Well mine envolves my 67 bird. Bought it off ebay. Talked to the guy for 4 days straight before deciding to put a bid on it. Covered everything I could think of. So when I won the auction headed up there to pick it up everything went smooth. He took me for a short drive ran great. But there was a plug oil pump screen which torched the engine that he declined to mention. He swore " it could be drove to ohio from wisc." yeah right with a plugged screen? But I didn't know that. I called him a week after I got it home and he basically told me sorry but it's your car. He knew that this problem existed before he put the car up for sale. The lying bastard weaved his story to sell a problem car. If he'd just been honest I might still bought the car but he wouldn't got the money he got because of his deception. Still pissed 4 months after the fact... Oh he is a member here and tries to comment like he's such a straight shooter.

Sounds like a bad deal on, your part anyway, but having sold a couple of used cars, one of them just recently, I have to say it's pretty much buyer beware.
I sold one car that was my daily driver for 5 years and never had a problem. The guy drove it,liked it, bought it. Calls me 2 weeks later and says it blew up the first day he drove it to work and wants his money back. Says he was sick the whole time and the car was just sitting and just used it for the first time. I asked if he checked the water in the rad and oil. He says no. I asked if it overheated. He says he has no idea but I must've known there was something wrong with it when I sold it to him. I told him if he didn't know anything about cars he should just buy a new one that comes with a warranty.
Recently I sold a 95 Dodge 15 pass commuter van w/90K orig miles. The trans had gone out and I let the registration laps and the ins. The engine(360FI Magnum) ran ran perfect, interior was near perfect. I sold it for $800 because it had been taking up my driveway for 3years and I wanted it gone. So the guy buys it then a week later calls me and says DMV wanted too much for reg and he wanted to bring it back. WTF???? I say no and he says he'll have to sue me. WTF???

The way I see it if there wasn't any issues with a used car the person wouldn't be selling it. It's up to the buyer to find out why and if it's still worth it to him.
I feel for you buddy but do your own homework and don't rely on others to do it for you.

Well there is no way to check a clogged pick up screen without pulling the pan. Oil pressure gauge showed 40lbs. pressure. He acted like he got the car all ready for me changing the oil and cleaning inside-out armor alling-shining everything up. Got it home 2 days after all pressure drops to zero... He knew what was going on and didn't care who he screwed... Fraud is fraud an his intent was to fraud someone it just turned out to be me. Sucks but just wanted to let you know that this member is....

I'm the kind of person that will deal with little problems, like a broken power window etc, until I get ready to sell it then I'll fix it just because I don't want anyone griping about this and that wrong. I keep up all the fluid changes, radiator, oil, trans, rear end, while I drive it. Sold a Suburban to a friend that I had done some performance upgrades and kept it clean inside, outside and underside! The rear inner door handle breaks about 2 years later and he blames me for it and wants me to fix it! WTF!!!!

WOW... remind me never to buy a car from you!

jose, my first question is, how do you know that the seller knew the oil pickup screen was clogged? I'm not busting on you, I am just trying to understand because you do say that he knew it, I am just wondering how you know, that he knew. Sorry for the confusing question...

Not only that, but why not tell us who it is? If he is a member shouldn't be a problem stating whom you bought the car from...

When I bought my 68 in March, I crawled all over and under it before I made an offer. But I knew I would have "surprises" once I started putting things the way I wanted. I bought a 42 year old vehicle and I just assume this is the first year somebody as retentive as me owns the car or I wouldn't have been abel to buy it.

Personally when I buy any car over 10 years old I assume the worst, motor and trans both need to be gone through. Then I make the purchase based on that...

Yeah, I don't know that he made a bad deal, just had too high of expectations. My "just rebuilt by the other guy" 400 is going to be pulled and depending on what I find, freshened up or rebuilt. And I'll make my mind up on whether to rebuild the TH400 or throw a Tremec 5 speed in while it's out. It's really hard to get a new toy, and take it off the road right away and pull it apart!!

Oh, Please,, Please Get me started.. Please.. I have spoke my mind many of times on many of the internet sights, just to be "Deleted" and or silenced,,,. Buyer's Beware,,,,,, My A*SS... Here Is Just a Clue for anyone,, "Anyone",, Buying a car On The Internet.. General Rule,, Flip Yourself on The Noggin,, And Ask Yourself WHY?,,, WHY?,, WHY?,, Would "YOU" or anyone else sell a car on the internet????????????????......99% {per cent} of the time, there are Two Reasons Why, And "ONLY TWO" Reasons Why..., If it's such a Great Deal, Then why would they not be able to sell it locally,?????.....And or,, They think It's Worth "Way" More Than It really Is... So,,,,,, Either way,, Why Would You Buy It,???,, Why Would You Really Want to buy it,?????... Been There And Done It!!!!!!......

quit beating around the bird and tell us how you really feel!

bronzebush, don't buy a car from firebob

OH Well,, Don't mind me ,,, I'm just another Lewis n Clark,, Welp,, I meam John Hancock... Here's a tip,, Have you heard of a Dolorean motor called " WORMWOOD "????????... Wanna see a Third of the worlds ocean turn Bitter, and Die,????? And BP {British Petroleum} Symbol is a "{STAR}",, Called WormWood???

