Difficult Experience with Vintage Dealer

Just wanted to post a cautionary note for all of you Ferrari owners and traders for a dealer who's prime focus was Ferrari's in his foundations, but he has expanded into other marques as well. My experience was with the purchase of a 1970 Mercedes 280SL, but if it is typical, I would worry about anything that he would sell.

For the full tale of horrors please take a look at the details I have posted at: www.classicinvestments-is-a-ripoff.com

 

Caveat Emptor. I hate to say it, but you paid dearly to learn a valuable lesson...the dealer may be unscrupulous, but you made some very basic mistakes. Lick your wounds, learn your lessons, and get on with life.

 

Props to you for the website. Nicely done. Hope others see it.

 

Thanks, I just don't want anyone else to make the same mistake. I did hire a local mechanic, but he obviously did not do his job either.

 

if you feel you got ripped off,you need to sue him,in court in your state-not his

 

I hate flippers as much as the next guy. Probably more. After all that, I'm not sure I agree with this buyer.

A fuel pump and exhaust are fair game for a 40 year old used car. I guess not passing inspection is a lemon law issue, but it's an exhaust. Suck it up. With your OCD, you probably would have replaced anything with mild surface rust anyway!

Interior? Maybe the seller oversold the car, but making a website seems like a massive overreaction. The estimates for a $20k interior redo are ludicrous. It sounds like you and your OCD were expecting a brand new car. Were you expecting a 0 mile unicorn? Just how much did you pay for this car to justify your insane expectations?

I'm torn on this situation. The only basis I see on your complaint is that you were expecting leather and instead got vinyl. I guess it's a valid complaint, but not sure what to tell you. Maybe you need to read between the lines? The interior was REDONE, just not to the letter of the law of the build sheet. Technically, you are right, but technically, you are also insane.

 

If the car was "restored" and leather interior then thats what he should have got. Instead it sounds like a nice shiney paintjob with questionable mechanicals. Ie a blowover for sale.

These cars are complex structuraly and mechanicaly, I shudder to think what the state of the rest is.

Reality is you are almost always better buying a car from an owner, marque club member or tech who specialises in those models and knows the car intimatly, you know what you are getting. Then then spending what it takes to get right, or a sound bones non runner to restore.

Yes a dealer may get a great car every now and again, but most exotic dealers are just moving metal, thats their buisness. Its like spec home builders, they make theri $$$ on the difference between how something appears and what they actualy put into it.

Any used car is going to need work. But this does sound like misrepresentation. How come no action against the mechanic who did the PPi.

 

It looks like the mechanic who did the PPI did not identify basic facts - you say the wheels had to be replaced because they were the wrong size? Etc...these should have been identified...

Or was the price so good that you were willing to overlook some small details up front which turned out to be bigger issues later on?

 

I felt the comments about the wheels and "incorrect" battery were also a bit extreme.

The car comes with some sort of modified wheels. Maybe the seller should have explicitly said that, but don't the pictures clearly demonstrate this? Or were they the identical as OEM wheels, just a different size? No seller is not obligated to sell a car with OEM wheels.