I'm particularly interested in the '84 280GE SWB from Florida. Have you seen it up for auction before? Do you have any inside information on it? Any thoughts in general about the idea of buying a vehicle on E-Bay?
i called the owner from the 97 cab, says he owned it in germany for 2 years and had an outfit on the east coast ship it over, the truck is not federalized and the owner didn't seem to know what i was talking about when i said federalize..or he could be someone trying to make a buck...
anyways anyone interested needs to have it federalized.
i called the owner from the 97 cab, says he owned it in germany for 2 years and had an outfit on the east coast ship it over, the truck is not federalized and the owner didn't seem to know what i was talking about when i said federalize..or he could be someone trying to make a buck...
anyways anyone interested needs to have it federalized.
eric j.
He's being cagey. It was listed on Ebay before. In the earlier ad he mentioned that it had no modifications to US standards. I asked him at that time if he was advising bidders that this needed to be done in order to make the truck US legal. He never responded.
This time he obviously "forgot" to mention this "minor" fact about the truck.
I'm particularly interested in the '84 280GE SWB from Florida. Have you seen it up for auction before? Do you have any inside information on it? Any thoughts in general about the idea of buying a vehicle on E-Bay?
I've already e-mailed the seller with questions regarding condition, rust, modifications, etc.
Thanks.
At first glance, this one looks an awful lot like one that was for sale in south Florida recently on Ebay. The ad also reads almost the same. The previous one was imported by a foreign national under the one year use import program. They did not export it after the year, and sold it without any Federalization to another Florida buyer. That second Florida owner was the one who had that one for sale.
A closer look indicates this one looks like it might not be the same one. This buyer says he has the DOT Release Letter; and the truck does have the DOT side marker lights. It may be a different truck than the earlier one.
If I were going to bid on this one, I'd call DOT in Washington with the VIN to see if it really has been properly Federalized. That's the sure way to know whether or not it's legal. I'd also call Europa and ask about the service records and vehicle history, since he says that they were the original importer and have done all the recent service work.
IMHO he ought to decide whether it's an 84 or an 80 and get the ad straight. He's also either a lier, mildly delusional, or utterly ignorant when he presents it as a "rare 6 cylinder model". Also for some reason Boca Raton was bad mojo for Gs for a while. Some less than reputable folks working out of that area.
Yes, it's true, these things can be just plain old bumbling carelessness and bad luck guilt by association. BUT no matter who, what, where, or when, it always pays to approach ANY e-bay vehicle auction with the utmost scrutiny and skepticism.
The DOT phone number is on CGW under the "READ THIS FIRST" item in the classifieds section. That's the place to start. As has been said before, no letter is not necessarily the end of the world for everyone, but it IS something to be aware of. Some other general poking around will give you a gut feel about whether or not the seller is on the up and up. Trust your gut and walk away if you smell a rat.
I would go up to 13-14k max. It's a short wheel base, which is cheaper, and it's a 1980. In a year and a half you can bring your own over here from Europe for less than half of that. Not to mention, have a much wider selection to pick and choose what you are really looking for. If it was the upgraded 1985 or up, I'd say maybe 17k if it was mint. Think about it, you can get a truck built 22 years later for mid 50's on Ebay.
The ad is confusing, but the VIN is more of the 84 vintage than the '80.
But still, it's impossible to say what it's worth without looking at it in person and having all of the paperwork information. This is why I will NEVER buy a car on E-bay. Conservatively speaking, without being able to look it over or send a knowledgable friend to do so, I couldn't bid more than about 8k.
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