OrangeSkin Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 ...On a used car. My fiancee and I have lived in New York for 2+ years without a car, but we'll be moving later this year and decided that now was the time to purchase one. My fiancee wears the pants in our relationship, so she took the reins and started looking at cars on Craigslist (she found her job on there and so swears by it for everything). She found a '98 Volvo for $3000 listed by this guy Mark and, while I was at work, went to a forlorn corner of Brooklyn to check it out. She decides it's the car for us; I have no objections; I'm basically clueless at this point, and still am. She puts a $100 deposit down. At this point we just have to wait a couple days for the paperwork to come through so that we can register it and live happily ever after. I should also add that Mark supposedly works independently through a dealer or somesuch. I have no idea what this means, but he inhabits a sketchy looking garage that advertises detailing and tinting services, and in addition blasts "MTV Jams" episodes from the '90s on a loop. So a couple days pass, and we hear back from Mark. Most of the paperwork has come through, but the title is yet to be transferred through the dealer, which is obviously a must to register the car under our name. No big deal. Mark says we can pick the car up along with all of the paperwork that he currently has, and we can pay in full, which my fiancee obligingly does, and I allow her to, since, like I said, she wears the pants and I am virtually clueless. How do we legally drive the car out of the garage, you ask? There is a 30 day temporary plate on the back of the vehicle. Fantastic. We are told that the title will come through in a matter of days, and it's not even a big rush, since my fiancee has to go away for a week for work anyway, and won't be able to go to the DMV till she gets back. She gets back, still no title. Mark says it will be ready the next day. The next day Mark says it will be ready the next day. The next day Mark says it will be ready the next day. On Friday Mark says it will be ready on Monday. On Monday evening Mark says it will be ready within the hour. Within the hour and the ensuing hours, we hear zilch from Mark. I'm beginning to believe that we'll never get the title. So, I'm ready to admit that we've probably been scammed out of a substantial sum of money. We're naive; I know that. I guess I'm just looking for moral support and any advice on what recourse we might have. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffxdrummer Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Oof. So, do you have the car in your possession? Do you have a receipt of payment? If not, did you at least pay by check? Hopefully this guy is just scatterbrained and is being slow about getting the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 The title should been the first thing that you give or ask for when you gave the money over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter Apotheosis Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 If you're only out $100 and didn't give them a credit card number or anything it might be best to just cut your losses at this point. I'm not entirely sure how things work in NY but here in VA purchasing or selling a car is a remarkably quick transaction if you're not going to finance it (I assume you wouldn't for a $3000 vehicle). It's literally just having both parties sign the title while handing over a wad of cash. Any prolonged process is almost certainly a scam, you never want to be in a position where you're waiting for anything once money becomes involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Bleed_B&G Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 why would you buy a car from a street corner if the guy says he works at a dealer? Am I missing something? If you are buying it from a private seller, you should be swapping money for the title right on the spot. Never give money without the title or lein holders title Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 was there even a contract involved? right now, he could technically say his car was stolen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter Apotheosis Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 was there even a contract involved? right now, he could technically say his car was stolen After re-reading the post... I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he was the one who stole it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinfan2k Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 After re-reading the post... I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he was the one who stole it. yeah i didn't want to be the bearer of bad news lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Bleed_B&G Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Since you have the car, you could probably find out who the the owner of the car is by checking the VIN # with the DMV maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVAbrendan Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 advice: find your pants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Thanks guys, yeah, I guess we really screwed ourselves over. If we're really out $3000 then at least it's not going to kill us, since it came out of my fiancee's Christmas bonus. I am 99% sure that we have a receipt somewhere in the paperwork that he gave us, but if it really is a scam, I seriously doubt its validity. He does sell other cars, I saw them when we were there, so unless he's boosting a LOT of cars or its a ring of some sort, then I doubt it's stolen, at least by him, but who knows. And RVAbrendan: duly noted. She's been really reliable on stuff like this before, so I trusted her, but I definitely should have been more involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonofwashington14 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I'd recommend contacting the police about it and see what they have to say. If the guys runs a business out of there, then you should probably talk to an attorney about possible cause of actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportjunkie07 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 oh man am i mad at myself for not posting a thread on used car buying on the internet after my recent 3 week search for a cheap used car. i had about 7 to 8 people try to scam me. rule number 1 is payment is given when title is received. rule number 2 check the cars VIN number with local DMV to make sure the title is clean... you can also check carfax, autocheck, and/or nicb.org, though the latter are not completely effective please tell me you have not made the full payment yet. there should be nothing fishy about transactions such as this and this one stinks. edit: i see you did make the full payment. what you need to do now is search the car's VIN number at NICB.org The VIN should be listed on the drivers side near the bottom of the window. I would also call the police and explain the situation to them. Maybe, this guy you have been contacting is actually telling the truth and just not at his phone right now, but it doesnt matter. I do find it odd that if he were completely scamming you, that he would answer your phone call at all after getting the money, so there's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No_Pressure Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 For starters, 3,000 for a 98 Volvo is a scam in itself. Secondly, who the **** gives some random ass guy off craigslist not just 100 dollars in a deposit but 3,000 for a car without a title? Your fiancee obviously didn't know what the **** she was doing, and if she's gullible enough to pay somebody 3,000 dollars for a car she doesn't have the title to, who knows what other bigger and more catastrophic things she's willing to do with what apparently will very soon be.. both of your money? You better start paying attention and taking an active role in