Buyer Remorse Thread.. What did you get burned with ??

I need to vent... I bought a car off ebay about 2 months ago and I way over payed thinking it was better than it looked. Now the car needs alot more than I thought and the money pit is getting deeper.
Just wondering what other people have gone through with bad buys..??

 

What did you buy?

I don't get buyers remorse, I get sellers remorse.... I have an ongoing love affair with all my vehicles.... Especially my race cars. I have built a few 1/4 mile cars and it hurts to even think about the sale of each....

 

I bought a 65 Falcon Futura off Ebay and I was too lazy to go look at it before I bought it. Car was about 1 1/2 hour away and seller offered to have car brought to me no charge. All the brake lines were shot, master cylinder shot, old wiring harness yanked and nothing saved, wiper motor assembly tossed. It was a 4 speed car, but some idiot removed the original 289 and replaced it with a well used 5.0 and Aod trans. They really did a job with the install also. The car looked great and I asked hundreds of questions, but I always wanted one and I took a chance. I have no problem doing the work, but just annoyed with the butcher job previous owner did to car.

 

Throw it back on evilbay as is.You bought it! Its crazy what people will buy without seeing it in person.I have done it also but I have been lucky.Its worth the trip to check it out in advance.

 

I won't buy it unless I can put my hands on it first .

 

I hate to say this, but in this case you burned yourself as he offered to let you check it out and it was close.......but you know that.

It stings worse though when I have to blame myself for not checking thoroughly.....been there.

 

My ex girlfriend. Everything was cool when we dated. Moved in together and DAMN! When I finally left, I didn't walk, I ran. Shoulda did more research.

With used cars and parts, I've been lucky, but I always take someone with me. Another set of eyes can save a lot of heart ache.

 

I guess when seller offered the free delivery I just fell for it. Here are pics. I paid $ 5,000 for the car. First time and last time I buy something without looking at it.

 

I'll never learn. Fall in love with a car long distance.....believe the sellers bullshit, like evryone in this hobby is a gent right....car turns up....piece of shit, oh well, my fault...better get the welder out and make it mine. thats what i'm doing right now actually, just taken a break, but at least I know this little roadster inside out now, and it's really mine. here's my favorite detail at the moment, notice how the throttle pedal is held in....

However, i like to think I haven't been burned when i've seen a car in person since I was a dumb kid.

If i worried how much I sunk into cars in my life with no chance of a return i'd ride a bicycle to work.

 

I'm not blaming ebay or seller. He answered all my questions and I think he bought the car off ebay from North Carolina and same situation...sight unseen. I KNOW I should be kicked !! I just wanted to vent !! Thanks

 

Looks to me like you got a deal! Well worth it IMO

 

If you need any parts, a good friend is into 64 Falcon's big time and may have some or know of a source

 

I few years back, a buddy of mine ran into financial trouble. I bought his 57 Coupe De Ville for 5K to help him get by. I thought I could sell the car and get my money back and maybe a little to spare. That all changed when the engine exploded about 250 miles from home. I did an as is where is deal on it from the place it got towed to. I lost a bunch of dough. If it wasn't for helping out a friend, I would have never bought the car. To this day it is the only old car I've even lost money on.

 

That thing must be a total piece of shit in person this not be worth 5k.

Sell it, you'll probably get more than that out of it.

 

I guess it is all in the attitude you have! I expect everything on Ebay to be junk, then when it arrives I can't be unpleasantly surprised. It is either as bad as I figured it would be or better.

 

Well hell, it's yours now. Build something out of it. The satisfaction will be all the sweeter.

 

I bought a tunnel ram from a member here that came with a big old crack in it. The guy said I switched out the intake and that was not the one he sent, box was not damaged in shipping. lost my ass on that deal.

 

Never buy a car without seeing it in person unless you're ready to take what you get. Even at $5000 a $300 plane ticket is cheap insurance.

 

Well, if you fix it up, then it will have a hell of a story to go with it while you cruise..... If not, turn it, and count your losses..... Honeslty that blows! but I looked at a car once, it was a Falcon.... SUpposed to be clean, It was from 20 feet.... up close rough mud, strut rods pulling out of support yada yada yada.... Good luck!

 

That's cause it is. eBay is infested with scammers now and it's not just car parts.

 

I've bought and sold a lot of items on ebay since 2000. I've bought and sold probably 50 cars and hundreds of parts over the years. I've never gone to see one ahead of time. In all the time I've been buying I only got burned once. When I complained the guy made it right so other than the aggravation I wasn't out anything. I even bought a part recently for an OT vehicle I own and when the part arrived it wasn't as described/pictured. When I contacted the seller they promptly refunded my money in full, and didn't even want the part back. There are good and bad people in all walks of life; but I think it's unfair to generalize and say that all the merchandise is junk and all the sellers are crooks. Just my .02 worth.

 

Bought a 1956 Greydog bus that was a long distance purchase. Ask the PO 101 questions and he answered all them logically. Photos looked good and it had been on the road and was a runner. Flew to pick it up and I knew I was in trouble as he picked me up at the airport 2 hours late. His excuse was that he just serviced his pick up and got the wrong oil filter for it and it ran the engine out of oil on the way to pick me up.....a 350 Chevy. I knew then that this guy was no mechanic and all the mechanical type questions that I had ask were given a convenient answer.
This was confirmed when the rear axle assembly tried to come out from under the bus in St.Louis. Can you say adventure?

 

Build that bad boy! You can sell the 5.0L/AOD, build a nice 289 or 302 and find a nice Tremec 5-speed, then personalize the build to suit your tastes.

Learn from what you perceive as a "mistake" and roll with it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

Looks okay in the pictures. What exactly is wrong with it to make it so much work?

 

It's a sports roof pretty cool ride. If you keep it and fix the problems, you know they are fixed right.

 

You didn't get burned and you didn't "take a chance", you were lazy and have a bad case of the should-a's. Live & learn.

 

I bought a 65 Futura Convertible for 4000. It was rusty as hell, but the wife wanted it, so I bought it. 2 yrs later I sold it in the same condition for 5000.

 

Bought a 55 Chevy truck from a preacher in Jax Florida. Paid 4500 plus shipping It was a piece of crap . Started to restor it. Was into it for over 10k and bailed for 3500.00 Happ[ens when to take a chance. Not everyone on Ebay is honest.

 

They are ALWAYS rougher than you think they are. ALWAYS!

They are also rougher than the seller thinks they are. Everyone is an optomist.

Assume it needs everything. And buy from dry climates.

 

I sell on ebay because that's where the money is. If its a car that's hamb friendly I list here first.
I've sold two cars off the hamb and around 6 on ebay.

This is over a several year period though.

What I like about ebay is that at the end of 7 or 10 days the car is gone. Never a complaint thru auction or hamb sales.

That being said I bought my '56 off ebay for big money. It wasn't as nice as described or as nice as it should have been but I have only found 3 bel air 9 passengers for sale.

We've since done a ton to it and love it because of that.

I would think with a little work that could be a real nice falcon.