Tried To Buy A 512BBi On Ebay

Doesn't sound like too much to ask for, but as most ebayer's will say - if you won it, you will buy it, because they must pay for the listing fees for the cars themselves.

If you walk away and are still lokoing for a 512BBi, you might want to look at this one: http://www.ferrarichat.com/pp-classifieds/showproduct.php?product=50&sort=1&cat=3&page=1 It's well maintained by one of our Fchatters here and owned by an Fchatter here as well.

 

Get the PPI done, then worry about it. If the car is not as presented, you have every right to walk away.

I followed the Boxer Randy pointed out for about 30 miles last April during the Tx FCA event in San Antonio. It's a damn nice car.

 

Welcome to the snake pit.





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Exactly what I'm doing with another eBay car:

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=134784088&postcount=41

 

... you're the owner. Unless you want to have a legally-binding contract written, a PPI after a winning eBay bid is a waste of money. Terms like "excellent condition" and "perfect car" are sales talk and I'd not recommend you rely on them even if things got ugly and you were to go to court.

I was interested in an eBay-listed 328 that expired. I called the seller (dealer) and asked if they would be OK if I had a PPI done (at my expense, obviously) at the Ferrari dealer in the same city. Oh boy. "Well, we don't like the car to leave the showroom. We don't want any mileage on the car. They'll just pick it apart. They want to break the deal." Yada yada yada. If the car was as advertised, what, exactly, would there be to pick apart? I told them thank you and continued my search elsewhere.

I would follow the advice you've received here. Unless you can do a PPI before bidding - and be prepared to lose that money if you lose the auction - wait till it expires. Then negotiate and get specific about what in a PPI would be considered major. There's a lot of stuff between a burnt out turn signal bulb and a complete engine failure - get it in writing, what would void the deal?

Jon

 

If the seller states the car is perfect and everything is in working order then they should have no problem in you doing a ppi. You can always walk away from an ebay deal if the item was not as advertised. If you opt for the buy it now option, you have every right to walk if they somehow misrepresented the car.

 

Did you ask them exactly what they don't agree to do?
Are they not agreeing to do PPI, because the car have to be transported to somewhere for PPI? or they don't want to pay any repair cost if something was found wrong?
Even though the seller is describing the car as "perfect", 512BBi is an old car after all. As a seller's point of view, they may be afraid of the buyer might just pick small details for repair. Negotiate w/ the seller for what have to be repaired or set maximum repair cost, if necessary, after PPI.

If they reject any suggestion, you can walk away.

 

Beware if they're not standing 100% behind their car. If a dealer is holding it for you, most likely they will make you sign a buyer's order and put a deposit on the car. Make SURE you read carefully and before you put ANY money down you write on the contract that "DEPOSIT IS FULLY REFUNDABLE if PPI reveals anything not disclosed, or if buyer discovers anything that was not disclosed prior to signing contract".

I just went through this ordeal with Presidential Auto Sales & Leasing in Delray Beach, FL. It was that 01 360 spider on Ebay, they said the car was perfect in every way and "my boss don't buy junk". The car had cigar burns, stank of smoke, had a hole in the dash, was abused and ragged out in every possible way. They tried to stick me and keep my $5000 credit card deposit saying that I bought the car sight unseen even though I made my buying decision based on the seller's false information. To show how bad it was, they ended up wholesaling the car for $7500 less at auction less than 2 weeks later even though they only had the car for a month total.

Their mistake since they violated 3 Florida laws and I'm taking it up with the proper authorities.

 

Anyone who is a real player in the Ferrari business knows the drill with a PPI. It's simple, if they refuse, they have something to hide. If they want a deposit first, they have something to hide. If they don't want to allow the car to go offsite thats OK, it's not even all that unusual. But they should allow your guy to do the PPI at their place. I have done that many times, how do you think I do a PPI when someone flies me somewhere to check out a car? All the dealers I have been in have provided a place to do a PPI for a visiting mechanic. It's all part of the deal and if they don't like it those are not the people you want to do business with.

It is perfectly reasonable for them to keep the car on the market until you fork over the money though.

 

If a car had no issues, then an inspection would be welcomed and anything discovered would be discussed and worked out.

They obviously don't want a buyer who takes the advice of the knowledgeable people here at F-Chat (You KNOW who you are and I wish I was one of them )

Thank you.

 

If the seller will not allow a PPI, then look for a different car.

Boxers (especially low mileage ones) have LOTS of things that might need replacement/repair. Bad hoses, belts, shocks (6), corroded injectors, frozen distributor advance, etc.. etc...

