Classifieds Warning RE: 1948 ford coupe hotrod edmunds heads!!

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to give everybody a heads up that might be thinking about looking at the 48 ford coupe in the classifieds under the following link.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=686673

My buddy Skiviskaves and I returned today from a 16 hour $500 waste of time(rental car, gas, tolls, hotel room, wire transfer fees, food, etc.). Skivi fell in love with the car in the pictures and he talked to the seller multiple times. The seller Joe stated it was a survivor type hot rod built like they were back in the day. He also told him it was a solid car and even states it in his ad. He said there was some bondo in the car but nothing bad. He promised Skivi he would not be dissapointed and this was the real deal that would not last long. A deal was struck and the road trip to pick the car up began.

After being on the road for 8 hours, we pulled up to the house at 9:00 last night. I've never seen a car with so much bondo in it. The "solid body and floors" were reinforced with bondo along with household window screens. I guess no chicken wire was available. The "solid floors" were unbelievebly soft. I could have pushed through them with my hands. They also had clear as day window screen/bondo patches. The bottom of the doors and trunk lid were solid bondo with big globs of the crap on the backside. Not nice crisp factory edges. All the seams on the body in the door jambs were swelling with flaking rust. The doors dropped a half an inch as soon as they were unlatched. The rear fenders were molded on with bondo. The rocker panels were made from thin stainless steel that must have been laying around at the time. The paint was peeling off of them. Joe said they were factory rockers since his 65 mustang had stainless rockers and that's how fords were. I said no your mustang has stainless rocker guards with steel rockers underneeth. It looks like the car was dragged out of a salt water swamp before it was built back in the day. The leather seat in perfect condition was a vinyl covered stocker with a bunch of holes and rips. The only thing even remotely accurately described was the flatty which did sound healthy, but it was like a smoke bomb while it was running.

I'm actually making the car sound good here compared to how it looked in person. I would have been ashamed of myself having guys drive across town to look at it if I described it like he did. Here he had two rodders drive across three states.

I can understand how the original builder could have built it. We all try to stay within our means and if this quality of build was all he could afford to enjoy the hobby than so be it. I doubt he would have described it the way that Joe did if he was still around.

I kept my mouth shut the whole time. I knew instantly it was a waste of time when i looked at the car and was hoping Skivi would realize this on his own. I asked Joe if he had any parts/signage for sale as I noticed quite a collection and I was hoping to salvage the trip. After getting a tour through his shop I didn't see anything I couldn't live without. We went back up by the car and Skivi and I talked a bit and he said it was junk, I patted him on the back and said time to go. Skivi went up to Joe and was being his usual nice pollite self with Joe. I had enough and told Joe what I thought. Joe had two beautiful cars sitting in the garage. A few nice projects out back, all the equipment that reinforced the fact that he knew what he was doing with cars. Lift, welder, tools, and was building a frame from scratch.

I called him out and said he knew exactly what a piece of junk he had there and how I was dissapointed he chose to lie and waste our time. Joe said he accuratly described the car. He never gave us any applogy and seemed appauled that I dare question his superior knowledge. I don't know how the guy sleeps at night.

I'm saddened that there are people like this in our hobby and on the HAMB. I always lookrf sy being a car guy as being part of a brotherhood that held themselves to higher standards than this. I could have understood the misdiscription of the car if it was some 16 year old kid that didn't know any better. But Joe knew what he had, i have the feeling he though he had a sucker on the line that might notice how bad the car was but wouldn't want to go back empty handed.

Skivi will be sending a message to Ryan. Hopefully he or some of the other mods ban this guy and save all the good guys on here some time.

-OldSchoolSS

 

Just a reminder that theres almost always is a hamber near by to check things out...

 

Notice the seller has only 2 posts on the HAMB & has no friends in his profile. So you drove through 3 states, and spent over $500 dollars on the word of a FNG?

It sucks that that happened to you guys. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Sorry you got hosed. The above two posts really are good advice.

 

2 posts, both ads. Pretty clear why hes here.

 

Unfortunatly I didn't really look at the ad. I took a quick look at it Thursday when I was packing up at work. I actually thought he car was in Chicago. He did tell me it was in Ohio before I agreed to go.

 

Friend drove 800 miles to pick up a car described by the seller as "having no more than a nickel's worth of rust." When he finally got up close he found a rusting hulk. The seller, when challenged, simply said "Rust doesn't bring much these days."

These kinds of apparently intentional misrepresentations take place every day with houses, horses, used cars, antiques, etc. Our hobby has been particularly impacted by the prices premium restorations bring on Barret-Jackson and similar media offerings. Sellers seem to think that anything old and automotive is valuable and there is no value difference between a painstaking, detailed restoration or spot on hot rod build and an old taxi cab with a new air freshener or a "rat rod" built out of bed frames and chain link fencing.

The only defense we have, as buyers, is to do our homework and just say "no" when the deal isn't right. No matter what we pay in travel, both time and money, it is a mere pittance when compared to what we will expend properly building a project.

I, for one, am pissed by the seller's tactics but I am also pleased by the fact that you had the guts to come home with an empty trailer. And I appreciate the fact that you shared your experience with us.

 

That is really too bad that you wasted time and money on a misleading advertisement. Hope your buddy finds a car that he is happy with. There are lots out there. Good luck.

 

I saw that AD a few minutes ago - thought "Hey, that looks pretty good . . . might be worth picking up a solid 48 coupe for a driver!". Thanks for setting the record straight - what a sleazebag!

 

True but a high post count or even a membership doesn't make a fair or honest person. Popular maybe...

