Ran a carfax on my new 80

[BigSur]

Let's start this from the beginning and i'll try and make it quick and painless...

I found this 80 in dallas and i stopped by and got the number. I call the number and talked to the guy selling and he stated he was selling for a friend (a realtor) and he was the original owner and the bottom price was $5K. He said before you buy it i will get the inspection done at my fathers service station. So the next day i took it for a drive and it ran great...no issues...no problems..notta. So i told the guy i wanted it and to show him i was serious i gave him a $1000 cash and he said done....just bring me the other $4000 on monday. He gave me the car, title (signed by the owner) and the sheet you take to DMV (signed by the original owner as well). Well the morning before i picked up the truck the guy i bought it from got the truck inspected and it passed emissions nicely. On the way home i noticed the speedo wasn't working (i really didn't pay too much attention to this on the test drive) and i called the guy and he said that they had to put a relay on the truck cause the back lights weren't working and so they must of mixed a wire. I said cool i will call the service station in the morning. Well i started thinking and took a look at the speedo and that year 80 they didn't have electrical speedo'...they still used the cable speedo so i took a look under the truck and BAM! The speedo cable had been removed and a cover over the hole where it goes into. Both zip tied to make sure.

So i ran a carfax and the shat hit the fan. First i find out there are three owners...not 1 and then i looked at the odometer information...back in 99' the truck had 200K on the clock and the next registration on the report shoes the truck had 103K on the clock and now the truck as 154 on the clock. But that isn't accurate cause the speedo has been removed. There is no telling how many miles are truely on the truck. Here is the tricky part....

Not only did they pass the inspection but they passed it with a faulty speedo, the guy selling lied about the ownership, and the list goes on.

Now this is the weird part, i have the truck, i have the title signed by the owner, i have the sheet for the DMV to tranfer the title signed by the owner, i only gave the guy $1000 cash (but was going to give the rest tomorrow) i didn't sign a single piece of paper so they don't have anything with my signature on it.

So two things....do i take the truck back, get my cash back and report everyone to whome ever i report things like this too.

Or since i have everything and they have nothing (regarding all the paperwork) do i put the truck in my name and keep it and not give them the additional money.

I know i should of ran a carfax prior but the guy seemed honest from the very beginning and was extremely nice and running a carfax didn't even cross my mind.

This would be a great truck for a $1000 plus the truck drives like a top. Not a single problem with the exception of the speedo.

Thoughts??

 

[Romer]

Take it back. I would not keep it and not give them the rest of the money. If the speedo cable is off then you never know what else might be wrong.

I would report it to the DMV as you wouldn't want someone else to get taken. Stupid on their part not to reconnect it.

You don't want a 91 anyways. A 93+ will have more power, it was fate trying to make sure you got the right truck.

 

[BigSur]

Here is the Odometer part of the carfax

CARFAX searched more than 4 billion records from over 7,600 sources and found 12 record(s) for this 1991 TOYOTA LANDCRUISER (JT3FJ80W4M0002189).

Date:
Mileage Reading:
Source:
General Comments:


05/08/1990 NICB
Vehicle manufactured and shipped to original
dealer


06/06/1990 74 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #27275715
Title or registration issued
First owner reported
Loan or lien reported


07/30/1992 39,625 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #35712074
Title or registration issued


11/02/1994 75,896 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Houston, TX
Title #00022200044939292
Title or registration issued
Loan or lien reported


11/02/1994 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Galveston, TX
Title #00022200044939292
Title or registration issued
Loan or lien reported


02/03/1998 162,307 Texas
Inspection Station
Houston, TX
Passed emissions inspection


08/19/1999 200,113 Auto Auction
Sold at auction
in Southwest Region
Listed as
a dealer vehicle


05/02/2000 104,159 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Channelview, TX
Title #10127636631123216
Title issued or updated
Title or registration issued
New owner reported
Passed safety inspection
INCONSISTENT ODOMETER READING

CARFAX AdvisorTM
CARFAX analyzed this mileage history and is uncertain whether this reading represents a rollback or a clerical error. Please verify the mileage with your dealer or a qualified mechanic.

07/18/2000 116,862 Texas
Inspection Station
Houston, TX
Passed emissions inspection


05/09/2001 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Austin, TX
Title #22731937006150232
Title issued or updated
New owner reported


08/21/2001 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Stephenville, TX
Title #07210037107104506
Title issued or updated
Loan or lien reported


10/06/2001 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Stephenville, TX
Title #07200037156120459
Title issued or updated
Correction to record
Loan or lien reported
Passed safety inspection

 

[e9999]

figure out what it's worth to you with 300K on the clock. Offer that. If he doesn't want to, say you want your $ back. If he doesn't want to, tell him you'll notify the District Attorney for odo fraud. If he still doesn't want to, do it.
Sorry to hear that!

 

[alaskacruiser]

Wow...this is something else. The guy is obviously a con-artist. While it may be tempting to keep the truck for $1k, I would just call him on all the BS (bring the carfax report with you), get your $1k back, and move on. Definitely learned your lesson, but not the hard way since you didn't give him all the $. Carfax everything. The nicest guys can be the worst type of cons.

 

[IdahoDoug]

This would be a nice truck for $1000. Assume the guy is not "just selling it for a friend", but in fact a guy who sells cars on the side and should therefore know better. This, because when confronted he'll say "Hey, I was doing a friend a favor and wow, I can't believe this - I don't do this for a living or anything" and you'll say "You sell cars frequently and in court this will not look good" That puts him in a box where he has something to lose as a court will agree that someone who has sold more than, say, 1 car a year would be deemed an experienced vehicle reseller enough to know there are hard and fast rules about selling a car with an obvious odometer issue.

