so i sold this motor on Ebay......

[kustombuilder]

maybe off topic in the sense that i was a non-traditional V6 but bare with me. i just want to vent a little and maybe hear what some of my HAMB friends would do in this situation.
ok, i sold this 4.3 V6 on Ebay, i even delivered it for the guy for an extra $50 when he had a hard time lining up a trailer. i told him the whole long story of the motor before i ever took any money from him. i bought it from a guy who used to work at a dealership. i had to talk him into selling me the motor and afer a coupe weeks he relented and this is what he told me about the motor: an old guy brought his GMC sonoma in because it was making a noise. the mechanics at the dealership thoguht it was the crank (too much end play i believe he said) so they replaced the crank and bearings and put it all back together. still made the same noise so they ordered a new crate motor (the guy had a waranty that covered it). when the new motor arrived they pulled the old one AGAIN and happened to notice that the throwout bearing was TRASHED! realizing they ordered a motor when all the guy needed was a throwout bearing they quitely put the motor in along with a new throwout bearing and sent him on his way. well this uy (who was a mechanic at the same dealer but not the one who worked on that truck) ended up with the motor some way or another. i believe he said it sat in his garage for about 2 years before i talked him out of it (went over to look at a Monte Carlo a friend wanted to buy from him).
well i had planned to put a supercharger on the motor and put it in my S-10 but that obviously never happened. so it sat in my shop at my parents place for about 3 years and then here at my shop for almost 2 years. it had all the plugs from the crate motor covering ALL the holes so there was no way anything was going to get inside the motor and it was ALLWAYS kept IN a garage.
so i sell it on Ebay for about $330 (less than i thought i'd get for it) and deliver it to this guys mechanic who is just some guy who works out of his garage as a side job. this guy puts it in his Blazer and after firing it up a couple times tells this guy that it is junk and full of rust. this guy emails me and tells me this and that he is "sure we can work this out".
i felt really bad and kinda responsible at first then i realized that i did'nt hide ANYTHING from this guy about the motor. i told him everything i knew including how long it had been sitting. he even came over and saw it all dusty in the back corner of my garage. i told him EVERYTHING the guy i bought it from told me and he stil forked over the dough. i told him all this so that i would not be responsible should anything end up being wrong with it. i did'nt want to sell the guy the engine then find out the guy i bought it from lied to me (though i had to talk him into selling it to me so i doubt he would have). i would have let him out of the deal in a second if he had reservations, but he did'nt even hesitate and paid me the cash for the engine.
what would you do? i don't want the guy to be unhappybut i feel i was very up front about everything but now he emails me and wants me to take some sort of responsability.
i told him to give me the mechanics number and i would talk to him before this went any further.
thanks for letting me vent anyway.


Mike

[Hellfish]

[ QUOTE ]
i told him all this so that i would not be responsible should anything end up being wrong with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

you were upfront and honest about everything. He came and checked it out. You never promised that it was a running engine, only what you told him. I think it sucks for him, but you are in the clear. If you feel really guilty, you could refund SOME of his money, but I don't know if I would if I were you. You don't even know if the mechanic is telling you the truth or is a complete idiot.

[53choptop]

This situations are always hard, sometimes being as up front as possible and trying to do the right thing will end up getting you screwed and become the bad guy. Been there. Funny thing is that there are so many people on ebay that intentionally want to screw people…… Good luck with that. My .2 cents is stand behind your transaction, you did all you could to make sure this guy know what he was getting and this guy wants out, doesn’t seem fair…you’re not running an autozone…….

[Baumi]

I think you were very helpful and polite to this guy telling him everything you knew. In my eyes you didn´t make a mistake. If the guy wanted a new engine including warranty and without the risk he should have spent some more bugs on a new "new" engine.So it was his own risk to buy an engine that had been laying around for about seven years.Just my 2 cents.

[Kilroy]

You were too nice.

The guy thinks you're "buds" now and thinks he can save some face at your expense cause you won't "leave him hangin'".

Time to be a dick real fast and be prepaired to take the negative feedback. It's one more reason Ebay sucks. It ain't a store. You take the risk any time you buy. Just like a swap.

