Shame on me for my impulse buy

[Mackn367]

Where do I begin? Well first things first I will explain that I am extremely new to all Datsun Roadsters and even this forum. A few weeks ago my brother-in-law let me borrow his '70 1600 and I immediately fell in love. I then went on the hunt for one to buy here in California. I found a few but they just weren't close enough for me to "pull the trigger." I then came across Roadsterwerx and saw one for sale. There were not many pictures. Only the outside. I contacted Michael and he was able to provide me more pictures. It "appeared" to be a great buy! Here is what the listing on Craigslist said word for word:
"Complete 68 Datsun Roadster. Sitting for many years. 1600 4 speed. Motor turns, straight no rust body. Hardtop. Original black plates, title in hand, no back fees. Great project foundation."

Well that's what the ad said, but when i went to see the car it was not exactly what i expected based on the ad. This was not "complete" so i have no idea what they meant. It was missing A LOT of parts, including engine parts, interior, exterior, etc. I asked if we could check the compression to which he said no. Too many parts were missing to even see if the motor would "turn" as the ad also stated. LONG story short I bought the car. He DID have it towed to my house and he did include a few extra parts (a few emblems, side chrome pieces, windshield wipers, air intake, misc box of very old/broken pieces). But in talking with multiple people/professionals I found out I very much overpaid for the car especially in the condition it was in.

I called Michael Morreale (affiliated with Roadsterwerx) who I bought the car from and I explained my concern and that YES i made an impulse purchase for something I should have done more research on and so I offered to sell the car back to him for $500 cheaper, I would also include hundreds of $s worth of brand new parts I purchased for the car that I have not installed, and i would tow it back to his shop. I also have not moved the car at all from where he left it and have not touched anything on the car. Also the car has not even been registered yet so no need to re-register (which it never was anyways). But he repeatedly said no and that he will not take the car back. He said I should have done more research on the price of the car. YES YES YES I am an idiot for purhcasing. Yes i messed up. But cmon! The car NEVER should have been priced that high in the 1st place. I got hosed because I didnt know any better. I got taken advantage of because I was inexperienced. So i am letting the Roadster public know to be careful of Roadsterwerx. DO YOUR RESEARCH! I wish I spoke with everyone else BEFORE i made the purchase. But thats life and thats the world we live in i guess. I'm just so frustrated with myself and I'm frustrated that I got suckered into something that brought me so much joy before. I dont even want to put the price of what I paid or the pictures because of how embarrassed I am of what I did. Im sure you all would laugh/cry at the condition of the car and how much i paid for it, but maybe I should to show what Im talking about. I will post a picture of the inside and engine to give you all an "idea" of what I am talking about. Anyways thats all i can say about this. For anyone new to purchasing a classic vehicle ALWAYS DO YOUR RESEARCH!

[S Allen]

Sorry to hear of your bad experience. You should have come here first and you would have received some good sage advice. Impulse buying never turns out well. Hopefully you have not lost the desire to own a roadster. I agree-complete should me complete. Should have read non-running project with many missing parts. Sadly, if you want to bail on this you might be better off parting it out to recoup your funds. And-even that may not turn out as you would like.

Steve

[jamesw]

I think if you went and looked at the car, then chose to buy it and bought it - you don't have the right to call the seller a jerk. You might want to consider changing the subject of the posting.

I too have bought things I have regretted - for example, a boat I bought for $4,500 and then had to sell for $2,000 - but I'm an adult, and it was my choice, therefore my responsibility.

With that said, these cars are appreciating a lot and we would love to help you with parts and advice to get your car back on the road. You don't find too many rust free roadsters anymore.

James

[Datsunparts.comInc]

I've seen this car in photos. Where is the smog equipment that came with the car? Is it required to be present on the vehicle by law even though smog is not required on a vehicle this old. Obviously many people remove the equipment. Was there a bill of sale disclaiming that these parts were missing? Was the car advertised as complete? May be a argument here for return.

D-

[mraitch]

Just seems (perhaps) based upon ongoing reputation for the seller on this forum, better deal would be to accept the lower buyback.

If the car has any value, then a quick $300 or so profit would make some sense. Sometimes everyone has to bite the bullet.

Tough to price integrity, but something seriously wrong went down and I have no idea on whose wide.. Just kiss and make up.

[S Allen]

The pictures prove the car very far from complete. Over priced as well. Sad.....

Steve

[bakerjf]

When anyone advertises their car with pictures of it wet, run.

