Scammed and got a lemon... what to do now?

I wouldn't do anything till I had a pink slip to that truck with my name on it.

 

I agree . Once you know it is actually yours and can be registered, at this point fix it in my opinion . At least once fixed you will know what you got

 

what are the success rates or failures of these imported engines ? are there any stats on low mileage engines from a salvage yard? just curious !

 

No, there aren't any stats out. I've installed probably a dozen imported or used low mileage engines. All ran great. Choosing which motor to buy is critical. The outside appearance of an engine can tell a lot about it's health. One that is free of leaks, free of corrosion, hasn't been sitting outside for years. One that you pull the oil filler cap and dipstick and all looks clean. Some places will compression test the motor in front of you.

No one built these engines better than Toyota at the factory. I always trust a used engine with a warranty, vs a rebuilt one. Rebuilt engines are sometimes assembled with junk Chinese parts. Assembled by a rebuild company that is pumping them out at a fast rate.

 

You're not really in any worse situation that people who buy trucks with frames that are totally shot. And that seems to happen all the time.

I know these curb sellers are a big problem out there. Selling on skipped Titles. Live and learn.

In the future, as part of any private party transaction, demand to see state-issued ID and match it to the Title.

Good luck with the truck.

 

Update: I got his name and many photos of his face. Police are investigating. Anybody know what the next steps will be?

 

Tar and feather the bastard? Lots of other things come to mind, but I’d probably get into trouble for voicing those opinions…

 

You will not get your money back and the police are only doing an investigation to see if this warrants bringing the case to a prosecutor who may or may not press charges against the guy who will probably not see jail time for this.

 

I got scammed by someone on a Subaru Outback I bought for my daughter. Washed and forged title, ODO roll and a huge amount of deferred maintenance I didn’t expect since it was supposed to have maybe 100,000 less miles. Valuable lesson that cost a few thousand dollars to learn. I have since told sellers that before I even come look, I will only complete sales at the address on the title that also matches the seller’s driver’s license unless there’s a compelling reason not to. (Saved me another scam already.)

 

Makes me think of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvT_VOJaXvs

 

I caught the guy... performed citizen's arrested... absolutely do not recommend... he was taken away with the police... for anyone doing this in the future, if you want to do your own sting that's fine, but don't confront anyone. First file a report, then set up your sting, then when the person arrives call the police and have them do the confronting. Luckily I think I'm ok though, since the guy literally gave us someone else's ID and said "that's me".

 

I’m surprised they came.

There’s an abandoned stolen car on my street the police don’t want to deal with.

 

$10K is too much money for me to lose unless you can get your money back from the guy. I'd find a scrap yard engine and have it installed and drive it another 200,000 miles.

 

Curious where you go from here. Or should I say where can you go from here.
Edit: I guess what I’m trying to say is do you now get your money back or is the truck considered evidence and confiscated by the police?

 

At this time I believe I am in legal possesion of the truck. As far as my money, I'm kind of counting it a loss (idk what I'm doing with the truck...) but there is a chance I can sue him. If I do get the opportunity to sue him I will win, guarenteed, because of the amount of evidence I have.

 

You can win a civil suit, but doesn't mean you'll get any money from it.

Just being realistic.

With that said, you have a huge community here in CA alone and tons of people would be happy to help whether it's for advice, parts, and/or a hand in getting some work done.

 

Hold up… you performed a citizens arrest, in California, and the police didn’t haul you away as well?

This is either a batshit crazy story you’ll be telling around the campfire until the end of time, or fake.

If true, don’t do that ever again. Here is a better way:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SHYkaRuhelQ&pp=ygUaRW1lbGlhIGhhcnRmb3JkIHN0b2xlbiBjYXI=

 

Sorry that happened, was it a white double cab? A few years ago I met a guy near garden grove same deal claimed to be one owner with a 130k miles or so luckily I ran my own carfax and it showed 300k miles but one owner I reported it to offer up at the time

 

No, it's a green double cab... but I have a feeling there are a lot of tacomas in LA that have been tampered with. I actually saw another green double cab (still listed by Oscar on offerup) in LA that has vin report of 330k miles but the ODO reads 180k, he wasn't too happy I found that out. And despite that I still managed to get scammed by someone else... *facepalm*

I would have done it like the video but the officer in charge of the case basically told me to kick rocks since no one had his real name. This is LAPD we're dealing with here... a case like this is the last thing they care about. This was a real con artist though, so he will be getting taken care of for certain. I have to wait for the report to be made before I can gather his real name and take him to court for the truck.

As for the truck, I bought it with Utah plates, and the only reason I was ok with it was because the guy gave me a CA smog certificate, which I now know was forged. So besides the physical problems with the truck, I now also have to deal with trying to get the truck registered in CA, which cannot happen unless it passes the smog check, which is my next step. If it does pass and I can get it registered then I'll probably reach out here to try and get a new motor.