 

An Old California Rodder
Hiding Out In The Ozarks

Jonesboro is a long way from the Ozarks

 

Dont feel to bad this my story should cheer you up,Waited all week to work on the motor for the 29 roadster and wifes 99 van takes a major electrical shit.Thursday after work till 9.30 same friday .Still not fixed 2 codes which are new today ,guages work and then fall off ...........starts and sometimes doesnt,Dumped 200 so far ,And I give up...Hope this true story cheers you up,In the old days we would just rewire it.......

 

These stories used to make me sad. Now all I can feel is: "DON'T BUY ANYTHING FROM SOMEONE WHO'S GOT A VERY LOW POST COUNT OR BECAME A MEMBER LAST MONTH!"

As stated, there are members who could have checked it out.

 

Thanks for the warning.
Bright side is your buddy didnt buy the car and have it shipped only to learn how bad it is in his driveway. I have been on a few ventures like this (not quite so far though) it sucks!

 

Wow, the car doesn't look bad in the pictures. That's why I always check a car out first in person. I saw a car advertised and it didn't look bad, but I wasn't in the mood to drive that far that day. Lo and behold, it showed up at the Mooneyes Xmas Show. What a rusted piece of junk. I was so glad I didn't waste my time and gas money to look at it.

 

Ryan ought to make a minimum post count before placing an add. I've seen quite a few jump in here just to sell. Not what it's meant to be.

 

Well my story is kinda on par.

Looked at an ad for an early sixties ford that was very reasonably priced and looked good. Confirmed all the details by email and text then confirmed it all by phone. You know, clean and clear title in their name. Drove to another state today to buy it. And I'll be danged if it wasn't nicer than expected. Problem was they thought the title was the registration. It would have been easier on me if it had been a shitball.

Im sorry for you and your buddy. Length of time and post count don't mean shit in regards to ones truthfulness.

 

Thanks for the comments guys. I've had guys check out cars for me in person before. It saved me from buying a rusted out 64 Rivi once. This was a spur of the moment type deal. He saw it Thursday night. Talked to the guy. We were on the road for work Friday. Got done with our job and decided to keep on going to Ohio. That was after my buddy had a handful of conversations with the seller. For the reasonable price and description we didn't really think there was time to find somebody to check it out.

I agree that post count doesn't always correspond to honesty. I've been ripped off in the past by senior members on forums. Once for a transmission and once for a tuning laptop for my OT late model TA.

I bought a car a few months ago via the net and pictures. It wasn't 100% as nice as it was described (maybe 95%) but was still a very nice car. It made a 600 mile drive home and I've been enjoying it since.

I guess as a seller I typically down play the car I'm selling. I'd rather have somebody pleasantly surprised when they show up than wanting to hit me up the head.

 

I'm glad some good came out of the trip.

 

Another site I frequent, new guys that only post classifies are booted off. Minimum post count is a good idea.

 

Definitely get a HAMBer to check it out for ya. Last summer I was ready to pull the trigger on a 56 Lincoln in Mukwonago, WI. Skoh73 checked it out for me, the undercarriage was ROTTEN.

He saved my ass big time. Sorry for your wasted trip tho, but look on the bright side, ya didn't get stuck with a pig.

 

As a good friend says , " chalk it up as tuition".

 

hey, maybe the guy thinks it really is a good car. The best equipped shop in town doesn't mean brains or integrity. It might have meant "inheritance". It's not a lie of you truly believe it. But then again, there's that element out there. That one that thinks if it looks good it is good. No concern for quality, in a hurry to go to the cruise night, you know the kind. They hate metal finishers and make sure they have the "hose of the week" on the top radiator outlet. Just sayin...

 

This will be a good story for you and your bud to laugh about in a few years. A good "remember when" story.

 

Check your ground wires ... as strange as this may sound, it could also be your alternator, had a neighbor just go through this with a 2001 Buick Century.

 

Bout 60-80 miles short I'd say.

 

Unless i could get a car well checked over i'd never buy unseen. Been there and a mistake you only make once. I'm currently taking a year out of owning a car and attending shows as i'm saving for a new car late next year. I'm going up a notch and getting something nice and probably the most i'll have spent on a car. Around $10-15k and i should be excited.
I'm dreading it though. I had enough wasted journeys looking for my last car. The amount of cars that were just tired old wrecks was amazing, all with owners that thought they were "classics" and worth alot. Even though i ask every question, get lots of pics and describtions, the cars have turned out to junk and wasted time and money all round. The last guy was such a twat that i nearlly put him on his ass for his lame describtion of the car and attitude towards selling. The car was so off the describtion it was a complete waste of a weekend and fuel and the guy was a major wind up. I have found that buying from sites like the HAMB etc, and off established members usually the describtions are better and prices are right and generally there's less messing about.

Still, it's all part of the chase for that car you HAVE to own and one of the joys of buying and selling. I've always enjoyed road-trips to get a car and if it doesn't work out, to be honest it'll have been a drive out with my buddies and no doudt a laugh anyway. Depends how fussy you are and how well cars are descibed but in the past i'll look at quite a few cars before i part with money. You never know, every now and then you find a gem and it makes it all worth it.

Happy car hunting

 

Scrouples, integrity, good morale code..comes from within, not from post counts.
The guy obviously intended to deceive/pray and take advantage, for the price of a low dollar car..he is the one who lost out here (in life).

 

been there (not this car), done that. unbelieveable how some guys can just out and out lie about their cars.

 

I can't believe the complete lack of ethics some people have to blatantly misrepresent something for the goal of a quick sale to the unsuspecting.

I do, coincidentally, have an old Studebaker in the front yard for sale.