This is a warning to anyone contemplating buying a car sight unseen off ebay.

I fell in love with a '64 Chrysler Silver Special coupe advertised for sale on ebay by Richard Fox of Arizona. Trading as stock383 at the time. No longer . Can't find him, but I have his address and phone number. Lucky for him I live 10,000 miles away! 

     Like so many of these horror stories, I was offered this car away from ebay when the auction finished with car unsold. So there was mistake number one.   He took some fotos, showing the car to be clean and straight. The interior shots also showed the car to be in good condition. Black vinyl, shiny silver paint, and glowing descriptions. WOW!! SURVIVOR' ... whatever that means. I'm a survivor, but still in pretty bad shape! The fotos were a little blurry, and I now know why.  I rang him, asking the condition. 'Excellent ' was the reply. I put down $5,100, sent from New Zealand.

           Car arrived after 3 months by ship, in a container. OMIGOD! 1/8" steel plates screwed thru entire car, so as to cover the severe rust. some of those  screws went thru into the fuel tank!  Floor completely rusted thru. Sills gone. Fist sized holes under the vinyl roof. ALL suspension rubbers destroyed. 11 of the 12 chrome side strips holed and dented beyond reasonable repair. He'd covered the rips in the seats with tape, and sprayed the lot black. Headlining ruined. All chrome was pitted beyond economic repair. Silver paint was sunburnt so bad that it was completely shot.  I took lots of close-up fotos of the horrors upon arrival..

                I've since been buying the necessary repair parts off ebay. This whole deal left a sour taste. Mr Richard Fox should be ashamed of himself. I've since seen what look like better 300's go for a lot less. My advice is, like others will tell, don't trust the fotos on an auction site. Demand good close-ups, and have specific q's regarding possible issues. I bought my 300 from USA, and I live in New Zealand. So it was impossible to view.  I've owned 150 cars, and still got caught because I trusted the seller's word. Silly boy.        The car is progressing, and will be finished before the end of '08. 

          And just because a car is from Arizona or California, doesn't mean it has escaped the dreaded rust. Lift the carpets if you can, plus have a look under the rear parcel tray, inside the trunk.

                 Well, that's my rant. Too much time has elapsed for any recriminations. I am a little wiser now. Thanks Richard Fox, of Scottsdale Arizona.    Paul.