BUYER BEWARE - Black 02 Z06 in indiana not as advertised
04-15-2007, 04:12 PM
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BUYER BEWARE - Black 02 Z06 in indiana not as advertised
Here is the listing to the car http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...post1559831649
The owner of the dealership is Ben Wheat and he is a one man operation. The ad sounds attractive with a good price and somewhat low miles with clean pictures. After a few conversations back and forth with Ben I had him send some pictures. The pictures looked good, however they were not hi-res like I requested. In my usual daily scour of ebay I noticed a listing that had a similar pic to one that Ben had sent me, so I checked out the listing further and noticed that Ben had copied the pics from that listing (04z06 with low miles) and sent them to me.
I called him on it and he apologized and said that it seemed that he would lose the deal without getting me some pictures by that day. I told him I would have appreciated his honesty in telling me he could not take pictures rather than have him try to deceive me. I told him I would be cautious from here on out, however I was still interested in the car.
He agreed to let me show the car to someone over the weekend, so I made this post to see if someone would check out the car for me. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...post1559831649 Brian came forward and said he'd do it so I gave him a call and he went to check out the car. Thanks again Brian, you're that man (BTW, brian is an appraiser at a dealership so he knows what to look for). On his way back from checking out the car he told me the following:
-Hood, front bumper and front fenders were all recently wet sanded
-Drivers side door showed obvious signs of body work near the mirror and would need to be stripped and repainted because of the poor work prior. (he estimated $800 of work).
-He said the wheels showed no curb rash but a couple nicks here and there, however he told me the tires were at 6/32nds and that they were about 50% worn. This pissed me off since the ad clearly states, new tires (Tires are not a cheap item on these cars).
-He said the interior was clean, however the plastic by the bottom of the drivers seat at the door molding had obviously been removed and that the paint was rough there.
-The final kick in the nuts was the passenger side airbag cover which Brian told me was no longer flush with the dash like it is on a stock corvette. He told me that it looked like the airbag had been replaced.
In conclusion, this car was obviously in an accident even though I flat out asked Ben on the phone if there were signs of a previous accident. He said the car was extremely clean and that there was nothing wrong with it mechanically or cosmetically. In his defense, Brian said mechanically the car seemed fine. However, cosmetically there were obvious signs that prior body work had been performed on the car. I asked brian what he would appraise the value of the car to be and he said if he were buying it for personal use, he would not buy it at all. Then he said that if he were to buy it, he would pay no more than $25k.
I made this post to warn others before they see this car.
The owner of the dealership is Ben Wheat and he is a one man operation. The ad sounds attractive with a good price and somewhat low miles with clean pictures. After a few conversations back and forth with Ben I had him send some pictures. The pictures looked good, however they were not hi-res like I requested. In my usual daily scour of ebay I noticed a listing that had a similar pic to one that Ben had sent me, so I checked out the listing further and noticed that Ben had copied the pics from that listing (04z06 with low miles) and sent them to me.
I called him on it and he apologized and said that it seemed that he would lose the deal without getting me some pictures by that day. I told him I would have appreciated his honesty in telling me he could not take pictures rather than have him try to deceive me. I told him I would be cautious from here on out, however I was still interested in the car.
He agreed to let me show the car to someone over the weekend, so I made this post to see if someone would check out the car for me. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...post1559831649 Brian came forward and said he'd do it so I gave him a call and he went to check out the car. Thanks again Brian, you're that man (BTW, brian is an appraiser at a dealership so he knows what to look for). On his way back from checking out the car he told me the following:
-Hood, front bumper and front fenders were all recently wet sanded
-Drivers side door showed obvious signs of body work near the mirror and would need to be stripped and repainted because of the poor work prior. (he estimated $800 of work).
-He said the wheels showed no curb rash but a couple nicks here and there, however he told me the tires were at 6/32nds and that they were about 50% worn. This pissed me off since the ad clearly states, new tires (Tires are not a cheap item on these cars).
-He said the interior was clean, however the plastic by the bottom of the drivers seat at the door molding had obviously been removed and that the paint was rough there.
-The final kick in the nuts was the passenger side airbag cover which Brian told me was no longer flush with the dash like it is on a stock corvette. He told me that it looked like the airbag had been replaced.
In conclusion, this car was obviously in an accident even though I flat out asked Ben on the phone if there were signs of a previous accident. He said the car was extremely clean and that there was nothing wrong with it mechanically or cosmetically. In his defense, Brian said mechanically the car seemed fine. However, cosmetically there were obvious signs that prior body work had been performed on the car. I asked brian what he would appraise the value of the car to be and he said if he were buying it for personal use, he would not buy it at all. Then he said that if he were to buy it, he would pay no more than $25k.
I made this post to warn others before they see this car.
