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Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:12 pm

I've only been here a bit over a year but notice a lot of claims of " low mileage barn finds", that upon close inspection seem to be misquided at best or out right bullshit at worst. Even when what seem to be obvious signs that the claims are nonsense the owners (sellers) won't back down or use something like " I have a letter from the PO" as proof of their claims. Are some people so desperate to find that hidden gem that blindly believe the little old lady going to church on Sunday's stories or are they just genuinely crooks? Reminds me of the Andy Griffith episode where Barney buys the used car that has the steering shaft coming at him like a cobra!!

Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:33 pm

Sharp64 wrote: I've only been here a bit over a year but notice a lot of claims of " low mileage barn finds", that upon close inspection seem to be misquided at best or out right bullshit at worst. Even when what seem to be obvious signs that the claims are nonsense the owners (sellers) won't back down or use something like " I have a letter from the PO" as proof of their claims. Are some people so desperate to find that hidden gem that blindly believe the little old lady going to church on Sunday's stories or are they just genuinely crooks? Reminds me of the Andy Griffith episode where Barney buys the used car that has the steering shaft coming at him like a cobra!! [/i]
I'm with you.
Little old ladies are evil and should never be trusted. :evil:

Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:38 pm

What is really bad is when you buy a car the dealer had advertised as 38000 original miles then when you get home you open the glove box find the owners manual which has details of maintenance and clearly shows it was over 100000 (ever since then I never believe mileage claims and have always wondered about people asking me the mileage on cars i sell since I always state I am not the original owner)

Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:56 pm

The term "Barn Find" has become the new way to pimp out junk at over inflated auction house prices.

Mon Mar 20, 2017 3:14 pm

I'm more intrigued by the ones that seem to refuse acknowledge when you point out things like mismatched fenders on "unmolested" cars. Or aftermarket bumpers and dirty as hell engines on reported 2000 mile cars. One had a repaint, different engine, interior and rusted out rockers on a 50k "Arizona car". And the people seem to believe it is what mystifies me...

Mon Mar 20, 2017 3:29 pm

Wasn't it P.T. Barnum who said there's a sucker born every minute I guess these people are hoping to find one. (ok I know it was actually a banker named David Hannum who said it)

Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:00 pm

I think it runs deeper. A seller, before he thinks his ad should say "original low miles" or whatever, first decides how and where to hawk his find. The flaw that happens upstream from the ad is when this cat thinks since he's new, EVERYBODY must also be new at this hobby. This classic egocentrism is why he tries to be debunk being called to the carpet on mileage. Every part of the story they tell is better than anything you've got.

These boners do this with all factions of their lives. And they chase baby animals- naked. Them, not necessarily the animals...

Mon Mar 20, 2017 5:26 pm

hitest wrote: I think it runs deeper. A seller, before he thinks his ad should say "original low miles" or whatever, first decides how and where to hawk his find. The flaw that happens upstream from the ad is when this cat thinks since he's new, EVERYBODY must also be new at this hobby. This classic egocentrism is why he tries to be debunk being called to the carpet on mileage. Every part of the story they tell is better than anything you've got.

These boners do this with all factions of their lives. And..

And in a couple of cases I have to agree on not knowing or lack of knowledge. As I think in a few cases the sellers are "pros" and make money flipping cars. They may not be VW enthusiasts, but opportunists. So when something is pointed out as BS they get defensive. Heck had the one guy advertising a car as "unmolested", literally with near zero OG parts. He "lol'd" it off and kept telling me how great a car it was. Typical saleman. I guess while it may hurt to hear the truth, I like learning and try to look for things wrong to test my knowledge. I'm also a skeptic and that guy looking up things on Snopes when it doesn't quite sound right. Bottom line is I'd rather know the truth than keep propogating a lie and come off shady.

Mon Mar 20, 2017 6:36 pm

What everyone seems to forget is the odometer tampering was the norm years ago. My Dad's 65 magically lost 30,000 miles in the course of a week at the dealer where he traded it in at.

But many folks also really believe that the clapped out rust bucket must only have 11,000 miles on it and not 111 or 211,000.

Unless an owner can provide service records that make sense, then it's not real.

