Re: Buyer Beware (I feel your pain, sort of)

[Josh Pinkert <flush@us.net>]

At 07:14 PM 3/30/98 -0500, Phil & Judy Rose wrote:
>Some of you know of my efforts to replace a '91 200q lost to accident last
>year.  Over the past weekend, while pursuing that elusive quattro, I had an
>experience that--in some respects--was worse than the wreck that totalled
>my car in December. Maybe there is some educational value to my reviewing
>for the qlist the experience that I and my wife had last week. I'm sad to
>say I realize there are probably similar stories out there.
>

I'm currently in the market for an old Porsche 911.  The problem is finding
one that's rust free on the east coast.  Well, this guy advertises his in
the Conn. Valley Porsche newsletter.  It near my price range and advertised
with no rust, so I give the guy a call.  Everything he tells me sounds
good.  Repainted less than 5 years ago, anything rusty replaced.  So I ask
a favor of one of my brothers (and early Porsche owner) who lives 1 hr
away...take a look at it.  He does...looks at it at night.  Car drives
pretty good.  Looks beautiful.  Fresh, glossy guards red paint. A small
spot of rust found at night, but nothing major.  Flashlight checks in wheel
wells, etc...reveal the car looks clean.  

So I make an offer, contingent on a pre-purchase inspection.  He says good.
 So I drive up to CT from VA with a friend (a fellow Q-lister, to drive my
A4q back) to see the car myself and hopefully buy it.  I chose a shop to
get it inspected at...and the guy shows up as planned.  

The car looks awesome.  So the mechanic drives it in.  After 15 minutes,
the mechanic asks for me...the prospective buyer...and escorts me back into
the service area.  First thing he says in a thick NY accent "You don't want
to buy this car."  He has the car on a lift, and walks me through the
problems.  Major rust...at least a $5000 repair job.  He showed me a bad
patch job on some other rust.  Basically says that this $8000 car isn't
worth anything...better off as a parts car.  So I'm a little light headed
at this point.  I was ready to be going home with a new car...

So I come to my senses, walk out into the waiting area...and tell him about
all the rust.  He kinda shrugs it off.  "The deal's off.  It's not the
right car for me,"  I say.  He says, "sorry".  And that's it.  The search
goes on...

But next thing I hear, a month later, is that he's advertising it in the
national Porsche newsletter for the same price as a no-rust car!  What a
scheming jerk!  He's knowingly advertising false information about his car.
 And unless someone gets a PPI like I did, they're gonna get really
screwed.  As the mechanic put it..."The rear end of this car is just gonna
fall off."  The nerve of some people.  I wish I could do something about it.


--        
Josh Pinkert 
flush@us.net 
'98 A4q 2.8 
ISO '70-'73 or '78-'83 Porsche 911 
--