the point

    Well it is the point, based on this

    My point is that my father doesn't have much money and he saved generously for the car

    Then your father should have had an inspection done.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:18

      You know what..

      Its none of OPs business !

  • Lunarboogie on 24/06/2018 - 23:10
    +20

    If the OP's father is so hard on his luck that saving $4.5k is a herculean task, what is he doing hobknobbing in Europe on holidays?

    If you're dad is as important to you as you say, lend him a hand mate.

    • HighAndDry on 25/06/2018 - 10:15

      Good bloody catch. Just the flights would be 6 months' of his dad saving up.

  • Zukli on 25/06/2018 - 00:25

    What problems did he list … and what problems did you encounter later ?

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:19

      Umm….None specifically that could be traced back to the seller

  • Davo1111 on 25/06/2018 - 01:55

    Just move on.

  • SydStrand on 25/06/2018 - 03:08
    +1

    I know my father should of got it inspected etc. It's not the point

    Yes it is.

    Noticed that this bloke is selling another car that he has owned for '5 years'.

    So he is selling two cars within two years? Doesn't make him Mr Wormwood.

    My point is that my father doesn't have much money and he saved generously for the car

    I'm sorry you had problems but if the sum was that significant, he shouldn't have been so careless, and got an independent inspection. The seller advertised it had issues. It's a used car. What did you expect? Be thankful he disclosed as much as he did and you're only having issues two years on.

  • lplau on 25/06/2018 - 07:59
    +1

    Lol… funny reading this thread. The buyer didn't do his due diligence and wants retribution from seller.

    The buyer wasn't forced to purchase the car and was told there was issues. It may or may not have been known to the seller since you said 2 years later…

  • bobbified on 25/06/2018 - 08:18
    +1

    Short of beating the crap out of him and getting charged with assault, what are you going to do when you confront him?

    It's pointless and, if anything, it'll just make you more angry and frustrated.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:23

      Or the guy has a bunch of mates inside ready to sort out any trouble makers

  • theguru1 on 25/06/2018 - 08:34

    Unfortunately it is buyer beware and there is no warranty so you must do your own due diligence.

    A car in the $4,500 bracket is really a timebomb just waiting for something to go wrong if it hasn't already. You may be lucky though.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:33
      +4

      Not so.
      Sold my old 1998 car for $4,000 after owning it for 8 years without any major problems
      Then I bought a 2003 car for $1,000 - it just needed rego and had nothing wrong with it.
      Then bought a 2002 car for $2,400 which had nothing wrong with it.
      Then bought a 2007 car for $4,000 which needed new CV joints but that was plainly obvious.

      All this in the space of 12 months and all Mitsubishi Lancers (I really know my Lancers)
      Each was an upgrade on the previous one for me.
      Each one I sold for a profit which paid for the next one.

      Now does that mean any where a time bomb when I bought them - not in my opinion
      Does that mean any where a time bomb when I sold them - not in my opinion
      Does that make me a dealer because I bought and sold 3 cars within 12 months - not in my opinion

      Moral of the story - "Dont judge a book by its cover" (or its price)

      • Scrooge McDuck on 25/06/2018 - 18:58
        -1

        Did you buy them from a car club?

        • Hellman109 on 25/06/2018 - 23:07

          If they're all car club cars they are probably better maintained then your average car and would therfore command more money

        • Scrooge McDuck on 25/06/2018 - 23:15

          @Hellman109:

          Car club members commonly sell better than average cars to other members for lower than average prices.

  • Hithere on 25/06/2018 - 09:01

    So your father purchased a cheap bomb 2 years ago from Gumtree and didn't bother to get it checked out by someone who knew anything about cars.

    Why wait so long to even start a thread about it? You haven't been on holiday in Europe since then have you?

    If it had been 2 weeks ago you 'might' have had a small chance of doing something about it but 2 years, sorry but you are dreaming. Buyer beware.

    Put it down to a life lesson and move on.

  • Euphemistic on 25/06/2018 - 09:11

    Bought a car with problems, then found a bigger hidden one? Sounds like the seller is very smart. He knows that you will expect problems with a cheap car and lets you know there are some so you think he is being honest and wont need an inspection.

    Trap successful.

    • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:39
      +1

      Nobody can predict any problems that will occur with a car.
      Nobody at all. Whether its brand new or 10 years old.
      If there are problems when you buy the car they will be immediately obvious.

