Topic: Deer and eBay sucks

[ElCheapo]

ARRRARARHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Long story but it does get to a point.

A few months back I was in Illinois to pick up an ATV. I had my trusty Toyota Corolla with a rented trailer.  After chasing the owner for 4 hours and at least 5 hours from home I was forced to give up and head home. For reference this is the only time I have ever traveled to get a bike and come back light. Half way home I gave up and decided to stay in a hotel (I never do this either…TOO CHEAP to). As I was pulling into the driveway we (had wife with) were slammed into by a drunk driver from behind. This took the rental trailer and my car and made bent crap shish-kabob. After I chased the guy down movie style driving over landscaping and all I managed to get the attention of an police car. The guy was arrested for drunk driving and just about a week ago everything was paid for by the insurance company. They gave me $1500 for the car and let me keep it. You know trunk held closed by bungee cord and a gapping hole in the trunk.

Because I was now on the “black list” for renting trailers I bought one of my own.

Two days ago I went to Skokie, Illinois to pick up a car that I bought on eBay. No,,, no fender bender yet.

We got the car home and it was uneventful. No big deal.  Actually car looked to be ok.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4578803560&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT


Next evening……….morning… I get a call at 1:30 AM from my daughter who was stranded with the car in the middle of nowhere (about 30 miles form home). I got dressed and went out to see what the deal was. The car had blown the timing belt.

Still no big deal. Here is where it gets interesting. I go and get the parts for the car and decide to change the timing belt on the side of the road (again too cheap). I get there with the parts, get the car all pulled apart and it is ready for the belt…. Hey I will be home anytime now and get to ride again as I have not ridden in days. As I was taking this car apart I noticed several major things wrong with it. Alternator bracket was destroyed in some modification, bolts were missing, stuff was just not right.  I go to put the belt on and AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN doesn’t fit! WTF!! I stop to make sure I am not doing something dumb like well whatever. I look at the package with the nomenclature to see the years of the part. Yep they are all correct. Then I see the tag on the package that says “Not returnable if opened”…. Gritting teeth of this $60 waste, after all $60 would have balanced my new tires for the real vehicle. I travel home in disgust. Car sits over night. I call the parts house and get a belt for a 1995 figuring that the swaped motor had to be newer. Get there to install belt and it does not fit either. Now totally pissed I call the parts house on my way back with the old belt and asked to check numbers as to when all the belt numbers changed.

I was real close to town so I said that we will figure it when I get there as I am but a minute or two from you. When I got there we counted the number of teeth on the belt to find that the belt was 126 teeth. This belt was used only one year, 1988. So they guy who sells me the car puts a 1988 motor in a 1994 car!!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!!
I head back to confirm this with the new part in hand. I get there and viola! Part fits. Funny thing car even starts. I am glad I won over this crap disaster but in the same right ready to kill something fuzzy with something heavy. I packed my needed tools in the car I was working on and decided that I was not going to loose another perfect ride day. Leave the tools and come back with bike.

I fume on my way back as I take calls on some bikes people are calling me for. I stop to get directions to the place for a meeting tomorrow.

I start out I get back on the highway, crest the last hill into town. And like a lighting flash I suddenly see a deer head less than 4 feet off on the right in my windshield. #$%*TTTTTT!!!! And BLAMMM right into the side of my faricken car! This retarded animal t-boned me!!!

AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!!

I nailed the brakes and pulled over. As I looked in my mirror I saw the deer do a helicopter move in the air with what was obviously blood stringing out of its nose.

I get out inspect the damage; deer was dead on road behind me about 30 yards. I walk around the right side and

AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!!

The right rear door was smashed. I looked a little closer and saw that the door stopped the animal, the edge of the trailer grabbed the deer and spun it around in the air. I start to look closer and the right front turn signal marker light on the trailer was smashed. A new trailer!!!

AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!!

Absolutely furious I ran back to the animal swearing uncontrollably. I got up to the deer and just snapped way off!

AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!%^$#@^&$%! FRICK FRAKEN!!! Kicking and stomping on the animal and well I just snapped……………………….

Somewhere in this time frame when the repair first started on this car I had an angry motorist from in town traffic try to attack me also. Carb spray stops’em like nothing you have ever seen before. Just one squirt on the nose and they are done.

