SCAM!!! Don't feed him anything and still count your fingers when it's over.
Seriously. This model has been all over the news as what to watch out for
and not fall victim to. Some of the payment methods have "apparently
cleared" the bank but a few weeks later the bank charges it back to you when
all the smoke and mirrors have cleared away. - BaH

"Anthony" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hey everyone. You may remember that I've been trying to sell my 1973
> standard Beetle. I used ebay with no success, and now it's on the
> samba again. I was recently contacted by "Mike." who wanted to
> knowextra details and my final negotiating price. Rather than attempt
> to explain the whole thing, I will post out converstaions that we had
> via email. Sorry for the long read, but I do need help on this one,
> and would appreciate any input you may have: BTW, I edited out his
> email address for security purposes)
>
> (HIS FIRST EMAIL)
> A visitor to TheSamba.com has replied to your ad at:
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifie....php?id=157731
> and sent the following message:
> ************************************************** *************
>
> From: Mike )
> Ad : 1973 Std. drives nice! Needs cosmetic
>
> Hello,
> How are you?please i'm really interested in your bug.Its really
> cool..please let me know your final bargaining price and any other
> information you might have on it.
> Thanks a lot.
> Mike
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> (MY REPLY)
> --- Anthony G > wrote:
> > Hey Mike, thanks for your interest. Yes, the bug is
> > cool! I loved it dearly while I was driving it, but
> > I got a Miata and now I have something else to
> > obsess over. I wanted to get the bug painted while
> > I had it, but never really got around to it in the
> > years I owned it. Well, since you weren't very
> > specific about what other information you want on
> > the bug, I'll try to list everything I can think of
> > that's not already in the samba ad. Like I said,
> > the reason I'm selling it is because I got another
> > car, and I can't afford the insurance on both, and
> > don't have the time to maintain both to my
> > standards. It's one or the other, but not both, ya
> > know? Anyway, it drives very nicely -- it has a
> > tight feel, but it's still a Beetle, so it has the
> > usual quirkyness. Tranny shifts smooth through all
> > gears in all directions when it's warm. When it's
> > cold, 3rd to 2nd downshift must be a slow shift or
> > it may grind -- all other shifts are fine all the
> > time. The tires are Kumho 795 all season
> > touring. 90 percent of the tread is left. Front
> > allignment was done to my specs, and I had the front
> > wheels set at 0 camber instead of the stock +1 deg
> > so the car could take advantage of the wider than
> > stock rubber. The sway bars are both 3/4" and make
> > the car handle surprisingly well. I have caught
> > many sedans off gaurd because of this....nobody is
> > expecting the bug to take a corner like that! It
> > stays FLAT and grips the road like glue. However,
> > the ride is fairly compliant because of the
> > oil-filled shocks. I consider it a very nice
> > tradeoff. The ride IS stiffer than stock, but you
> > won't need a chiropracter every week. I put a
> > carpeted shelf in the front trunk which also
> > protects and covers the wiring harness. There is no
> > stereo in the car. The previous owner before me had
> > something in there, becuase there are some speakers
> > and wires hanging around that I never removed.
> > Ummmm I can't think of anything else that's not
> > already in the ad. Don't know where you are
> > located,
> > but right now, the car is Sandia Park, which is
> > about 25 minutes from downtown Albuquerque if you
> > hop on I-40 eastbound. If you are local, feel free
> > to contact me if you want to see the car in person.
> > This has been a great car for me, I'll be sad to see
> > it go.
> >
> > I'm asking $2000 for the car right now, as is. This
> > includes a myriad of old/spare parts including the
> > entire front brake assembly (drums) since I replaced
> > them with disc brakes. It also includes all four
> > original wheels (shod with worn out rubber), 16
> > lugbolts and 4 caps. I'll also throw in both of my
> > versions of John Muir's "How to keep your aircooled
> > VW alive" and my Bentely VW shop manual.
> >
> > I will go as low as $1800 for just the car, not
> > including any of the above parts.
> >
> > Again, thanks for your interest, I hope to hear from
> > you soon!
> >
> > ~Anthony
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> (HIS NEXT REPLY)
> Hi Tony,
> thank you for your swift reply and all the
> explanation.I must say it's an awesome deal Tony,I'm
> very much satisfied with everything the way it is.
> I will pay $2000 for it as stated in the AD.I really
> loved it.
> Actually,right now I'm presently not in the country
> cos i'm working on an oil rig off the coast of Europe.
> I could wire the money to your bank account straight
> away once we settle everything.I would need your
> account details for the wire transfer, the only thing
> is that I hope you have a Bank of America account cos
> that's the only way i can transfer the money to you.If
> you agree to this,my shipper will give you a call and
> will arrange pick up at your convenient date and time.
> Hopefully sometime next week or the upper week
> depending on how fast we finish the deal.I also hope
> that all the paperwork is in order.
> Please confirm this to me ASAP.
> Thanks a lot.
> Hope to hear from you soon.
> Mike
>
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
> That email made me nervous....so here is the response I WANT to send,
> but wanted to check with you guys first! I have it saved as a draft,
> so feel free to give me any input on how to edit, or if I should
> continue with this deal at all.
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry to say it Mike but your out of country request makes me
> understandably nervous. 99 percent of the scams that go on for deals
> like this one involve a shipper and a customer out of the country.
>
> Also, I don't have a Bank Of America account, :-/ I bank with Bank of
> the West.
>
> Those things being said, if you are legitimate, I would love to get the
> car to you. I know how popular the "German look" style VW bug is in
> Europe. If there is any way you could get the money to my account and
> once I've completely verified that the money IS in my account, we could
> work on the details. I have the vehicle's title in hand, and it is
> clear, you would just need to sign it upon receipt of the vehicle so
> you could transfer it to your name. I am willing to work with you on
> this, but I wish there were a way I could know if you were legitimate
> or not.
>
> Questions I need answered;
> Where do you want it shipped?
> When are you returning to the States (are you returning)?
> What shipping company are you using, how is it getting shipped
> overseas?
> Who gets the title? Do I mail it to you? I would be very
> unconfortable leaving it with the shipper or in the vehicle, as it's
> basically a free ticket to own the car.
>
> Also, given the circumstances, there are certain things I cannot do. I
> will not pay for the shipping. I will not accept a monetary ammount in
> excess to cover the shipping. I can not take ANY action until I've
> verified the money is in my acount.
>
> If you want, I can contact my bank and see if there is any way a
> customer in Europe could securely send me money. I suggest you speak
> with your bank in europe and/or call your local(?) bank and see if they
> can transfer money to a Bank of the West account.
>
> I hope you understand my aprehensiveness, but there are scams
> everywhere out there and I'm only trying to protect myself and my
> investment.
>
> Please, if you are still interested, I AM willing to work with you, but
> like I said I can't take action until I know the money is in my
> account. Thanks...
>
> ~Anthony
> ------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> So he never mentioned anything about sending me a money order in excess
> to cover shipping. There is a possiblity this could be the real deal.
>
>
> Thanks for any help you have, and thanks for reading.
>
> ~Anthony
>