Horrible experience buying a car

[mend.w7]

I recently bought a car on Ebay and wanted to share my experience. I won the bid on a car on Oct. 4th. It was a 2015 Cadillac SRX for $13,700. It had been in an accident and was rebuilt (hence the lower price). Before bidding I contacted them and asked about the condition and if it needed anything. They said no it was ready to go and in great condition! I mainly decided to buy from this Ebay seller because they claimed to be the following:

#1 Seller/Rebuilder of previously light damaged vehicles on Ebay  since 2010...NOBODY comes even close!!!!!!!!!!!

#1 highest rated feedback seller on Ebay period receiving only the highest accolades since 2010!

#1 repeat customer seller/service anywhere since 2010!

#1 original copied listings/wording/layout since 2010!  You can see most other accounts copy our exact layout.

#2 most followed Ebay dealer in the world since 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!

Given Ebay EXCELLENCE seller status year after year! Why buy from anyone else??????

Everything started out well. I won it for a fairly low price and received a very low shipping rate of $450. They contacted me and sent me the buying info (after a couple of days of asking). I noticed in the paperwork that it had a salvage title when it should be rebuilt. I contacted them and they said they made a mistake and the car was listed early and they hadn't received the rebuilt title to the car yet and said it should be in within 7-10 days. So I waited. During this time Hurricane Michael came through my town (Panama City). It was THE worst experience of my life...my town is GONE, my home destroyed. For weeks it was a constant battle for food, ice, water, etc.. During this time waiting for the title I had to rent a car, ($45 a day), for what I thought would be 7 to 10 days. During the wait, even though they said they already did, I had asked them again to please, please have the car ready to go (serviced, completely checked out, etc.) because everything in my town was gone, there would be no place to get anything serviced or done for weeks or months. So after almost 3 LONG weeks later the title finally comes in. I wire them the money. It then takes them 9 more days til they ship the car!! I was very upset about that but at the same time not being mean or rude to them in emails. The new shipping quote is now $950 (up from the original $450)!! That made me furious as well but I desperately needed a dependable car so I paid the money. A couple of days later I FINALLY get the car. Remember I won it on Oct. 4th and it finally arrived on Nov. 1st!! So here comes with biggest frustration, they did not even check the car or service the car AT ALL. The oil life is at 17%!! That by itself is dangerous ( I posted a picture of it here). The brake fluid, washer fluid, power steering, even the gas, everything that could be empty, was empty or extremely (dangerously) low. On top of all that, the car makes funny noises, the ac makes a whining noise, tires are damaged, it was filthy inside and out, only came with one key, was missing items they claimed it had, and on and on and on. I contacted them and their excuse was, "they lost money on the car so they didn't check anything or service anything" !!!!! Car dealers ALWAYS claim they are losing money or upside down on cars so I know that is COMPLETE **bleep**. Now, I still have no car because most places around here are not open yet due to the Hurricane and who knows how much longer I have to wait til I can even use the car. All said and done (car rental fees, higher shipping cost, dealer fee, etc.) the total is now right at $16,000, and this is before getting the car checked out, serviced, fixing multiple issues, etc. The whole experience has been a nightmare and they will not and did not do anything to help me when I contacted them! And to top it off, when I emailed them to complain the day I received the car, they opened an unpaid item case with Ebay!!!! What?? I think this was to try to cancel the sale, and to remove my negative feedback I left. Little do they know I contacted Ebay and they said they will remove the unpaid item strike and my negative feedback will remain. Ebay also said they are looking into the situation because they said the seller is not suppose to have buyers wire them money like the way I did.

Does anyone know if I have any recourse from them? Anyone (besides Ebay) that I can call and report them to? I was thinking of reporting them to BBB or the State Attorney's office?

Moral of the story, please do not think that if a seller has 100% feedback that you can trust them. And never, ever buy a car sight unseen from anyone. If anyone has any advice on what to do I would greatly appreciate it. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to get my story out there. Thank you

[atikovi]

This Cady? https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-Cadillac-SRX-LUXURY-EDITION-/142954689071?nordt=true&orig_cvip=true&rt... You bought a salvage car for right about half the retail price of a clean history car without even having it checked out. The lack of any meaningful description and 18 revised feedbacks received would have been enough for me to hit the back button. I would expect them to send you a message to revise your feedback, at which point you may ask for a few hundred back, but there isn't much else you can expect.

[tony1963]

I'm not going to do anything other than laugh.  First, the orginal post I didn't even read because it is one long sentence.  

Question?  Have you ever read a book and found the subjects grouped in paragraphs?

[ripsmc]

You have no options. A BBB complaint is absolutely worthless and I'm sure the AG in your state would laugh uproariously if you filed a complaint on a half-price vehicle with a shaky title which you bid on anyway.

[mr.elmwood]

Rule #1 is to always pre-inspect. 

Choosing not to do that, was you choice. That everything else happened, has nothing to do with the transaction on a salvage vehicle. 

I would buy salvage, it it had a legal title, and it was at half price with legal paperwork, that I saw in advance, and I was sure I would be the last owner. 

You did not do any of that.

[ripsmc]

I note all of the pics of that Caddy do not show the left side. According to the AutoChek report the left side is where it got hit and sustained "moderate damage".

This "moderate damage" led to the insurance company declaring it a total with a salvage title which eventually became a rebuilt title.

A 2015 with very low miles and "moderate damage" should not be a total.

I would imagine the "before" picture would be kind of cringeworthy.

Maybe should have read tha AutoCheck report closely and put a lot of thought into this one before pulling the trigger on it.

[mr.elmwood]

A few years back, there was an Audi TT at a good price, rebuilt. So, I wnet to LOOK at it. In person, it looked different. Dashboard and sterring wheel held together with duct tape. Airbags had deployed. 

I asked for the before pictures. These exist as they are required by the insurance company for the safety and body integrity.

"I am selling this for someone else and I do not have them"

I left.

[mr.elmwood]

" Vehicle was in a Front-left accident thus purchased from the insurance yard with previous salvage title...we removed and replaced the Driver side door/left side fender and painted them to blend with the surrounding panels"

That leads to a write-off?

No, there was a lot of damage. Whole front cradle is bent.

[ripsmc]

Exactly right. A couple of bolt-on body parts does not mean the car was scrap metal.

I bet those "before" pics were something else. Probably resembled a broadside from a freight train.

[atikovi]

THIS is salvage.

[rixstuff]

My family has bought SIX cars on Ebay - one my moms and one mine we are still driving.  You may FIND a car on Ebay but you never pay until you get the keys and title and you only buy cars in your local area so you can check it out and have it looked over by a mechanic.  Actually, not that different from buying a car from a newspaper add or from a dealer.  In most states, being unable to pass inspection and/or present the clear title would void the sale.  But again you dont pay until you get these.  You also dont "wire" money - you get a cashier's check (like for any other sale) and if the title is bogus or you find undisclosed issues, you return the car and stop payment on the check.  Some states also require proof of paid taxes and a clear lien.

Yes it CAN be done but not the way you did it.  Sorry.

[mr.elmwood]

That oughta buff right out.

[atikovi]

It sure did.

[mr.elmwood]

S-NORT!

[lacemaker3]

I had a car that looked almost exactly like that one. Except the impact point was a bit lower. The audi hit the rocker, not the doors. Both doors were sprung like that one of course. The curtain airbags were deployed, and the driver seat belt retractor. No other airbags or seatbelts deployed.

Insurance wanted to try to fix it, so they put it on a flat bed and sent it to the body shop. Turned out, the cross-car beam inside the dash board was damaged.

They totalled it.