RatDog

That's good advice and correct most of the time. But there are exceptions. Many here know my experience of buying from a dealer under an "as-is" contract, finding a mechanical problem after the car was delivered, and the dealer stepping up to the plate offering to send his guy who delivered the car back to my house with his enclosed trailer to return the car back to his store (500 miles from me). He replaced the shifter, and sent the car back down to me within a week. No charge.

That's why I say, IF you are going to purchase from a dealer, check him out thoroughly before you start to check out any of his cars. Reputation matters. I checked out the dealer where I purchased my car before my purchase. Found out that he had brought someone's car back (also an out-of-state "as-is" sale) to fix something that wasn't right. That, along with not finding anything negative on the Internet helped me make the decision to do business with him. It was a good decision.

Steve

Frankie the Fink

Merchon's just did about $1,500 in repairs on a friend's split window after he made an issue about oil leaks, fuel leaks, etc. Took some arm-twisting -- but you can't always count on that...

65silververt

In my own defense, I just could not get to PA to pick my 67 Coupe up due to the endless snow in January a few years ago. However, on my 63 convertible that i purchased from Ohio, well, I totally dropped the ball on that one. NOTE: 63 convertible was from someone else and not Valley Auto or whatever multiple names they have.

Frankie the Fink

Well - not picking on anyone in particular and we've all had our peccadilloes.

The only time I got well and truly screwed on a car was one I bought from a relative....go figure...

LouieM

One idea for inspections: I contacted the NCRS regional person in Michigan when I saw a 67 for sale there, and he forwarded my request to a 1967-specialty judge, who was glad to inspect the car for a reasonable fee. He even "scored" the car on NCRS scoring sheets as a high-3, almost a 2, and I bought it and drove home to CA.

tach drive 61

We once made a 470 mile ride to Valley looked at a big brake 61 NOM car ***** as I remember it would not move the car out doors or put it on a lift as promised .car had all the big brake rims etc in place radio delete semi rough front clip but fixable , I knew what I was looking at ,
the NOM motor was not a issue for us ! well ***** the cash was in my truck all of it and I left with a full bag of money , 471 miles home NO DEAL !

vettebuyer6369

And in the interest of balance, I’ll say again that dealers absolutely do not have the market cornered on misrepresentation of a vehicle. I cannot count how many cars I’ve inspected for myself or someone else that have been misrepresented and I have found no greater frequency of this by dealers over private parties.

Private parties are even more fearless about saying “they didn’t know” when you find stuff, and have less to lose in the way of reputation concerns. A dealer is also more likely to fix some things after the fact for an unhappy customer.

I’m not recommending one or the other. I’m saying that the majority of people should find a qualified inspector to help them make a 50-100k purchase, if they are not sure they can do it themselves, regardless of who is selling the car or where it is. Even the pros like to enlist another set of eyes to view things from a detached viewpoint.

dahogan

They did the same thing for a friend of mine on his midyear

ChattanoogaJSB

Fair words from steve on post 47.

When i I sold my 69 last Saturday I told the man everything I had done to the car, what it still needed, and even pointed out the fresh repair I did to the small quarter panel strip behind the passenger door (and the smaller portion of the door). It wasn't busted but rubbed from the paint to the brown primer. Also I showed him photos of the area before, during, after. The new owner was amazed.

I like to sell a car the the way I want a car to be sold to me- on it's real merits, nothing hidden.

Benton

Frankie the Fink

I examined a “rust free” local 66 Mustang this summer. Private owner who dabbles at restorations. Cosmetic apparently. First thing I always do is run my arm up inside the door for the passenger side footwell fresh air vent. I came out with a fistful of rust and damp vegetation. Cowl “top hats” a rusty mess. The guy was dropping the price with each step I took back to my car to leave.

Trust no one.

1snake

I'm sure everyone has horror stories. I've inspected dozens of cars that were nothing like the description. To get back on track, the car in question has a VIN of 194676S106406 Hopefully a future buyer will Google the VIN and be directed to this thread.

ChattanoogaJSB

I'm not sure why you quoted me on this Frankie before your anecdotal reply.

I can assure you my depiction of the car was absolutely thorough and I offered a Phillips screwdriver and a flashlight if he wanted to dig into the condition of the birdcage.

Frankie the Fink

FIXED IT.

Most certainly not aimed at you. It’s just the way the damn CF acts on an iPhone. Pls take no offense.
You are one of the most forthright members on here.

ChattanoogaJSB

thanks Frankie. I try.

Also, the yellow arrow on my iPhone anyway makes areply to the post. The green arrow makes a reply to the thread with no one quoted.

RatDog

I finally gave up on the CF app. The text was so tiny on my iPhone that I couldn’t read it and I could never find a way to make the text larger. It was also squirrelly the way it handled images. So I’m back to using the full site which works good for me.

Steve

ChattanoogaJSB

interesting- I've never downloaded the app, but the iPhone loads the "mobile site" (optimized) by default. The photo loading and text seems to work well this way. And I can toggle on the full site if I need to.

I wonder if the app is actually worse than the basic mobile site.

stevelang

i don't see any damage in that picture.

wsaugenstein

Fraud is NOT operating within the law. If false representations are in writing (in the adv, contract or other doc's) or on video or audio recording, it's consumer fraud, which is illegal in all States. Most States have consumer fraud laws that impose treble damages, attorneys fees, costs, etc. on the vendor. People who have been cheated don't have to put their tails between their legs and fade away.

dennyquad

I agree about having a Corvette inspected first by a knowledgeable expert. As for myself.... I know I'm not qualified, so at least I recognize that fact. So, speaking of getting the car inspected by an expert first....... who are some of the better services that some of you have used and been pleased with? I'm taking my time currently looking for a C2 that falls within the parameters of what I want in the car.... option, color and price-wise. I don't want to be the next first-timer that ends up posting their own horror story. I would definitely go where necessary to view and drive the car first, but I want it inspected by someone who knows what to look for. I'm sure some inspection services are better than others. Any suggestions for a novice buyer?

65hihp

Yes, the way I would do it if I were you is first, fill in your location in your profile so CF members can know where you are located. Then when you find a car that you want inspected, start a new thread asking for a PPI (Per Purchase Inspection) where the car is located. Be as specific as possible. You will have members from the area speak up and contact you. Then you can work out how to proceed.