Just a bad week….. This guy who owns the shop that did the motor install (same guy who sold me the car) it fighting me on returning the car so I contacted the law.

The Shadows problems….

1.   Wrong motor installed. Motor installed is a 1988 motor not a 1994 motor. DOT in both Illinois and Wisconsin inform me that the right motor must be installed before car will pass emissions test. With the 1988 motor installed the car is considered salvage. Seller contests that car did pass emissions in Illinois. This was due to the lack of knowledge of the motor swap by the tester. This was pointed out when I contacted Illinios DOT, DMV,EPA and the Secretary of the State Patrol.

2.   Head is cracked. Longer than needed bolt was installed for the accessory bracket and forced which cracked head. Bolt for this part of the mount does not tighten down as it should.

3.   Accessory mount for A/C and alternator is damaged and has been modified to accommodate the 1988 motor. Massive washers were used to attempt to mount the accessory mount to the 1988 motor.

4.   Engine was missing several bolts in various locations. Because holes for 1988 motor did not line up to accessory mounting of 1994.

5.   Main water pump housing is broken on one tab. Long bolt and washer was installed by motor installer. This housing also leaks at this broken tab.

6.   Front main seal and cam seal leaking heavily. Prematurely destroyed timing belt.

7.   Timing belt broke less than 24 hours from completion of sale.

8.   Rear tail lights do not operate normally. Left turn signal operates incorrectly.

9.   High beam lights do not work at all. Lights turn off completely when high beams are used.

10.   Radiator was not a small leak as stated by seller. Radiator is rotten and has major parts of the cooling fins falling out of radiator at lower passenger side between the radiator and A/C condenser.

[dusterdude]

cheapo,im sorry,but im crying here im laughing so damn hard.

[eldar]

I think I share duster's reaction??? I am...geez what can a person say to all of that!?

[ElCheapo]

Whats more is that I looked at the damage on my car again. And it took the hit right in the B pilar so the front door has damage too. I am considering putting duper ugly brush guard on it and cutting off the exhaust.

[Geeto67]

you bought a car for $500 and you are complaining that it is a piece of crap? Really funny story but sorry it happened to you. 

[Uncle Ernie]

I'm hooked. When the book is finished, please let us know.

[Tim.]

Spend another $500 on a bazooka and get some revenge on the car, deer and whatever else you feel the need to destroy 

[mrblasty]

Years ago i bought a 78 VW rabbit for 500.00 bucks on the advice of my dad.(the last piece of advise I took from him for nearly 15 years. all it need was a little electrical work he said. He was an avionics specialist in the military so I figured this was sound advice.
A month later and nearly a complete rewire and a few "aftermarket" toggle switches we got the terd on the road But it would only seem to run in the winter which was good because I lived in alaska at the time. That piece of crap ended up costing me 2000.00 after the radiator blew out and split a cylinder wall then was repaired. one of its many #$%*ty repairs required a hot wire from the battery to the fuel pump, the connection was made by running a jumper wire from the fuel pump to the inside of the car and clipping it to the passenger seat belt then reaching behind the seat and connecting the hot wire at some point the hot wire got pinched in the passenger seat frame and start a trash fire in my console and burned the car something fierce.
CHEAPOS RULE!!!!

[ElCheapo]

I had no prob with the cost of the car. Or its condition. Just the fact that a the dirty dealer put a motor in it that was 6 years older thna the car in it. Here it is illegal to do such a motor swap because of smog laws. The guy who sold it to me put the motor in.


So you see the plot thickens....................

Watch out JK Rowlings here I come...LOL

[Terry in Australia]

I love crappy old cars. I bought a 13 year old Aussie Ford Fairlane for 2000 bucks (cars were pretty expensive here, before Ebay) and drove it for 7 years with only normal maintenance required, then I gave it to my son when he got his license. He wrecked it in just over 2 years and the insurance paid me back 1800 bucks, which isn't bad considering I got almost 10 years out of it.

A girl at work was only offered 2000 bucks trade in for her 1997 "one owner, never been crashed" Hyundai with only 60,000 miles up, so I gave her 2100 bucks, and gave the car to my wife. I rang the insurance company who told me that it's market value for insurance is a whopping $7000.00! Woohoo! I can see a "cottage industry" emerging here, ha ha! Cheers, Terry.