04-15-2007, 05:09 PM
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Amazing. I looked at that ad also and thought it might be worth a trip to Indiana.
Thank goodness for corvetteforum! That dealer is worse than a thief!
The carfax shows nothing. Is Carfax worthless or what?
Thank goodness for corvetteforum! That dealer is worse than a thief!
The carfax shows nothing. Is Carfax worthless or what?
04-15-2007, 07:00 PM
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Pretty random, called that guy last Wednesday about that car (I'm local, live in Indianapolis) He said he was out of town and he'd be back on Friday, we could setup an appointment to see the car on Saturday. The price sounded good and the car looked OK in the pictures.
Friday I go out for lunch, there happens to be a black Z06 in the parking lot, I park, notice it has dealer tags, the guy is getting in the trunk, I say, hey you don't happen to be Ben do you, he pauses and says yes, I said random, I called about the car the other day. Hey yeah, take a look, it's a little dirty.
Now I don't know if it's been in a wreck, honestly I didn't stick around too long, the car did look like it's been entirely wet sanded without water. That is a repaint at the very least. The Toyo's (however susposedly new) looked like they've been very hot, the edges looked blued and had light ***** on them (comparing them a little to motorcycle tires used for a track day). Needless to say, I went and looked for another Z.
Friday I go out for lunch, there happens to be a black Z06 in the parking lot, I park, notice it has dealer tags, the guy is getting in the trunk, I say, hey you don't happen to be Ben do you, he pauses and says yes, I said random, I called about the car the other day. Hey yeah, take a look, it's a little dirty.
Now I don't know if it's been in a wreck, honestly I didn't stick around too long, the car did look like it's been entirely wet sanded without water. That is a repaint at the very least. The Toyo's (however susposedly new) looked like they've been very hot, the edges looked blued and had light ***** on them (comparing them a little to motorcycle tires used for a track day). Needless to say, I went and looked for another Z.
04-15-2007, 07:40 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
It can be my car showed as clean but once I was in another small accident found it had the front fender and splash guard replaced. I had that accident ~3 years ago now and it was reported to the police and they took a report, reported to my insurance company and I collected money from the other persons insurance company all of whom took the VIN and when I ran the Carfax last week it still shows as clean with no accidents. I can understand it not showing up if it were an offroad accident or non-reported and then privately repaired but I went through the full normal procedure and it still doesn't show up.
Definetly a buyer beware world carfax is merely an aide to car buying never an end all.
Definetly a buyer beware world carfax is merely an aide to car buying never an end all.
04-15-2007, 08:42 PM
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Pretty random, called that guy last Wednesday about that car (I'm local, live in Indianapolis) He said he was out of town and he'd be back on Friday, we could setup an appointment to see the car on Saturday. The price sounded good and the car looked OK in the pictures.
Friday I go out for lunch, there happens to be a black Z06 in the parking lot, I park, notice it has dealer tags, the guy is getting in the trunk, I say, hey you don't happen to be Ben do you, he pauses and says yes, I said random, I called about the car the other day. Hey yeah, take a look, it's a little dirty.
Now I don't know if it's been in a wreck, honestly I didn't stick around too long, the car did look like it's been entirely wet sanded without water. That is a repaint at the very least. The Toyo's (however susposedly new) looked like they've been very hot, the edges looked blued and had light ***** on them (comparing them a little to motorcycle tires used for a track day). Needless to say, I went and looked for another Z.
Friday I go out for lunch, there happens to be a black Z06 in the parking lot, I park, notice it has dealer tags, the guy is getting in the trunk, I say, hey you don't happen to be Ben do you, he pauses and says yes, I said random, I called about the car the other day. Hey yeah, take a look, it's a little dirty.
Now I don't know if it's been in a wreck, honestly I didn't stick around too long, the car did look like it's been entirely wet sanded without water. That is a repaint at the very least. The Toyo's (however susposedly new) looked like they've been very hot, the edges looked blued and had light ***** on them (comparing them a little to motorcycle tires used for a track day). Needless to say, I went and looked for another Z.
He bought it at auction and I think he's been beating the **** out of it since he got it.
04-15-2007, 09:06 PM
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Yeah I know Toyo T1R's when I see them and I would say yes, he has been. He also said he was going to keep the car but now he's in the market for a Viper, reason he is selling it.
04-16-2007, 11:39 AM
#10
Platinum Supporting Vendor
Ben Wheat lied to me as well.
