Bought a vehicle through an online vehicle auction

Thought I'd try my hand at online auto auctions. Bought a 2006 Taurus SEL this morning for $1450. Runs, drives and appears to be in decent condition. Assuming that there aren't any major hidden problems, I should be able to double my money. If this works out, I may try to do this more often. Anyone else flip cars through online auctions?

Make sure they don't put your name on the title or the bill of sale. If they do you will have to pay and wait for a new title before you can sell it.

I got burnt. Burnt bad. There was a bad hail storm that went through Dallas a few weeks ago and apparently this vehicle got pounded. Either that or someone parked it in the middle of a driving range.

The seller posted photos of the vehicle before the damage occurred and did not update the listing or disclose the damage. We're not talking about a few dings here. I'm talking about hundred of golf ball size dings over the entire car. I think the seller blatantly misrepresented the vehicle by not updating the listing & photos. What do you think.

Now I have to deal with the auction company to try to get my money back or get a significant refund.

I think the seller blatantly misrepresented the vehicle by not updating the listing & photos. What do you think.

Immediately print out the online ad and photos and you absolutely have a case here. I don't know if the auction site has any responsibility, it all depends on their disclaimers and the local laws. But the seller is 100% responsibly for what was posted (or omitted) and is also guilty of criminal fraud. Mention the word fraud to the auction company and they might be a lot more willing to help you out, especially if their site terms require full disclosure by the seller.

I got burnt. Burnt bad.

Of course you do see the irony of this happening to you...don't you?

Of course you do see the irony of this happening to you...don't you?

Yes, but luckily I left plenty of room for situations like this.

Seller: That's not damage.  They are aerodynamic divots like on a golf ball......



I once got a car that "runs like a chariot"...... Turns out it had no engine.
Seller actually tried to stand by his remark as being "disclosing".
I got my money back.

Car deals. 

I once got a car that "runs like a chariot"......

1 horsepower?

1 horsepower?

Beats Fred Flintstone's car.

I put a little pressure on the seller and they ended up offering to take the car back or give a significant discount. I chose the discount and now I should be able to sell the vehicle (as is) for a slight profit.

You should post the auction photo and a real photo... I would like to see the difference.

You should post the auction photo and a real photo... I would like to see the difference.

Here ya go. The seller took the photos in low light/shadow conditions and probably from a distance using the zoom to make the image grainy. He also took the photos from angles that would hide the damage.

Yeah, in looking at those pictures I can see how he tried to hide the damage. That aside...what the hell are you doing buying a Ford Taurus? Those things are throwaway cars and go for a dime a dozen around here!

True, they don't hold their resale value. I was just looking for a quick flip. At $1600 for a 2006 SEL with leather, sunroof, alloys, etc., I thought I could get around $3500.

For my personal vehicles, I refuse to buy anything other than Honda, Toyota, Acura & Lexus. If you ever see one of these four vehicles on the side of the road, the owner probably just ran out of gas. Don't get me wrong, I like American cars, I just can't afford the repair bills. And I refuse to buy a new vehicle. I could buy a small house in Texas for what they're charging for an average new vehicle these days.

Yeah, dude that's total misrepresentation.