Here's a funny story for yall
On CL you win some, you lose some. I got my 4r on CL for an absolute steal, but have definitely had some losers. I make a lot of money off CL for side work, but I ALWAYS carry a firearm when meeting with people from online and either deliver or meet in public, never at my house.
Long post, but here's one of my favorites:
I was helping a friend look at some trucks one day. We lined up a couple mid-90s f150s to look at. He was helping me do some work, so we were in my "work truck" (another CL steal, a one-owner time capsule 93 F250 with a 460 and every receipt for service, that I bought for a couple grand).
The first one we go look at had some issues. First, the guy asks why I put dual exhaust on my truck (wtf? Cause I wanted it...?) Then we pop the hood to look at the 351 that's supposed to be under the hood. Problem is that it has a 302. Not really a big problem, just not what was advertised. The guy then says it was a 351 and that his grand dad took it out to put in the 302 for better gas mileage (what?) and the 302 is better than a 351.... then I asked about the transmission, guy says it's the stock transmission, just swapped the motors. I crawled underneath and nope. It has a weak auto that was never behind the 351. So this guy is lying about everything. We humor him for a test drive, then leave.
Second truck was advertised as being in excellent condition with decent mileage for a fair, but slightly high price. We drive another hour to look at this one. We pull up to a dead-end road in a very rough neighborhood and there's no truck. I position my truck for a speedy getaway should I need it and we wait, the guy says he ran to put some gas in the truck so we can drive it. While waiting I called my dad (retired DA detective) to let him know where to start looking if we arent heard from again. He laughs and tells me about a Capital Murder case he work next door to the house we are at and a double homicide on this same street as well. I get a warm comfortable feeling.
After 10 minutes it pulls up, but it isn't in excellent shape. It shape is what I would consider to be "mostly physically intact". The windshield is smashed, the hood is dented, there is not a straight panel on the truck and the inside of the bed looks like it hauled boulders for its whole life. Inside we were rewarded with seats that stabbed you with wires, garden divider stakes in place of the door handles, no AC, and a random extension cord coming from inside the dash somewhere, to the back seat. The truck had no exhaust attached and also had no functioning speedometer. The guy said the cable broke, but these trucks use a speed sensor and TPS system. So we drive this truck, just to see how the 300 cube I6 drives. Not well with no VSS, since it didn't shift properly. We ask the guy what his real price is and he loses it. We tell him we'll get back to him and leave.
My buddy makes a super low offer on the first truck and the guy accepts it. Then can't find the title. Then says the DMV has the title and when his check clears he can register it as the DMV. That's not how it works in Texas... then a week later says the title is in his grandfather's name and that it is being mailed to the seller. Then I don't remember what else happened but it was laughable how long the seller kept texting him about buying the truck.
Craigslist is like panning for Gold.
