I might be buying a 240 parts car

[mikewags]

There is a 240z i will be going to see this weekend that is selling for dirt cheap. The owner says it has rust inside (floor rusting out) - although the engine and auto trans and just about everything else is good.

I'm not sure of the year; but what should I look for? I would get it just to part it out to some of you guys on here (i have a 280 so i don't have a lot of use for some of the stuff in it) - If the interior is good; dash, etc - it would make for a great parts car deal.

Any particular things I should look for? Anyone need parts I should keep my eye out for?

Edited November 20, 2008 by mikewags

[JeffMopar]

I am still looking for a good front valance for a 1972.

[mikewags]

So, i was planning to go see this car tomorrow...the guy calls me back. Someone wired him the $500 the car was going to sell for, and wants to ship it to CALI. There weren't even photos on the craigslist ad.

This seems to happen often. My neighbor was selling a boat, and some guy just wired him the 3 grand he wanted for it, without seeing it in person. He said it was to be shipped overseas to Europe...

Did anyone here buy this car?

Strange...

[Tarmac]

So, i was planning to go see this car tomorrow...the guy calls me back. Someone wired him the $500 the car was going to sell for, and wants to ship it to CALI. There weren't even photos on the craigslist ad.

This seems to happen often. My neighbor was selling a boat, and some guy just wired him the 3 grand he wanted for it, without seeing it in person. He said it was to be shipped overseas to Europe...

Did anyone here buy this car?

Strange...

I smell a scam!

[JohnnyO]

Why would someone pay 1200 or more to ship it to California. Search almost any county in CA and you will find plenty of parts cars for sale.

As stated earlier, sounds like a scam.

John

[Six_Shooter]

A scam to do what? Mike is not out any money or time (other than a couple phone calls).

Please explain this "scam".

[JohnnyO]

A scam to do what? Mike is not out any money or time (other than a couple phone calls).

Please explain this "scam".

I don't think that anyone said Mike is being scammed. It just sounds like a fishy story from the seller. I am skeptical of the the sellers story and would recommend backing away from that deal if it were still active.

[Tarmac]

Im certain the whole thing revolves around a "certified" check from Nigeria. If you log on to Craigslist it now says in huge letters "offers to ship cars are 100% fraudulent".

They send you a fake certified check for the amount of the car+shipping. You deposit the "certified" check, then ship the car. By the time the bank figures out it's fake (several weeks) your car is in Eastern Europe or, in this case, Mexico.

They also do it another way, where they send you the fake check for the amount + a bunch more, and say "just wire back what you don't spend on shipping". Then they pocket the cash.

They also do it where they are the seller.

Anyhoo, anytime I hear a story like this one, I smell a scam. Maybe Im wrong this time

[Tarmac]

Craigslist Scams

Craigslist scams to be aware of include Rental Schemes, counterfeit money orders, bad checks, online tickets scams, phony escrow services, home repair and scams related to buying or selling a car.

Craigslist is a great resource for selling things, finding apartments, locating services and meeting people. Most of the time transactions go smoothly and both seller and buyer are satisfied with the Craigslist experience.

Danger awaits the unwary buyer or seller on Craigslist. Most these scams follow the same pattern you see on eBay and other online auction sites. Try posting that you have a piece of jewelry or some other easily-mailed valuable item for sale and the first response you get will probably be someone trying scam you.

Craigslist Nigerian Scams and More

Emails from Nigeria offering you more than your selling price if you accept their check or money order are typical. The fact that this is a scam may seem obvious but there are lots of variations on this theme that fool people every day. Don't add your name to the growing list of Craigslist fraud victims. Be smart, be aware and if in doubt ask your friends or someone with internet savvy what they think if things sound fishy.

This page details a few common Craigslist scams but no list is ever complete because new versions of old scams appear all the time. Once you know the common themes these criminals use you can usually spot them a mile away and they become little more than a subject of amusement.

To help avoid these scams Craigslist suggests that you keep all transactions local and don't do business with people that live beyond your local area. You are also urged to use caution and common sense as you should with all online financial transactions. I once received an offer for a purchase where the person said they lived in California but requested that I email the item to somewhere in Oregon. Now what's wrong with this picture?

Offering more than what you asked for is another odd piece of behavior. Who would make such an offer? Poor grammar and misspelled words are other clues. In the offer I mentioned earlier both Oregon and California were misspelled and English was obviously not their native language. That doesn't necessarily mean the inquiry is coming from abroad but it's certainly a red flag.

Craigslist provides the following advice on avoiding scams to anyone using their service:

* Trust your instincts

* Deal only with local buyers and sellers

* NEVER wire funds to a distant buyer, via Western Union or any other carrier

* Be wary if the other party wants to use an escrow service such as BidPay, Squaretrade, or even PayPal

* NEVER give out personal financial information (eBay or PayPal info, checking account number, SSN, etc.)

* always remember the most important rule -- BUYER BEWARE

This advice isn't specific to Craigslist. It's just all-around good advice. Below are the top three Craigslist scams.

* The buyer or seller doesn't live near you.

* The buyer or seller wants to pay by cashier's check, US Postal Service money order, Western Union, or escrow service (BidPay, Squaretrade, etc.).

* The buyer or seller won't agree to meet with you in person.

If you happen to see something on Craigslist that looks scammy, you should send an email to "abuse@craigslist.org" and give them as much detail as you can about the listing. Make sure you include URL (or 8 digit post ID number) in your email. If you're selling som

[Six_Shooter]

Oh my god, The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

So because someone advertised a car for sale, discussed showing said car to a potential buyer, and then had someone else (in the same country, mind you) send payment before the unsure buyer even saw the car, this is a scam?

Edited November 22, 2008 by Six_Shooter

[sblake01]

Although it sounds fishy, it's missing at least one ingredient for me to call it a scam. Had the guy offered to call off his other deal if Mike would come up with a little more cash, maybe then........

[mikewags]

I was simply a potential buyer of this "parts car" i found on craigslist. I asked the guy if he had the cash in hand from the wire transfer because it sounded like complete horseshit. According to him he had withdrew the funds wired to him that day, and seemed to be content with the deal. I asked what the guys name was who bought the car from him, he said he didn't know.

I think its a scam, either a stolen identity used to pay for the car; or something of the likes.