mrfrankmrfrank
Veteran Member
I'm gonna start off by saying that craigslist just tends to be evil. I don't know why it's so hard to ever walk away from a craigslist endeavor fully satisfied. Earlier this week I stumbled across a car for sale that had the specs of my dream jetta. MK4, black, black leather interior, manual, moonroof, TDI. On paper this sounded great. The mileage was under 200k (in my opinion it's becoming harder and harder to find MK4 TDI's under this number... not saying they don't exist, just saying they are becoming scarce.)
There was a small picture of the car posted to the ad. The seller noted that the timing belt had just been changed and regular maintenance had been kept. I emailed the seller to see if larger pictures could be sent. I received the larger pics in my email. The car looked great. The pics were from an iphone, but the interior looked spectacular. The exterior looked very solid. I would spend the next several days talking with the seller via text and email. I was doing my best to secure financing for the vehicle. As it turned out I was successful in getting my loan for the vehicle and went further to discuss purchase with the seller. It was at this point that I started to get more details about the car.
Apparently there was some rust on the fenders. It was not easy to see this rust in the photos. I hadn't even noticed it myself. This did not concern me as I feel I might still have a chance to get them replaced under the supposed 12 year rust warranty. If not, I could always either swap them out or have some body work done. Then I was informed that the check engine light was on, but that it wasn't anything to worry about because it comes on and goes off. Something to do with the glow plug harness I was told. I was told I could call the mechanic who last worked on the car to verify the severity of the issue. I was also informed that the driver's side floor matt was pretty worn. None of these issues seemed life threatening to me and I was still very excited.
I proceeded to run a carfax to be safe. The carfax revealed what the seller had told me. That he was the second owner of the vehicle and has had it for almost 10 year straight. That he was meticulous with maintenance and care for the vehicle. This pleased me as it appeared that he truly cared for the car and wasn't just someone trying to flip a recently acquired vehicle. I inquired about any other known issues with the vehicle. I was told other than the rust on the fenders, floor matt, and check engine light, everything else was perfect.
I anticipated other things to be not exactly perfect, but I didn't expect what I came across. The problem with the rest of the story is as follows. I made arrangements with the seller to spend my Saturday driving with my father and my girlfriend in my Ford Taurus to go retrieve this jetta. I changed the oil in the Taurus, filled up the windshield wiper fluid, and on we went.
We drove 6 hours to northern Wisconsin. We get to the vehicle around 6:30pm and it is already dark outside. I point the Taurus' headlights at the car to try and get a good view. Up until this point I was rather pleased with my dealings with the seller. He seemed to be as upstanding a guy as you could possibly deal with. He had answered all of my questions without hesitation, and was even willing to sign over the title to me and let me take his car with only me handing him a CHECK from my credit union. I knew the check from my credit union was good.... but how could he possibly know? For all he knows I could have forged a check. I'm just some stranger from craigslist. "Yeah buddy, here's the legit check, and I'm off with his car and title in hand"
So I felt there was some mutual trust. Upon initial inspection I noticed that there were a couple of dents in the hood. We gave the car an overall inspection, but it was hard to make out in the dark. The seller let the three of us take the jetta for a spin. We headed straight for a well lit gas station. Getting out of the vehicle we immediately realized the sad truth.... The car had been the victim of a severe hailstorm..... Dings, dents, more dings, more dents...... it had the texture of a golfball.... I kid you not.
My girlfriend actually started crying right there in the gas station. She knew how badly I wanted that car and how far we had just driven. How could this guy possibly knowingly let us drive 6 hours one way and not disclose the countless dents over the entire body. I had spent nearly a week texting him back and forth about the car and this did not once come up in conversation.
I was horrified and severely shocked. F THIS!!! was all I was thinking. I was standing there in a gas station in northern wisconsin with a check for $7500 and no way to even counter that offer. Did I even want the car still? My immediate thoughts were quite random.... I had no idea what I was going to do. The interior was gorgeous and the car ran quite well...but what the hell could I do with the body? Did I really just waste an entire day to walk away empty handed? 13 hours round trip give or take and all of that gas the Taurus sucked down.....
My dad and I quickly scanned the severity of the damage. We came to the conclusion that if we replaced the hood and the trunk lid (the brunt of the damage) and had the dings pulled from the roof (there were far fewer on the roof) Then the car would actually be really nice. It was at this point we realized that if we could talk the seller down and have him write us a check for a decent amount to offset the unchangeable check I had from the credit union, then perhaps it was worth it.
Upon returning to the seller's home, I immediately began with my issue. In my head I was screaming to myself, "Why the !*!*!*! would you let me drive this far and NOT MENTION THE 100 DENTS ON THE TOP OF THE CAR???? His response was nothing short of pure confusion for me.
"I guess I did forget to mention the hail damage.... It completely slipped my mind... I've gotten so used to it myself now that I don't even notice it"
I looked him right in the eyes and I have no idea to tell you the truth. The sincerity in his eyes..... Part of me largely thinks by some grace of god he really did forget, but a larger part of me cannot imagine how he can mention a cut up floor matt, but not mention obvious body damage over the entire car.
