How bad did you get screwed over?

[Deere Dude]

Not me but my at the time 17 yo son. He wanted to buy a sporty car from his friend for $2000. I told him no because I didn't like the car, the owner or much about the deal. Finally after enough incessant harping about wanting it I told him to go ahead, it's your baby.

After a week or two of ownership the transmission went out. He is not a mechanic so he had to take everything to a mechanic for most work done. The mechanic said to get a transmission from a junkyard which he did. $800 labor and a $800 transmission later he finds out that transmission is bad. Another $800 labor to change to a good transmission. The car was a POJ but he kept it for awhile but lost his shirt on it. Now he is 45 years old and still making the same mistakes on deals only with costlier amounts.

I have a hard time buying anything other than new for that reason, and many others.

 

[Firemanbuck82]

I always want to smash my head against the nearest immovable object when I hear stories about people getting taken and they say "But he/ she was so NICE".

The judges would also have accepted "But, he tells it like it is...." :laughing::confused2:

 

[oldballs]

I was a die hard Mopar fan....owned just about every engine they made in the 60's thru 80's...Plymouths ..Dodges and Chryslers I got screwed over so many times that I'll never buy another. Sometimes it was the transmissions, sometimes it was the dealerships, sometimes it was the engine...and sometimes it was the fit and finish.

So far I've been pleased with Fords...maybe that is just luck however.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[kthompson]

I have a story like yours in every way except for the outcome. After spending quite a bit of time looking, Wife and I found a golf cart we really liked and offered a deposit until we could return with a trailer in two days. Guy said our word was good enough,just bring payment when we came to pick it up. In Texas,golf carts can be operated on public roads if licensed. While talking to our son that evening,he told me that if a cart was ever registered the title should follow the cart from then on same as an automobile. On the other hand a cart that had never been registered could be titled and registered with only a bill of sale or statement of origin. Seller had told me he was original owner so I called to ask if he had ever registered it for use on public road and if so did he still have paperwork. He said he had never registered it,I said ok I'll see you Friday afternoon. When I showed up with cash and trailer,the cart had been sold and the guy was rude as all get out saying he never expected to see me after asking such stupid question. My asking him why he didn't inform me of his decision instead of allowing me to make a trip just seemed to inrage him even farther. Sunday,we found a really nice 3010 Mule for $800 more than I would have paid for the cart. I sure am glad that a hole sold the cart from under me.

Possible it was stolen and your question worried him you would find out or had found out. Might have even thought the call was being recorded.

 

[jwstewar]

I don't know if it was a screw over or a favor. A few years back we thought we wanted a horse or two. So we started looking at stock trailers, this was in 2009. I found one. It was a gooseneck 4 horse trailer. A little bit of rust, but seemed solid. I think it was a 1990 or something like that. It needed tires and light work and was going to have to have some work done to the rust. I think it was $2000. Then I was going to have to get a gooseneck hitch installed in my truck. I think that was another 4 or 5 hundred. I made the appointment for the hitch and stopped to pay the people for the trailer. I looked one night, called the next day and said I wanted it, they said bring the money the next day. I go to pay and they say it sold the day before. So I called and cancelled the hitch appointment. I then found a bumper pull stock trailer. 16', it was a 2003 model and needed nothing other than change the light plug from 6 pin round to the 7-pin RV like on the truck. It was $2700. It has been a great trailer. Never got the horses, but now we have goats. So we now end up taking the camper with the truck and the trailer with our Suburban. Not sure what we would have done had we ended up with the gooseneck trailer.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Geez - I suppose we have all gotten ripped at one time or another! But, here's my story:

In 1967 when I was young and a pocket full of money just wanting to be spent, I checked out a 1967 Ford Mustang Cobra - the bad boy with the 427 side-oiler, 4-speed, plexiglass side windows, etc. It was a real bad-boy! They wanted $7000 for it. I laughed at them and told them I wasn't going to waste my money on a car with plastic windows! (Smart of me, right?)

So, I went straight down to the Buick dealer, Jensen Buick & Opel dealership. Paid $2500 cash for a new fire red Opel Cadet. Fine car, right? (NOT)

Within a week the hood faded. Took it back to the dealer. They agreed to repaint the hood. Took them 6 weeks.

Next month in downtown Houston during rush hour the motor froze up. Turned out to be the water pump; motor wasn't strong enough to spend the fan belt. Towed it to a shop and had a new water pump put in - out of my pocket.

Winter set in - and rain water poured inside from the windshield not being sealed.

Starter went out shortly after that. Had to jack up the motor to replace the starter - cost again, out of my pocket.

I hated that piece of junk so bad, I sold it to my cousin for $150. He kept if for a month before the starter went out again. He had the junk yard come pick it up - and told them to keep the $40 the offered him for it.

Oh-how I wish I'd bought that beautiful black Cobra... It'd be worth a "Little" more than the $7K

 

[crazyal]

I rarely sell stuff now and when I do I always state first here with the cash wins. I tell them point blank that I will hold it for a specified number of days if they give me a deposit. The one time I got screwed was from a guy who gave me a check for $100 to hold a car. He said he would be back in two days. After a week went by I called and his number wasn't working. Being nice I waited two months before giving up and reposting it. Of course weeks after I sold it he shows up and I tell him sorry but I never agreed to holding it 3 months for you and gave him his $100 back. A few weeks later I get a summons for small claims court. He lost as he didn't have a contract stating I would hold it for longer than a reasonable amount of time. But I still had to deal with that nonsense so now I'm not "nice". Like I said, first one with cash wins. If someone is coming from out of town I make it a point to tell them if someone else is coming to look at it so they don't have to make the drive. Also if I'm getting lots of calls I'll tell them that too but I don't hold anything for someone who may or may not show up.

 

[HillStreet]

When I was about 12 I went on a test drive with my father. He was contemplating buying a 1960 something Plymouth which was only two years old. It was a dealership vehicle. The car broke down after about 5 minutes. My fathers friend was driving by and gave us a ride home, but we stopped by the dealership first to tell them where to get the car.

 

[Industrial Toys]

We use an on line service called Kijiji to sell our junk. It's pretty much a given that most people never show up. My favorite is the people that beat you down on price over the phone and then don't show up.

 

[V65ozzie]

I once sold a car to a friend in need. The price was fair, the car was in really nice shape. I agreed he could pay me weekly. He made 4 payments, then took the car and left the state. Haven't seen it or him since. Haven't done a deal like that again. He had also borrowed some of my tools, haven't seen those since either....
I bought a used plymouth from a dealer, for 100 bucks, plus tags title etc, 400 out the door. It needed work. I replaced the heater core, AC, distributor, fuel pump, and had it running like a top. After a month, still no permanent tag. Temp tags expired, couldn't drive it. 2 months, still no tag, lots of phone calls during this time. Turned out they didn't have a title, so, they offered me my money back. I said ok, but you owe me 1400, due to the parts and time I have put into it. They refused. Not a problem, send me my tags. 2 weeks later, still no tags.
A call to the state resulted in a phone call to the dealership, fraud, theft etc. Got my tags 2 days later. Sold the car for 4000 a week later.