I won a ‘16 911 Carrera 4 GTS
08-26-2021, 07:25 PM
#61
Wow I know there's fraud everywhere in the used car business, but doctoring a car like that to make it look like it's not damaged, cutting off the airbags and putting the covers back on, that stuff takes some serious bad guy chops.
08-27-2021, 12:04 PM
#62
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
This is a very common tactic, unfortunately, and the bigger kick in the nuts is that it's not actually fraud either. Car is sold as-is, it does technically run and drive as they state, it was in a front-end collision, and it is being sold as pictured. What you see is what you get. At no point do these places say "the car is clean/undamaged" -- that's lawsuit territory, and they will do what they can to protect themselves from these sue-happy people who would want to retaliate.
A number of the youtubers that buy/fix/sell copart and other auction cars have made videos about this. The general takeaway is that if things look good but not perfect (such as OP's identification of frunk tub bends and bumper cover misalignment), the car is completely hoopajooped under the plastic skin. Many of these places will just get cheap cosmetic parts, set them on the car, sometimes ziptie them, tape them, or even bolt them up, take just vague enough pictures to help hide it, and list it.
If it's too good to be true, chances are it's a scam of some sort. No free lunch in this world.
A number of the youtubers that buy/fix/sell copart and other auction cars have made videos about this. The general takeaway is that if things look good but not perfect (such as OP's identification of frunk tub bends and bumper cover misalignment), the car is completely hoopajooped under the plastic skin. Many of these places will just get cheap cosmetic parts, set them on the car, sometimes ziptie them, tape them, or even bolt them up, take just vague enough pictures to help hide it, and list it.
If it's too good to be true, chances are it's a scam of some sort. No free lunch in this world.
08-27-2021, 12:31 PM
#63
This is a very common tactic, unfortunately, and the bigger kick in the nuts is that it's not actually fraud either. Car is sold as-is, it does technically run and drive as they state, it was in a front-end collision, and it is being sold as pictured. What you see is what you get. At no point do these places say "the car is clean/undamaged" -- that's lawsuit territory, and they will do what they can to protect themselves from these sue-happy people who would want to retaliate.
A number of the youtubers that buy/fix/sell copart and other auction cars have made videos about this. The general takeaway is that if things look good but not perfect (such as OP's identification of frunk tub bends and bumper cover misalignment), the car is completely hoopajooped under the plastic skin. Many of these places will just get cheap cosmetic parts, set them on the car, sometimes ziptie them, tape them, or even bolt them up, take just vague enough pictures to help hide it, and list it.
If it's too good to be true, chances are it's a scam of some sort. No free lunch in this world.
A number of the youtubers that buy/fix/sell copart and other auction cars have made videos about this. The general takeaway is that if things look good but not perfect (such as OP's identification of frunk tub bends and bumper cover misalignment), the car is completely hoopajooped under the plastic skin. Many of these places will just get cheap cosmetic parts, set them on the car, sometimes ziptie them, tape them, or even bolt them up, take just vague enough pictures to help hide it, and list it.
If it's too good to be true, chances are it's a scam of some sort. No free lunch in this world.
Yep, 100% to all of that. And that's why I'm counting myself lucky considering the boneheaded mistake I made.