danglerb

ALL CAPS screams I am an idiot, but that wouldn't stop me from buying anything that was really at a good price/value.

marton

I would never buy a car used by my doctor. Stands outside all day; continually used for very short runs in all weathers so never properly warmed through.
Even if it was only used for "vactions".

Marton

y33trekker

I would have thought that most scammers would be, by nature, too lazy to put in that kind of groundwork. Then again, if all that can be completed in a few hours time I, suppose it does fit the bill for the way they would tend to operate.

I agree, eBay isn't what it used to be.

For the most part, I've had pretty good luck on eBay, although I have encountered a few speed-bumps along the way. I'm thinking that this guy either really didn't know about the bodywork, and truly believed his car was one-of-the-few remaining 'perfect' cars (and again I will admit that it was nice for it's age). Or, he bought the car after being told it was perfect, didn't find/see the bodywork until after the sale was complete, realized he had been duped into paying too much, got mad, then decided that after awhile, he would try to pawn the car off on someone else by trying to do the same thing himself.

What made me suspect that he already knew about the bodywork as I was making my inspection was that he wouldn't even walk over to look at what I was pointing out to him. And after I found it, I was also trying to calculate the probable cost to have it repaired (I have friends who do body/paint work) to try to reach some sort of compromise on the price. While I didn't like the thought of having to start repairing the car right away, I was still willing to try to work something out with the seller to keep the trip from being a total loss. He was adamant about not reducing his price though, so I said no thanks.

I'm not sure what's being referred to in the recently added auction comments regarding the bolts in the wheel well. We felt no deformations on the inside of the fender itself which would indicate contact at that point (unless the fender had been replaced), but that doesn't explain the presence of body filler extending from there onto the door.

Basically, there were just too many unknowns at that point so I walked.

JPTL

I agree. "Dr. Owned Car" usually conjures up a neglected vehicle in my mind.
I know doctors who treat their $80k vehicles as a way to get from point A to point B, and nothing more. They drive Porsches, Lexus, BMW's, etc. not because they are car enthusiasts, but because it's a natural choice, and a financial no-brainer & because they can.

These guys will drive home on a flat, since pulling over to the side of the road is more of a hassle than calling the dealer for a pickup when they get home. The car sees automated car washes, potholes, no warmups on cold days, etc. They've got better things to do than look after their car. There are 'people for that'.
When it gets tired & beat up, they'll take a gouging by trading it in for the next new thing (usually at the dealers' advice).
The only advantage to these cars is that they've seen all of their scheduled maintenance at the dealership. But that's not always the case.
There is the occasional doc. who's a car enthusiast as well. It's been well maintained & upgraded with little regard to cost. These are the cars to get....but these guys usually hold on to them because they like them & because they can.

ROG100

Interesting thread!
I have bought five 928's on eBay and been absolutely delighted with all the purchases and had no problems what so ever.
I buy everything I can on eBay from 928 parts to razor blades with over 1000 transactions.
A couple had issues but all were resolved very profesionally by the sellers or buyers.
My criteria for purchase is 100% positive feedback for 50 to 100 transactions and above that a little leeway - for example 4000 positives and 1/2 negatives is OK. I do go and read the negative feedback and see what the response was from seller as that can be very telling. If it is a genuine apology that can be good if it is a diatribe of abuse buyer be ware.

Now this car appears to be very nice in the pictures and probably worth $12 to $15k depending on who was buying. If you paid more than that then that was too much.

His feedback is actually pretty good and he has sold some higher ticket items.
So generally he has a good reputation as far as eBay is concerned.

I do not believe I have ever seen an early S4 without paintwork and minor bodywork.
As for drips - man this is a 20 year old car and I would expect drips.

Now for him to tell you there are no drips and no body work is not good.
However there are drips and there are drips and to some people a drop of oil on an oil pan bolt is not a drip it is a way of life as a 928 owner.
By the way I have seen fenders direct from the factory with welded aluminium patches and bondo filling on Euro light cutouts. This is where they had more Euro fenders than US and converted them.

With the greatest of respect I would say that based on the various negative points about this seller that you were very naive in sending a $500 wire transfer when you could have used escrow.

I echo what other people have said - get a PPI - get someone to look at it from this list - don't bid until the last 15 seconds - read all the feedback and look at what type of items he/she have been selling.

Cut your losses and move on and learn from the experience.
Good Luck.

Long Live eBay

marton

Hi Roger,

here is a hard one to rate

ebay 270054402204
personally I would avoid on the grounds of apalling grammar.

Marton

SharkSkin

Um... so that would be the ultra-rare hardtop cabrio 928 then, right? rrriiiiggghhht.

danglerb

Doctor owned late model 928, yeah maybe have some concern, but one of the older critters like an 89 and no way is that going to be his daily driver, and chances are good its well taken care of, at least mechanically.

I am trying REAL hard to stay neutral in this thread, but this wouldn't be the first buyer who bid more than they should, and sets out to shave some off.

Personally I don't care who owns it, put a sharp eye on the car to set the value. <of a mechanic>

JPTL

The tirade at the beginning of his listing should bring the bids in by the droves.

ODSharkBytes

This guy is not named Mark Shackleford is it? I got scammed for an interior from a wrecked car by that ***, and am filing a complaint with the Ft. Lauderdale Police.

j.kenzie@sbcglobal.net

Did they have 928's in 1976? 30 years ago?

ROG100

Dave,
Whats a year between eBay users?
Close but not quite

danglerb

Its not the sellers obligation to know what he has, its the buyers.

BrettStrikes

You can't beat up every Doctor...Bought my 89S4 from a Dr. who drove the car about six thousand miles a year and changed the oil faithfully every 3K miles at a Porsche Dealership. He had every oil change receipt for close to 40K miles he had it. These receipts included a $200.00 detail inside and out at each appointment. It was garaged at home and at work and was/still is in pristine condition. The poor bastard complained of a rear end rattle, so the dealership replaced everything from both tail light lenses to the rear axle to remedy the problem. Anyway....just saying...there are some good Dr. deals out there.

SteveG

Shackelford moved to Fla from TX a couple years ago! Around 2002. I got scammed by him for manuals. I suppose I'm lucky I got anything. A couple others here know of him. If you nail him, I want to shake your hand. Good Luck!!!!