[mraitch]

Given that the car is NOT 'complete' as advertised. best bet is for seller to accept it back (just to avoid any legal hassles - throw in the $300 but DON'T include the extra parts. Keep them for when you get a roadster you want.

Sad experience, but there are a LOT of people on this site that will support you!.

[datsun1500]

I think you’d have a better case if you bought it based on photos and had it shipped, etc. then you could argue it was not “complete”. You saw it in person and decided to buy it anyway, as it sat. That was your choice and buyers remorse doesn’t make the seller a jerk.

[AC77]

I think you’d have a better case if you bought it based on photos and had it shipped, etc. then you could argue it was not “complete”. You saw it in person and decided to buy it anyway, as it sat. That was your choice and buyers remorse doesn’t make the seller a jerk.

I agree. Was it complete, no. Was it as advertised, maybe not. But you got to see it in person and call the seller out on those discrepancies before making the purchase.

[Linda]

I am supporting the seller. Though the car is not "complete" as in every hose and air filter etc, it is complete for the major parts. What you have for 5000 is a virtually rust free body ( from the pics). That is the Holy Grail IMHO. You have an engine and can turn it over with a socket on the crank bolt. If you know about compression tests, then I bet you knew that. Can't do a compression test anyway with no battery.
You can get an engine cheap and you can rebuild one for cheap. I have done both.
You can get a tranny for cheap, though it can not be guaranteed until it is in the car.
I have 2.
Ad states " great project foundation" which is apparent quickly over "complete".
Just because you made a nice offer for a buy back doesn't mean he has to take it. This isn't EBay with a Buyer Guarantee.
Although you admit you were impulsive , I don't think you are fully taking responsibility , since you had the opportunity to examine and ask questions etc. At the end though you state "do your research".
Usual advice from members is buy the best you can afford.
A few years back that might have been a 2500 car but no longer.
If you do the work yourself you can have a nice driver. If you were buying to flip, you lost. You don't even have to know how to weld on that car.
Classic cars take more work generally but are worth it in terms of the fun factor.
It would be a shame to part that car. If it had listed at 3 K it probably would be getting parted as we speak.
Hope you can keep it on the road or take some time to advertise it so someone else can.
Luckily, members here are willing to guide you and if you thoroughly READ this site you will learn a ton.
My .02

Linda

[fj20spl311]

I don't see the problem!

Whom ever told you that you overpaid has not been keeping up with the prices.

Yes, there are better deals to be had, but not everyone is going to be able to buy Andrew's car.

I agree with Linda, If that body is as rust free as the pictures and no sign of damage....you scored!!!!!

Just ask how much it cost to get rust repaired or redo bad body work.

You signed on for this.....strip her down and get it painted......

[Mackn367]

So 311s won’t let me post ALL of the pictures but you would see how terrible the inside is. I want all to know that I understand I should have done more research (including joining this forum) but I went off of Michael (Roadsterwerx) that it was a great deal. What I am upset is that he took advantage of someone who didn’t know better. Is THAT part legal? Well yeah you can sell for whatever you want. But there is more to the story. The car has not been registered since 1975 which now has caused me even MORE issues for me. This is just all a huge headache. I understand this isn’t “Ebay” but cmon this isn’t “just”. Am I expecting too much from people? Maybe, but he backed up his name with a supposedly reputable company (Roadsterwerx) and as I stated over and over to him and here that I am completely new to everything Roadster. So I figured why wouldn’t I trust him. Just like every person on this forum think in my shoes. I’m a newbie so how could I really trust anyone? Whoever seems to be reputable right? Well that’s what it appeared to me until I went to more and more people.

All in all I think my counter offer of giving him the car back, $500 cash, AND all of the brand new parts never used for my $ back is completely fair. And THIS is why I stand by my opinion that this deal was not fair and him and the company should not be trusted.

[MrGuts]

Dude, are you even for real?

[bakerjf]

There’s a potential price for not preparing for a business transaction...and you paid it, maybe... YOU admit that you did not do any homework, YOU didn’t shop around, YOU didn’t bring a friend/representative who knew what they were looking at...but somehow you’re entitled to a mulligan regardless. Ok.
Did Roadsterworks break the law or act particularly unethically? Not that I can see. Would they have been swell guys to absolve you from your lack of preparedness and for wasting their time? Sure, but unless you’re a minor or something they’re hardly obligated to.
The good news is you’ve learned a valuable life lesson for a relatively low cost.