I don't know what to make of him. He seems like a genuine person and I think at this point I'm over the shock and frustration. I'm not entirely sure I currently harbor any negative feelings towards him. Maybe he forgot, maybe he didn't. Either way it wasn't pleasant. We were able to negotiate a lower price due to the body damage and he cut me a check. I'm coming up on almost 24 hours without sleep and spending 14 of those hours driving so who knows how I'll feel in the morning. Here I go praying that I can either find a trunk lid and hood at a junk yard and also replace the fenders at the factory.
Another fun tip was that the seller did not do me the favor of replacing the dead lowbeam headlight bulb so my choice of driving the return trip of 357 miles was either one headlight or brights the whole way.
I'll leave some pics here of the interior for now. I'll upload the pics he sent me of the exterior tomorrow when I have the energy to photoshop out the licence plates.
ugh.... hopefully I can turn this car into the car I believed it was and more...
PLANNED REPAIRS
Replace fenders (due to rust) under 12 year VW rust warranty (if possible)
Repair dents on roof, doors, and quarter panels
Possible repair of dents on trunk lid (if not, the trunk lid will be replaced)
Likely replacement of hood (due to dents)
Repair / replace lower valence on front bumper as it has been damaged
Repair arm rest (sides are pulling outward and armrest wont lock into position)
Repair arm rest latch (it is missing entirely)
Clean engine bay
Inspect and clean EGR
Diesel Purge
Replace driver side low-beam headlight bulb (it is burnt out)
Polish headlights as they are very dull and yellow (replacement if needed)
Get rid of check engine light (reason for this light is still unknown, suspected glow plug harness)
*All of these repairs are planned to be completed before TDIFEST 2012
PLANNED UPGRADES
*ENGINE
PD150 intake manifold
Garrett VNT 17/22 turbo
RocketChip (goal is RC5)
DG by-pass filter (I know they are not made anymore, but I will do my best to hunt one down)
Frostheater
Either R32 OR VR6 airbox and snorkel (not sure which is better yet)
Upgraded intercooler and piping (front-mount)
11mm Injection Pump
Bosio PowerPlus 764 Injectors (these are better than the 520 correct?)
PD In-tank Life pump
*BODY
DG Skidplate (I may go with sideskirts as well)
Blackout taillights
Clear sidemarkers
Maybe different front bumper
*SUSPENSION
tbd
*INTERIOR
Tint (not sure what % yet)
SuperbrightLeds
Boost gauge
tbd
*AUDIO
tbd
*TRANSMISSION
tbd
There was a small picture of the car posted to the ad. The seller noted that the timing belt had just been changed and regular maintenance had been kept. I emailed the seller to see if larger pictures could be sent. I received the larger pics in my email. The car looked great. The pics were from an iphone, but the interior looked spectacular. The exterior looked very solid. I would spend the next several days talking with the seller via text and email. I was doing my best to secure financing for the vehicle. As it turned out I was successful in getting my loan for the vehicle and went further to discuss purchase with the seller. It was at this point that I started to get more details about the car.
Apparently there was some rust on the fenders. It was not easy to see this rust in the photos. I hadn't even noticed it myself. This did not concern me as I feel I might still have a chance to get them replaced under the supposed 12 year rust warranty. If not, I could always either swap them out or have some body work done. Then I was informed that the check engine light was on, but that it wasn't anything to worry about because it comes on and goes off. Something to do with the glow plug harness I was told. I was told I could call the mechanic who last worked on the car to verify the severity of the issue. I was also informed that the driver's side floor matt was pretty worn. None of these issues seemed life threatening to me and I was still very excited.
I proceeded to run a carfax to be safe. The carfax revealed what the seller had told me. That he was the second owner of the vehicle and has had it for almost 10 year straight. That he was meticulous with maintenance and care for the vehicle. This pleased me as it appeared that he truly cared for the car and wasn't just someone trying to flip a recently acquired vehicle. I inquired about any other known issues with the vehicle. I was told other than the rust on the fenders, floor matt, and check engine light, everything else was perfect.
I anticipated other things to be not exactly perfect, but I didn't expect what I came across. The problem with the rest of the story is as follows. I made arrangements with the seller to spend my Saturday driving with my father and my girlfriend in my Ford Taurus to go retrieve this jetta. I changed the oil in the Taurus, filled up the windshield wiper fluid, and on we went.
