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scammed need help

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by qnami, Apr 29, 2020.

  1. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Surprise no one has suggested egr and manifold cleaning yet :ROFLMAO:
     
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  2. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    I did -- in post #80.
     
  3. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    D’oh!
     
  4. Frank1234

    Frank1234 Member

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    Cosmetic condition generally start to show signs with the years more often than the miles so no imposible to be a victim of a scam like this, I hope you be able to get some justice here, but I wonder if where you live the seller doesn’t have to write the miles on the speedometer on the title because this is where he (the seller scammer) will be guilty if he sign the wrong miles.
     
  5. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Not sure I agree with that.
    A vehicle can sit in a garage, not driven much for YEARS and not show much Cosmetic wear.
    But a vehicle that has been driven miles, shows wear. Impossible to avoid rock chips, salt on the road, etc.

    So I actually think USAGE...miles affects cosmetic condition more directly than time or years.

    The other factor in cosmetics, is there is a LOT that can be done to make a vehicle look better. Scratches, swirls, chips can be nearly entirely erased visually by a good detailer. It may be temporary, but a lot of damage can be at least temporarily removed from sight.

    For the OP? If the vehicle has 300,000 miles on it, unless it was repainted...possible. I would expect at least some signs of cosmetic wear as well.
     
  6. qnami

    qnami Member

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    I live in state of CA, I maybe wrong but any vehicle that is 10 years or less, seller must write actual mileage on the title when transferring the ownership. I doubt authorities are even trying to investigate but if he gets caught then this guy is in serious trouble.
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    here, you can write in the actual mileage, or 'unknown', no matter the age. but if you do state the mileage, and it can be proved incorrect, your supposed to be in trouble. but it is likely never enforced.
    and these days, all the enforcers are home, hiding under their beds...
     
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  8. Frank1234

    Frank1234 Member

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    I respect you opinion but according to you statement the car with more miles go to look worse cosmetically that one with less miles and I agree on that but only when the car are driving under the same condition otherwise not also some owners baby more than others theirs car so it’s posible that a car with more miles be in better condition, this is the reason why when you go to kbb to see the value of the car you need to answer what condition you car is because the miles can’t tell that by it self.
     
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  9. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Yes but I thought we were talking COSMETIC condition not overall condition.
    If we are talking cosmetic condition I still say miles driven affect the cosmetic condition more than chronological years passed.
    Drive a vehicle 80,000 miles in 4 years, and you can't avoid rock chips, scratches, etc.
    You can sit a vehicle, garage a vehicle for those same 4 years, and have it look pristine. Chronological passage of time is not as much a force of wear on a vehicle, it's just the passage of time. Usage is a much more aggressive force of wear.
    The reason KBB asks you what condition you think your vehicle is in, is because your vehicle can be in any various condition and it affects their estimate. But KBB is just asking, they have no idea what condition your vehicle is in whether it has 80,000 miles on it in 4 years, or 15,000 miles on it in 4 years and has been mostly garaged.
     
    #109 The Electric Me, May 4, 2020
    Last edited: May 4, 2020
  10. Frank1234

    Frank1234 Member

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    You keep mentioning keeping it in a garage and you don’t put 39k on a car inside a garage my friend.
     
  11. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Not talking about the OP's car, which supposedly has 300,000 miles on it NOT 39,000.

    Disagree with this statement in your original post:

    " Cosmetic condition generally start to show signs with the years more often than the miles "

    Just saying chronological time is not as active a force on cosmetic deterioration as usage.
    Only using the "garage" example to illustrate that TIME can pass, with little or NO cosmetic deterioration, if a car is stored properly. But usage creates wear...undeniably.
    So which element is more damaging to the cosmetic condition of a vehicle? Usage. Putting mileage on it.

    I think just the opposite Cosmetic Condition generally starts to show sign with usage/mileage as opposed to just the passing of time.

    Time CAN affect cosmetic condition but that's if a vehicle is left neglected for decades under a tree or in a barn. -that's also not really so much an act of time...as an act of exposure to the elements over time.

    Just head to head.....usage is far more likely to cause wear...internally to the parts as well as externally to the cosmetic part of the vehicle than the passive passage of time itself.
     
    #111 The Electric Me, May 4, 2020
    Last edited: May 4, 2020
  12. Frank1234

    Frank1234 Member

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    This will be another chat and I totally agree a car not driven will be better than one that is driven regardless be in a garage or not, but 2 car not being driven one in the garage and one no in a garage the one in the garage will be better but a car with miles vs another car with more miles either one can be better or worse and that is what happen to the car from the original discussion 39k-300k, the car have 300k and do looks like it have 39k.
     
  13. TinyTim

    TinyTim Active Member

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    A car with 300,000 miles would not go for more than $3-4k. I know time is more important than miles for the battery. But 300,000 is a lot of miles on the battery.
     
  14. krstof

    krstof Junior Member

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    I'm late to the story but did you notice that the fake car fax is dated for 1/4/2017? That would had been a red flag for me and the fact that the owner provided it himself. I don't even accept them from the dealers when I purchase vehicles. I run them myself for a less likely chance of them being modified. Carfax is still only partially reliable. I bought a one owner 2014 BMW M235i in 2017 with no accidents listed on the car fax that I purchased myself. 2 years later I put the car up for sale and the buyer advised me there were accidents listed on the Carfax from 2015. I ran the report again and there they were. Somehow it took 3+ years for the information to be reported to Carfax and there was nothing I could do about it. Luckily I was still able to sell the car with no issues.

    Either way, Good luck and hopefully your able to work out finding the seller. Idk what its like in your area but in KY its pretty easy to track the sellers back down for stuff like this id the sale was done properly.
     
  15. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    CarFax shows the private-party sale value (in ZIP 90011, picked at random) of that specific 300K-mile 2015 Prius Two as $8,190 -- perhaps a testament to the longevity of Priuses, and no doubt taking into account CarFax's own records of the servicing history (and any reported accidents) for that specific vehicle.
     
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  16. 2012 Prius v wagon 3

    2012 Prius v wagon 3 Active Member

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    Yes, I posted a scan of my California title back in post #38
    scammed need help | Page 2 | PriusChat

    It's exactly as you say. Less than 10 years and it is mandatory, under penalty of perjury.

    But considering the (complete lack of) law enforcement we are doing in CA lately, I also have to agree that it is not likely anyone will put in effort to track the seller down. They are releasing convicted criminals in the name of social justice, so why try to find someone else to lock up? However, I can see that this may be a situation where if the buyer were to put in the effort to find the seller the authorities might do the easy part of the task. I of course really hope you can get some justice from this case.
     
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  17. qnami

    qnami Member

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    Coming from BMW, My 3 series started to crap out from 60k miles. I am believer od toyota reliability. I plan to do EGR tube pipe and cooler cleaned (possibly replace the valve) and intake manifold cleaned too. Try to keep this car going for next 5 years without major issues.
     
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  18. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    Yes it is a toyota, hopefully you get lots of more years and miles out of it.

    I will say tho, this guy is a professional, been prob doing this many years and many victims.
    Rule 1, Step 1, 1st Learn, Stage 1, Motto of a criminal is......
    DONT GET CAUGHT

    That is done without a paper trail or direct evidence.
    No way to catch this guy at all....
    Not unless you have a pic of his face, then maybe.
    *Who knows, maybe search google for DMV /title fraud and click on images tab to see if you notice any charges/mug shots of him.
    Maybe he has been caught before, prob just a slap on the wrist.

    Please prove me wrong and catch this sob. ahole needs some charges brought against him.
    GL!
     
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  19. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    An actual CA smog print out would also include test of actual, average & passing emissions measurement rounded to the hundredth value.
     
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  20. RMB

    RMB Senior Member

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    @qnami Can you give us more details? Where did this person meet up with you? Address of the Previous Owner (although may not be the seller)? Description, built of the seller etc?
    Reason I asked is a friend of mine bought a used Honda Odyssey Touring and found out ODO was rolled back from 170k to about 70k, and he saw it on CL, and also picked up the car in SJ. Co-incidence? Wanna see if this all link up LOL
     
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