[G V Gordon]

"Junk and full of rust" What the heck does that mean. You told him it had been setting for several years. I sure wouldn't refund anything based on that info. It doesn't sound like you misrepresented anything so you will have to let your conscience be your guide. Any engine setting for that long, even inside, is subject to condensation.

[30roadster]

why didn't he pull the oil pan,intake,heads and check a few things out....seems like common sense before firing up the engine if it's been sitting so long...now how are you supposed to know if he screwed it up or you gave it to him that way....in my mind a little bad feedback is ok here...just tell your side of the story

[kustombuilder]

yer all right and thats just what i was thinkin. if he feels he needs to enter negative feedback so be it. i don't feel the least bit responsible. i have a big concionse and if i did anything wrong it would be telling me so and it ain't tellin me squat. i hate to be a dick but i think i'm gona have to this time. just wanted to make sure i was'nt overlooking something about how i handled it. thanks guys...

[56olds-ERDY]

yeah im way too nice to i think sometimes.i did the same thing awile back with a 3.1 i got from a guy that worked at a dealership.i didnt hear anything back from the guy after i sold it to him,but i didnt know anything much about the motor except the guy i got it from told be it had 20k on it.
i told him that,and even gave him a 30 day money back garentee.that was dumb though looking back.i just kind of crossed my fingers.good point why wouldnt the guy pull the pan.thats just stupid.i wouldnt pay if you if you had no prior aggrement to do soo if it was bad.if you do decide to though make sure,and see the motor first to see what there talking about.i still wouldnt though.good luck,
eric

[McGrath]

If the guy doesn't know anything about engines, there is the Possibility that his Mechanic is trying to take him for a ride....

Happens all the time.

[MoFoMOD]

I have been shying away from selling on eBay becuase I have noticed lately a crop of newbies who think it's catalog shopping... i have been in the same situation as you selling shit on ebay and now I just have a paragraph in the text stating 100 times that what you bid on is what you get and all sales are FINAL...

[cornfieldrodder]

I recently had a problem with a sale on Ebay. Since it was a $20 transaction I had him mail it back to me and reembursed him. Now, if it had been a $380 deal with a ton of info for his benifit, plus my time to deliver, I'd take the feedback. I know that some folks say dont bid with any, but I wouldn't eat HIS ignorance. Then again, if he gave me bad feedback, living that close, well....ya know, it just business. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[SKR8PN]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i told him all this so that i would not be responsible should anything end up being wrong with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

you were upfront and honest about everything. He came and checked it out. You never promised that it was a running engine, only what you told him. I think it sucks for him, but you are in the clear. If you feel really guilty, you could refund SOME of his money, but I don't know if I would if I were you. You don't even know if the mechanic is telling you the truth or is a complete idiot.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'd say the "mechanic" is an idiot.
#1 why would you NOT check out a USED engine BEFORE you buy it and install it?
#2 You TOLD the guy the history and he STILL decided to buy it. HIS DECISION.(you didn't TWIST his arm did you?)
#3 Those engines are JUNK from jump street. I just did an R&R on a '99 s-10 blazer,that only had 56,000 on the original engine. Had one HELL of time finding a decent one to put in.

Tell him to go fuck himself...........he now has a rebuildable core engine. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[=mike=]

also if he leaves you bad feedback and feel it is unwarented , you get a chance to explain in the same forum and tell people what your side of the story is . I would tell him that he bought it as is , and thats how you bought it . anything after that is his problem , not yours . I had this same deal happento me a long time ago with some dickweed in my car club . sold him an as is motor , and when he had to do a valve job he shit his pants and told me I should soak the cost of it and let him slide . this was after almost a year and a half of waiting for money from him . . . $400 . these things never end well because both parties really belive they are correct . hang in there and do what you feel is the right thing to do . stand by your desission , its all you can do .

