$19,000 Elise on Auto Trader

[MikeinAlexandria]

Thus just looks too good to be true. Yet there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Is the Elise resale market really that soft?


Cars for Sale: 2009 Lotus Elise in Westminster, MD 21158: Convertible Details - 283389851 - AutoTrader.com

[titus2669]

no way thats real. probably a mistake when he put the price in. You can't even find an 05 at that price.

[1FSTREX]

ive seen that online for near 50k, i bet its a scam or mistake.

[TheSwiftOne]

We don't have clay roofs or palm trees in Maryland. Google'ing the dealer name on the tag shows it's in NV.

2009 New Lotus Elise at Norm Baker Motor Co. Serving Las Vegas, NV | Lotus, IID 4598528

-Swift

[shepmess]

Originally Posted by TheSwiftOne

We don't have clay roofs or palm trees in Maryland. Google'ing the dealer name on the tag shows it's in NV.

2009 New Lotus Elise at Norm Baker Motor Co. Serving Las Vegas, NV | Lotus, IID 4598528

-Swift

Good catch. I recognized that from the Norm Baker ads as well. They advertise alot on craigslist here in Los Angeles. The car is listed for sale on their website. Whoever replys to it will receive an email saying how the car is packed in a container and belonged to the ex-husband, send me a check, etc. It's a scam.

[squidward]

Even with four zeros missing from the mileage, it would still be worth about $25k...

[elisesile]

VIN is SCCPC11159HL30832 buyers beware...hopefully you google the VIN and find this thread

[kahuna001]

Vehicle Description
Installed Options

* Driver Air Bag
* Air Conditioning
* Alloy Wheels
* Navigation System
* Cruise Control
* CD Changer

* CD Player
* Passenger Air Bag
* Rear Window Defroster
* Heated Seats
* Leather Seats
* Power Door Locks

* Power Mirrors
* Power Windows
* Power Steering
* Power Seats
* Side Airbags

Got to love those options too.... Heated seats , side airbags...and so on

[SGT_Okinawa]

Originally Posted by kahuna001

Vehicle Description
Installed Options

* Driver Air Bag
* Air Conditioning
* Alloy Wheels
* Navigation System
* Cruise Control
* CD Changer

* CD Player
* Passenger Air Bag
* Rear Window Defroster
* Heated Seats
* Leather Seats
* Power Door Locks

* Power Mirrors
* Power Windows
* Power Steering
* Power Seats
* Side Airbags

Got to love those options too.... Heated seats , side airbags...and so on

I saw that too, buahahah

Peace!

[Mix]

I've already run into two scammers selling Lotuses for unreal prices on Autotrader. Here's their typical reply:

"Hello,
The car is still for sale. The asking price is $30,000. It is located in Patchogue, NY and the VIN is SCCVC11117HM82501 . The car is registered on my name and the title is clear (no lien). It is in great condition, no dents or scratches. It was always garaged and the regular maintenance was done in time. It wasn't involved in any accident and has never suffered any kind of damage. Also this is a non-smoker car. If you have any questions regarding the car just let me know!
I had a buyer offering $32,000 and I've lost about 2 weeks waiting for him to pay just to find out in the end that his loan wasn't approved. I've lowered the price because I'm in desperate need of cash it's either the car or the house so if you don't need a loan you can have it.
I'm currently signed up for a protection program offered by Google Checkout and I would like to close the deal through them. If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to test drive and inspect the car before paying me. You will have a 7-day inspection period to decide whether you want to keep the car or not before they release the funds to me.

If you are still interested and have cash just send me your Google id (www.GoogleCheckout.com) and I'll ask them to fill you in with the transaction details.

I don't want to offend you, but the car is priced for a fast sale so please if you intend to apply for a loan or financing do not reply to this message!

Look forward hearing from you.
Justin Howard"

It's funny when you respond and say, "I'm 30-miles away, I'd like to come check it out tomorrow. I have cash in hand", they respond with a broken-english E-mail saying that the car comes w/ 7-day inspection period, yadda yadda yadda...

Moral of the story. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

[Mix]

Also - the number listed is always in the proper area code but is always disconnected. Another true tell sign.

[hooptie1964]

Originally Posted by Mix

I've already run into two scammers selling Lotuses for unreal prices on Autotrader. Here's their typical reply:

"Hello,
The car is still for sale. The asking price is $30,000. It is located in Patchogue, NY and the VIN is SCCVC11117HM82501 . The car is registered on my name and the title is clear (no lien). It is in great condition, no dents or scratches. It was always garaged and the regular maintenance was done in time. It wasn't involved in any accident and has never suffered any kind of damage. Also this is a non-smoker car. If you have any questions regarding the car just let me know!
I had a buyer offering $32,000 and I've lost about 2 weeks waiting for him to pay just to find out in the end that his loan wasn't approved. I've lowered the price because I'm in desperate need of cash it's either the car or the house so if you don't need a loan you can have it.
I'm currently signed up for a protection program offered by Google Checkout and I would like to close the deal through them. If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to test drive and inspect the car before paying me. You will have a 7-day inspection period to decide whether you want to keep the car or not before they release the funds to me.

