Sellers Beware, plenty of car purchasing scammers still exist. We thought we were smart enough to spot them and avoid them, but we unfortunately took a hit on a recent sale and… lesson learned.
When selling our Toyota Tundra, we were getting all kinds of traction on our marketplace ad. A little too much to be honest, it got to be annoying with all of the trade offers, low ballers, & making yourself available for test drives. For a short bit it can be fun, but eventually it wears you out. It’s because of this we failed to catch what happened when the seemingly interested party started looking closer at the Tundra. There were no mechanical defects, having just been in the shop for an oil change and inspection within the past month.
The test drive went smooth, all was good… or so we thought. I was answering questions for the buyer about the hitch, tailgate and backup camera. I didn’t know that this was all merely a distraction so his buddy could pour something into the coolant overflow in order to sabotage the deal at the final title transfer moment. We were all ready to head in and sign over the title, when the buyer asked to look at the engine bay once more. He started asking new questions about maintenance, and it all seemed harmless. Then he asked what was wrong with the coolant, and I couldn’t believe what I saw.
My once green coolant was now milky brown – a possible symptom of a blown head gasket. I was in shock, complete disbelief, because it didn’t make any sense. The truck wasn’t having any issues, I was driving it to work and around town, never saw any smoke or issues with the oil. My mind was going crazy. The buyer acted as if they didn’t want the truck now, but we negotiated the price down on the spot because I was just done dealing with other buyers.
I should have listened to my gut and gone home without selling the truck, but in that moment the thought of having to deal with more buyers, a now possible broken truck and no new cash in my hands pushed me to the edge to cut a deal with the buyer I had in front of me. Once the deal was done, it was only then I realize what had happened. I was replaying in my mind when the buyer asked me the seemingly innocent questions at the rear of the truck, and saw out of the corner of my eye his buddy going in the engine bay.
Never again will I let anyone near the engine bay when I am not there, the distraction worked perfectly, and unfortunately in that moment I was in a trusting mindset.
Sellers – be safe out there, keep that hood latched and shut if you are not viewing the engine with your potential buyer!