[DrJ]

#1 eBay sucks.
#2 Never sella car or engine to someone you know, and never get to know someone you sold a car or engine to, or they will treat you like it should have had a lifetime guarantee.
#3 Never sell a car to someone who hangs out in the same area you do or you will be hearing about what a crook or lousy car builder the guy says you are.
#4 Never sell a used engine with any other description than "core" and put it in writing.
#5 eBay sucks

Now, By the time I finished reading that long and convoluted saga, I almost forgot that the original engine did indeed get taken out because of a suspected internal noise.
If your "description" of the engine was similar, then, although you didn't tell a non-truth, you certainly did a good job of concealing that there might have actually been something wrong with the motor.
Also, you still haven't said whether there is something wrong with the motor, just that a "mechanic" doesn't like how it runs.
Is there something wrong with it besides the T/O bearing story tangent you used to conceal the claimed first "noise" suspicion with?

I'm still confused by the story, and I suspect the buyer was/is too.
In fact, the longer eBay descriptions are the more I suspect a cover up.
With that said, what he paid isn't a horrible price for a core anyway so just don't deal with it. Don't pay anything back or it will be admission that you think you owe him something.

[porknbeaner]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i told him all this so that i would not be responsible should anything end up being wrong with it.

[/ QUOTE ]

you were upfront and honest about everything. He came and checked it out. You never promised that it was a running engine, only what you told him. I think it sucks for him, but you are in the clear. If you feel really guilty, you could refund SOME of his money, but I don't know if I would if I were you. You don't even know if the mechanic is telling you the truth or is a complete idiot.

[/ QUOTE ]

#1 used parts is used parts, when ya buy 'em you plan on reworkin' em.

#2 you told the guy what you believed to be correct, and even delivered the pieces to him.

Sounds like a quick fix to me, easy to work out. You drop your britches and he puckers... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

If I were hustling pieces for a living, I might give him a sweet talkin' but otherwise, I'd just blow it off. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[k9racer]

Most shops mark up the price of a engine. The shop owner is probley mad because he did not make a profit from the sale of the engine..

[Fat Hack]

Sounds like you happened into a three-ring circus deal! The backyard mechanic who is installing a used engine for someone else from a source he has no control over may feel that he is being dumped on and may have some issues that need working out between the guy paying him and himself.

You simply put up a used engine on a public auction forum and sold it to the highest bidder after allowing said bidder to look the engine over and ask any questions. He accepted it and paid you for it. In addition, he added $50 to get you to deliver it for him. I'd say your obligation ended when you unloaded the motor, but that's just me!

I've seen this sort of thing before...a friend of mine sold a known good used engine to another friend after allowing the guy to test-drive it in the car it was pulled from. The guy who bought it installed it himself, then claimed it didn't run right and went after the seller for some money back. I got involved as the schmuck who agreed to look at the engine and see what was up. The smashed stock valve cover on the garage floor and the chep chrome ones hastily tossed on an otherwise greasy old engine tipped me off...and upon closer inspection, I realized that the engine had been dropped at some point durring the installation. Replacing some damaged rocker arms and pushrods made a world of difference!

I think you did all you could to make this a good deal for the buyer, but as they say...

..."No good deed goes unpunnished!" I feel for ya, Bro!

[TP]

I sold a zz4 motor to a guy that I barely knew two years ago.I had bought it from a very good friend who told me a story about how it was pulled at the dealer and was not really bad. Not exactly like your case but close. Anyway this guy pulls the original motor out of his 70 nova and sells it, then puts in the zz4 motor. Now I had this motor in my possesion for well over a year. I really didn't want to sell it but the guy offered me a fair price for it. Make a long story short ,it was toast. Had a hole in the top of every piston on the right bank. Did the guy open it up to look,no. I don't feel that he should have to. He went on my word and I went on my ex-buddies word. I ended up paying for all parts to re-build the motor. I took a lick but felt thats what I should do. Just didn't feel the guy got a fair shake whether it was my fault or not.I will never sell another engine to anyone that I know. I would have done the same thing even if I hadn't known him. We are good friends now,and I think I did the right thing. It cost me but thats the way you get an educatiom. Got ahold of my ex-buddy to see if he would split the cost and you know the answer to that. TP

[jdubbya]

A buddy of mine went thru the same type problem, on a jeep that he sold on e-bay. He was upfront, the guy checked it all out, and was not running at the time of purchase, the price in his case, and in your case reflected the buyers reservations. I believe that there are just some people who will bitch and complain about anything, just ti try to get something out of it. This guy is probably hoping that you will cave in and give up some $$. It would be different if you were dealing with alot more money.