Once you have him in that box, tell him you'll take the car for $1000 or you'll go to the authorities and let them deal with it. That means his Father's gas station is in jeopardy, and so is whomever did the emissions (likely also a buddy).

This means you will immediately draw up new paperwork showing that he sold it to you for $1000 and will give you a receipt that says "Paid in Full", dated and signed by him with the VIN of the vehicle on the same paper. YOU get the original, HE gets a photocopy if he wants it. It should also identify him as the Seller, and you should get a photocopy of his driver's license as well.

This was an obvious case of a ripoff underway and it would be nice to see the good guys win one once in a while. If you like the truck, you may enjoy it for $1000. I'm assuming you screwed up and did not get a receipt for your $1000 by the way.

DougM

 

[robjam]

BTW,

This is a business transaction. Do not make it personal. Tell him frankly about your concerns and either get your money back or decide if you want the vehicle "as is".
I highly suggest you have your OWN reputable mechanic go over the vehicle. Quite frankly, his mechanic appears to be in on the scam. Do not trust him!
Be sure the paperwork is done correctly!!! I agree with Doug, copy his license information down.
Make sure title is transferred from the registered owner, if it is not him. Receipts etc, etc.

Good luck,

Rob

 

[-Spike-]

Back away from the deal. Offer him what you think the car is worth. If he doesn't agree, get your money back and give him his car back. Attempting to keep the vehicle would be dishonest and it's just possible you could get in trouble, regardless of who has what paperwork. You have a verbal contract you should abide by. If the car isn't 'as stated', that doesn't entitle you to steal it. It entitles you to back out of the transaction.

-Spike

 

[alaskacruiser]

I agree with Spike. Not only would it be dishonest (althought not as dishonest as the seller), but if you do it they could find you and take revenge. Not worth getting into a mess like that. Two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[CSA]

Several things:

(1) You probably have a verbal contract to purchase the truck for $5,000.00 that you are probably entitled to rescind, if you agreed to the contract based on material misrepresentations.

(2) If you attempt to keep the truck, it's probably yours, and you probably waive any right to rescind the contract you otherwise might have.

(3) If you threaten to report the seller to the authorities if the seller will not agree to sell you the truck for $1,000.00, you are probably engaging in extortion, which is a felony in most jurisdictions.

(4) If it were me, I would unwind the transaction and go find the right truck.

 

[DuManchu]

(4) If it were me, I would unwind the transaction and go find the right truck.

Ditto that. You should try to find an FZJ80 anyway, the 3FE is a bit anemic...

 

[BigSur]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have put a call into the guy and i haven't heard back from him, i am sure i will hear from him tomorrow when he wants the remaining $4K.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

BTW...where do i report something like this in the state of texas?

 

[e9999]

Thanks for the advice guys. I have put a call into the guy and i haven't heard back from him, i am sure i will hear from him tomorrow when he wants the remaining $4K.
snip

or not... I have a hard time believing somebody who knows what they are doing would sign away a vehicle with only the deposit.
Don't be surprised if he is gone with your $1000 and the rig was stolen, sold unbeknownst to the owner, or the title a fake or something like that... I hope not, of course.
Can the guy be traced? Name, Address, Phone etc? If I were you, I'd go see him right away (with a big friend for protection just in case), take photo, ask for ID etc... Maybe even call the cops and ask for advice.
I hope I'm wrong.

 

[MTNRAT]

I am with e9999 on this. I smell something very fishy. Calling the cops at this point would be in your best interest.
Sean

 

[Hawke]

I am with e9999 on this. I smell something very fishy. Calling the cops at this point would be in your best interest.
Sean

ditto.

no negotiations go right to the cops

 

[tarbe]

I'd call the Attorney General's office if you want to report it.

I would get my money back and run...figuring this was a lesson learned in buying used cars.

 

[MoJ]

or not... I have a hard time believing somebody who knows what they are doing would sign away a vehicle with only the deposit.
Don't be surprised if he is gone with your $1000 and the rig was stolen, sold unbeknownst to the owner, or the title a fake or something like that... I hope not, of course.
Can the guy be traced? Name, Address, Phone etc? If I were you, I'd go see him right away (with a big friend for protection just in case), take photo, ask for ID etc... Maybe even call the cops and ask for advice.
I hope I'm wrong.

E's part about theft is what I was going to add. If I were you I'd go straight to the police and have them run everything. They may be able to help you get your $1000 back. Even if the seller was willing to give you your money back you still need to go to the police - I'd rather not watch another cruiser fan get ripped off.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I'd at least call and see if it's been reported stolen. Hopefully not, then you're out your grand AND the truck.

 

[sdbrassfield]

Ditto that. You should try to find an FZJ80 anyway, the 3FE is a bit anemic...

Man you fzj guys are relentless....The 3FE is not that much more anemic than the FZJ's....All of these FJ80's are not in anyway straight line pavement burners...Kinda hard to get 6000 lbs moving quickly w/ only 6 cylinders...And the 3FE guys do not have all the head gasket and phh issues the fzj guys have...3FE - tried and true...

I do agree that something fishy is going on...I would call the cops and ask for advise before proceeding...Hope you can find this guy...

 

[desertdude]

sorry to hear about your deal...

You have no choice but to be honest with the authorities and get out of this bad deal.

In the eyes of authorities this can be a slippery slope - you did not sign paperwork but have the vehicle - this can be construed as theft.

If it is found to be stolen - the authorities will probably confiscate the 80 and you will be out 1000.00

I hope it all washes away for you in a positive and you find a better deal