Where Classic Car
Buyers Go Wrong
Published
4/25/2004
Scammers
enthusiastically received new evidence demonstrating that there are still many,
many people willing to send tens of thousands of dollars to complete strangers
for cars they have only seen in pictures and to sincere sounding sellers
they’ve conversed with via email or telephone. Incredibly, some of these same
people never even think of asking to see a copy of the title to prove that the
individual selling the car actually owns it!
Let’s
get a couple of things straight here; as an able buyer, you should NOT have to
PAY for the privilege of looking at a car prior to deciding to purchase it! I
can’t tell you how many dealers like to try to get prospective buyers to send
them a ‘deposit’ before they allow the vehicle to be inspected. I also can’t
tell you how many times the vehicle turns out NOT to be as the seller described
and how difficult the “fully refundable” deposit now becomes to extract from
the dealers hands. It amazes me that there are some dealers who think
themselves beyond reproach and even some who are genuinely shocked if not
actually offended that customers would question their description of a car and
want to check it out for themselves. Some how, they feel that if they have been
in business for a decade or two without documented incident, they’ve
established themselves as trustworthy – we see it more as them not having been
caught.
I
know it seems awful to ‘tar’ all dealers with the same brush (and I’m sure
there are those that will take me to task over this article), but guys, even
though we know there are some decent ones amongst you, this reputation wasn’t
earned overnight. Furthermore I’m sorry to say that we continue to cross swords
with ‘dodgy dealers’ on an almost daily basis.
In
the dealers defense, I’ll say this much. There are some we know, who try very
hard to be ‘upfront’ with descriptions of the cars they
sell. They endeavor to give a ‘warts and all’ summation in an effort to save
themselves the inevitable aggravation of a disappointed long-distance buyer.
However, we realize that despite their best efforts, there are some buyers
(usually investment types) who should NOT be buying old cars at all. These are
the folks who expect a forty-five year old car accurately described as being
‘restored two years ago’, to have NO stone chips in the paint!
On
the subject of restorations, please realize that there are ‘restorations’ and
‘restorations’. Don’t think that simply because the owner says he has” $100,000
in the car” that the job must have been done right. The seller may be a novice
who got himself shafted by an unsavory restoration shop. By the way, do you
know what qualifications are required for you to open a restoration shop? NONE!
You could hang out a shingle tomorrow and declare yourself open for business!
What makes the difference is ‘reputation’ - in the restoration business, it’s
everything. A good restorer will have numerous examples of his craftsmanship to
show you and many happy customers for you to speak with. He will also have
extensive documentation of each and every build. Those records represent value
not only to the owner but to you as a potential buyer. They will tell you
exactly what was done, what components were used and how well they we
installed.
Getting
back to the aforementioned $100,000 car, if a seller makes a claim like that,
ask to see the evidence and I’m not talking some photos and half a dozen
receipts – I mean dozens and dozens of photos and $100,000 worth of receipts.
If he doesn’t have them, it may not be the end of the world, but you don’t want
be paying top dollar for a restored car that doesn’t come with full supporting
paperwork from a reputable shop.
We
recently had a client who’d bought a Porsche 911 on eBay. The seller (a private
individual) in his ‘terms’ demanded that a 10% deposit be paid via wire
transfer within 72 hours of the auctions end and that the balance be paid in
full within 5 days. Our client was all ready to send the deposit, then hop a
plane and fly to buy the car, when (thankfully) his conscience pricked him and
he called us. We told him to do nothing until we were able to verify that the
car was ‘as described’ by the seller. Even though our client had already won
the car on eBay, www.AutomobileInspections.com
were able to get someone to inspect the car at very
short notice. In fact before the 72 hours window was up, they had checked the
car out for him and had the completed 6-page report long with accompanying photos
in his hands, so he was certain of what he was getting for his money. Still, as
the clock ticked on, we continued to look out for our client – and as his
representative we set about drafting a purchase agreement ensuring that we
asked the seller to send us a copy of the title as proof of ownership before we
sent a deposit. Well guess what…. He didn’t have the title – the bank did! He
was hoping someone would give him the money for the car up front so he could
pay off the loan on his car and get the title. We didn’t think so - it wasn’t
our client’s obligation to pay off this seller’s debts. With no title in his
possession, he was in no position to make demands. We began calling the shots
from there on out to ensure our client was protected.
Imagine
this scenario, our client wires the money to the seller (who was financially
strapped for cash) and he simply takes off without paying off his loan to the
bank. Even if the car may be on its way to you, if the bank didn’t get paid –
you don’t get the title, you don’t own the car. SO make SURE you (or your
representative) see the ACTUAL title (not a copy) BEFORE you ever send a seller
a penny for the car.
Another
story I can relate is of folks who advertise and sell cars that they never
owned, doing a bunk with the money trusting/foolish buyers have sent them. One
instance was about a guy in
I
believe that the ‘eBay phenomenon’ has caused a lot of the problems that exist
in the market today. Folks in the trade typically love eBay.com because it
lulls buyers into a false sense of urgency. They rush to send deposits, set up
trucking and wire transfer huge sums of money just because what the seller said
that was the way he wanted it done! HELLO !!!!! Since
when does the seller get to take charge of the deal? YOU ARE THE ONE COMING TO
THE PARTY WITH THE MONEY! Make no mistake; there are far fewer real buyers out
in the market place with hard cash than there are sellers with cars to sell. I
don’t care what the car is; there will inevitably be another (just as good) for
sale tomorrow – or next week
So
where am I going with all this? Well I was prompted to write this article due
to the apparent increase of fools in the collector car market place who are
looking to get themselves hurt. Every time the phone rings and it’s another
customer who’s put himself in harms way and is looking for someone (us) to bail
him/her out, I want to reach down the phone and straggle them for being so
foolish. In this age of high speed technology, now more than ever you must
adhere to the warning ‘Caveat Emptor’ or BUYER BEWARE!
Here are some rules to live by:
1) Never send
ANY money to a seller until you or your representatives have checked out the
car. If you can’t get to it yourself, or don’t have the experience – use a
professional inspection company like www.AutomobileInspections.com
it will be money well spent.
2) If the
seller is adamant that you send him a deposit – put it on a credit card, that
way if the car is not as described you can get your bank to ‘charge-back’ the
card. If he doesn’t take credit cards – WALK AWAY!
3) Forget the
sellers posted terms on eBay they’re negotiable, he made them, he can break
them. If you are the winning bidder you have the right to inspect the car prior
to payment. Sellers who have accurately represented their cars to the best of
their ability should have no problem with this. After all you’ve agreed to buy
the car at your winning bid if the vehicle does indeed turn out to be as
described.
4) ALWAYS
demand to see a copy of the title initially, and then the actual title
when you go to inspect the car. Do NOT send ANY money until the seller gives
you unequivocal proof that he not only has the legal right to sell the car, but
that the title is physically in his possession.
5) Realize
that if the car turns out to not be as described, despite what you agreed to
pay him for it, you are now in a position to renegotiate the deal.
6) If you are
‘out of your depth’ be big enough to seek professional help from a group like www.BuyerServicesInternational.com
and early enough for them to help stop you from getting yourself hurt.