Carology sells used cars on the internet & on EBay, under the user name "Carology."
We bought a car from them via EBay. The vehicle was advertised as being "Clean & Recently Serviced." The 75 pictures showed a car that was in good shape.
They even signed a statement that every known mechanical and cosmetic defect was disclosed.
The vehicle arrived a month later. Upon inspection, we realized that the vehicle was not "clean." In fact, it was filthy. It was full of white animal hair, food crumbs & debris, sticks from candy suckers. No one had cleaned under the seats in years. Every nook & cranny of the door & instrument panels were caked with crumbs & debris.
We took the vehicle to the local dealer. Upon inspection, they advised that the vehicle had not been "recently serviced." The air filters were dirty, the cabin air filter had never been changed, and there were mechanical issues.
We noticed immediately that the transmission was slipping & shifting oddly. The dealer was able to repair the problem for $1,100.
The parking brake release handle would not release the brake pedal ($250). The front windshield had a crack in it, right in front of the drivers face ($700). In the pictures, their dealer license plates concealed damage to the front end - a broken license plate bracket and dented and scratched chrome grill surround ($400). A large ding in the R/F passengers door ($100) and torn rear passenger door window shades ($650/pair) were also noted. They had cropped out of their pictures a 4" tear in the leather of the R/F passenger seat ($400).
In the images, some the angles of the shots caused glare on the left rear bumper. Upon delivery it turned out that the glare was concealing damage to the painted plastic bumper ($700). The paint was cracked in a starburst & probably would have not shown up in an image anyway. However, it is clearly visible to the naked eye.
All of these flaws in and of themselves are not catastrophic. However all totaled it needed $6000 of repairs.
more