CorvallisBMW - Sour sale

[McGyver]

sorta wanna hear the other side, but its good that you are taking responsibility for your mistakes. im not sure calling him out was necessary, but if i was pissed about waiting 2k i probably would too. better luck next time.

[Massive Lee]

First, if a car is purchased without inspection by an "expert", the buyer is the sole responsible for surprises, even though I expect a "honest seller" to point to all the little "glitches" before I even ask, or it could be called "hiding things". A honest seller is the one who hides nothing and discloses all the details. And there will be small and big surprises. But hey, I guess it is the learning curve. From boy to man in $2k... I'd rather spend $50 to inspect a car, than $2000 to fix... But even after 30 years of car-experience, I have yet to find the proper question I should ask to somebody selling a used car. You know, the honest question with the honest answer. So, after all, we are potentially all going to get bitten for what we thought was a good deal.

"Tell me all I should know about the car"
"Tell me all I should know, so that I don't discover them later on"
"What is needed to make that car mint?"
"What should I replace within the next year so that the car runs like new?"
"What have you fixed in the past two years?"
"What are the wrong points to your knowledge?"

And on and on and on...

[Ray Smoodiver]

He's from PNW, you're in all likelihood going to get banned and forgotten about.

[agent]

/raises hand

Sorry if this is an ignorant question, but what does being from the PNW have to do with anything?

[5spoke]

Sorry to hear about your disappointing purchase. I paid too much for my initial e30 and fixed a lot of the problems then sold it for the same amount I purchased it for. But thats part of the game when your buying old used cars.

[barry]

What happened to the LEMON LAW?

[brutus87]

I agree with agent, Ray, what does that have to do with anything? Seriously? Is it like the mafia or something? should I relocate my family and go under a different alias? maybe get facial reconstruction? Like I said, its my fault 100 percent, just letting some steam out and a friendly reminder about pre inspecting a prospective purchase.

[frankenbeemer]

Not taking sides on this one, but I do have a question. Is it unreasonable to expect a fellow participant (in a car forum that is dedicated to a particular model) to fully disclose any known problems with the vehicle being sold? Maybe more questions later.

[psyber_0ptix]

My best friend bought the car, its really nice, one of the cleanest e30s around. Its his first BMW, but he loves it already and I told him that if he destroys it I will beat his ass.:-D

did you or your friend buy the car?


Also; I think lemon laws only apply to dealer sales not individual private sales. I'm real sorry that you ended up in a situation much like my girlfriend and I. On another car forum, we purchased a car through a vendor who advertised it in a particular condition with particular parts. It used to be a highly trusted shop but it has apparently gone down hill since two other co-founders left (for good reason). Anyway, we are still fighting all the problems with the car and it was such a hackjob. All could have been avoided if we did take it to a mechanic to inspect it, or if the shop was nice enough to show it to us on a lift, but instead we (blindly) had faith in their reputation, because you know....the internet is serious business, and instead got shafted with a pineapple.
Story: http://www.rs25.com/forums/f121/t124...rformance.html


It's 100% our faults, but it's one of those common sense mistakes you only make once. People shouldn't HAVE to be reminded, but we are all a little too trusting when it comes to an enthusiast group.

I probably wasn't registered here at the time of your purchase but I would have done an autocheck for you :p

[Jean]

What happened to the LEMON LAW?

[khalild]

Bring a mechanic ftw.. btw check out the trolling on page 1

[dahows]

Just because the seller is a forum-member doesn't mean that you should be any less diligent in your inspection. Dude, it sounds like you fucked up and didn't fully inspect the car before purchase or weren't capable and should have spent a few bucks to have it done by a shop. Suck it up, take it as a lesson on your part and post something in transaction feedback instead of trying to start he-said/she-said in the main forum.

[psyber_0ptix]

it also sucks because when you take it to a mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection it costs almost as much as a full state inspection minus emissions (at least here in RI). If it turns out that you don't want to buy the car then you eat the cost. Granted, you have to take everything you are told with a grain of salt, but i doubt many here have paid for an inspection before agreeing to purchase a car.

Ideally, the previous owner would have taken the liberty to do this an incorporated it into the asking price.

[87e30]

Honestly, it could be a lot worse. None of those things should be very costly to fix up yourself and it is a pretty clean car. I wouldn't be too upset if I were you.

I over payed for my e30. It happens as you have the car and learn what's wrong with it.

[ortholithiation]

You know I had a similar thing happen to me. I overpaid for my E30, found a bunch more nasty surprises. I wanted an e30, and the seller was pretty good salesman and a car enthusiast. It was also a long time since I got back into cars, and I forgot some golden rules of car buying + I brought my GF who really like the car and was nudging me. But all in all… my own personal responsibility.

The OP has come out and said it is his fault and has taken responsibility. I feel that we meet other car guys and assume hey you take care of your car, its worth more, and I can trust you. This is R3V limited since when did anyone care about calling people out?
I sympathize with the OP. Its sucks dude, you will feel like shit for overpaying, but don't dwell on it.

But good for you for calling the piece of shit out, screw over a forum member and there should be consequences. If we take anything from this post is, don't trust forum members any more then regular sellers.


BTW: A really good trick to do, is to ask the buyer in person straight out and very seriously.
Is there anything wrong, have you fixed something half/assed, broken bolts/ damage? And look them straight in the eye and ask again in a very serious tone. It may seem a little weird but if the seller gets uncomfortable and starts saying.. well you are buying as is. Run.