Mon Mar 20, 2017 7:21 pm

All boils down to "Let the buyer beware"

Tue Mar 21, 2017 2:28 am

I looked at this ^^^^^^^ '67 Singlecab back in 2009, the owner said it had 52,000 OG miles, thats what the speedo said, but it looked like this:

On the bottom side....... :roll:

Tue Mar 21, 2017 4:31 am

One other thing I mention to sellers or owners about the mileage....Give me 10 minutes and I can install another speedo. Give me an hour and I can set yours to whatever you want as well as clean and lubricate it. That usually stops any argument.... :lol:

Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:36 am

Zundfolge1432 wrote: All boils down to "Let the buyer beware"

This^^

Folks, let's face it. Some people simply don't possess honesty or integrity. Some people who are buying a used VW are lazy or impatient to have one NOW. They want to believe what they are being told. If people don't do the research on a used car or use good vetting to confirm claims of mileage or originality, they are going to get burned in most cases.

Gary in the Bay forums helps SMART folks by doing a pre inspection of bay buses for them on occasion. He's saved many folks from buying a turd bus that was grossly lied about in the selling ad.

This isn't just a used car issue either. People who don't do their research before buying a specific brand or model new car also get burned. How many people do we know that bought a 'new' car that's on the bottom of the JD Power quality or reliability list? The car then spends more time at the dealers service department than in their garage.

Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:45 am

I always ask "How many non-original miles are there?". :roll:

Tue Mar 21, 2017 7:21 am

I don't get it. For one, I am very proud that all my vehicles have at least OVER 100,000 miles if not 200,000!!! :lol:

Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:22 am

But...I know my 412 has low miles on it......because it has an NOS speedometer installed (never mind that its up on blocks, stripped to the bone and has rust)....the "odo" is good....the "odo" is wise....the "odo" never lies.... 8)
Ray

Tue Mar 21, 2017 6:41 pm

pyrOman wrote: I don't get it. For one, I am very proud that all my vehicles have at least OVER 100,000 miles if not 200,000!!! :lol:

That's funny- but you're hitting on the head with me. I have a Thing with 85k on it- but the car I brag about is my '08 Volvo XC70 that has 264k and still purrs like a kitten. I tell folks who will listen that my '02 V70 T5 Volvo, at 184k is the most fun I've had under $3000.

Tue Mar 21, 2017 8:07 pm

hitest wrote: pyrOman wrote: I don't get it. For one, I am very proud that all my vehicles have at least OVER 100,000 miles if not 200,000!!! :lol:

That's funny- but you're hitting on the head with me. I have a Thing with 85k on it- but the car I brag about is my '08 Volvo XC70 that has 264k and still purrs like a kitten. I tell folks who will listen that my '02 V70 T5 Volvo, at 184k is the most fun I've had under $3000.
The first bragger doesn't stand a chance around here.

Wed Mar 22, 2017 6:59 am

Chunks wrote: hitest wrote: pyrOman wrote: I don't get it. For one, I am very proud that all my vehicles have at least OVER 100,000 miles if not 200,000!!! :lol:

That's funny- but you're hitting on the head with me. I have a Thing with 85k on it- but the car I brag about is my '08 Volvo XC70 that has 264k and still purrs like a kitten. I tell folks who will listen that my '02 V70 T5 Volvo, at 184k is the most fun I've had under $3000.
The first bragger doesn't stand a chance around here.

Second is still better than third! :P

Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:11 am

hitest wrote: pyrOman wrote: I don't get it. For one, I am very proud that all my vehicles have at least OVER 100,000 miles if not 200,000!!! :lol:

the car I brag about is my '08 Volvo XC70 that has 264k and still purrs like a kitten.

I've got three with over 200K (1970 VW, 1988 Mazda truck, 1998 Frontier truck). Mrs. Cusser's 2005 Yukon is about 170K, and my 1971 VW convertible is like 150K.

The youngster is my 2004 Frontier with 97K.

Folks need to realize that it's not the 1940s anymore. Vehicles and engines are made way better, pretty much all manufacturers now use same metals and type of engineering, not uncommon for an engine to go 300K if maintained properly. Rust still seems to be the #1 reason for dumping vehicles, at least not an issue here in the southwest.