What do you guys think? Legit, scammer, murderer?
Posted by Popular_Dress1875@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 43 comments
I’m looking for a cheap(ish) cash car from Facebook marketplace. I’m a mother, need something quick and with alot of backseat space. I found a 26 day old listening for a 2012 dodge avenger, and the photos make the car look in really good condition. The guy says he fixes cars to sell them and it has a clean title . I checked the smog history and it’s passed as well. However, he has a very arrogant attitude. I asked him if it was available and instead of yes or no he sent me an address to a gas station and said to come with money. His profile is legit, his ratings are legit as well and even if I do go see the car I won’t be alone, but his attitude threw me completely off. The car was originally listed for 3600k and he lowered it to 2700k. Should I pass on seeing it?
Economy-Flower-6443@reddit
dodge avenger has a lot of problems. also they’re not quick whatsoever
Talentless_Cooking@reddit
For that money I would get an old Honda van, lot's of space for groceries and crotch goblins. Old dodge are good for setting money on fire, you can just save the time and burn it.
clementinemini@reddit
If he is a flipper, he may not have registered it in his name. That is usually not a problem, but if your state requires a notarized bill of sale, you may run into headaches trying to get it registered.
And it's an old Dodge.
iontheball@reddit
If he is a car flipper imagine the amount of tire kicker, low baller, idiots he has to deal with. Hes probably just being short and to the point to avoid wasting time.
The bigger problem you have is you are trying to buy a dodge avenger.. even at the price thats just a grenade with the pin pulled.. your just waiting for it to go off, i hate to say it.
jrileyy229@reddit
$2,700,000 for an avenger... Pass.
Even at $2700, pass
seang86s@reddit
If he did not sell it in 26 days then don't feel rushed to buy it. Given it's a Dodge is enough of a reason to skip this one over. The fact he's arrogant and may be the type to take advantage of a woman, just adds more to skip it. If you don't find anything better or as long as you can hold out, then you can go back an reconsider it and maybe try to get a better price.
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
Do dodges typically have alot of issues? It won’t be a commuter car, I’d be using it in the city just for doctors appointments and such, and I’m trying to find something more reliable like a Honda, but the price on this car is within my range so it caught my eye. My previous car was a Chevy impala and it had sooo many issues , I don’t want a repeat of that !
twpayne556@reddit
Chevy Impalas of really any generation are far and away more reliable than most any Dodge.
I had several Impalas, mainly as company vehicles. All ran well till close to 300k miles, when they were parked because of mileage. They still ran well.
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
My impala must’ve hated me then, because it failed me pretty badly to the point I almost died! We also have a Malibu which also failed as well. Maybe it’s just bad luck on our end but those cars were from dealerships too!
twpayne556@reddit
Not sure how a car failure causes death. Don't know your situation, and don't want to speculate, but all cars require maintenance. Some are more forgiving than others. And not knowing a vehicles history is a crap shoot. Dealerships aren't magical. A car from a dealership doesn't guarantee anything. They are just getting their cars from people that a lot of times are getting rid of them for a reason, or buying up from auctions.
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
my transmission failed, and my car got stuck on a hill in the rain so my car started rolling backwards into oncoming cars .
twpayne556@reddit
Well, guess that'll do it.
lrbikeworks@reddit
Yes. Dodges are not great. And the avenger isn’t that big.
Large_Cloud_1611@reddit
Buy a Toyota if you can. Ford would be the only American manufacturer otherwise recommended.
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
Got it! I’ve seen a few Toyotas and fords as well, I just wasn’t too sure if they would be good options.
seang86s@reddit
Your post piqued my interest. On Facebook marketplace I found a few Subaru Outbacks and Foresters in the $2500-$3500 range. I'm partial to them since I had a 2011 Outback. Nice car and regret selling it but it does have issues. All minor that I was able to fix myself. If you or someone you know is handy, its an easy car to keep running awhile.
I suggest looking for a toyota highlander or rav4 if you can go with a smaller SUV. Very reliable. If you dont mind a minivan, a toyota sienna or Honda odyssey is worth looking at.
seang86s@reddit
They aren't very reliable especially with age.
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
That makes sense! Thank for your advice!
JagaloonJack@reddit
Pass
Superhereaux@reddit
Since no one’s mentioned it, I’ll chime in.
When I’m planning to murder women, I usually post a relatively new Toyota Camry or Honda Accord on marketplace. Financially responsible mothers simply CANNOT resist a sensible sedan. I’ll get dozens of messages in the first few hours so o have the luxury of choice.
The one thing I WON’T do (again, if I plan to murder women) is post a 2012 Dodge Avenger of all things. The dude might be a scumbag scammer, but he won’t murder you.