Joe(earlybird), I looked locally for the right bird with no luck. Spent about 6 months talking to people & looking at birds. I have secretly looking for my bird for 2 years. I found this one on ebay and contacted the guy. I asked him every question possible to cover my self. When I got the car home and drove it the car temp. was kinda hot on the gauge which could be anything. The oil gauge would stay at 40lbs til the temp. of the motor started going up. The second time I tryed to drive the car the oil gauge went to like 7lbs. The oil smelled burnt and very sticky. Now this is 2 days after buying the car. He stated that there wasn't anything wrong with the engine and basically gauranteed it that fact. I know it's a buyer beware world but he stated to me per phone conversation the only reason he is selling the car is he lost his job which in todays economy sounded legit.I knew buying something off ebay is risky. He changed the oil the day before I picked up? Sounded fishy when he told me that. Then our post buying car conversations he didn't act surprised that there was an engine problem. Not saying he knew there was a oil pick-up screen problem but he knew there was an engine problem. There were some little things he'd done trying to fix a problem with heating-pressure engine problems. New autozone gauges, thermostat, water pump. But buying a car you don't know if he's chsing a problem or just performing normal maint. I know I'm a big boy and need to shut up about my whining I just need to vent.... So sorry if I have annoyed anyone or started anything....

jose, perfectly fine to vent. We have ALL been there in some form or another. It does suck that this has happened and I hope things work out for you in the end.

I too bought my 67 LeMans off Ebay this past Jan. However, I watched the ad for all 7 days, then on the last day, which was a Sunday I called and spoke with the owner. I made it VERY clear that I was interested in the car BUT I told him I would NOT use the "buy it now" for ANY car that I had not seen first hand. After 2 1/2 hours on the phone and the auction about to end, I made him an offer that was $2500 less than his "buy it now" price and was $3000 more than his highest bid at that time.

After TONS of promises and gurantees on both ends he accepted my offer and immediately pulled the ad with only 2 hours left. The guy was wanting 17.5k and I went 15k but this was all based on the fact that the car would be exactly as he stated.

Once we arrived the next day after a 9 hour drive and my friend and I looked the car over and spoke to the owner (it was 28 degrees that day and we were froze) we reached in and started the car. We let it idle for 5 mins and we just knew this guy had told us everything he could and we felt confident with the purchase.

Even though my car was a very low milage, well documented car and the person selling it posted TONS of pics in his ad there was one detail he failed to mention. Upon our in person inspection we found SEVERAL dings in the car that the seller never mentioned. Not a deal breaker, BUT, I felt as though he could have mentioned it in his ad or when we spoke. I did however let him know that I felt he should have told me. He did appoligized and did seem sincere etc. My point is, you could NOT see them in ANY of the pics he posted, yet there were a bunch of them.

Ultimately I still bought the car and luckily all the dings were removed via a paintless dent guy but I was a bit ticked at the guy for failing to mention it to me. This may sound like a minor issue but you would have had to seen them and how many there were, enough that it could have been a deal breaker if everything else on the car had not been up to par.

I guess my advise to anyone looking at a car either locally or especially on the internet would be a few things:

1) Go look at the car in person, if you can't, don't buy the car.
2) Take someone else with you, perferably someone who knows more about cars than yourself (no matter how much you know).
3) Ask the owner a ton of questions with someone else with you (to listen for inconsistancies etc.).
4) If on the internet, if the person selling the car doesn't post a TON of pics from EVERY angle and or says he doesn't have a camera etc. RUN AWAY FROM YOUR COMPUTER, REBOOT AND FORGET IT! In this day and age if the person can't take or have someone else do it for them and post them/send them to you then assume they are full of crap and bail!
5) Drive the vehicle for an hour if need be. Check ALL fluids before and after the drive. Also, tell the owner you want to drive the car around for a while before you go and look at it and see what his/her reaction is. If they immediately tell you no or it's "not on the road" then BEWARE!
6) Always assume the worst. Tell yourself the engine will need to be gone through and factor that into your decision and more importantly, your budget.
7) When looking at a classic have a REALISTIC budget. IMO if someone is looking at a classic car and they want to restore it or just drive it, you need to have a budget and you need to have the resources available up front to make ALL the improvements, upgrades etc. upon purchasing the car. Here is my reason. If you have 5k to spend on a car, well you are going to need an additional 5-10k in hand to make repairs/upgrades to get the car road worthy. And if you buy a car for $7500 and you THINK it's going to take another 4k, you better plan on 8k. And again, IMO, if you don't have the additional funds up front and can only buy the car itself, be prepared to sell the car in the very near future because you will not be happy with a car and no funds to do anything with it. Also, if you do buy a classic that you are "going to restore someday" and you dive into the project without having the resources in hand, be prepared to loose money, because once you realize you are in over your head you will end up selling the car for whatever you can get just to get out from under it.