[MercMan1951]

Yeah, what Fat Hack said...don't back down!

[OldSub]

I recently sold a car with a known problem. I described the symptions and the buyer handed me the money.

Then they went to a shop and learned what it was going to take to fix it and she cried. Actually the problem turned out to be much more severe than I had expected too, at least from a cash standpoint. I ended up taking it back and returned her money. Maybe I should have let her deal with it, but I felt right when I took it back.

I then listed it on eBay, complete with a description of the problem. Sold it to a complete stranger who I've not heard from in the couple months since. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Selling on eBay doesn't have to be a bad experience...

[Leon]

[ QUOTE ]

so i sell it on Ebay for about $330 (less than i thought i'd get for it) and deliver it to this guys mechanic who is just some guy who works out of his garage as a side job. this guy puts it in his Blazer and after firing it up a couple times tells this guy that it is junk and full of rust.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds like a guy I knew that put an engine in his car with the tranny I rebuilt for him and fires it up several times cause he likes to hear it run - no radiator (and no water), no exhaust manifolds, no oil in the automatic tranny, etc. I know the machine shop will get blamed for the engine going bad and I'll be blamed for the tranny that was run without oil. Sometimes a little knowledge is dangerous.....

[uncleAud]

buyer beware...it was used motor, he or his mechanic should be smart enough to check it out...whats he got into it $380 bucks...tell him to go to any salvage yard and try and find one cheaper....just take him off your Christmas list and get on with it:)

[fab32]

Mike, I suppose after you've gotten all of this terrific advice that it would be out of the question for me to ask for a 5yr/50,000 mile warrantee on that nailhead I'm getting from you? You know the one that sat for a few years without a hood on the car and no carburator. I'll just tell you before hand I'll be pissed and expect every penny of my money back if it doesn't fire right up, idle like a kitten, make 450hp and get 25 MPG.
Oh, by the way, tell the guy to take a flying f**k at a rolling donut.

Frank

[slazzen]

I would give him his money back in full just good business and karma the guy has to do all the work twice now and find another motor I have found that there are alot of tight asses and money grubbers in the auto game its really to bad I think its cause most guys live pay check to pay check and are always stressed on money

[Blownolds]

OldSub, stand tall, you are a man and not a mouse. Good for you.

I would have done the same thing in that instance-- I don't sell used stuff with any guarantees unless I am willing to back said guarantee up, and usually the buyer is stuck with their choice, but if someone is barely scraping by and it's not a hobby-related thing but instead a basic necessity thing that went sour I will not sleep well knowing their misfortune came from my hand. I don't kick people when they're down either. Kudos to you.

[studeboy]

Hey Mikey As with any purchase and especially EBAY "BUYER BEWARE". Don't give in to this guy. If my instincts are correct I SMELL A RAT. The guy probably spent every last dime on the engine and now has no money for the install. He gets a hundred or more back from you mechanic is happy and so is buyer 'cuz he just got a practically FREE engine for his truck. (I should try this with Dave and get my money back from the 3 engines I bought from him.http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gifhttp://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Frank as for the nailhead you should get a 5/50 warranty if Mike gives in to this guy. A presedence that would hold up in court would have been set. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[kustombuilder]

the guy is shit out of luck. i honestly feel that i did everything right by him and had he been worried about it he should have passed on the deal.
i've learned the hard way you need to ask alot of questions and do your research and even then you are taking a risk with used parts from an individual. i bought a 4 speed at a swap meet once for about $75.00 from a complete stranger (did'nt even bother to get a phone number just in case) turned out the tranny was junk. thats the risk you take.
i don't think the guy is gonna starve because of this deal. he drove out here in a new Range Rover and said he owns a couple fast food joints (Wendys to be precise).
i feel for the guy but i won't lose any sleep because i know i was completely honest and up front with him. he took the risk he can take the loss. i think we've all been in that situation when it comes to buying and selling used parts. you win some you lose some.

thanks for the input everyone.