      If anything develops "Later down the track" then probably the seller wasnt aware.
      And probably those "Later down the track" problems have occurred as a result of the new owners actions or lack of.

      • Euphemistic on 26/06/2018 - 08:07

        True, nobody can predict some problems that will occur. However it is possible to mask problems by cleaning the engine bay, adding stop leak to the coolant, adjusting stuff to its limit knowing it will wear out soon etc. It is entirely possible the seller buys really cheap cars, does dodgy fix on them and resells.

        There are plenty of problems that will not be immediately obvious when you buy, especially if you buy without mechanical inspection or good knowledge of cars. I've sold a car with a clutch on its last legs according to my mechanic. Might have gone for another year or more and was working well, but may not have for much longer.

  • HighAndDry on 25/06/2018 - 10:10
    +2

    Around two years ago…

    Seriously? Find something more productive to do with your time. Second hand cars are purchased as-is. It's your (or other purchasers') fault if you don't get your own mechanical inspection before buying.

    I know my father should of got it inspected etc. It's not the point..

    Actually that's exactly the point.

  • jacross on 25/06/2018 - 11:19

    You're going to get yourself stabbed.

    It's not even clear the seller did anything wrong tbh.

  • ronnknee on 25/06/2018 - 12:51

    I know my father should of got it inspected etc. It's not the point;

    That's exactly the point.

  • Candour on 25/06/2018 - 13:17

    check with consumer affairs dept. he may be a 2nd hand dealer without being registered. if they find a history they may investigate

    • HighAndDry on 25/06/2018 - 13:21
      -1

      Sure, but right now OP sees that the guy is selling a whopping 2 cars in 3 years.

  • Cartman2530 on 25/06/2018 - 15:21

    Be absolutely certain that everything is good before you hand over your cash to someone on gumtree. After that any problems that crop up are your problems.

    That car could have failed 6 months later from when your dad bought it rather than 2 weeks or whatever. Would you still be angry about it then?

    Buyer beware on gumtree for sure.

  • Filbert on 25/06/2018 - 17:32
    -6

    Yeah we got scammed by a guy over in Keysborough way. Seemed 100% genuine, story about purchasing a car for his Neice then she brought another.
    Nissan Pulsar nice straight looking car that my son saved for.
    This son suffers from depression but when the 2nd, yes the 2nd crankshaft snapped because the head was warped and you go out in a rainy night to help him finish his pizza deliveries and he is sobbing saying how his life is rooted and nothing goes right for him.
    Oh but buyer beware they say. Not Gumtree they say..,,,victim blaming at its best.
    Some people that sell these lemons and rip people off are just worthless wastes and should be used for organ harvesting.
    So we purchased a 2nd hand Toyota from a car yard for $5.5k 3 years ago and hasn’t missed a beat. But by the comments above it should be riddled with faults for only paying that.
    I’m hearing you OP some people should get their come uppance / Karma.

    • HighAndDry on 25/06/2018 - 18:43
      +1

      You generally can't tell a crankshaft is going to snap before it snaps. And you're blaming Gumtree for… not making sure the 2nd hand car you're buying is mechanically fine? That sounds like a mechanic's job. And hey guess what, everyone is saying - get a car checked out mechanically before you buy private second hand.

      I kind of feel for you and your son, but your refusal to take responsibility for your own actions and attempting to shift the blame lessens the sympathy I feel. It's partly luck. But a lot of what looks like luck, is called prudence and good decision making. For example, getting cars mechanically checked out if you're buying a very old, very cheap, second hand car from a private seller.

      It's not victim blaming either by the way. Cars, like… everything, break down. If you would rather blame bad luck, go ahead but that's not really productive.

      • Filbert on 25/06/2018 - 19:00

        Oh I take full responsibility. My point is more towards the sellers. Heads don’t just up and warp one day. It is normally from being over cooked or similar. I am confident he knew of this and we were the suckers. Pretty difficult to get that checked without stripping the head off.
        As Abe Lincoln or someone said if you trust nobody you will be unhappy every single day. So if you trust everyone you will only be unhappy every now and again.
        We could of and would of purchased a car for my son but he wanted to do it off his own bat. And he got an abrupt lesson in life.
        But you can’t deny there are shysters amidst us.
        Hell it was a couple of K not life savings but I can see where OP’s head is at is all.

  • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 17:49

    Did OP consider the implications of approaching this guy?

    First the seller may well be innocent of any wrong doing.

    Secondly OP may find his head beaten inside out as he doesnt know who he is dealing with.