A PPI is MANDATORY when considering a purchase of one of these beasts.

Even after an excellent PPI report, there are still some issues that can turn up after putting some road miles on them.... just ask me how I know!

I absolutely love my Boxer and they are great cars when properly sorted out.

Take your time and find a good one!

 

I've found three workable ways to approach buying a car:

(1) buy it new and keep it forever ... that way, you know all of what's been done to it.

(2) Get to know good mechanics. Eventually, a car that he can endorse will go on the market. (Never buy because you have money burning a hole in your pocket. "Wait for the opportune moment". (That's Captain Jack Sparrow))

(3) Go look at a local one. Make a list of all the things wrong with it. (Not all is intentional deception: An owner often genuinely forgets things that he just hasn't "gotten round to" -- he stopped noticing it.) Then slash the price down until beads of blood appear on his brow. (It thus follows that you should try to avoid selling when you have a pressing need to have money burning a hole in your pocket.)

A good mechanic can bring a less than perfect car up to daily reliability (even an Italian car). (Another reason to know the good mechanics.) Figure a quarter of the purchase price to have an average "used" Italian made right. (Nobody sells sports cars if they're still enjoying driving them. Usually there's something annoying them.)

 

You could give them a deposit but make sure it's refundable. You could put the deposit on your credit card then call your bank and ask them to hold the charge until you clear it or dispute it later if you need to. $1,000 is not a whole lot to make an old f-car perfect as long as they are willing to pay for any repairs over that amount.... consider it an extended warranty. Another way of putting it is... would you pay 1,000 more than the agreed upon price for that specific car? If yes then the 1,000 shouldn't matter much.

 

'They would not agree to let me see the books and records unless I gave them a deposit.'

thats enough info for me....

not letting you actually see what you are buying (books are just as much a part of the car) before you put down a deposit is extremely fishy. and even if there is nothing wrong with the car, these are obviously not reputable people to be dealing with.

do they own the car or is it on concession from the owner? if the latter, then contact the owner directly. otherwise walk away.

 

run away . please post the vin and dealer name so those of us looking at Boxers can avoid both the car and the " dealer".

 

Walk from the deal! Way too many red flags on this one.

 

Contact the Florida DMV and file a complaint.

 

I found my BB512i on ebay, but didn't buy it there. I just called the seller and made the arrangements to drive almost 500 miles to inspect the car first. I would never buy a Ferrari sight unseen even if it passed a PPI.

 

Well I have to tell you IF you'd won my auction (and I understand you did not bid) I am doing the same. Every PPI will reveil something and could be used to walk away. I do the same and have a cap of thing as to when I let someone walk off an auction.
Now when you are dealing direct, like in your case, I will allow you to bring the car to the PPI but will not stop others from making offers on the car. Although I will give you a first shot during the PPI time.

Since we talked about your situation yesterday on the phone I will say it again:

If a dealer is asking you for a NON_refundable deposit, run, don't just walk. I am a car dealer not a deposit dealer!

 

Enough red flags to stop traffic on every road course in north America. With so many Boxers available, why bother?

On eBay, I look for:

- A comprehensive, seemingly fair/realistic description including faults
- Tons of photos - intelligent pics, showing what a knowledgeable buyer would want to see
- A public, not private auction
- Prompt replies to questions
- Full, factual replies to questions, no hype, no fluff
- A seller who posts questions and answers with the listing
- A knowledgeable seller, preferably one who's a bit picky - has all records and offers to share them; has all books and tools and is proud of it; wants to go on about the history of the car; has models, sales lit, etc. In short, an enthusiast.
- A seller who invites, even encourages - dares me to make - an inspection.
- Best of all, a seller who allows a very short back-out period following the close of the auction if the buyer upon inspection is unhappy for any reason. I know this is risky for the seller.

 

I did =) I sent the packet off last week. They violated 3 provisions in the Dealer licensing statute and each could result in suspension or revocation of their license. I also disputed it with my credit card company...
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As for the 512BBi, that is WAY TOO FISHY. Noone who is legit would do that. The deal I was in, they told me it had the 15k service done at Shelton Ferrari, then the day before my flight they said it was not done but would be done "after I accept the car". By then it was too late to cancel my flight.

512BBi's are extremely rare cars and it's not like you sell one a day. If they're serious to sell, and you're willing to pay $300-400 for a PPI, the least they should do is hold the car for 48 hours without a deposit while you get a PPI done.

If they won't do it, trust your judgement and WALK AWAY!!! before you lose much more than that.