i need advise after being scammed.

[helalo]

long story short, my E30 auto trans died and iam very low on money to fix it. the car has been with me for a very long time and means a lot to me.

i found an auto trans on craigslist and contacted the guy, i asked him 4 TIMES if the transmission is fully working and good. he assured me it is. i drove 4 hours each way and picked it up from his house. i paid the shop what i had left of money to put in the transmission in, the transmission is bad and i spent close to 1k for everything.

i dont know if im allowed to post his name here but i tried to contact him call and text and advised him to talk to me with no response. he might have blocked my number since it doesnt ring anymore. he lied bout his name but i have his full correct name and address and other stuff.

iam fucking mad, the piece of shit made me loose 1k and drive 8 hours so he can make a 120$ on a bad transmission. my only option right now is to drive down to his house and deal with it myself and i will get my money one way or the other. i need advise, i dont know what to do.

can i post the guy name and his car info here ? he might be a member.

i had recently lost my job and my car is all i have.

[Metallated]

If he's dishonest enough to knowingly sell broken parts and lie about them , as is clear from him giving a fake name, I say screw 'em, what's his info?

I doubt confronting him is much use, but I'm really sorry you lost so much money, hopefully someone can step forward to help. Keep your head up and good luck.

[E30-Ellerman]

Yes, it's a public forum, you can post his info here.

Really shitty of him to do that, if he knew it was bad. At the end of the day, going there and getting your money back one way or another is a bad idea. He can call the cops and they'll remove you off the premise and you won't get your money back. Craigslist is a buyer beware market. Also, unfortunately, you're only course of action is through a civil court procedure.

These are the rules up in Canada, I'd assume they are the same or similar in the states. Sorry to say, but you are kind of fucked.

[AWDBOB]

I just sold my spare auto trans a few weeks back- I totally would've given it to you for shipping.

Just be careful, and act smart. I got scammed in a similar manner with a laptop and in the end, I just let it go after letting it bother me for so long.

Just for kicks to stir up the pot- it is REALLY REALLY easy to not properly seat the torque converter on the 4hp22, and when not seated all the way, when the bell housing is torqued down, it ruins the trans. I assume the shop knows better but we've all seen our fair share of shops that don't.

[helalo]

his name is corey primm, from Houston and he drives a white E30. am i allowed to post the number he used and address as well ?

[helalo]

I just sold my spare auto trans a few weeks back- I totally would've given it to you for shipping.

Just be careful, and act smart. I got scammed in a similar manner with a laptop and in the end, I just let it go after letting it bother me for so long.

Just for kicks to stir up the pot- it is REALLY REALLY easy to not properly seat the torque converter on the 4hp22, and when not seated all the way, when the bell housing is torqued down, it ruins the trans. I assume the shop knows better but we've all seen our fair share of shops that don't.

the shop that did the work was a very professional shop.

the transmission now is messing up because SOMETIMES randomly, espically when i first start the car, i put it in reverse or drive and it does not go. it just revvs up if i give it gas. i shift down to 2 or 3 then put it back in D or R and then it engages. it does this randomly, sometimes at red light, sometimes when i start it but never when im alright driving.

[roguetoaster]

Just for kicks to stir up the pot- it is REALLY REALLY easy to not properly seat the torque converter on the 4hp22, and when not seated all the way, when the bell housing is torqued down, it ruins the trans. I assume the shop knows better but we've all seen our fair share of shops that don't.

This is very true, as it's impossible to say who was at fault in this scenario. The shop will of course disclaim liability as you brought them a used part, and the seller only has to stick to their story that the transmission was working when removed. It should be remembered that even the best shops screw things up, but only the very best make them truly right.

I feel bad about your situation OP, and suspect that someone on r3v can come through with a new auto box.

If the seller happens to be a member here I'm sure we'd like to know about it.

[c0rbin9]

Not sure how much legal recourse you have buying a used car part, but you may want to look at filing your own DIY civil suit. Apparently it can be done easily nowadays without the hassle and expense of a lawyer.

[e30davie]

You might get your $120 back but you'd be hard pressed to get anymore money out of him I reckon. I feel for you but sadly buying 2nd hand parts is always a risk.

I've got a 5 speed G260 missing 3rd gear in my garage that was sold as a good runner. It's just not worth the effort to try and get the money back....

[Dj Buttchug]

someone here has a good auto trans sitting in a garage or shed... Chime in hoarders. I had one a while back but like above I scrapped it. It was working fine too. lol

[86bmw325e]

Wow that's really awful man. I'd be careful about driving out to see him, you might wind up worse off than before...


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[djjerme]

Shoot, we just sent a couple to the scrapper two weeks ago as well.

I'm actually surprised you had to drive 4 hours to find a good one.

[cheffy30]

money comes and money goes... we have good times and bad times... learn something from it all... be smarter next time.
the asshole will have his karma to deal with forever...

[Das Delfin]

Sorry to hear that. Here's some hard reality: you won't be able to get any of the money back from the shop because it's not their fault you brought them a broken transmission. You won't be able to get back anything from the kid because the tranny was sold in "as-is" condition with no warranty. You could bring it to small claims court but there is a $50 filing fee and at that point you have to blow at least one day's off work to attend. Even if you win against the kid, you will lose money. Your smartest and cheapest way forward is to move on and try to learn from it. There are a couple things that could have tipped you off - someone trying to sell an e30 automatic transmission for actual money (most of them should be free) and having to drive at all to get one. I have a rule: only buy a car from the city I live in and only drive an hour or so for parts. Play the waiting game and you'll always win.

Moving forward, you can start saving money for a 5 speed swap and solve this problem forever. The value of your car will increase and you will enjoy it more, and financially you will be closer to breaking even compared to swapping in another auto when your "new" one goes out completely.

[flyboyx]

i saw that craigs ad a couple weeks ago. he had been selling that thing forever.

small semantic issue but i can drive from the northeast side of houston to austin in a little over 2.5 hrs.


whether it was 5 hrs or 8, it still sucks though. sorry to hear this.