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
This was hilarious 🤣 it was a joke on my end about the murder part. Nobody who’s serious about killing somebody and getting away with it would post on a public platform, let alone their own personal page 🤣
Old_Confidence3290@reddit
If you just clicked on the "is this available " automated message, that could be the reason for the abrupt response. When selling through marketplace, the seller gets far too many responses, usually from people who are not really interested.
Poozipper@reddit
I don't see alot of 2012 Dodges roaming the streets.
AlternativeWorth5386@reddit
Dont get a dodge avenger, even if its cheap or atleast get it inspected first because they are pretty terrible
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
That’s good to know!
Hungry-Job-3198@reddit
That’s a horrible car to buy reliability wise. I would avoid that just because of the car. Let along the fact the seller is acting that way
therealbrokewrench@reddit
I sell things on marketplace. I get swamped with Looky loo's asking if it's available and asking if they can get better price. The only way to filter those people out is to tell them to show up with cash. He might actually be arrogant, or he might just be a businessman who deals with a lot of people who waste his time.
Personally I would pass on this car at $2,700 but it could actually be a good value. It depends on how well it was cared for.
If you want the car, show up at that gas station with $2,200 in hand. Show it to them and see if they will take it. It's really hard to say no to cash in front of you.
It would be best to take somebody with you who's knowledgeable and has an advanced scanner but honestly, you can expect a car for $2, 200-$2700 to have some issues. I don't think it that price point it's worth paying for a pre-purchase inspection. Most of the problems associated with dodge in those years are electrical and will never show up on a pre-purchase inspection anyway
Drive it and pay attention to any vibrations or noises, stop by an O'Reilly's or AutoZone and have them scan it for codes, look underneath and make sure there's no signs of major oil leaks, look at the tires and see if they are wearing evenly, and if it has a transmission dipstick, smell it and make sure it isn't black and doesn't smell badly burnt.
Oh, and I almost forgot because I'm not in the rest belt but if you are, look for rust under the car. Anything flaky say no and walk away.
Agile_Lawfulness9678@reddit
I see nothing wrong with his answer.Anyone serious about buying it would show up with cash fairly quickly.
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
Very true. I guess I’m just not familiar with buying and selling on FB marketplace, and since it’s been listed a while I’m sure he’s had a handful of people who’ve tried to give him lowball offers or not show up!
seang86s@reddit
BTW, if you never bought/sold a used car you have to make sure the seller has the title. Without it, you dont own the car. Also expect the seller won't give you plates so be prepared to go to DMV to get what you need to drive the car home. I wouldn't want to drive a car on somebody's plates anyway. You never know what I offenses might be attached to those plates.
Also draw up a bill of sale if the seller doesn't provide one. Good to have proof you just bought the car along with the title. Look up best practices and templates for buying a used car on tge internet.
Agile_Lawfulness9678@reddit
I will agree with most of the replies that it is not the greatest car but depending on what has been done to it and the service history it might be a decent grocery getter / errand running car for a short time and the ins. will be very cheap.$2700 for a car that drives ,stops and shifts is not terrible ,if you go there ask him what else it needs to be a dependable daily driver and how much he would charge to do the work.Check out the garage on yelp ,google and other places for reviews he might be an honest mechanic but just grumpy with poor people skills!
wide_right100@reddit
People who talk like that can kick rocks. I don’t need to buy or sell to you.
WuTangwhite426@reddit
If it's on marketplace listed over a month I assume it's a scam
RingOk664@reddit
Listen to your inner voice. This person is shady. Probably a POS car.
Harkers144@reddit
I sold a bunch of these used. They ride and handle very well. They are also very very problematic.
Imaginary-Feeling362@reddit
I would pass on an old Dodge avenger. They don't make them anymore, parts are harder to come by, dodge is not king of reliability. I would take a little more time. But as a woman, I would take a man (or a 🔫 )with me to go meet him
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
Thankfully, I have both! But I think I am gonna take the advice and pass on seeing the car. While it does look clean and in good condition, I don’t think it would be beneficial in the long run! Thank you!
Tinyberzerker@reddit
DO NOT BUY THAT
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
Definitely looking into other options!
Relevant_Election530@reddit
Nothing wrong with his attitude on a $2700 car
90% of people that message you about cheap cars are just wasting your time
I generally send a picture of the cash first message when I deal with anyone off marketplace or CL to show I'm ready to go
Complete-Can3957@reddit
From the perspective of the seller, I can understand his attitude. So many people respond with “is this available” and its not uncommon for people to just not show up or stop responding. That being said, if you feel uncomfortable with his behavior, I would suggest finding someone you are more comfortable dealing with.
Content-Insect-8770@reddit
Make sure it's a public place - suggest a different nearby location that will be more populated, and bring at least 3 sturdy friends and a couple of tire irons in hand (you can say you were thinking of taking off a wheel to look at the brakes).
Popular_Dress1875@reddit (OP)
Very smart! The place he suggested is a gas station, and I’d have with me my father in law and my partner just to be safe, thankfully they’re big buff dudes 🤣