It's obvious that the dealer was looking to capitalize on the market for these cars. With many dealers price gouging this car with a $30,000 “Market Adjustment” Fee, the dealer’s motives behind this auction are blatantly apparent. Starting the auction at $60,000 implies that price as the reserve amount. As many have pointed out, this car was advertised as the “Lowest Priced” M3 on the Internet.
Dooma, I hope I see you driving around PV in your new M3. Don't give up; you won this auction. Lincoln BMW is in violation of their contract and the policies set forth through eBay. When they listed this item they knowingly accepted these terms. EBay makes the terms of their auction well known for all sellers and buyers; they do not place these terms in fine print. From the looks of the auction page layout, they have been conducting business through eBay for sometime and know how auctions work.
If I were a lawyer I would pick up this case on contingency or even for free, as it would be great publicity for your firm and most likely not a lot of work.
Another option would be to have a news reporter call up the dealership on your behalf letting the dealership know that they are being recorded. I was listening to “This American Life” and some lady had a problem with her phone service provider (MCI) giving her the runaround about charges on her bill totaling almost $1,000 and holding her accountable for these erroneous charges. When Ira Glass called up and let them know he was working on a piece about this lady’s problems, MCI’s tone changed completely.
Here's a link to the episode. It's Act 2.
This American Life
As for Mooseman… Are you for real? I really don’t know what to say about you. If you really think this was a mistake on the dealer’s part, your logic is flawed and you are very disconnected from reality.