Newbie/ebay woes... (very, very long story)

[LeeH]

I've watched cars selling on eBay for some time now. While in the market for a newer Protege ES, I noticed a yellow MP3 with 14K miles for sale on eBay. Hmmm.... it's a local car. The seller had no photos so interest in the car was minimal. A few hours before the auction ended, the seller finally responded to my e-mail with several photos of a beautiful yellow MP3. The car is primarily for my wife... she saw the photos and said she'd always wanted a bright yellow car. Let's see, the car we're looking for in a rare version in a rare color with 14K miles. This has potential.

Sunday rolls around. Still a bit leary I decide that I'll put in a last second bid for $10K assuming the reserve is higher. I hope to be the high bidder and hopefully negotiate the deal off eBay allowing for a full inspection. Much to my surprise, my bid broke the reserve... I was the high bidder at $9800 when the auction closed. Cool!

Not what I expected, but still happy about this I contact the seller the next morning. Seems like a nice guy; he's very detail oriented - and an auto broker. He's a bit down that the car didn't sell for more. I ask him if the car has aftermarket cruise... he aplogizes and says it was an assumption on his part when he said the car had it. He says he has contacts at an aftermarket shop and can get it done right for $300. I feel it's an honest mistake and agree to pay half.

Flash forward to today, the day of delivery. He's worried about the tires. He wishes he'd replaced them before selling the car. In fact he feels so bad about it that he's going to pay for them. Wow! I'm thinking this is all too good to be true.

The car finally shows up. Looks great, but soon it all starts to fall apart. There's paintwork everywhere. Most or maybe all of the panels have been painted. It seems to be quality work, but who knows? After doing laps around the outside I pop the trunk. Hey! No sub! I look inside... There's a stock Mazda Protege CD player. Check the rear speakers.... Left side is a Sony and right side is a GM. I've got stuff stuck to my refrigerator with bigger magnets!

The seller is claiming ignorance and innocense on all acounts. I'm bummed. If it had been just one disappointment I'd probably be OK with it. So what's a 14K miles MP3 that's had paint work and missing the stereo worth?

 

[Gyre]

If the paint work is a sign that the car has been in an accident, it could be a big problem.

It may be a good idea to give the free Carfax trial a whirl.
http://www.carfax.com/

 

[LeeH]

I ran a Carfax before the auction. It was clean. Structurally, the car appears fine. I may run it by a body shop for a pro's opinion.

 

[Kooldino]

Yeah, hit carfax...
and have a mechanic thoroughly inspect the car.

 

[chdesign]

You may have a converted ES your looking at. Someone may have bought an ES got the body kti slapped it on there painted it but failed to get the thigns liek teh stereo. Look under the hood for the strut brace look under for the sway bars and everything man sounds like a scam to me.

 

[ZiO]

i hate people that do that... that why i hate ebay... you pay for stuff you cant see..... i hope it turns out all right for you bud.. good luck

 

[PA_MP3_Man]

Yeah difenately check for the sway bar and stuff. The engine should have a cover on it that says MP3 also. So how close was he to you that you bid on it? If it was only a couple hours I would have definately drove out there to look at it before bidding $10K.

If it did have the paint and body work like you said but not on carfax that probably means the person that wrecked it got it fixed as cheaply as possible so he didn't have to turn it in. And you can probably get the radio and speakers and install them yourself for probably around 600 or a little more. That's just me guessing though. Someone on the site might be selling their Head Unit so look around. Oh and if you're going to buy the kenwood HU, get the z828 model. Good luck with everything and Welcome to the board.

 

[Grimace]

Having the stereo stolen out of it is not an uncommon problem with MP3's.
But the bodywork/paint is a red flag for sure.
Check the windows carefully. I bet one or more has been replaced (smashy smashy) from the stereo theft.
If you are stuck with the car, at least you got free tires (they aren't cheap) out of the deal, its low mileage, and with the low selling price you can upgrade the stereo stuff with the money you saved.
But definately run it by a body shop, AND a mechanic, and keep us posted!

 

[dafababa]

whats that fishy smell? sounds awfull damn shaddy to me. I would take my vin# to a mazda dealer and tell them the story and have them look it up for you to see what it is. that is the only way to be sure.

 

[Equinox]

whats that fishy smell? sounds awfull damn shaddy to me. I would take my vin# to a mazda dealer and tell them the story and have them look it up for you to see what it is. that is the only way to be sure.

yeah there is your instant 100% guarantee on it.


I'm guessing the car just got put up on blocks and had all the crap stolen, and probably vandalized.

Take the VIN to a dealer and have them check if it's an MP3

 

[saided18]

does it have the MP3 racing hart rims???

why don't you post the pics on this board and maybe we can tell if it's a wanna MP3

 

[LeeH]

It's a real MP3. I called Mazda before the delivery and got the production number (1331). I crawled all over it last night and can't see any obvious signs of trauma anywhere. The rear bumper cover has definitely been off. Can't tell if it's the original or not... found a sticker underneath on the passengers side, "Made in Australia" with part numbers, etc.