I was just getting ready to post the same information. Mr. Ben Wheat of Platinum Sales and Leasing in Carmel, IN was very misleading to me as well. I took a 6 hour trip on Saturday to see this near perfect car with no blemishes per Mr. Wheat. Perfect Carfax. Let me add to your findings. It has a 2001 passanger fender (has a 01 Z06 emblem), Driver fender is off a red car, in fact they forgot to paint the bottom of it. The bolts that hold the fender on, I pulled out by hand and gave them to Mr. Ben Wheat. The hood was repainted, the front nose was new, 90% of the air dam is missing, there is two big scratches in the back of the car, the driver seat is ripped, and it has seperated from the seat frame, Airbags look to have been replaced and the Drivers door is damaged. I think Mr. Wheat should reimburse me gas/food money, what do you think? I also sent a complaint to Carfax anyone know if they ad this information?
He said he was listing this car on Ebay this week. VIN #1G1YY12S525129012
Dan
He said he was listing this car on Ebay this week. VIN #1G1YY12S525129012
Dan
Last edited by CorvetteCentral.com; 04-16-2007 at 11:45 AM. Reason: add vin
04-16-2007, 11:50 AM
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I was just getting ready to post the same information. Mr. Ben Wheat of Platinum Sales and Leasing in Carmel, IN was very misleading to me as well. I took a 6 hour trip on Saturday to see this near perfect car with no blemishes per Mr. Wheat. Perfect Carfax. Let me add to your findings. It has a 2001 passanger fender (has a 01 Z06 emblem), Driver fender is off a red car, in fact they forgot to paint the bottom of it. The bolts that hold the fender on, I pulled out by hand and gave them to Mr. Ben Wheat. The hood was repainted, the front nose was new, 90% of the air dam is missing, there is two big scratches in the back of the car, the driver seat is ripped, and it has seperated from the seat frame, Airbags look to have been replaced and the Drivers door is damaged. I think Mr. Wheat should reimburse me gas/food money, what do you think? I also sent a complaint to Carfax anyone know if they add this information?
He said he was listing this car on Ebay this week.
Dan
He said he was listing this car on Ebay this week.
Dan
The car was definitely in an accident even though I flat out asked him if there were any signs of one at all. I asked him for pictures of any blemishes at all, even very minor ones like rock chips or small scratches and he said "well thats going to be hard because the car is pretty much perfect with nearly new tires".
If you notice the other cars he sells, they're all winter beater cars. Seeing so many beat up cars in his time must have made his beat up z06 look like a gem.
Did you take any pictures of the car? IF you did, post them up and I'll put them in the original post and we can just keep bumping this thread for a little while.
Hopefully he doesn't make his ebay auction private because I want to email each prospective buyer and point them to this thread.
Also, I doubt you're going to get any reimbursement out of him for wasting your time.
Last edited by Rustang Cobra; 04-16-2007 at 11:52 AM.
04-16-2007, 12:07 PM
#12
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St. Jude Donor '08
I've seen people crash a car badly, and if the work is done privately or through a connection of sorts, Carfax show nothng.
There is no substitute for a qualified person doing a thorough inspection.
Good luck finding your car
There is no substitute for a qualified person doing a thorough inspection.
Good luck finding your car
04-16-2007, 12:58 PM
#13
Platinum Supporting Vendor
Just for the fun of it, if anyone wants to call to Ben Wheat and listen to him tell how great the car is and that is has never been wrecked and has no paint flaws, his number is Be sure to post what his response is...... No need to post no forum Dealer #s......
Last edited by Allthrottleandsomebottle; 04-18-2007 at 01:26 PM.
04-16-2007, 01:03 PM
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04-16-2007, 01:14 PM
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Melting Slicks
[QUOTE=CorvetteCentral.com;1559842224]I was just getting ready to post the same information. Mr. Ben Wheat of Platinum Sales and Leasing in Carmel, IN was very misleading to me as well. I took a 6 hour trip on Saturday to see this near perfect car with no blemishes per Mr. Wheat. Perfect Carfax. Let me add to your findings. It has a 2001 passanger fender (has a 01 Z06 emblem), Driver fender is off a red car, in fact they forgot to paint the bottom of it. The bolts that hold the fender on, I pulled out by hand and gave them to Mr. Ben Wheat. The hood was repainted, the front nose was new, 90% of the air dam is missing, there is two big scratches in the back of the car, the driver seat is ripped, and it has seperated from the seat frame, Airbags look to have been replaced and the Drivers door is damaged. I think Mr. Wheat should reimburse me gas/food money, what do you think? I also sent a complaint to Carfax anyone know if they ad this information?
He said he was listing this car on Ebay this week. VIN #1G1YY12S525129012
Dan[/QUOTE
Did he buy the car out of a salvage yard ??
He said he was listing this car on Ebay this week. VIN #1G1YY12S525129012
Dan[/QUOTE
Did he buy the car out of a salvage yard ??
