augustiron
A firm member
Cliff notes: If you are buying or selling a used car, there is a new scam where potential buyers will pour oil all over the engine and out the exhaust and say the car is broken and try to get it at a discount. Be aware.
My friend just notified me yesterday that a friend of ours who was trying to sell her 300k mile tundra here in Truckee allegedly had the engine / head gasket go while on a test drive with a buyer. I thought that was odd, then later, they found out about this scam where buyers show up and test drive the vehicle, then when the owner isn't looking they pour oil on the engine and on the exhaust and say that the engine blew but they still want the truck and get it for pennies on the dollar.
I guess the friend of a friend did wind up selling the truck to them, so I assume they have the signed title and the truck now.
Apparently this is a thing now.
www.abc10.com
Last year when I was shopping for one, I went to look at a few first gen Tundras down in the Central Valley that were clearly misrepresented and had digital odometers that clearly didn't align with the wear and tear I found under the vehicle. I quickly gave up realizing that this is a massive network of scammers flipping first gen Tundras and replacing the gauge cluster with something under 200k, often under 100k odometers.
A less savvy buyer would definitely be scammed because the trucks look shiny on the outside, some were repainted, but if you crawled underneath, the age and wear was apparent, But most buyers won't know to do that.
Caveat emptor, people suck.
My friend just notified me yesterday that a friend of ours who was trying to sell her 300k mile tundra here in Truckee allegedly had the engine / head gasket go while on a test drive with a buyer. I thought that was odd, then later, they found out about this scam where buyers show up and test drive the vehicle, then when the owner isn't looking they pour oil on the engine and on the exhaust and say that the engine blew but they still want the truck and get it for pennies on the dollar.
I guess the friend of a friend did wind up selling the truck to them, so I assume they have the signed title and the truck now.
Apparently this is a thing now.
Deputies warn car sellers of new scam spanning four Northern California counties
Investigators say the scam has played out in El Dorado, Nevada, Placer and Sacramento counties.
www.abc10.com
Last year when I was shopping for one, I went to look at a few first gen Tundras down in the Central Valley that were clearly misrepresented and had digital odometers that clearly didn't align with the wear and tear I found under the vehicle. I quickly gave up realizing that this is a massive network of scammers flipping first gen Tundras and replacing the gauge cluster with something under 200k, often under 100k odometers.
A less savvy buyer would definitely be scammed because the trucks look shiny on the outside, some were repainted, but if you crawled underneath, the age and wear was apparent, But most buyers won't know to do that.
Caveat emptor, people suck.
) careful who you sell to and where you meet them is all I got to say…