Mike

[andysdeuce]

Mike, if the guys got money why is he buying a used engine off e-gay?? I don't believe I would do anything else for the guy. You were up front and honest with him. I think maybe his mechanic is ripping him a new one. Follow your conscience.

[Fat Hack]

Tell the Rich Guy that GM still sells 4.3 V6 crate engines...available through his local Chevy dealer. They even have certified mechanics at the dealership who can install it for him!

Sounds like he went out of his way to do the job as cheaply as possible and it backfired on him!

A few more Biggie fries sales and he'll be back in the green...no loss! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[ESnacky6]

I wouldn't sweat it Mike...

The good karma coming to you for sending those door springs
to me will make up for any possible 'bad' juju from that guy..!!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Thanks again..!!!

[cosmo]

I, too, smell a rat.
Might be the guy spent the money he promised his S.O. that he's spend it on a new flower pot or wahtever. Now she's pissed and he's gotta do something. And that something is fuck you, 'cause he doesn't know you.
I've had a lot of good luck on Ebay, no bad luck, and only a few bidders who didn't feel like paying, which was no problem, 'cause I didn't feel like shipping in those cases http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Stick to your guns, and tell him "caveat emptor means you, baby".
Cosmo

[Luke Jivetalker]

Fuck him! Caveat Emptor!!! Especially when buying used anything, you owe him NOTHING, stand tall and feel good abotu yourself
Skip

[delaware george]

i bought a flattie off a reputable guy here and he gave me his word that it was a good motor...on the receipt it said sold as is no refunds...come to find out it had a bad crack in it....he felt bad and i really believe he's a stand up guy who thought it was a good motor....but he didn't give me my money back

[kustombuilder]

i spoke to the mechanic and he said he hooked it all up then started to crank it over to start it. he said it cranked abotu 5 or 6 times and started to slow down. swapped out the battery and it was still crankin slow. he said he changed the oil pan, cause the one in the truck was different, and filled it with fresh oil. never did prime the motor though. it sat for over 5 years.
after that i emailed the guy who bougt it and as politely as i could told him he was shit out of luck if he thought i was giving him his money back. i just explained to him how it was and that he bought it AS IS and that i was as absolutely honest as i could be about it before he paid for it.
i expected a pissed off email back from him when i got home from work tonight but i did'nt get one. maybe tommarow.

[=mike=]

fuck this washout loser . i havebought alot of suposedly cool ass " ran when pulled " things . . . guess what bub now it is a "YP" , no longer a "MP" . . . . in fact is is now "SOEP" . fuck him and his amature machanic .

[beatnik]

Don't sweat it Mike. If him or his mechanic new a damn thing, they would have, spent a few dollars on gaskets and checked the motor out before putting it in. You told him it's been sitting for a while. You didn't hide anything, you told him what the deal was, that was the end of your responsibilities.

[burtrido]

A few years back I pulled a c4 out of a wreck, then sat it in the corner of the yard for about 12 months all raped up in a tarp. I never did try and run it as
I was only keeping for spares. Anyway a mates brother desided he needed it more than me and ofered me a tank full of gas for it.Numbnuts then takes it and fits it straight into his car not even dropping the pan to check it out. Starts the car, then fluid leaks from every oraface etc.etc.
Before he took it away he was told the full history of how long it had been sitting etc.etc.but he still had to have it like it was the last c4 on the planet. I get knock on the door about 11pm at night with this clown standing there in near tears wanting his gas money back (about $15). Long story short he no longer buys shit with out checking it out properly before buying it or before fitting it. Stand your ground you have done nothing wrong.

[CadillacKid]

Tell him to check the throw out bearing http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[kustombuilder]

[ QUOTE ]
Tell him to check the throw out bearing http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


LOL http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif