No!!

[gumby]

well my mint unrusted undented '89 240sx was delivered today by the guy who sold it to me. he showed up without calling ahead. I was clearing the driveway when he unstrapped the car on an incline. the e-brake was not engaged. it rolled backwards off the trailer impacting on the frame rails while dropping a foot to the rocky dirt road. then proceeding to roll backwards 40 ft smashing into a tree. the frame rails are now bent up in several places, the passenger quarter panel is dented along the side, and the bumper is pushed in slightly.

The car is already titled. I will not find another like it on the east coast. I am completely freaking out. the perfect car has now been in an accident before i even got to drive it. My anxiety level has peaked.

Hes a good guy who cut me a deal on it and was trying to be nice by delivering it. I cant take it out on him. what do i do? I want to get in the car and drive it 100mph into a wall and end it.

how do i return those frame rails to their original condition? can they be pounded back into shape with a slide hammer? I want this car returned to its mint condition before I have an anuerysm and drop dead.

beer and cigarettes are my only friend.

please help me

[240eseckz]

dont buy it from him...it is his fault for not securing it correctly...let him deal with it...you would have 2 pay so much money 2 get it repaired...

[w1ngzer0]

dont buy it from him...it is his fault for not securing it correctly...let him deal with it...you would have 2 pay so much money 2 get it repaired...

correct. Its call responsibility. This guy needs to bite his tounge and bite the bullet.

You should not be paying a dime for this car.

[Anand]

you shouldn't pay for something that was not your fault..

[ILikeMy240sx]

Yes just like what everybody said... why should you pay for a car thats all smashed up and its not even your fault.

It's true that its so hard to find but... be patient and others will come along.

It's probably hard to refuse the car if he was a really nice guy tho but sometimes you have to do what you gotta do..

Im sorry about what happened and hope you find another 240 in the same condition.

[Drift Machine]

That sucks the big one, but unless you have already paid for the car don't. And if you have already paid make him compensate.

[Bruno240]

wait, did the guy selling it deliver it personally, then blame it on him,

but if it was a delevering agency then blame them.

[BadMojo]

It's probably hard to refuse the car if he was a really nice guy tho but sometimes you have to do what you gotta do..

My post got lost when we reset the forums, but the general idea of it was "**** the seller, nice guy or not. He broke it, he bought it".

You shouldn't have to pay for his stupidity. It's utterly absurd that you have to pay the price of a mint car and receive a car that the seller busted up himself.

If he won't be fair about it, you can always look in to small claims court (or Judge Judy!).

Edit: To the above poster...the dumbass in question was both seller and delivery man.

[Altiman94]

I agree with everything said. At the very least make him pay to fix what he caused. You paid for a mint 240 and didnt get that.

[Dattebayo]

what a dumba ss!!! OMG ive never heard such a bad story before but i cant help but laugh because the seller is not the problem unless he owns a tow truck. Somebody is going to get screwed here, but its not you. If this guy tries to stick you with the car, you can take this farther than small claims court cause of the monetary value involved.

[BadMojo]

If this guy tries to stick you with the car, you can take this farther than small claims court cause of the monetary value involved.

I thought small claims court in most areas had a limit of ~$5,000. I can't imagine an '89 240SX, mint or not, being worth more than that. Anyway, hopefully it doesn't come to that.

[gumby]

im not concerned with getting a refund. i think the guy has enough pride to return my $$$ in full if i ask.

What I need to do is figure out how bad the damage is. whether its worth getting some $$$ back having it repaired it and proceeding with the project.

the driver frame rail is dented the worst. I had a body guy look at it he said it shouldnt effect anything structurally and he can hammer it back into the shape somewhat for $100. The quarter panel and bumper are mainly cosmetic and fixable.