If there are no structural problems we'll probably just keep it and drive the wheels off of it. In 10 years will an MP3 really be worth that much more than an ES? I figure I'm in about the same boat as if I'd bought an '01 or '02 ES for $10K, but with a bit more flash.

Here in Arizona that yellow paint will probably have to be redone at some point anyway. (Yes, I'm justifying! Feel free to help!)

All the MP3 stuff is there.... except the MP3! I'll have to do some upgrading on the ratty stereo, but nothing crazy. Maybe I can buy back the original stuff on eBay!!!

 

[Grimace]

LOL, it has happened before (the thief selling back to the owner). On the other hand, the previous owner might have ripped it out before selling the car to the auto broker, since the broker may not have known better.
Anyway, to help you in your justification, think of your MP3's stereo system as a "clean slate". Now you can add whatever head unit you like, any speakers you like, etc. You don't have to go with what was there originally. If you like Pioneer, put in Pioneer, its all up to you.
Did you take it to a body shop to see if it had been in a crack-up?

 

[KzA]

ok...Lemme just say that there is hope...

I bought my Mp3 used in August of 2002(this past August)..The car had no stereo at all(an empty din) no sub, and no amp. Also, the car had 3,300 miles on it! Also, I found small pieces of glass under the passenger side floormat upon inspection...The car ran well and the price was good, so I bought it. My parents were very suspicous becuase of the stereo and the low milage..Also, this was a beautiful car, so why would ANYone sell it after only a year and 3, 300 miles?? It didnt add up...

i ran a carfax and found out that the car was completely clean. Eventually, I got a hold of the original owners telephone number, and gave him a call to soothe my parents worries. About a month after he bought the car, he got a very huge promotion, and a company BMW! The BMW had nice speakers, but lacked a headunit. So, he took the head-unit and sub out of his MP3 and added it to his car. When I asked him about the glass, he laughed. he told me that when they were unloading the car upon delivery to the dealer, the broke the window. it was replaced before he even bought it.

The moral is..even though it may look like a bad situation, it could all turn out to be fine..

I say you take the mismatched speakers and the bad headunit, and turn it into an excuse to pimp out your new MP3 with a great system! Congratulations on a great car man!

 

[Grimace]

Aye, laddie! Turn those lemons into lemonade!

 

[LeeH]

I called Mazda Customer Service. Not the best of news. They have record of the car being a theft recovery. When it was recovered the transmission was "damaged by abuse." That's all the info they had.

Too bad carfax didn't have any of that. The car drives and shifts fine. There's the slightest amount of chatter on clutch take up, but synchros all seem fine. The transmission must have been rebuilt or replaced, but they have no record of it being done at a dealer. They said their system is not networked between dealers and the only record of service is at a dealer that no longer carries Mazda. I just worry about future warranty claims.

The aftermarket cruise works great and looks great. It's really looks like a factory unit with two switches on the steering wheel. I'm not sure what brand it is, but I can find out if anyone is interested. My only complaint is that the cruise cable snakes over the engine. Not a big deal.

My wife gets back in town this afternoon. Once she sees it, the MP3 will be an inseperable part of the family.

 

[Grimace]

Clutch chatter is pretty much the norm on most Mazdas, especially when the car is cold. It goes away pretty quickly once you do a few shifts.

I wonder: Is there any way to get an extended warranty on the transmission, in case of future problems? Or get a 3rd party warranty? I'm not sure how much those cost, but it might be worth looking into.

Otherwise, check it over with a fine-tooth comb, get a mechanic and body shop to look it over carefully. If nothing is found, enjoy it and don't worry about its sordid past. Cars are like girlfriends; you don't really want to know about their past, but somehow, you can't help but ask.

Another thought - perhaps you could contact the original seller, since he seemed like a good guy. Maybe he'll give you another break of some kind to make up for it?

 

[LeeH]

Well, the seller left in a bit of a snit so I don't think he'll do anything for me. I did find out more at my local dealer. I went there because the rear deck lid won't stay up.

They recognized the car! Said it was brought in by the auto auction company several months ago covered in racing stickers, different strut bar, intake, etc. and needing a transmission. They refused the transmission under warranty because of all the mods and the fact that the car was roughed up. The good news is that they said it did have lots of little dents down the driver's side, but there was no major damage. I'm guessing whoever stole it beat it up pretty good. I'm just relieved to know it wasn't hit hard. Probably a light guard rail hit on the driver's side. They also confirmed that the transmission had either been rebuilt or replaced, too.

Not the best of news, but I'm a lot more comfortable with the car at this point. The dealer ordered the springs for the deck lid without any question. I asked what happens if I have transmission problems in the future... they said hopefully I won't, but we'd discuss it then. We'll be shifting carefully!

 

[mx6929]

the best wish for your new babe in chinese new year day and welcome to mp3 family...