04-16-2007, 02:37 PM
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I just sent the following email to customer support at autotrader.com:
Hi,
I would like to inform you of a fraudulent ad listed on autotrader.com. The ad is posted by Mr. Ben Wheat and can be found through this link. The pictures used in his ad were taken from this ebay ad and were also sent to me when I asked him for more pictures of the car (attached in forwarded email). I had someone go see the car for me and the tires are "not nearly new" as stated in the ad and the car is far from "nearly perfect". The car has had obvious body work done to it including the hood, front bumper, front 1/4 panels and drivers side door. Both airbags have also been deployed and replaced as can be seen when you look at the seem of the airbag cover in person. I feel that his ad is falsely advertising his car and for out of state buyers like myself there is a great opportunity for him to sell the car to a misinformed buyer.
Here is the link to his listing http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=795
Here is the ebay link from which he pulled the pictures http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...QQcmdZViewItem
Thanks
-*********
I would like to inform you of a fraudulent ad listed on autotrader.com. The ad is posted by Mr. Ben Wheat and can be found through this link. The pictures used in his ad were taken from this ebay ad and were also sent to me when I asked him for more pictures of the car (attached in forwarded email). I had someone go see the car for me and the tires are "not nearly new" as stated in the ad and the car is far from "nearly perfect". The car has had obvious body work done to it including the hood, front bumper, front 1/4 panels and drivers side door. Both airbags have also been deployed and replaced as can be seen when you look at the seem of the airbag cover in person. I feel that his ad is falsely advertising his car and for out of state buyers like myself there is a great opportunity for him to sell the car to a misinformed buyer.
Here is the link to his listing http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...00&cardist=795
Here is the ebay link from which he pulled the pictures http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2004-...QQcmdZViewItem
Thanks
-*********
04-16-2007, 10:29 PM
#18
Match #: 2 Reason for Match: VIN
Activity & Date: Assignment 09/01/2004 File Number: xxxxxxxxxxx
Coverage: Collision
Impact Point: Left front corner
Company: xxxxxxxxxxx GROUP OF INS. COMPANIES Phone:
Claim Number: xxxxxxxxxxx
--> VIN: 1G1YY12S525129012 (PASS) Year: 2002 Mileage: 30000
Make: CHEVROLET Model: CORVETTE
Activity & Date: Assignment 09/01/2004 File Number: xxxxxxxxxxx
Coverage: Collision
Impact Point: Left front corner
Company: xxxxxxxxxxx GROUP OF INS. COMPANIES Phone:
Claim Number: xxxxxxxxxxx
--> VIN: 1G1YY12S525129012 (PASS) Year: 2002 Mileage: 30000
Make: CHEVROLET Model: CORVETTE
04-16-2007, 11:27 PM
#19
Let me give EVERYONE some advice....NEVER buy a used car from a small dealership. Why? Because they buy cars that need work because of accidents at auctions ALL THE time.....fix them up cheaply and sell them as "new".....I was in the Auto industry long enough to see what they did and how they tried to get away with it.....Buyer Beware......better off buying private party from original owner....
04-17-2007, 02:55 PM
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I'm not sure on the rules of posting PMs, however LSHATCH (a newly registered member here) just sent me this in PM and told me to throw it in my thread.
I just registered after seeing your post on that Z06. I can't post at the momemnt, so I'm sending you this PM. Feel free to copy this onto your thread.
First, let me list the bad for you on this vehicle.
1. It burns oil.
2. There is a nice ticking sound coming from the engine bay. (Similar to valve tap, but more high pitched.) It's very strange.
3. It has FRAME DAMAGE.
I have driven this car, as I was going to be the one that bought it. After driving it, I quickly took it back and said NO WAY! I was not about to purchase a problem.
I'm not sure what this vehicle looks like now at the new place, but I know the fender and hood used to be very misaligned. Also, there were a lot more miscellaneous interior bits missing when I saw it. Those little reflectors on the door were missing. Passenger door was missing the handle.
This was bought at .
I'm glad you posted this buyer beware thread, because the car in the pictures is not so pretty in real life...
At least advertise the vehicle in the shape it is truly in.
First, let me list the bad for you on this vehicle.
1. It burns oil.
2. There is a nice ticking sound coming from the engine bay. (Similar to valve tap, but more high pitched.) It's very strange.
3. It has FRAME DAMAGE.
I have driven this car, as I was going to be the one that bought it. After driving it, I quickly took it back and said NO WAY! I was not about to purchase a problem.
I'm not sure what this vehicle looks like now at the new place, but I know the fender and hood used to be very misaligned. Also, there were a lot more miscellaneous interior bits missing when I saw it. Those little reflectors on the door were missing. Passenger door was missing the handle.
This was bought at .
I'm glad you posted this buyer beware thread, because the car in the pictures is not so pretty in real life...
At least advertise the vehicle in the shape it is truly in.