1991 Mercury Grand Marquis

The car is awesome. Well worth the money I spent to fix the engine trouble. However, the experience I went through after I won the auction I wish on no one, not even the deadbeat seller that auctioned the car.

This seller lied to me about the car's engine in emails before the sale, refused to mark my next day cash payment paid, and even opened up an unpaid item case against my account. They even illegally relisted the vehicle for sale and refused to take the item down until I threatened them with legal action for using my car's vin# and pictures in the fraudulent relist of the vehicle. They even had the nerve to libel me in the response to the feedback I had left them.

This is the email I received from the seller a few days before I placed my bid..

Dear aarsenlis,

No fluid leaks. No oil leaks under the engine. All power options work. All options work. Brakes are good. Steering is good. Transmission shifts smooth with no problems at all. Engine doesn't smoke. No known accidents. Thanks.


- francisdepui

Let's dissect this email...
Yes to fluid leaks (coolant, & oil). Serious oil leaks causing oil to drop down on the engine manifold (may start fire), also had oil leaks from the oil pressure sensor and both valve covers. All power options did work, steering was great, trans did shift nice & smooth. Engine smoke clearly visible from valve covers (due to oil leaks), and a solid body that only needs some paint to make the car look brand new.

The problem with my experience isn't really with the car, it was with the seller. I took the time to investigate the seller (Hot Ride Motors in Phila, PA) and found a slew of consumer complaints about this dealership. Apparently they have been abusing & misleading their customers for years, not only in regular business, but also on EBAY! It seems this dealership registers Ebay accounts, uses them to sell junk cars to people, then abandons/unregister the accounts when their feedback gets into the negative range, opening up a new Ebay acct and starting the process all over again.

I've filed complaints with the BBB and local Attorney general's offices in my area about this dealership, but i'm positive they're not going to stop selling junkers through Ebay.

The seller has now unregistered his Ebay account and 'fled for the hills', so to speak. They probably have another account already setup and ready to go, waiting for the next bid on a misrepresented vehicle.

To finish my review, a 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis is an awesome car.

I had long been looking for a Mercury Grand Marquis of this vintage. The seller description sounded very good and he presented as a very forthright and honest individual. The car, however, did not live up to expectations (or the description). The AC was not functioning properly and the power steering pump needed replacing. The car doesn't look seventeen years old -- the exterior finish is excellent as is the interior. Another case, I guess, of caveat emptor. I am just a bit leary now of purchasing a car on ebay "sight unseen" so-to-speak.