MF 130 Scammed on Craigslist

[Alan L.]

A friend of mine bought this tractor. Unfortunately the seller was such nice guy and since the lift lever was missing he failed to test the PTO. After delivery he found it would not work, no will the lift work. Took it to a shop and they said everything inside is totally messed up, someone had tried to weld gears etc.

The seller now says that he sold the tractor "as is". Not the way it sounds in his ad, which is attached as a pdf file.

I say he should turn this guy in as a scammer in addition to taking him to small claims. The shop owner says he would be glad to testify.

Problem is, apparently parts are scarce for this model, and cost of fix would be about $2500 if its doable at all.

The 3 Cyl diesel seems to run fine and the tractor will move and drive, but the pto and hydraulics are apparently shot. The seller (who has had the tractor 5 years) had to know this.

 

[JCB]

Alan,

Sorry to hear about your friends luck, that sounds like a really bad deal. I don't see any other way to read the CL ad except that the seller really lied in his description.

He said the PTO gears were replaced and like brand new. He implied that his dealer (Massey) checked the tractor over and stated that the only thing wrong was a sheared pin going to the lever, and not a major problem.

That really sounds like the exact opposite of reality.

Good luck,

 

[zzvyb6]

If it was a $20,000 tractor, I'd go after somebody. But its a $2000 tractor. I hope your friend wasn't expecting it to be as good as new. Take it apart and fix it. The lift is powered by water anyways (hydrolics). Get one which uses hydraulic fluid. It won't boil or freeze.

 

[Barely Smokin']

Alan,

Your friend has a legitimate claim for misrepresentation, possibly fraud. Unless your friend signed a sales contract that expressly said the tractor is sold "as-is", there is an implied warranty in the sale, especially given the language in the ad. File in small claims court. No need for a lawyer. Likely result is seller paying to have the tractor fixed, or getting his money back, whichever is less.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I bought one off of CL recently. It had a few points I should have checked out myself as well. I will CONFIRM things in print or words better next time.

Well I guess if I can keep living I can keep learning.

 

[tjc1989]

Strangely enough, I saw this ad on Craigslist when it was active. The wording scared me away. To me, anytime someone says " it just needs this little part to work " sets off alarms. If it was that simple why didn't they fix it?

But the larger picture to me is this: Its not just Craigslist, its any medium to sell, from anybody, including dealers. Thoroughly check and examine an item out before buying. On a tractor, a PTO and lift are mucho needed and your friend should have verified the function of these. I personally don't think he can win in court, because he accepted it knowing it didn't work, because the lever was missing and he couldn't see it work.

But not to sound calous, I wish the guy luck in his endeavor to make it right someway. I certainly feel for his misfortune. Truth be told, most of us have probably been duped in a similar fashion by listening to the spin, rather than really checking it out. You learn from that. The old saying, fool me once, fool me twice type thing.

For anybody buying anything, make sure.

 

[bmarian]

Hi Alan,

Too bad for your friend. I think he should file a claim in small claims court ASAP. He needs to file for the full amount of the purchase price of the tractor and the costs to haul it around to be checked out etc. I don't think you need to add the cost of the court filing fee to the claim that should be automatic. Include a notarized statement from the shop owner who gave the $ 2500 estimate with the filing.

I would bet the most likely scenario is that your friend will win a default judgment against the seller who claims he sold his property anyway. Then your friend can write off the loss on his income tax if his tax preparer agrees.

Remember Craigslist is infamous for scams, buyer beware. It's not Craigslist's problem it is a problem caused by the unscrupulous sellers.

Bruce

 

[bp fick]

Buyer beware. The guy typed the ad in ALL CAPS. That alone would have likely steered me away.

Lying dog, that's for sure. Hope it all works out with remedying the situation.

 

[JohnfromPA]

At least the scammer's phone number is still visible through the magic marker used to cross it out. :thumbsup:

There are few things I hate more than craigslist scammers. I wish your friend the best of luck and agree he has a pretty good case for small claims court.

 

[Bird]

To me, anytime someone says " it just needs this little part to work " sets off alarms. If it was that simple why didn't they fix it?/QUOTE]

That was my first thought, also. If he had a dealer check it and it was only a pin . . . but they didn't fix it. That should have been a clue. And of course any tractor that will move under its own power with a PTO and 3-point that work would definitely be worth more than $2,000.