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Buyer Scam

1K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  Walt Williams 
#1 ·
I was reminded of a car buying scam today. A potential buyer comes to look over your pride and joy and asks for a test drive. He leaves as collateral a nice car and you are shown his valid drivers license. He takes the car out and once out of sight he pours a small bottle of used engine oil into the Cooling system.

After telling you he is impressed and interested you haggle the price. He then wants one last look over the car to be sure. Part of this new inspection he remove the top of the Radiator reservoir and discovers oil..... This can mean only one thing, a blown head gasket and thousands in repair bills. Of course there is now an opportunity for him to knock thousands off your pride and joy.

This is an old trick used mainly by East Europeans in the Western part of Europe and the UK. Just today one of the people carrying out this scam was recorded on CCTV adding the oil.

Will it happen here? Has it happened here? Who knows. But when sales like this happen unless you know whats happened you might just chalk it up to bad luck. The thief in the mean time cleans up the mess and sells the car on at your loss.

Check out this article. This is one of those things that keeps coming up.
 
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#4 ·
I would NEVER allow someone I did not know take my cars out for a test drive unless I was along for the ride.

BUT, I have taken other folks cars out for a test by myself.
 
#8 ·
I remember reading about that case - nasty, very nasty and so very pointless. In the case of showing a 107 to a prospective buyer it would at least be one on one due to the shortage of seats but even so, I suppose there is risk to just getting up each morning or crossing the street. Luckily I'm not thinking of selling although I sometimes think of swapping out my 280 for a 500,but realistically the 500 doesn't do anything better than the 280 except go a touch faster. Not too important in a leisurely cruiser
 
#11 ·
Guy on the motorcycle forum was selling a bike, guy shows up riding a nice bike, asks for a test ride, offers his ID, and leaves his bike there. Turns out ID is fake and bike he left was stolen, this was the thief's MO. Did the same con to a few people.
 
#12 ·
After telling you he is impressed and interested you haggle the price. He then wants one last look over the car to be sure. Part of this new inspection he remove the top of the Radiator reservoir and discovers oil..... This can mean only one thing, a blown head gasket and thousands in repair bills. Of course there is now an opportunity for him to knock thousands off your pride and joy.
Most of the MB owners here know there was no oil in the radiator when the guy left. The simple reflex is to refuse to sell to the haggler at any price. Just siphon off the bogus oil and sell it to an honest buyer.
 
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