Other people may have some additional suggestions to add. These are simply my opinion based on almost 20 years in this hobby and several cars down the road...

I would never buy a car sight unseen...never. Spend the money and fly in for the day to see the car.

Or get the guarantee in writing.

My first big Epay purchase was my '68 'vert. Bought it based on six pictures, and a couple of phone calls. The seller said if the car wasn't as nice as he described, he would fully refund my money, even my airfare!

Needless to say, I flew to DC, spent the better part of the day with the seller and the car, was not dissapointed in the least. Drove it down to Williamsburg to my in-laws to store until I could have it shipped home. (it was mid January)

I don't think I would do it again, but sometimes things do work out. Since the purchase, I have had to only do a few minor things to the car, until this past winter when I pulled the E/T for a complete re-build. But this was more for being proactive, than reactive.

I also think Wouter bought his '67 sight-unseen and had it shipped across the pond. For the most part, I believe he was happy how things worked out as well.

So believe it or not, there are still a couple of honest people out there.

i bought my 69 bird in 08 , i live in tenn. the car i bought was in california. i hired a car inspector they e-mailed me a report, photos , ect. i was pleased with the report and photo's then struck a deal. my expectations was low it was a 39 year old car. after seeing it for my self i was well pleased. photos revealed a rear seal leak on the engine . so i went over board and removed the font end to clean everything, pulled the engine to reseal the rear main and gasket it. new front and rear seal in the transmission. i will have it on the road soon it has been worth the wait. i looked for a firebird local but there was nothing but junk , and over priced birds. i drove to indiana to look at a pile of junk.a 6 hr. drive one way, and gas was $4 gal.so i hired an inspector in oragon to look at a bird. his photos revealed the person was not honest on everything they told me. so i found the bird in california talked to the owner a couple of times , felt comfortable with them, and hired an inspector to check it out. was pleased with the report, and photos. i felt like i hit the jackpot with it.

I've bought several cars online, through forums and eBay, and have sold on Craigslist and forums and online classifieds. I've had several good experiences, and walked away from many poor cars. What was likely my very best car ever was bought sight unseen, and driven home 900 miles. So there are good ones out there.

My rules:
Expect the worst when buying.
Research the price for a car that is nothing more than a drivable, restorable "core".
Research the price for a fully restored model with the same features.
Look at pictures, ask for more if you don't see what you are looking for, ask plenty of questions.
Pay only for the core, plus the good.
Calculate what it would cost to bring the "bad" to good, and add 50% of that to the core cost (what you can't see will probably be as much as what you can see). Pass on cars that will cost more to restore than what you can buy a finished car for.
If at all possible, spend plenty of time examining the prospective purchase and check the condition of fluids and tires.
Bring a knowledgeable but non-enthusiastic friend. A set of eyes not looking for just the good points is invaluable.
Never expect to drive your purchase home if more than 100 miles away. There are too many unknowns to be confident.
If driving, have a chase vehicle stocked with common supplies and spares and tools. Have a roadside assistance policy on your classic car insurance policy to be safe.
On occasion you will find a nearly flawless, exceptional car. More often, you will find something that is far below what the seller described. Be prepared to walk away empty-handed, but have cash in hand to buy the gems.

I just did, the TR6, and I did as Vikki suggested, expected the worst...it looked great in pictures...and the 'result' was not quite as nice as pictures , but better than I expected....it will be an "ok" buy, but IF I had been 'lucky' it could have been better....
of curse things I expected to be bad werent ,things I expected to be ok werent...just have to work on items I didnt expect to...and vice versa....

That trip home may have been the longest trip that car had taken in a while, with a partially clogged oil pick-up and bearing material starting to give in addition to sludge and whatever else, it may have been the straw that broke the camels back. If the previous owner drove it very rarely or not very far he may in fact not have know about the problem....just my .02 cents. I always remember there are 3 sides to a story, mine, theirs and the truth

I guess there is a up side to the story. I found a perfect condition 400 hood 2 hours and 45 minutes away for the cheap price of 200 dollars wih scoops. If I hadn't bought this car I guess I'd never would have been on the prowl for a 400 hood. Now if I can just find a 67 hood tach in premo condition for lets say 50 bucks? LOL What do you think my odds are of finding that deal? Oh if anyone knows where I can pickup a 69-72 gto 400 for next to nothing let me know.... It must be rust free and numbers matching....

