Scam or flipper?
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2 ads for the exact same truck.
The first one was posted 14 days ago for $1800 stating it had a bad engine/head gasket and needed to be towed.
https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/d/milwaukee-1995-f150/7378485835.html
Second one was posted today for $8500 claiming it "runs and drives great".
https://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/d/milwaukee-1995-ford-k-miles/7384554094.html
Did he really drop a new engine in/fix the head gasket to flip it already?
Or is this a guy who bought it, got it running good enough without fixing anything and is now scamming someone?
Also, are these really going for this much? Mine is rustier with a lot more miles but it is a manual with 4x4. If someone wants to give me $4k for it I'd be really tempted. I didn't think it was worth anything over $2k at most.
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@mastermario Probably a flip. A scammer would probably be using the same pictures.
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@shop-teacher said in Scam or flipper?:
A scammer would probably be using the same pictures.
I meant scam as in he didn't actually fix anything, not doesn't actually have the truck in his possession.
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@MasterMario
"Bought as a project truck."
"One owner."
Current: '03 Dakota SLT.
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@demon-xanth Probably never titled it... if moved from state to state the title may only have the guy who bought it as a project.
These straight 6 engines were pretty bulletproof and are sought after still.
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@mastermario Gotcha. It's entirely possible that the seller was wrong about what the truck needed, and it's also possible that the flipper already had a replacement engine on hand to plunk in.
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@mastermario The $1800 photos show a lot of rust at the top of the rear wheel arches, as well as some along the bottom near the front wheels. The $8500 looks to have had at least a little clean-up and a respray in that area. Maybe somebody did at least a minimal amount of work to get it running and cleaned up. I don't know if it was $6700 worth of work though. Who knows what was going on with the engine.
!fe63c3b1-03bf-4b69-af3e-8a1b465a7504-image.png
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@roadkilled interesting spot! I was going down the road of someone snagged some liquid head gasket and is going for the flip, this touch of actual work makes me wonder if they did do a swap on the engine?
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@mastermario How do you know its the same truck?
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@ibrad besides all the details matching, the tires are the same, plus all the stains match, and decals/stickers are the same
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@mastermario I once bought a Lincoln Mark VIII that was listed as "Needs a new engine". It drove just fine, but started overheating on the way home.
Turned out a coolant gasket was leaking and not holding pressure. Replaced the gasket, refilled the coolant, drove it for 2 more years with zero issues, and traded it for something worth nearly 3 times what I originally paid for it.
This could be a similar situation where the seller didn't know what the real problem was. So, could be a legit flip, but I would definitely go over it with a fine tooth comb if I was interested, because that is a quick flip for a supposedly serious issue.
'84 Mustang GT Convertible 5 speed
'21 Challenger R/T 6 Speed -
@cobrajoe I'm not actually interested, well I was a little bit at $1800, but definitely not at $8500 lol
It just caught my eye that both listings are still up and it's the same truck. I would hope someone who had it as a project truck wouldn't that badly diagnose an issue, but it's possible.
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@mastermario I was looking for that but couldn't find any good comparisons. Your pics show some good ones though.
The first guy might not have known its potential value or just wanted it gone. Second guy might not be in a rush to get top dollar.
I paid top dollar for my truck, which on the surface was a 24 year old truck with very high mileage. I bet the dealer got it at auction for WAY less than I paid. That said, they've been super responsive with any problems I've had. My guess is because they made a pile of money on it. We're both happy!
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@mastermario It's a flip AND a scam!
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