1999 Saab 9-5: Nightmare Transaction
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.
| • Overall Satisfaction: | 2/5 |
| • Performance: | 4/5 |
| • Reliability: | 4/5 |
| • Comfort: | 4/5 |
| • Quality and Craftsmanship: | 4/5 |
I've yet to drive the car. It became inoperable "immediately after the auction" & was unable to be driven. I wanted out but the Seller offered to tow it to my residence, so I agreed. He did not follow simple instructions on where to put it; instead, it was dropped off in a public alley with no registration or inspection sticker. Police were called, car was towed & impounded & cost me $313.00 to get it back.
It is now at the garage being repaired, but I have yet to receive the temporary registration that was to come with the car. The car will be done soon, and the garage has made it clear they will want the car moved as soon as possible, but I have no way to legally drive it.
I was very disappointed when I finally got to see the car & would not have followed through with the purchase if I had seen it before taking delivery. I think a lot of sellers "sugar-coat" their descriptions, but in this case, it was pretty blatant. I found myself asking "Could this be the same car that was described in the auction?" When I reread the description & looked at the pictures, it became clear the car had not been described accurately & the pictures had not specifically shown the objectionable areas, such as a sizeable dent in the hood and a large worn spot on the seat, neither one of which was mentioned. I think any honest appraiser of this vehicle would describe it's condition as "fair" or perhaps "average for it's age." The seller, however, described it as "almost perfect."
I know there are very honest sellers who go out of their way to describe & photograph all blemishes worth mentioning, but it seems that there are at least as many that do not. Cars will generally look better in photos than they do in person because it's very hard to show small dings, scrathes, etc.
I would proceed with caution on ebay motors car auctions, & always ask the seller if the sale can be mutually terminated if your inspection turns up any conditions, problems or flaws that were not mentioned. Some dealers insist the winning bidder owns the car period, no test drive or inspection allowed. To me, this is just not reasonable. Also, even a car that is sold strictly "as is" should be accurately described as a condition of sale, & if it is discovered the car had undisclosed problems AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE the sale should be rescinded, but seldom is.
I'm not saying I will not buy a car on ebay motors ever again, but I will certainly proceed with caution.
Review ID: 10000000004265602

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