mfnstangray

I won this auction on ebay for a 65 stingray. I showed up to buy the car and the seller said he lost the title and would order a new one and it wouldnt be a problem as long as he gave me a bill of sale. I disagreed and told him a bill of sale for a car he didnt own was worthless. So i left, i drove over fifteen hundred miles for nothing. He is supposedly going to get a duplicate from the DMV tomorrow. I am now skeptical, he is in CA so maybe the DMV reacts quicker than in my state but usually dont you have to wait a while for the title? Now
Just wondering what input you guys might have as far as the car being orig and what not.
ebay listing:4607643196
VIN 194375s110389

thanks alot

AZDoug

Call CA DMV with the VIN and sellers name and adderss and see what they say.

Doug

Joemac8

If you are still in California, go to a local police station and explain the situation to them. If you personally saw and verified the VIN, ask them run it to see if it is hot. If it isn't, ask them if it is registered to the seller. If so, the guy probably did loose the title.

If that is the case, spend the night in a motel then accompany him to the DMV in the morning and stand there to ensure that everything is kosher. Get a copy of his driver's license, have the DMV list you as the owner on the new title and have it mailed to your home.

67L36Driver

Good plan.
Book your motel room for a couple more nights and give things a chance to work out.
Very nice '65.

Wilkinshc

Here in New Mexico if you are the owner and have photo ids, you can go down to the dmv and get a duplicate title the same day.

mfnstangray

Good advice!
Unfortunately I had to leave back home. I told him to get the title and call me when he has it. I think I will still take a trip with him to the DMV even when he has the duplicate to follow what you stated.
I am sure he just misplaced it, these things happen but I just had a bad feeling.

TheMongoose

Last time I had a problem in ohio the lady at the bank ran down to the title ffice and was back before lunch with a duplicate title. Cost $50.

BOB WINSKI

I went to Ebay saw the 65, very nice car.The kind of money you are spending i would make sure i had the title in hand.And i would make sure all the vin numbers are the same on the car and the title.The reason i say this a few years back i was going to buy a 66 in Wisconsin the guy i had checking the car out told me the vin was off by one number on the title.The excuse i got was it was a dmv mistake.I would check out the rest of the car closely i think the ebay add said original motor. If by chance you have any friends on the police force maybe the can help you out.Good luck and keep us posted on the out come.Bob W

ctjackster

nice looking 65 - hope it works out ok, it has the potential to work out fine, but you have to be careful.

love the "little old lady" story

ebay lister obviously never worked ont he car him/herself, headlights are not vacuum activated in a C2.

be sure to get the original valve covers and air cleaner lid the seller says will go with purchase. And then stay in touch; more than a few knowledgeable folks here to answer all of your basic and not so basic questions.

Patrick67

I did that once, traded in my '00 S-10 to the dealer for an '05 and couldn't find the title, had to get a duplicate, but the dealer hardly cared. Your position is a lot different though. Nice looking car, this is it no? PT

vintagecorvette

This car was for sale on Craigslist.org for a few months. Price was 10g cheaper than the ebay sale.

Brutal64

I'm sure that's just what he needed to hear.

ctjackster

kinda like me tellin you (after you showed me a picture of the woman you just married last week) that I shagged her rotten a year ago . . .

vintagecorvette

little different...He has not bought the car yet. One large problem can easily lead to more small one.

Had he stated that he purchased the car, I would have not mentioned the craigslist ad.

Johns_65Vette

On the positive side he does have 100% pos feedback. I'm sure it will all work out good.

ctjackster

hmmm, black 65 coupe, do I see a "how do I add A/C to my 65?" post coming up in the future?

Slice 65

HollySSSSSSSS that looks just like the 65 Vette I bought a week ago in MI. Checked my VIN # on mine and it is 6538 higher.Had me scared. Love them in black and have already looked into Classic air.

rgs

Definitely work out your title issues up front. When I bought my 67, it had a CA offroad title. When I transferred it to Iowa, they gave me a clean title, registration, and plates. I was so happy that there were no hassles that I didn't catch till I got home that they mistyped the VIN on the IA title. They transposed the S to a 5. When I went back with it the ladies were skeptical of the mistake till I recited the derivation of the VIN numbers and showed them a photocopy of the CA title.
Moral of the story, check out everything upfront as you are doing and photocopy and keep everything related to the sale.

northern

That "S" and "5" have caused lots of problems. When I bought my first '58 in 1982, I diligently paid for a VIN search. Only later did I discover that the search took place with a 5 instead of the S (for St. Louis in case anyone doesn't know).

Regarding your '65, it does look nice. But check it out well. If the numbers are as good as it appears, it probably is a fair deal. Otherwise, it sounds expensive. If it is not an original engine, you might want to keep looking and consider the trip a holiday and learning experience.

mfnstangray

yeah funny thing (well not funny to me), I offered to buy the car at reserve price (42k) before the auction ended and the seller jumped at the offer. I bank transfered him a deposit and called to let him know it was in his account. He wanted me to send a letter of intent to purchase the car, which I was on my way from the bank to do, but before i made it to the office, I got a call from my mom that my dad was being rushed to the hospital because he had a stroke. Needless to say, the letter now took second on my list of priorities and I spent the next few hours at the hospital waiting to hear about my dad. When things calmed down i called the seller explaining what had happened and that I was emailing him the letter. I left the hospital and emailed the letter, then called to let him know. He then notified me that he had not ended the auction and the bid was up to 45k. I could tell in his voice that he had already decided to break his word and not go through with our deal. I was obviously unhappy with this but figured there was no way to force him into selling as he had agreed. Normally I wouldnt have gone any further with these people after such unscrupulous business ethics but I still wanted the car and figured the seller was still going to get the money anyway, so I put my bid in.
After all of this at least I have seen the car, and it is really nice.