We drove 6 hours to northern Wisconsin. We get to the vehicle around 6:30pm and it is already dark outside. I point the Taurus' headlights at the car to try and get a good view. Up until this point I was rather pleased with my dealings with the seller. He seemed to be as upstanding a guy as you could possibly deal with. He had answered all of my questions without hesitation, and was even willing to sign over the title to me and let me take his car with only me handing him a CHECK from my credit union. I knew the check from my credit union was good.... but how could he possibly know? For all he knows I could have forged a check. I'm just some stranger from craigslist. "Yeah buddy, here's the legit check, and I'm off with his car and title in hand"
So I felt there was some mutual trust. Upon initial inspection I noticed that there were a couple of dents in the hood. We gave the car an overall inspection, but it was hard to make out in the dark. The seller let the three of us take the jetta for a spin. We headed straight for a well lit gas station. Getting out of the vehicle we immediately realized the sad truth.... The car had been the victim of a severe hailstorm..... Dings, dents, more dings, more dents...... it had the texture of a golfball.... I kid you not.
My girlfriend actually started crying right there in the gas station. She knew how badly I wanted that car and how far we had just driven. How could this guy possibly knowingly let us drive 6 hours one way and not disclose the countless dents over the entire body. I had spent nearly a week texting him back and forth about the car and this did not once come up in conversation.
I was horrified and severely shocked. F THIS!!! was all I was thinking. I was standing there in a gas station in northern wisconsin with a check for $7500 and no way to even counter that offer. Did I even want the car still? My immediate thoughts were quite random.... I had no idea what I was going to do. The interior was gorgeous and the car ran quite well...but what the hell could I do with the body? Did I really just waste an entire day to walk away empty handed? 13 hours round trip give or take and all of that gas the Taurus sucked down.....
My dad and I quickly scanned the severity of the damage. We came to the conclusion that if we replaced the hood and the trunk lid (the brunt of the damage) and had the dings pulled from the roof (there were far fewer on the roof) Then the car would actually be really nice. It was at this point we realized that if we could talk the seller down and have him write us a check for a decent amount to offset the unchangeable check I had from the credit union, then perhaps it was worth it.
Upon returning to the seller's home, I immediately began with my issue. In my head I was screaming to myself, "Why the !*!*!*! would you let me drive this far and NOT MENTION THE 100 DENTS ON THE TOP OF THE CAR???? His response was nothing short of pure confusion for me.
"I guess I did forget to mention the hail damage.... It completely slipped my mind... I've gotten so used to it myself now that I don't even notice it"
I looked him right in the eyes and I have no idea to tell you the truth. The sincerity in his eyes..... Part of me largely thinks by some grace of god he really did forget, but a larger part of me cannot imagine how he can mention a cut up floor matt, but not mention obvious body damage over the entire car.
I don't know what to make of him. He seems like a genuine person and I think at this point I'm over the shock and frustration. I'm not entirely sure I currently harbor any negative feelings towards him. Maybe he forgot, maybe he didn't. Either way it wasn't pleasant. We were able to negotiate a lower price due to the body damage and he cut me a check. I'm coming up on almost 24 hours without sleep and spending 14 of those hours driving so who knows how I'll feel in the morning. Here I go praying that I can either find a trunk lid and hood at a junk yard and also replace the fenders at the factory.
Another fun tip was that the seller did not do me the favor of replacing the dead lowbeam headlight bulb so my choice of driving the return trip of 357 miles was either one headlight or brights the whole way.
I'll leave some pics here of the interior for now. I'll upload the pics he sent me of the exterior tomorrow when I have the energy to photoshop out the licence plates.
ugh.... hopefully I can turn this car into the car I believed it was and more...
PLANNED REPAIRS
Replace fenders (due to rust) under 12 year VW rust warranty (if possible)
Repair dents on roof, doors, and quarter panels
Possible repair of dents on trunk lid (if not, the trunk lid will be replaced)
Likely replacement of hood (due to dents)
Repair / replace lower valence on front bumper as it has been damaged
Repair arm rest (sides are pulling outward and armrest wont lock into position)
Repair arm rest latch (it is missing entirely)
Clean engine bay
Inspect and clean EGR
Diesel Purge
Replace driver side low-beam headlight bulb (it is burnt out)
Polish headlights as they are very dull and yellow (replacement if needed)
Get rid of check engine light (reason for this light is still unknown, suspected glow plug harness)
*All of these repairs are planned to be completed before TDIFEST 2012
PLANNED UPGRADES
*ENGINE
PD150 intake manifold
Garrett VNT 17/22 turbo
RocketChip (goal is RC5)
DG by-pass filter (I know they are not made anymore, but I will do my best to hunt one down)
Frostheater
Either R32 OR VR6 airbox and snorkel (not sure which is better yet)
Upgraded intercooler and piping (front-mount)
11mm Injection Pump
Bosio PowerPlus 764 Injectors (these are better than the 520 correct?)
PD In-tank Life pump
*BODY
DG Skidplate (I may go with sideskirts as well)
Blackout taillights
Clear sidemarkers
Maybe different front bumper
*SUSPENSION
tbd
*INTERIOR
Tint (not sure what % yet)
SuperbrightLeds
Boost gauge
tbd
*AUDIO
tbd
*TRANSMISSION
tbd
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(Yeah, gettin a little deep...)
