1972 Cadillac DeVille

Sedan DeVille Sedan

472

Automatic

68349FWD071518

Clear

Relisted due to non-paying winner. Please don't bid if you don't or can't pay. I hope this ad at least serves as a lesson so others don't learn the hard way like I did. Even if you're not interested in this car, I believe it will be worth your time to discover what I learned when I bought this car this summer on eBay. I bought this car on eBay in July of this year. I've bought nine other cars off eBay over the years, and I thought I was pretty savvy about the process. I traded emails with the seller inquiring about the condition, visited with him on the phone, got additional pictures. MISTAKE #1 - I was convinced the seller was honest and did not get a third party inspection. The seller spun a convincing yarn and sent the pictures. What I didn't know was that the pictures he was sending was of a different car, and he lied about nearly everything - including his identity. Everything seemed great until I got a call from the transport company saying the car wouldn't start, and the owner had stated he had an emergency and would leave the keys in the car. The shipper said he was willing to jump the car to get it started. That was MISTAKE #2 - if the buyer isn't there and the car won't start as advertised, tell the shipper you're cancelling until you get it resolved. The car was in Las Vegas and I'm in Oklahoma. Returning the car would have been a $900 additional expense - even if the seller agreed to a refund. As soon as the car arrived, I knew this wasn't what I had bid on. No problem, I thought "I've got Vehicle Purchase Protection from ebay". MISTAKE #3 - make sure you understand ebay's policies before they assume they will help. You'll get more protection on a $2.00 toy than you will on an 11 year old car. Consider just what this one line listed as #17 under things they WILL NOT COVER: Any damage that could have been discovered upon a reasonable inspection before you paid for and picked up the vehicle in personIf fact, it turns out about the only thing they will guarantee is that you will get a good title. And the seller apparently understood this as they did deliver a good title via signature required USPS. The bad guys will know the rules better than most. OK, I'll work this out with the seller and negotiate a fair compromise. MISTAKE #4 - you can't negotiate with someone that uses one of those disposable cell phone numbers and won't respond to a call or emails. OK, I'll have my attorney write a strongly worded letter. MISTAKE #5 - attorneys don't want to work on small little deals where their fees will be higher than the worth of your car, and MISTAKE #6, don't rely on eBay to provide any proof of who a seller is, where they live beyond what the seller provides when setting up an account. The best they can do is provide you what you already know. Here's what I thought I was buying: And here's what I got: Anyway, I could go on and on, but let me show you one more This shows what I did to the trunk. I had it bead blasted and to my surprise, the metal was in fantastic shape. The paint you see is the code 99 Russet Firemist, but it's not lacquer, but base + clear. The trunk weatherstrip was replaced too. Mechanically, I spent a fair amount of money getting this car in shape. The ball joints and front end bushings have all been replaced as the ones that came with the car had crumbled into bits. Oil change and filter. All the power windows work - I replaced the roof rail seals so it's tight now. The radio works but the speakers are in poor condition. Tires are pretty new, that's one thing that was accurately described but due to the poor condition of the front end the inside edge of the front tires are worn. Not shot, but not great either. At least the car will start and drive on and off the transport now! Obviously I expect to take a beating on the sale of this car, but whoever buys it will have a good driving car. But don't take my word for it, come see for yourself. If you would like to schedule an inspection, need more information or additional pictures, please send a message and I will get back to you. Thanks for your consideration