De Ja Vu !! I recently had an expereinece when selling an engine under very similar circumstances..a warning to all of the pitfalls when selling an engine...been here bad experience I wont bother with the Tee Shirt; however, I will share my experience with you
I was set up with a deal by a well known respected pillar of the Alpine community and I was put in touch with someone who wanted an Atmo Engine.
First of all I'll ask you all a question ...how many of you have a running atmo engine thats in a car that you are willing to take out and sell for I quote "good money" the going rate for a sold as seen used engine?!
I am guessing there are not many of you are there? yep as I thought!
Ok second question how many of you woke up and thought I know lets take a running engine out of my car and put another running engine back into it just to store it somewhere...only I presume if you already have rebuilt an engine and or very unlikely tuned an atmo engine and replaced the original lump:lol:
the chances are the reason you did that would be because the engine coming out was already very tired; passed it sell by date and requiring a rebuild. Is that an unreasonable assumption to make?
Silly me I would have thought that the chances of finding an engine thats just come out of a running car would be almost impossible in the real living world; rarer than hens teeth!! But trust me there are people out there that defy all common sense and logic
So my contact who shall remain nameless and for the purposes of anonimity in my post will be called "Mr Trotter " who sets me up for a deal which seems ok; the going rate. Anyway, I like to think my self a very fair person; so a deal is struck and I negotiate a deal to retain the lower crankcase and sump, as I need them to carry out a conversion for a Laguna 3ltr inj lump. Not having really looked into it and not realising that the crankcase would also be required; the sum of £100 was knocked from the cost and I agreed that I would deliver the engine for free intstead of being paid for the cost of the fuel. It is now that I find out from the purchaser who we will call "Cheetah" (as in Tarzan) the name seems quite apt has relocated and no longer lives 60ish miles away but now double that at 120 mile:? So a lower crank case and sump has just cost me £200.
I spend the day before its delivery driving a round trip of around 70 miles picking up an engine crane and the engine, so best part of Saturday just to pick the engine up ...This is getting real expensive for a sump and lower crank case
I drive the distance arrive and now have the engine on the van and now nowhere to keep it at home "Cheetah" drops the "out of a running car " line PMSFL I am thinking "is he for real"?
I was honest about the engine It came into my possession as a "rebuilt engine" before it came out of the car I was told; but it's a used engine .....sold as seen no income tax no guarantee. That said it had sat in a shed covered up for over 6 plus years to my knowledge. Now this is where things become interesting; now that it's delievered, I am now advised that the engine is corroeded around the valves and that "cheetah" did not want to pay the price agreed as the engine might be corroeded internally and total scrap
Now there was some corrosion on the valves, but it was not terrible and in my opinion all surface, not deep and pitted but not ideal, but not a disaster either, it just needed some time spent. I am a really fair person and would rather come out with less money than have someone think that I was ripping them off. I therefore offer to supply and deliver the engine for a cost of £250 and told "Cheetah" that I would not go lower than that as he was still asking and pushing for more money off. I did say to "Cheetah" that if the engine was totally and I mean totally scrap he was to call me.
I had been advised that £350 -£450 was the going rate for a used PRV sold as seen...you pay your money and you takes your chances its the same for all of us me included.
Now baring in mind I was being chased for the engine; approximately 3 months down the line I receive a txt msg telling me the only thing that was worth saving in the engine was the crank the rest was scrap!! No pictures to prove this by the way and that he now wanted a further £150 back!!! Now the problem that I have with that is that "Cheetah" had already advised my contact "Mr Trotter" that the rings had been corroeded to the bores, but the rest of the engine was beautifully clean inside including the heads and cams; so the engine was probably as described, but having sat for a long time.
So why was I subsequently told by "cheetah" the engine was total scrap apart from the crank?
So a PRV lump delivered around 300 mile total trip for me and at least a day and half of my time and when you take into account my expenses I earned less than £140 profit.
and "cheetah" now wants £150 back or I dont get the lower crankcase or the sump back and a loss of at least £10...charming!!
So if "Cheetah" wanted to recover any losses and not be out of pocket by my own reckoning the heads on their own would sell for £70 each The crank £100 Flywheel £50 rocker covers £25 each timing chain covers? weigh in the block pistons were ok rods ok. does that recover the £250 that "Cheetah"clsims he is out of pocket for? Please note that does not include the sump and lower crankcase which he still has in his possession, well it should be as it is not his to sell, if its not I class that as theft!
So whose out of pocket ...still me for selling someone an engine and doing all the running around. It appears that "Cheetahs" time counts for everything and mine for nothing!
So to recap I earned £140 "cheetah" wants another £150 back he gets to keep the engine less the sum and lower crankcase; but please bear in mind that he had to use the items off the original early engine to fit the application anyway so "cheetah" does not need my parts anyway!
I have even offered a full refund if he drops the engine back to me in bits ..to this day "cheetah" has declined my offer and advise that if I want the engine back come and get it at my own cost!! I STILL DO NOT HAVE MY SUMP AND LOWER CRANK CASE MONTHS ON WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED TO ME FOR £8.00 WHICH I OFFERED TO PAY!!
Who gets a offered a full refund on a second hand sold as seen engine deal? Strangely enough I have not been taken up on my offer I dont undertand why as for £50 of fuel he could be £200 better off and a some of his time of course.
I feel that I have I have done everything to be reasonable but "Cheetah" seems to think I am sponsering his business deal which any idiot could work out was a hit and miss and would be successful purely on a luck basis and now that it has not gone according to plan I am responisible for covering "Cheetah's" costs for his own lack of forefisght and all because I sold him a used engine with an advised rebuilt history..used....sold as seen.
I'll let you all read between the lines and learn from my bad experience and heed warning.
si21
PS CHEETAH If YOU READ THIS I STILL WANT MY BITS BACK AND I DONT WANT ANY CRAP EITHER
by Stunned Monkey » Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:57 pm 
You could always return said engine and buy a few of BigMs by the sound of it and make one out of many, or possibly just have a bigger pile of poo for the same money!
