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Anyone ever feel they got ripped off?

I bought my 69 RR from a classic car dealer sight unseen. I did pay for a third party inspection. The inspector did find some issues with the car that I actually used as leverage for reducing the price. The inspection and report that came with it were very thorough and included video and probably 100 photos. Test driven by inspector and detailed report into how the car drove. I bought the car based on the inspection, and what I received was exactly what was presented to me. I knew the car would need some work, but was prepared for everything when the car got to me. That being said, I won't ever do it again. I will drive/fly to wherever a car may be to inspect it personally.

Just an FYI, the dealer was Unique Classic Cars in Minnesota, and the inspection company was Lemonsquad.
 
Ya really gotta know these cars in order to know what to look out for....
It takes years of dealing with them to understand what you can live with and what to expect when buying something you didn't build...

You'd be surprised at the limited knowledge the seller has about the mopar he's selling...the inspection guy is probably just as dumb.
 
If it makes you feel any better I'll share my got ripped off story. I had a 1978 Ford F350 Dually with a 460 that a guy really wanted so one day he pulls up in a really nicely done 1982 Grand Prix and offers it in trade.. I took the bait. The car was freshly painted, had sharp rims, new tires and a new crate 350 so why not, it was sharp. After a few months the door developed a huge crack, then the other door next the engine starts to rattle so I tear into it, both doors had putty at least 3/4" thick covering almost the whole door at a time when these doors were a dime a dozen and the engine once opened up was nothing more than a high mileage 350 with a new paint job!! I decided to strip the whole car and repaint it then tackled rebuilding the engine... shortly after the drive clutches go out in the transmission:BangHead:.

Strangely enough after building a hot running 400sb and a 9" rear I ended up doing pretty good selling it... I sold it after acquiring my Charger and never looked back.
 
Just to keep the story straight, yeah ripped off. I don't care who the seller was, all the wiring issues should have been declared, and selling price reflected on it. Seller knew exactly what they had!
Won't make you feel any better, but wiring that looks like that...is not the norm. You being a car guy probably already know that. Mopar or not, 50 year old auto, take the good, with the bad. Your so-called inspector should have seen the wiring first off!!

But, also boils down to just how bad you want the car.
My first was a 63 Sport Fury ragtop. Wanting to 'go back in time', went on the look out, even getting past my time in a 69 RR. Yep, had one, too. No rip off, but found my 64 Sport Fury, as is, after it sat dead in a corn field for several years! Knew what I wanted, so be it.
 
I don't think you should beat yourself up too much. It's kinda the nature of the hobby - things go wrong!
My story; I found a car online. Flew 1,500 miles to check the car myself. Drove the car. Inspected it on a lift. Bought it and shipped it home. The first year I had the car I put $3,000 into it on problems that surfaced. I still think the car was worth it. We love driving the cars but we also love working on them.
 
A good inspection SHOULD have discovered starter and battery issues, but without a decent road test, any steering issues found would likely have been limited to excessive leaks and such. Hopefully you can get on top of the problems quickly and begin to enjoy cruising in the summer months. :)

I hope so too, I think once I get the wiring done I'll be good to go! Thanks
I don't think you should beat yourself up too much. It's kinda the nature of the hobby - things go wrong!
My story; I found a car online. Flew 1,500 miles to check the car myself. Drove the car. Inspected it on a lift. Bought it and shipped it home. The first year I had the car I put $3,000 into it on problems that surfaced. I still think the car was worth it. We love driving the cars but we also love working on them.

Very True, I'm in about $3000 now, I'm hoping once I get the wiring done everything will be good to go for a while!
 
If anything I would be upset with the inspection company you had. It is their job to at least find obvious problems with a car, that's what they get paid to do. You can expect that most of these old cars will have a few issues, but on yours it should have been blatantly obvious there were some major electrical problems. Still, if you have a solid body, you are ahead of the game. That is where the money leaving you wallet and more unseen issues snowballs rather quickly.
 
I bought my 69 RR from a classic car dealer sight unseen. I did pay for a third party inspection. The inspector did find some issues with the car that I actually used as leverage for reducing the price. The inspection and report that came with it were very thorough and included video and probably 100 photos. Test driven by inspector and detailed report into how the car drove. I bought the car based on the inspection, and what I received was exactly what was presented to me. I knew the car would need some work, but was prepared for everything when the car got to me. That being said, I won't ever do it again. I will drive/fly to wherever a car may be to inspect it personally.

Just an FYI, the dealer was Unique Classic Cars in Minnesota, and the inspection company was Lemonsquad.
I bought my 69 RR from a classic car dealer sight unseen. I did pay for a third party inspection. The inspector did find some issues with the car that I actually used as leverage for reducing the price. The inspection and report that came with it were very thorough and included video and probably 100 photos. Test driven by inspector and detailed report into how the car drove. I bought the car based on the inspection, and what I received was exactly what was presented to me. I knew the car would need some work, but was prepared for everything when the car got to me. That being said, I won't ever do it again. I will drive/fly to wherever a car may be to inspect it personally.

Just an FYI, the dealer was Unique Classic Cars in Minnesota, and the inspection company was Lemonsquad.


It may cost a little more to go check it out yourself, but there is no replacement for first hand looking and driving the car you want to buy. You also get a face to face with the seller. When you are standing there with the cash, and they know it- is when you will make the best deal. In most cases it will pay for your trip and then some.
 
Sorry about your problems, venting is a great way to blow off some steam but then I recommend you just "keep on keeping on" because life is way to short to dwell on the bad stuff. :thumbsup:
 
There's many ways to see this situation that may help ease the pain. First off, these cars and all older vehicles have been know to have wiring issues so don't beat yourself up on thinking you got a lemon. Also, not looking at the car yourself you can view it in two ways. The guy who inspected the car should be shot lol, but had you took time off work, flew to inspect the car, you're looking at airfare, motel, rental car, time off work. So the repair of electrical with even out with the expense of a trip to inspect the car yourself. There's been cases where cars have had vins swapped, rust or collision masked and such. Yours isn't so bad..but I feel your pain.
 
There's many ways to see this situation that may help ease the pain. First off, these cars and all older vehicles have been know to have wiring issues so don't beat yourself up on thinking you got a lemon. Also, not looking at the car yourself you can view it in two ways. The guy who inspected the car should be shot lol, but had you took time off work, flew to inspect the car, you're looking at airfare, motel, rental car, time off work. So the repair of electrical with even out with the expense of a trip to inspect the car yourself. There's been cases where cars have had vins swapped, rust or collision masked and such. Yours isn't so bad..but I feel your pain.

Thanks! Yeah, one thing I got going for me is it seems like a solid car, a little skim coat of bondo but not bad. Yes, the guy should be shot! The car was in Wash state and I wasn't going to fly there, to far away. All in All I'm glad I got the car because I can fix these things and but I can't do body work. Once I get the wiring done, I don't see anything else going bad, hopefully!
 
I have never been ripped off. I have only made poor decisions from time to time.
 
Anyone here NEVER feel ripped off? No hands.
 
Anyone here NEVER feel ripped off? No hands.
It starts early in life for some..:p
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