If you are still interested and have cash just send me your Google id (www.GoogleCheckout.com) and I'll ask them to fill you in with the transaction details.

I don't want to offend you, but the car is priced for a fast sale so please if you intend to apply for a loan or financing do not reply to this message!

Look forward hearing from you.
Justin Howard"

It's funny when you respond and say, "I'm 30-miles away, I'd like to come check it out tomorrow. I have cash in hand", they respond with a broken-english E-mail saying that the car comes w/ 7-day inspection period, yadda yadda yadda...

Moral of the story. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

I just received that EXACT email last night. The message I sent the seller had some pretty specific questions and he answered none of them but gave me the same text you posted. Thought it smelled fishy then, now it smells rotten as hell.

[chazzer]

I just got off the phone with "Norm Baker Sales" in Las Vegas and they are contacting Autotrader right now. It's a scam for sure... They will have it taken care of soon and they did confirm that they only have two Elises's for sale now at their location and this is one of them. Good find guys. They find these scams alot on E-bay but have never found one on "Auto-trader." Way to go......

[elisesile]

The Autotrader Classics general manager is a grad school class-mate of mine. I notified him and he has forwarded to their fraud dept.

[Abe]

Originally Posted by Mix

I've already run into two scammers selling Lotuses for unreal prices on Autotrader. Here's their typical reply:

"Hello,
The car is still for sale. The asking price is $30,000. It is located in Patchogue, NY and the VIN is SCCVC11117HM82501 . The car is registered on my name and the title is clear (no lien). It is in great condition, no dents or scratches. It was always garaged and the regular maintenance was done in time. It wasn't involved in any accident and has never suffered any kind of damage. Also this is a non-smoker car. If you have any questions regarding the car just let me know!
I had a buyer offering $32,000 and I've lost about 2 weeks waiting for him to pay just to find out in the end that his loan wasn't approved. I've lowered the price because I'm in desperate need of cash it's either the car or the house so if you don't need a loan you can have it.
I'm currently signed up for a protection program offered by Google Checkout and I would like to close the deal through them. If you are not aware of this program you should know that it will allow you to test drive and inspect the car before paying me. You will have a 7-day inspection period to decide whether you want to keep the car or not before they release the funds to me.

If you are still interested and have cash just send me your Google id (www.GoogleCheckout.com) and I'll ask them to fill you in with the transaction details.

I don't want to offend you, but the car is priced for a fast sale so please if you intend to apply for a loan or financing do not reply to this message!

Look forward hearing from you.
Justin Howard"

It's funny when you respond and say, "I'm 30-miles away, I'd like to come check it out tomorrow. I have cash in hand", they respond with a broken-english E-mail saying that the car comes w/ 7-day inspection period, yadda yadda yadda...

Moral of the story. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Also, the VIN indicates a Canadian car

[TheSwiftOne]

Originally Posted by Abe

Also, the VIN indicates a Canadian car

Actually, they were scamming off of a Canadian car. I had contacted them as well before realizing it was a scam.

Lotus : Exige: eBay Motors (item 300449017024 end time Jul-30-10 07:50:45 PDT)

-Swift

[Mix]

Might as well have some fun with them, eh? Just got this E-mail from Mr. "Justin Howard" in response to an E-mail I sent him last night with a few questions about the car....

"Hello,

Here are my answers for your questions:


-Does the car have the FML airbagless steering wheel and seat belt delete option?
Yes it have

-Does the car come with the "flaming chicken" decal in the trunk for optional application on the hood?
Yes it come

-Does the car have whistle tips?
Yes

-Was the car equipped with the "hummer" seat recline option with supplemental hand-grabs?
Yes

-You mentioned the car was a "non-smoker" car. Does this mean that smoking in the car isn't possible? If so, just cigarettes? Weed/crack ok?
The car is a non-smoker car. It is posible to smoke in car but i dont smoke and was never involved in any accident.

-Is this car working-girl friendly? Seems like it would be hard for them to get in/out with high heels and fishnets.
I dont understand your question

If you want to move forward please send me your google checkout id so i can start the transaction.

Thanks"

[Lowtush]

^^LMAO

[Hand_Banana]

I knew I should have gotten the rear window defrost package option on my exige.

[ksm]

I received a scam offer when I was looking for an Elise. A guy sent me a pic, a link to the cars.com home page and a super low price, but not TOO low of a price. Looked reasonable; but I responded to let him know it wasn't the color I wanted (which was true). He (or she), in turn, responded with something to the tune of "if I make it interesting enough for him he can make some calls and get me whatever I wanted."

But wait, there's more...

All the while, I knew the pic I had been sent looked familiar. Sure enough, I had seen it on Lotus Talk and it was of a member's car. The member had posted it for sale on Lotus Talk but had also posted it for sale on cars.com and that's from where the scammer had grabbed the pic.

So, I wonder why this latest scammer chose Westminster of all areas.