financial decisions right now if you don't want somebody squandering large sums of cash because they don't know how the world works. Check with the police or DMV, find out if you're in possession of a stolen car if the deadbeat who sold it to you doesn't pull a title out of his ass. Keep copies of your correspondence from craiglist if there is any, hold on to any phone numbers, names, and addresses. If you were scammed it is possible the police could recover your money for you. They would be doing you a favor because a 98 volvo of any model is not worth 3,000 dollars. Probably around 2, if that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter Apotheosis Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 For starters, 3,000 for a 98 Volvo is a scam in itself. Depends on the model, condition, and mileage. $3000 isn't all that outrageous if the car is, say, an S70 GLT in very good condition. The fact that this was a pre-Ford car really only helps matters. No sense trashing the car choice unless it's one that is very much overpriced (not necessarily the case here) or just plain incomprehensible (an Aztec, a PT Cruiser, a Smartcar, a Jaguar under the impression that it will be a reliable daily driver, etc.), IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportjunkie07 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 For starters, 3,000 for a 98 Volvo is a scam in itself. Secondly, who the **** gives some random ass guy off craigslist not just 100 dollars in a deposit but 3,000 for a car without a title? Your fiancee obviously didn't know what the **** she was doing, and if she's gullible enough to pay somebody 3,000 dollars for a car she doesn't have the title to, who knows what other bigger and more catastrophic things she's willing to do with what apparently will very soon be.. both of your money? You better start paying attention and taking an active role in financial decisions right now if you don't want somebody squandering large sums of cash because they don't know how the world works.Check with the police or DMV, find out if you're in possession of a stolen car if the deadbeat who sold it to you doesn't pull a title out of his ass. Keep copies of your correspondence from craiglist if there is any, hold on to any phone numbers, names, and addresses. If you were scammed it is possible the police could recover your money for you. They would be doing you a favor because a 98 volvo of any model is not worth 3,000 dollars. Probably around 2, if that. and all of this. there is a good chance that right now you are in possession of a stolen car and if so, time is of the essence in getting any kind of return on your money. ---------- Post added January-24th-2012 at 09:13 PM ---------- Depends on the model, condition, and mileage. $3000 isn't all that outrageous if the car is, say, an S70 GLT in good condition. The fact that this was a pre-Ford car really only helps. when buying from a private dealer, a car is worth zero to me unless i can see that the title is clean and that the name on said title matches the seller's identification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 We checked the Carfax and it was never reported as stolen. Is it possible that this info was somehow forged and it actually is stolen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter Apotheosis Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 when buying from a private dealer, a car is worth zero to me unless i can see that the title is clean and that the name on said title matches the seller's identification. Absolutely. I've already indicated in this thread that I share this sentiment, I just don't see the need to pile on the man's fiancee for picking a $3000 Volvo. If you separate the car and the price from the truly terrible set of circumstances then I'd say that people make worse decisions all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Bleed_B&G Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 We checked the Carfax and it was never reported as stolen. Is it possible that this info was somehow forged and it actually is stolen? if carfax says it is was not stolen than you may be OK. But if I were you, I would not trust Carfax. Who knows how long a stolen report would be reported to Carfax. Could be months. I'd probably go ahead and call the police and let them look into it. Time is critical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enter Apotheosis Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 if carfax says it is was not stolen than you may be OK. But if I were you, I would not trust Carfax. Who knows how long a stolen report would be reported to Carfax. Could be months. I'd probably go ahead and call the police and let them look into it. Time is critical It's probably worth mentioning that despite all the fear we've put into Orange in this thread, it's not a forgone conclusion that he has been scammed. Checking with the police would still be a wise move to determine your options and possibly get some assistance in speeding up the process even if the seller is simply dragging his feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Bleed_B&G Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 It's probably worth mentioning that despite all the fear we've put into Orange in this thread, it's not a forgone conclusion that he has been scammed. Checking with the police would still be a wise move to determine your options and possibly get some assistance in speeding up the process even if the seller is simply dragging his feet. I agree but from the story he recounted, it sure does sound shady. Just remember OP. #1 rule of thumb is never give money without a title present. Another good rule is if you know nothing about cars, bring a friend along or a trusty mechanic to check out the car for you to give you the green light. edit...Actually I should have said, the #1 rule of thumb is to pull your pants up. Wear suspenders if you have to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportjunkie07 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 We checked the Carfax and it was never reported as stolen. Is it possible that this info was somehow forged and it actually is stolen? well considering that the information you are going off of is the VIN number, yes, it could be faked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stophovr6 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I'm confused, do you have the car? You should contact the DMV and find out exactly what the process is in NY for the title transfer. I sold my car on CL a couple months ago. All I had to do was sign my name on the title along with the price and date. Then we created a simple bill of sale for the buyer and finally I went online and filled out a simple form for the state stating that I sold my car to the buyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Thanks guys, I just have a bad feeling about it, now that I'm reading up (which I obviously should have done beforehand). Any piling on as regards my stupidity is totally warranted. We're just fortunate that we didn't have to spend our food or rent money or anything, if it does come to us losing all of it. I've heard about crap like this happening to people, but never thought it could happen to us. I guess it's a harsh lesson learned...thanks for all your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportjunkie07 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Absolutely. I've already indicated in this thread that I share this sentiment, I just don't see the need to pile on the man's fiancee for picking a $3000 Volvo. If you separate the car and the price from the truly terrible set of circumstances then I'd say that people make worse decisions all the time. oh yeah, i agree, thats why im not trying to bash him. but he does need to get this process expedited in case he is being scammed, and that is what im trying to stress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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