Carfax saved my a$$ (LAC per se)

[Dave Glubrecht]

Over here in WA state, many cars are being sold by Russian immigrants,
usually the daughter is acting as interpreter.  The car is usually a poorly
repaired total.  I have saved a few friends with the warning to do extra
careful checking of immigrant sold cars.
"It is not racist, but cultural awareness"

    Dave G




riginal Message -----
From: "William Magliocco" <magliocc at rocketmail.com>
To: <quattro at audifans.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2004 5:34 AM
Subject: Carfax saved my a$$ (LAC per se)


> Here is my testimonial:
>
> 8/02-wife is rear ended in my 1993 Audi 100.  Pix
> available at home.earthlink.net/~wmagliocco/wreck
>
> Tough slog ahead with Kemper insurance.  Wife needs
> wheels.
>
> I pick up the local Cox fishwrapper and spy a 1997 VW
> Passat TDI, black & loaded.  Go across town and look
> at it.
>
> Owner seems a little odd.  Romaninan fellow, meets me
> at a gas station near Hartsfield airport.  Uses cell
> phone # in ad.  I like car, but I thought $8000 was a
> little high, and that car pulled a tad.
>
> Take a 2nd look the following day.  Go to different
> gas station in another part of town much further from
> where I live.  Tell owner ahead of time to have a
> photocopy of title ready.  Bank is ready willing &
> able to produce loan.  Car still pulls on 2nd test
> drive but "Serban" tells me it is the tires.
>
> The next morning, prior to going to my bank to
> consumate the loan, I decide to spend the $ and use
> Carfax.
>
> Am I glad I did that!  Car was in a total loss wreck
> 1/01 in central GA, and retitled as salvage at that
> point.  9 mos. later car had another title issued
> (non-salvage) in suburban ATL GA.  In GA you cannot
> drive a car that holds a current salvage title.
> Insurance won't issue a check in a total loss scenario
> unless they take title and have it marked as salvage.
>
> Wrote nasty letter to owner backing out of deal, which
> is available @
> http://home.earthlink.net/~wmagliocco/wreck/serban0809.doc
>
> After receiving said letter, the owner called back to
> try and sweet talk me into changing my mind.  Makes
> one little mistake.  Calls me from his home phone,
> which I reverse trace to where he actually resides
> (nr. 2nd gas station).  Took a little jaunt out there
> to find that the man had at least _ten_ cars on the
> property in various states of repair, including a
> Passat with a primer red roof.  Steve Jensen is my
> witness.
>
> Turns out he has a "buddy" nearby that runs a little
> collision shop at same interstate exit where he
> resides.  Another Romaninan guy.  Said collision shop
> has no signage whatsoever to communicate with the
> public.  None...Rather, the owner buys insurance
> wrecks and fixes them up for eventual sale.
>
> Turns out my ATL Amigo Steve Jensen knew the guy that
> ran the collision shop and suggested I take the 100
> over there.  The owner was not at all interested in
> working on it (though his small lot was full of V-A-G
> wrecks as well as BMWs and other expen$ive foreign
> iron)...
>
> And who should I meet over at this "unmarked"
> collision shop but Mr. Serban himself...in a beautiful
> looking Jag ragtop.  Of course he had to interject
> that the Passat was still available.
>
> Funny part is that I looked at the car 8/02 and he was
> still trying to pawn it off 7/03.  I damn near died
> when I read that ad in the Cox fishwrapper.
>
> Long story short-maybe CarFax does not appear to be
> worth the $ if you find a car with a clean history...I
> felt that way too.  But if you DO run across one of
> these a$$holes that is trying to rip you off, it can
> save you the nightmare of finding out you indeed
> bought a wreck and got the old screw-job.
>
> Ended up buying wife a '98 Jetta TDI that has been
> fine for the last 18 mos. from a dealer that does use
> Carfax to evaluate trades but also knows where he is
> getting his cars from.
>
> Sorry for the BW, just thought I would give you my
> thoughts.
>
>
>
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