Hmm...Possible scam?

[spitfire9200]

Hey guys.. so I've been looking for a used M3 and came across this on the Dealix dealer network:

http://bestusedcars.us/2011_BMW_M3_151445952.veh

I called the guy out of curiosity, and it took a second to ring (which usually means it's being transferred or forwarded) and some dude picked up. I asked for the VIN and why the car was priced so low.. He said "we price cars to move them not keep them".

I ran the VIN, and it checks out. I checked the address on google earth and maps, and it seems like there is no car lot there whatsoever. Some of these pictures of the other cars (Lexus for example) are straight from the dealerships when they were new as well. I know this is shady and I'm not stupid, but I swear I saw that mineral white/fox e93 on here somewhere. If you check on Dealix or carsforsale.com you can also see that every single ad for this company was updated 4 hours ago, all at the same time.

Anyone have any solid evidence that it's a scam? Anyone from Minnesota perhaps? lol

I would go down there and check it out myself if it wasn't 900 miles away.

Not to sound dumb, but if it's not a scam, that's the exact car I want.. but I am pretty sure this is bs.

[SGMe90]

Hmm, very interesting. It says in mechanical that it's six speed but up top it says automatic. They copied some and some guy just wrote stuff to add to the final description. Tough call and ultimately it's your call. Make sure you have a good bank and test drive it. Tell them to send you pics of it from outside and inside and pic of the vin from under the back license plate. Just say you want to be sure before you go and buy it. Good luck OP.

[spitfire9200]

Originally Posted by SGMe90

Hmm, very interesting. It says in mechanical that it's six speed but up top it says automatic. They copied some and some guy just wrote stuff to add to the final description. Tough call and ultimately it's your call. Make sure you have a good bank and test drive it. Tell them to send you pics of it from outside and inside and pic of the vin from under the back license plate. Just say you want to be sure before you go and buy it. Good luck OP.

lol thanks..... I don't even want to waste the plane ticket money. The Carfax does not mention that it is for sale in MN. That should be a big red flag most likely.

[Rich_Jenkins]

Could try and run the vin here, and compare with the description they list?

http://www.rubmw.ru/vincode/eng/

[M3PO]

Did you mention that you would be doing the deal in person? Any mention of wiring money on the dealer's part?

[Rich_Jenkins]

I google mapped the address too, might be a office park, hard to tell.

The sequence of pictures do at least seem to be of the same car, lol.

[minneapolism3]

I live in minneapolis not too far from where this address is. But I've never heard of this dealer. I'll let you know if I get a chance to drive by there this week.

[RoyBratten]

It says in mechanical that it's six speed but up top it says automatic

[IFX]

if there's such a discrepancy about the ad, that should be enough to run away.

[spitfire9200]

Originally Posted by M3PO

Did you mention that you would be doing the deal in person? Any mention of wiring money on the dealer's part?

I mentioned I want to come look at it and drive it, and he didn't seem to mind..

Originally Posted by minneapolism3

I live in minneapolis not too far from where this address is. But I've never heard of this dealer. I'll let you know if I get a chance to drive by there this week.

Dude that would be awesome if you could check it out and even see if the car is real!!! I would forever be in your debt

Originally Posted by IFX

if there's such a discrepancy about the ad, that should be enough to run away.

hm yeah but I've actually seen a bunch of ads for legitimate dealers that put manual when it's auto and auto when it's manual. It pisses me off because i'm trying to find a DCT and they put auto and it's a stick. le sigh

['Cane]

What's the list on that car new, $85k? Price seems way too low to be real.

[JohnnyRoaster]

Check out some of the other cars they have listed on the site. A 2010 GTR for $50k and a 2011 Carrera S for $62k. I guess they really do price cars to move

[spitfire9200]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRoaster

Check out some of the other cars they have listed on the site. A 2010 GTR for $50k and a 2011 Carrera S for $62k. I guess they really do price cars to move

lol

[Terraforce1]

If it's too good to be true........it probably is

Sorry dude, price seems way to low for a 2011 model

[spitfire9200]

Originally Posted by Terraforce1

If it's too good to be true........it probably is

Sorry dude, price seems way to low for a 2011 model

yea, I just wanted everyone else's opinion. Either way I wasn't going to spend a dime trying to go see it or what not.

It's crazy that scam artists are literally creating entire intricate dealer sites now, picking addresses, and even implementing a credit application on their site (this is where I think they are targeting the most).

Another flag was that MW on FR e93 pic is being used on another site for a scam... I wonder who's car that is... it's the star of the scam show all over the internet right now

[Dgarcia41982]

The pics show you its dct!

[spitfire9200]

Here is some solid proof as well:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...16495003&Log=0

That is in his inventory. I KNEW I saw that somewhere.

Does anyone know where we can report this site and have it pulled down so anyone that is oblivious won't get their indentity stolen?

[TVMA Doc]

Originally Posted by spitfire9200

I mentioned I want to come look at it and drive it, and he didn't seem to mind..




Dude that would be awesome if you could check it out and even see if the car is real!!! I would forever be in your debt



hm yeah but I've actually seen a bunch of ads for legitimate dealers that put manual when it's auto and auto when it's manual. It pisses me off because i'm trying to find a DCT and they put auto and it's a stick. le sigh

When I was looking for M3s I talked to a dealer who had all of their DCTs, including those on the lot, listed as "manual'. It seems to be a fine point of semantics, but officially the DCT is a manual dual clutch transmission with an automated mode. Semantics aside, it makes it difficult to determine the transmission when dealers use their own set of rules.

[Lodaka]

Wow... so blatant. Good on ya for having that strange feeling in your gut...

Originally Posted by spitfire9200

Here is some solid proof as well:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...16495003&Log=0

That is in his inventory. I KNEW I saw that somewhere.

Does anyone know where we can report this site and have it pulled down so anyone that is oblivious won't get their indentity stolen?

[boostedM]

Says DCT in Vehicle Description. Weird. It would be worth checking out, however. Most scams don't come with a full website with 57 cars in their inventory. Stuff does seem cheaaaaaappppp though.

[ksoze]

Originally Posted by spitfire9200

Does anyone know where we can report this site and have it pulled down so anyone that is oblivious won't get their indentity stolen?

I'm not sure there is a law broken here to report - many times cars are brokered and sold through multiple operations. In the internet used car business, I am not sure "inventory" means anything anymore - that site appears to be associated with carsforsale.com which lists a ton of cars nationwide. The fact a picture is used to represent a model also may not break any rules - the buyer needs to be specific and ask if those are the pictures of the exact car being offered. I suspect this may be a case of a virtual dealer listing cars and when he gets a bite he trys to broker a sale. That great price may go up when interest is shown and he then negotiates with the operation that has the actual vehicle for a finders fee. It is the wild west in used car land and being suspicious is a a good thing.

[Rich_Jenkins]

Originally Posted by ksoze

I'm not sure there is a law broken here to report - many times cars are brokered and sold through multiple operations. In the internet used car business, I am not sure "inventory" means anything anymore - that site appears to be associated with carsforsale.com which lists a ton of cars nationwide. The fact a picture is used to represent a model also may not break any rules - the buyer needs to be specific and ask if those are the pictures of the exact car being offered. I suspect this may be a case of a virtual dealer listing cars and when he gets a bite he trys to broker a sale. That great price may go up when interest is shown and he then negotiates with the operation that has the actual vehicle for a finders fee. It is the wild west in used car land and being suspicious is a a good thing.

Excellent post.