This guy advertised this car on ebay, I was outbid so presumed it sold, then it reappeared 3 weeks later. I emailed him asking why the 1st buyer backed out, of course I was not told the truth, now I know why. We did a deal outside of ebay (mistake: I have no recourse thru ebay) speaking with him on the phone he sounded genuine & he had a 100% feedback score, how he gets this is beyond me. This classic car was described as " great running car in very nice condition", "rust free, missing nothing, 2 year old paint original color, got whatever it needed to keep in good repair" 'ready for the road'. He even suggested I could drive it from LA to Phoenix or offered one of his drivers to bring it out here, so I assumed it must be a decent car to make a 400 mile trip. He did state that the radio/AC / sequential turn signals were not working, I decided to have it transported.
On arrival the car had a flat battery. After jump starting it it broke down within 1/4 mile. Opening the hood I found gas pouring from the "recently rebuilt" carburetor. I then noticed the air cleaner assembly was missing. Also missing was the spare wheel & a piece of the gear selector indicator on the column. I fixed the carburetor (punctured float & top cover gasket the wrong way round) then checked the charging system to find it was NOT working & could not have been for a considerable time. The car had a new (recent) alternator but the plug to the main harness was so corroded no current could pass through.
After fixing this it still didn't charge, a new regulator fixed that. This 'rust free' car has a rust hole a foot long in the trunk & the passenger floor footwell is peppered with rust holes. The car is NOT the original color but has been (poorly) repainted a darker color by a 1 day paint outfit whose business card I found in the trunk. The car was described as a 'matching numbers' car. I have the engine out & have yet to find the engine #. The power windows & locks do not function nor do half the gauges or dash lights. The wiring under the dash is one of the worst cut/chopped/butchered I've ever seen. A (non functioning) alarm system & (non functioning) sound system had been installed in the past. The 'new' radiator fell apart on removal & I discovered there is no thermostat, probably to disguise that it overheats. The 'hot pipe' from the exhaust to the auto choke was broken & the auto choke reset to over ride this. The valve covers had been leaking oil for a long time, on removal the heads were so plugged up with gunge the oil drain holes were blocked. This ONLY occurs because of lack of maintenance/oil changes/poor quality oil. I asked him for $1K back which I thought was reasonable. The car cost $3500. So I'm going to sue him in small claims court.
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