Ebay..never Again!

[kevin5952]

Bought my first celica about 3 months ago from eBay..nice white gen 5 gt,white and mot,d until the end of sept..picked it up and drove back to devon.The most enjoyable drive i,ve had in a long time...anyway to cut a long story short i parked it at my brothers garage for 2 months until i had sold my other car and then serviced it and polished it up a treat and took it for it,s mot...you guessed it,it failed badly...the point i,m trying to make is that the description on the add said that it was in good mechanical condition and should pass the next mot no problem..me being a mechanical fool believed this piece of low life and now i can,t afford to put it right....be warned there is an increasing bunch of pond life on eBay..i got ripped off.Be careful you don,t!!! any other horror stories. :censor:

[Gedrick]

just out of curiosity, what was wrong with it??

[GT4 BOOSTER]

life is full of liars eager for the £ note , not just eBay , eBay is like home for them , pretty pics and elaborate descriptions , learn from it , hence the saying " once bitten twice shy"

i do hope you can get this car on the road

[daktari]

I`ve bought 3 cars and 1 bike off eBay and not had a problem. But then i did a lot of question asking and checked out feedback etc 1st. Plus i`ve a wee bit of mechanical knowledge so would`ve happily walked away if they weren`t all they were cracked up to be.

But for the unwary i would say stay well clear. As mentioned i and doubtless, everyone else on here hopes you can get your Celi sorted somehow. They`re well worth doing. If i can be of any help just ask.... :group-cuddles:

[Spuffington]

I echo Daktari's comments......

I've sold lots on eBay (my last car and two high-value mountain bikes). I always let my potential buyers thoroughly inspect whatever they're buying. Any scrupilous vendor would allow that.

But unfortunately, it is buyer beware. I would suggest that if you're buying something like a car which is not only a complex mechanical item and normally involving large sums of money, I would always suggest bringing a mechanically minded friend and/or the AA or RAC to thoroughly inspect the car before handing over any cash.

That said - best of luck with whatever needs doing. And I hope you really get to properly enjoy your Celica

[kevin5952]

just out of curiosity, what was wrong with it??

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this is what the fail sheet said...

1.number plate light u/s

2.steering wheel loose.

3.power steering rack leaking.

4.n/s/f..drive shaft cv joint excessive play outter.

5.""""""""""""""""""" outer boot split.

6.abs warning light not working.

7.n/s/f abs sensor and wire missing.

8.front brake pads low.

9.drivers seat belt stalk not locking.

10.exhaust blowing..

previous owner said no problem next mot!

how much do you reckon to fix? any guesses.

[daktari]

Biggest problem there is the steering rack. Probably just a seal but it might be cheaper to get one from a breakers. How handy are you with things mechanical? Or alternatively find a new best friend who is. For second hand parts try TCB tcbparts or heathrow jap spares.

1.number plate light u/s - Probably a bulb

2.steering wheel loose. - Tighten the centre bolt.

3.power steering rack leaking. - Replace with S/H item

4.n/s/f..drive shaft cv joint excessive play outter. - Replace with new

5.""""""""""""""""""" outer boot split. - Ditto

6.abs warning light not working. - Will probably be ok when no 7 is replaced

7.n/s/f abs sensor and wire missing. - Replace with new or S/H if you can get one thats ok

8.front brake pads low. - Replace

9.drivers seat belt stalk not locking. - S/H from scrappies

10.exhaust blowing.. - Might be a leaky joint, or if it`s a standard system buy the relevant part

A very rough guesstimate would be around £2-300 depending on how many S/H bits you can get and who fits them for you.

[T600]

Biggest problem there is the steering rack. Probably just a seal but it might be cheaper to get one from a breakers. How handy are you with things mechanical? Or alternatively find a new best friend who is. For second hand parts try TCB tcbparts or heathrow jap spares.

1.number plate light u/s -  Probably a bulb

2.steering wheel loose. - Tighten the centre bolt.

3.power steering rack leaking. - Replace with S/H item

4.n/s/f..drive shaft cv joint excessive play outter. - Replace with new

5.""""""""""""""""""" outer boot split. - Ditto

6.abs warning light not working. - Will probably be ok when no 7 is replaced

7.n/s/f abs sensor and wire missing. - Replace with new or S/H if you can get one thats ok

8.front brake pads low. - Replace

9.drivers seat belt stalk not locking. - S/H from scrappies

10.exhaust blowing.. - Might be a leaky joint, or if it`s a standard system buy the relevant part

A very rough guesstimate would be around £2-300 depending on how many S/H bits you can get and who fits them for you.

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Agreed. EBay's just like any other marketplace - there are genuine sellers and rogues. You have to check for yourself that the car is genuine.

Re the fixes -

the ABS warning light bulb may have been removed as the broken wire was probably making it stay on permanently.

if exhaust problem can't be fixed easily then take it as an excuse to buy a performance one. I fear the back box on my recently purchased MR2 might be on its way out, but if that happens I shall treat it to a new Mongoose or something like that.

Good luck with the repairs Kevin. Once they're done you should have a great car so it's worth putting the effort into it.

[=IWM= Spectre]

if all else fails you could try a place like part finder what they do is you tell them exactly what you want and they put a call out to about 50 scrappy's with your drts and they call you back with what they have.have used them before and found it to be quit usefull will try and get a number on here shortly

might be a donkey but worth a look

Hope you get it sorted soon bud as the celi is a very nice drive

[kevin5952]

if all else fails you could try a place like part finder what they do is you tell them exactly what you want and they put a call out to about 50 scrappy's with your drts and they call you back with what they have.have used them before and found it to be quit usefull will try and  get a number on here shortly

might be a donkey but worth a look

Hope you get it sorted soon bud as the celi is a very nice drive

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just phoned tcb..they had all the parts except an abs sensor..total price £280 including delivery.thanks for all your help..just got to decide wether to keep it or sell it on as it is..