Its the suspension im concerned about. the rear subframe isnt eactely designed for off road use.

essentially it rolled off at an angle. when the rear wheels went over the edge it came down on the frame rails denting them. it scraped along the frame rails until the front wheels went over the edge then dropped to the ground. I think the nose cleared it. I ran after it and jumpd in but by the time i grabbed the ebrake it was over.

im having a local mechanic put it up on a lift in the morning but i have no idea what im looking for other than the obvious. even so i wont know for certain until i have it aligned and start driving it.

ill never find another and i have no garage.

If theres any suspension damage im returning it. otherwise im getting an estimate and asking him to cover it.

I feel entitled to the car as purchased he insisted on delivering it himself. Dammit!

[gumby]

anyway thanks for the support guys.

i definitely shouldve taken matters into my own hands and driven it out of there instead of relying on a guy with a trailer. judging by the drag car he built from scratch i figured he knew what he was doing.

anyway too late now he dropped the ball. it happens to the best of em.

[240Knightrider]

dude man, im gonna be straightI tried fixing mine. theres probably more damage if you havent torn the car down yet.Most body shops charge 55 a hour to fix a frame. mine took 6 hours to even get it to look right and it need 6 hours after that. not to mention the parts 106 for Lt Fender 130 for right fender and 90 for hood. Then add the labor hours and paint time it adds up. Get your money back unless you really want to keep the car and have him pay to fix it. just my 2 cents

[240Knightrider]

just my advise, if you dont know the guy that said he would fix it for $100 go to another body shop. It may be true hes an honest guy but ive seen a lot of people get told stuff like that but in the end when they get screwed theres nothing they can do becuase it was there decision to get it fixed there in the first place.

[gumby]

well i got a printed quote. none of the pros seemed to think it was anything major. 3hrs @$42 to pull the dents on the frame rails. same for the quarter panel. not including paint. suspension seemed ok. frame rails didnt look so bad up on the lift. seems the worst dent was from it hanging up on the frame rail compartment lip so it didnt actually land there. neither i nor the mechanic could find anything wrong with the suspension components. alignment should cover it when i replace the shocks. i drove it, handled fine on the curves. that was the main concern.

the guy agreed to kick me back $200. he was actually trying to do me a favor so i cant get to bent out of shape over it (no pun intended). I'll pitch in the rest for the body work. it needed painting anyway due to peeling clear coat. still getting a bargain anyway i look at it. mechanic and autobody guys agreed. not worth a return or litigation. just another hassle. ive already got one new gray hair i dont need another over some cosmetic bs. couldve been alot worse. it was more unnerving than anything.

*sigh* it really was flawless

[gumby]

steering rack was already replaced. woo hoo! front shocks also (helped blunt the impact) timing chain cover is oozing silicon gasket so the chain was likely replaced as well. engine runs well. Not a speck of rust on the undercarriage.

only issues are the california model doesnt seem to have the same amount of undercoat and i smell gas under the hood so i figure the cracked injector seals are rotted from storage/age. also surges at idle and putters on the road. no matter engine is getting replaced. i could give 2 squirts about the leftover beater project. i'll worry about it later.

[USDM240]

make him compensate you for it. it was NOT your fault. he should have been smart enough to yank the ebrake and strap that bad-boy down better.

[gumby]

well naturally i feel the same way but even with the damage the car's worth what i paid initially, he's given me 2/3 of the body work, and its mainly cosmetic. the last thing i need is for him to go on the defensive and end up in court. the judge may not even hold him responsible because he isnt an auto transport co. and there was no written contract. the law does not favor the buyer in private sales. better not to force the issue. i need to concentrate on the task at hand. I should have insured it and driven it the hell out of there myself when i had a chance. its a catch 22, if you insist on something in writing people go on the offensive like you dont trust them. then they screw up. from now on i'll act as if everyone is as retarded as i am, because they're usually even more retarded than me.

thanks for the vote of confidence anyway. if i had a contractual advantage i probly would take it to court, but its just a few dents. i was freaked out until i saw it on the lift. definitely driven worse than that.