  • trapper on 25/06/2018 - 18:28
    +1

    Caveat Emptor

  • Scrooge McDuck on 25/06/2018 - 18:52
    -1

    Any advice?

    Don't use the heater and air conditioner at the same time.

  • HeWhoKnows on 25/06/2018 - 18:55
    +5

    He is one to think about….

    A couple of years ago I sold a lovely 1998 Mitsubishi Lancer manual which only had 130,000km on it.
    The service interval was 15,000km but I serviced it every 10,000km.
    Any issues were attended to immediately but most importantly this car never had any oil leaks.
    The worst being a failure of the idle speed motor in the throttle body which cost me just $250 all up to fix - big deal!
    As you would expect it never developed any major mechanical problems -
    these little Lancers easily go 270,000km without any problems when serviced properly.

    Decided to sell it because I was sick of driving a manual around the city - can you blame me?

    Sold it to a dad who bought it for his daughter - lovely people.
    I was happy and so where they.

    Two weeks later I get a call from the mum asking if I had any problems with the engine and I said No…Never!
    She said the car was parked at a shoping centre and when the daughter tried to start it, it wouldnt start.
    So they pulled up the bonnet and there was oil all over the engine.
    She said the NRMA told them there was some major problem but she couldnt explain.
    Ask her to find out but never got back to me.

    Told my mechanic who assued me there couldnt have been anything wrong with the car, especialy with only 130,000km on it.
    He suggested she may have run over a median strip or something and caused it to leak out the oil.

    Anyway I felt terrible but it really had nothing to do with me.
    I have no idea what this girl had done to the car to cause this problem.

    So there you go.
    Dont automaticaly blame the seller for a problem that occurs "later down the track"

    • ntt on 25/06/2018 - 22:03
      +4

      is this a poem?

    • AMLagonda on 27/06/2018 - 12:43

      They probably didnt get back to you as there was probably nothing wrong with the car.

  • burningrage on 25/06/2018 - 20:41

    I cant believe there are so many questions like this nowadays in OzB.

    Clearly buyers need to do their due diligence before buying their goods especially a used car!!!

  • mr_alligator on 25/06/2018 - 20:56
    +5

    No wonder that the OP hasn't replied to any comments. Given that the post is 2 years late, it wouldn't be surprising if the OP returns a year later to comment on the thread.

  • Will Mcdonald on 25/06/2018 - 22:35

    So your father and younger brother have no clue about cars and decide to buy a car on gumtree, the knock of version of the american craglist website?

  • playswithfire on 26/06/2018 - 07:09

    This is not a gumtree car scammer. A gumtree car scammer is someone who fakes a payment and has a courier pick up the car to reportedly deliver it to them on the other side of the country.

    This is what happens when you buy a used car privately without getting it inspected. If you're buying a used car, GET IT INSPECTED by a mechanic. Problems that develop 2 years later are not you being scammed.

  • ElDraino on 26/06/2018 - 08:22

    Theres not much you can do with a backyarder seller. These guys will head to the auction, buy a car cheap, put a margin on it and sell it on Gumtree/Ebay. I see these blokes at the auctions, often looking and sounding like immigrants just trying to make a $$. My advice is next time you buy a car, go to the auctions and cut out the middle man. And sell the other problem car at Graysonline.

    CAVEAT EMPTOR

  • c0balt on 26/06/2018 - 10:38

    Too much of a risk for no gain, you only stand to lose for a 2 year old perceived slight against your family.

    Chalk it up as a lesson in due diligence.

    • HighAndDry on 26/06/2018 - 11:02

      Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness.

      “The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

      Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

      But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."

      Courtesy of the great Terry Pratchett.

      Edit: The comment I replied to originally said something like: "It sounds expensive to be poor". Now my comment looks like a crazy person posted it…

      • c0balt on 26/06/2018 - 11:22

        True, but it was edited 20+ minutes before you replied. How many ozbargain tabs can one person open without checking them :P

        With shoes, sure. But with a lot of things I'd actually disagree. Power tools being one. Buy what ever is the cheapest that will get the job done, then decide afterwards based on how much you use it if it's worth going for a Makita or Bosch high end.

        For that reason I've stuck with the Ryobi tools I've gathered on ozbargain specials over the last half decade. In the end I've done all the jobs I could have done if I spent 4x the amount on much more expensive tools. Not that Ryobi is a bad brand, I just don't agree with buying the best product available, just the best product possible when price is considered.