Vikki, Yellowbird, asked me to go look at a car in eastern Kansas for her a few years back.. and I gladly did, I'm always happy to help a friend, or so I thought. I made an appointment with the seller, took pictures & hosted them, I drove the vehicle and then called her, and spent an actual 3 hours driving time just going there and back.

Instead of Vikki/Yellowird buying the vehicle for herself, she resold the vehicle before even taking possession and then had the audacity to not even offer me a dime for my time and efforts.

Did you know the worst thing you can take from someone is their time? Each person only gets so much time on this earth. Insurance can replace vehicles and you can buy another house, but you can't give someone back their time. So don't ever waste anyones time, ok?

If Vikki/Yellowbird kept the vehicle for herself, or her father, that would of been fine with me, that was afterall why I offered to help her out of the goodness of my heart. But once it became a business transaction and you profit off of my work, a consideration is clearly due, that's professional standard...

Unfortunately, my complaint to Vikki/Yellowbird was a joke to her. She dismissed my help and offered to buy me a steak sometime, how f'n insulting.

So now you know the scam I was victim of by a fellow member.

So Vikki/Yellowbird, the bill still stands. Pick a dollar amount you feel is "fair" and hit my buy now button. My 3 hour market rate is well documented (25 years now), so maybe a percentage of the sale? How about even coming through on the steak dinner you offrered? Anything? I at least deserve another crapload of justification in front of everyone.

Otherwise Vikki/Yellowbird, this is "the cost". I have, and I will, continue to tell everyone we know about you profiting from me. And although I never believed, nor do I claim, you "hired" me in bad faith, in the end you made money off of my services and gave me nothing for it. Shame on you

here is my donate button. If you can find it in your cold dead heart to compensate me, I'll tell everyone that too.
http://www.1967bird.com/buy_stuff.html

I'm with you John. A favor from a friend is expected but business is business and time is money.

On that note, just a peronal perspective:

I have "looked at" no less than 7 cars for both FGF asnd PY-type "friends." I do so because I like to help out. In about half the cases I have advised the potential new owner to walk away. In most of the other half I have advised that the price is fair for what they are looking for and looking at.

I have never expected, and never been compensated for, my time and "expertise." (A profession a$$.hole is quite expensive.) What I have been able to do, however, is to save a few poeple I don't know untold time and money investing is a car that I belive is beyond reasonable expecatation.

Unlerss you have an understanding or contract established ahead of time, expect nothing and be happy if that is what you get.

if the game changes and you bank from me.. something is due, no two ways about it.

her bill is $100, because when I roll everyone wins, that's been proven, just look at this

I hear what you are saying, Johhny. I don't want to tell you what I charge for my time. (You are an independant buisnessman as well, so I know you know what I am talking about) but when it comes to Firebirds and Pontiacs, I am strictly pro-bono. Regardless of the outcome.

right on Quenton, the $100 is a break for sure, and I respect you alot because we've walked the same roads..

I field calls daily of people wanting something for nothing.. or worse after factoring operating costs.. and I'm just not that guy... I DO ask questions and make every good faith attempt to qualify everything beforehand.. but the sad truth is, people are aholes, they lie and f you any chance they get..

take Vikki/Yellowbird for example

Johnny, be careful what you say, a few of us know Vikki quite well and can easily point out your lies about her. Things like that make it more likely that you might be the one you're describing.

you go right ahead and bring all claims to me here and now in broad daylight.. she wasted my fuel, time, etc..

and fu too got that? your only dog in this fight is a keyboard.

I wont take sides in this matter but I will say that I have dealt with Vikki on a few ocassions as a buyer and a seller of FGF parts. I have not had ANY issues.

Now, going by the scenario j/m lays forth, I can kinda see his point, ONLY because there was a transaction involved that netted a profit based on his efforts. If all of that is factual (not saying it's not, Vikki just hasn't offered her side) I can kinda see where j/m would be upset even though I myself would have handled the whole thing a bit differently from both sides.

I think we have a great group of people here and I hope this can be resolved as I would like to see everyone envolved remain here on the site.

Thanks for confirming that, Johnny.

no problem, I'm here all week

Free or fee?

stop with the arse kissing.. I help others daily but there is a difference between volunteering and being hired...

As well, I think that perhaps we differ on these opinions in some respects.

Another case - unrelated:

A set of round port heads. Local to me, very reasonably priced. They are bought, packed and shipped for an agreed price (value) . The end user receives them and makes money on the deal. Do I expect anything from his profit? No. Why not? Why shoudd I? Karma, my friends. That same person helps me out ten-fold in my time of need. Karma, my friends ... karma.

Johnny, you misinterpret my intent; you've made yours clear though.

Set the conditions ahead of time, and don't whine if you forget.

I didn't forget anything... including Vikki/Yellowbird making bank on me

What do you use for criteria?