Sketchy purchase or not?

[Jchi2210]

Hi guys, I was just going to see if I could get some advice/input from everyone here on the threads.

I have been in the market for another Tesla and I have been watching a few on eBay. This was probably a bad idea from the beginning but I was getting desperate. I found one that was no reserve and it ended last night so I went for it and bid on it. I ended up being the top bidder. Before bidding on it I had reviewed the Carfax and then ebays "Autocheck" and the carfax was clean, however the Autocheck on it had everything good except it said "Non-title flood damaged record" and that was the only mark under the "Damage Check" section. I reached out to the seller, they said that they had purchased this Tesla and another Tesla model 3 at an auction. Tesla sold these directly through the Auction. The seller stated that there were no issues with the title, it was not a branded title, and that the warranty is still applicable.

They stated that the took possession of both Teslas and they had a few small issues, I believe one had an airbag issue and the other had problems with the electronics on the seat. The seller stated that the reason Tesla sold it at the auction (and the reason it says "water damage") is because an employee might have left the car window down or something. The car itself appears to not have any water damage at all, but I haven't looked at it in person. You can view the car/listing at the link below, and if you click "view original listing" then you can see the autocheck yourself. The seller says that Tesla has warrantied the 2 electronic issues mentioned above.

2020 Tesla Model 3 NO RESERVE 11K MILES TESLA MODEL 3 PERFORMANCE | eBay

2020 TESLA Model 3 Performance. This Model 3 has super low miles along with a beautiful interior and the full suite of TESLA options. TESLA Red Multi-Coat Paint (PPMR). 2020 TESLA MODEL 3. Check with an authorized Tesla dealer for any open recalls.

www.ebay.com

Does this seem sketchy to you guys by any means? I'm fine if it had a little water damage but I don't want to receive the car and the entire thing be completely screwed up. I believe I'm covered by eBay in some senses as well. I also don't want to have any issues with the warranty through Tesla. It states that it's still under warranty, the dealership also sent me screenshots of the app showing that it still has it's factory warranty, and they even stated that Tesla fixed the seat/air bag issue under warranty mentioned above.

I was going to go through with the whole deal, but after talking to them earlier they required me to put a $1k deposit down (not mentioned in the eBay listing) but they also are wanting me to sign the bill of sale and final "agreements". I know this is part of the normal process of buying a car, but do they normally include an Arbitration Agreement as well? There's one in here and that really scared me as I believe i would have no recourse legally if this whole deal goes down the drain. Would really like ot hear some thoughts on the hwole thing. Thanks!

 

[jjrandorin]

"listen to the force (your gut), luke...." (since may the 4th is coming up, and many tesla fans are also sci fi nerds like me).

"your gut" says "No, dont do this". If it didnt, you would not be here posting about it to ask, since although you have had an account since 2020, this is post number 3 for you.

Listen to it, would be my advice, and dont buy it. There is no such thing as "a little water damage" (at least to me, when you dont know the actual history of the car). When there is an accident on a cars record, if you ask most sellers, they are going to say something like "Oh, that? Its not a big deal, it was a shopping cart ding but cost $750 to repair, and showed up on the carfax", whether that is true or not, or the car had 30k in re work.

If the car was a "great deal" that someone bought at auction, and is turning around and selling it for "a great deal" there is a reason why.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

I mean, the listing literally contains this quote: "vehicle suffered extreme damage caused by flood" so when he says someone left the window down, he means they drove it into a lake with the window down.

 

[AZAV8R]

Your inner voice is speaking to you; you should pay attention. One thing you may have not thought about: what happens when you sell it? It's going to be hard to explain the "water damage". Hard pass my friend!

 

[Jchi2210]

Thanks for the responses, my gut is 100% telling me no. I found a rather nice 2018 Model 3 Performance for the same price in a different part of the country. The only issue is that i was suckered into signing a credit card charge authorization for the $1000 deposit that i put down.. then they sent over the paperwork that included the Arbitration Agreement and i started seeing even more red flags and thats when i put on the brakes..i mean i could always file a chargeback with my bank but im not sure what recourse they have..the ebay listing didnt say anything about a required deposit and they were very pushy about getting the deposit in today before the 24 hour period

 

[canasion35]

Electrical gremlins are the hardest to track down - i wouldn't look at a car with flood history.

 

[oreobbq]

This car has worse red flags than the some of the girls I've dated lol. The photos are tempting and the damage isn't apparent so I can see why you considered it.

The seller stated that the reason Tesla sold it at the auction (and the reason it says "water damage") is because an employee might have left the car window down or something.

This fabrication is the sketchiest part of it all. Work with eBay on declining the purchase and you can reference the above statement.

 

[jjrandorin]

and they were very pushy about getting the deposit in today before the 24 hour period

Someone creating "urgency" regarding a purchase, intimating it must happen NOW or you will suffer some sort of negative consequence, is one of the most classic hallmarks of a bad purchase you can find. Pretty much anything you will read online regarding buying ANYTHING will tell you "if the seller is putting pressure on you to buy NOW, walk away".

This quote tells me not only that you shouldnt buy it, but that you will likely not get an "easy" refund from them so you need to start the official ebay refund processes (whatever they have there for refunds), with the expectation that you may end up having to do a chargeback.

You will have to request a refund through normal channels to ensure your chargeback goes through properly, so you are likely in for a fight in getting your money back, but hopefully it all works out eventually. In no way should you buy this, though.

 

[Mateo83]

I got burned on an ebay vehicle purchase in the past. I wont go into details but a few tips. If you really want this specific car for whatever reason: Pay on ebay, you will have the ebay protection for returns/ refunds, etc.. If something goes sideways you can leave them accurate feedback later. Check the title / name on title, lots of these guys are title jumpers and not the legal owners, making registration a lot harder on you.

 

[DayTrippin]

I can speak from buying a flood-damaged car - DON'T DO IT!!!!!

The car was fine other than about half the car was underwater for about 15 min. The amount of corrosion issues I had with that car lasted for many years. The best thing I did regarding the transaction was the seller offered an aftermarket warranty for 1k that covered the car for a year. That was the best move I made regarding that car.

I was able to get most of the wiring that was corroded replaced during the first year due to the warranty. I still had issues even 3 -4 years later. Some were easy to fix, some gremlins I chased for a long time.

In the car was lest than a year old, I bought it for half the current retail price. In the end, I wasn't really sure it was worth it. From a pure $$$ perspective it didn't cost me that much in actual parts (thanks to the warranty) over the term I owned the car. In respect to the time wasted troubleshooting stuff, it likely wasn't. It was more a project car that I was keeping street legal but with plans to race so I didn't think it would be that bad...

If it was my daily driver, it would have been a nightmare. The car didn't have a scratch on it, less than 1k miles, but the issues I had to deal with were far more than I anticipated and I expected a lot.

 

[show_stoppa]

The vehicle is "sold" now. Hoping you didnt buy it.