        • HighAndDry on 26/06/2018 - 14:06

          How many ozbargain tabs can one person open without checking them :P

          Hahaha… uh… you don't want to know.

          And yeah - it's not universally applicable and I'm honestly only testing the "shoes" part it for myself. So far so good though, so fingers crossed.

  • PleasureMe on 26/06/2018 - 11:19
    +2

    Comments here are pretty one-sided. So I'll give the comment that I think you want to hear:
    Yes, go and meet up with the guy and then punch him in the face. Will it prove anything? No, but I'm sure it will make you feel better.

    Just make sure you call him from a private number so that he can't find you later and/or get you arrested.

    Let's see how many negs I can get for this comment…….go!

    • HighAndDry on 26/06/2018 - 11:23
      +1

      As long as OP returns here with the story, I'm all for more entertainment.

    • [Deactivated] on 26/06/2018 - 13:58

      Op doesn't appear a man of action. He's been stewing over this for 2 years. I could be generalizing but I can imagine that most used car dealers are quite capable of looking after themselves in the fisticuffs department, so this could backfire. A vote up anyways for the sheer recklessness of the suggestion.

  • BertieBrown on 26/06/2018 - 12:28
    +1

    The blame shouldn’t rest on a victim of any dodgy dealings, a person intentionally doing the wrong thing should be called out, but at the same time there are plenty of instances where blame or intent is very difficult or basically impossible to prove and innocent parties are then in a trial of presumption/popular opinion scenario, which can be extremely difficult to fairly defend.

    Ultimately, I’ve found a lot of the advice on OzB is pragmatic, which is to say it’s ‘real-world’, probably aligned with the nature of the site I suppose.

    So, I empathise with the OP, but at this point regardless of what is ‘rightfully presumed’ OP is, as has been said, better off to let it go and move on as at this point pursuing any form of justice is likely not to present any tangible benefits or change to OP or OP’s accused situation, IMO.

    There’s a difference between what is demanded and what is achievable.

  • Piranha2004 on 26/06/2018 - 13:29

    This isnt really a scam but more about buying a lemon. Buyer beware and all that.

  • MessyG on 26/06/2018 - 13:39

    What's the goal here? To get him to stop? I doubt that will work. You'd be better off reporting him to the Dept of Fair Trading (if they'll take a report from you) for misrepresenting sales, and possibly selling unsafe vehicles.

  • [Deactivated] on 26/06/2018 - 13:44

    If someone contacted me after 2 years, I would be a little scared.

  • Eeples on 26/06/2018 - 14:12
    +4

    I am in a similar position as the OP.

    About 10 years ago I bought a packet of jelly beans.

    I remember at least 2 of them not being delicious.

    Kicker is that the same shop (different management, I think) is still selling jelly beans.

    What can I do about it?

    Thanks.

    • doctorwatson on 26/06/2018 - 14:16

      He He

      • Euphemistic on 26/06/2018 - 14:55

        He, He what? Come on man, finish your sentence.

  • macrocephalic on 26/06/2018 - 14:20

    If it makes you feel better you could go and waste his time, lead him on, and possibly make him angry. There's not much else you can do. Only you can decide if it's worth it.

    • HighAndDry on 26/06/2018 - 14:24

      See the risk with these kinds of comments is that the guy could be completely innocent. It's an old beat up car that's sold for $4.5k. It's bound to have issues, and it could well have had those issues without the seller knowing about it.

      • macrocephalic on 27/06/2018 - 16:05

        To be fair, if he did all the things that I said then he'd probably still be indistinguishable from the average gumtree transactor.

  • echelon6 on 26/06/2018 - 15:21

    Get outta here. Buyer beware. Chalk this up to experience.

  • KLoNe on 26/06/2018 - 15:34

    Lol. What are you going to do, OP? Beat up the seller and post the video on FB? Your Dad (profanity) up and bought a shit car - shit happens. Stop trying to be a hero.

  • So Was Red on 26/06/2018 - 16:54

    The furthest you should go is probably just making a Gumtree listing of your own warning about the guy. It might be against Gumtree TOS though so it might not last. who knows.

  • DiscoJango on 26/06/2018 - 17:14

    op: if you want to confront scammers, why not go to your local politicians office and have a go at them

  • wkd on 26/06/2018 - 18:54

    next time you buy a car get a PPI. if the seller says no then look elsewhere

  • ChatCPT on 26/06/2018 - 19:15

    Damn OP getting ripped apart!

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join