scammed need help

I disagree -- if the seller's claimed address is genuine. Even if it isn't, the previous owner's identity must be in a file somewhere.

In the meantime I found Toyota's official maintenance records for the vehicle with the VIN associated with the displayed Plate Number on the smog certificate. With maybe one or two exceptions, services were all performed at Toyota Town. It had passed the 39K mile mark by July 2016 and did approx. 67K miles in its first year. I got tired of looking at the details, but a rough eyeball estimate shows it being serviced close to every 5K miles -- at 3-week intervals!!

Uber service (as I suggested up-thread)? Taxi service?

 

Best of luck however it turns out.
When I was young, I went through the private seller, used vehicle learning curve. Made some bad purchases. Very questionable sellers.
Despite being young and having a meager income at the time, I also reached a point where I was just tired of the risk and hassle of private party used car purchases. So I was also spurred to start saving up for my first NEW dealership sold vehicle.

Oddly my psychology was to buy a vehicle-misrepresented as it may be, discover all the problems, then I would fix them all at my expense, but be so soured about the whole experience I would then resell the vehicle just to forget about the experience. I lost a lot of money, erasing the the problems. I probably should of just sold "as is" or once fixed- kept the vehicle.
The only "good" thing is I was so poor, we're talking about pretty cheap used vehicles to start. So even with repair the fall wasn't as far.

In all my used vehicle purchases, the two best were a 1976 Toyota Corolla that I purchased for $400. It looked like it was a fingernails away from being scrapped, but really was great. It just kept going and going and going.
And the 90's Accord (Dealership Purchase) was a passable used car purchase...they charged me too much and I had to put a new axle in almost immediately. BUT it was a good car and I got several years of good usage.

Otherwise, my "Private Party" buys were almost all tainted by some level of disaster.

 

Hey I wish the OP the best.
I'm not a "used car fraud" Private Detective. IF the seller can be tracked down? That's OK with me.
Legal representation can probably best outline exactly what the process should be, and what may be possible or NOT possible.

Just seems to add to the outline that the seller was being less than genuine when suddenly they aren't answering their phone.

 

Not to muddy the waters. But have you absolutely confirmed the mileage/history on this vehicle?
Because I'm willing to say, that a newer vehicle (2015) with 300,000 miles could be made to look like a vehicle with far less miles.

But 300.000 miles is 300,000 miles, even with outward detailing, and maybe a lifetime of regular maintenance, it's going to show and demonstrate signs of wear.

Plus IMO Toyota dealership doesn't necessarily explain the cleanliness of the engine bay. In my experience most dealerships aren't primarily into detailing a vehicle. Again with 300,000 miles at one point that engine was dirty. It can be steam cleaned. detailed by anyone, and made to look clean, but a history of service at a Toyota dealership doesn't necessarily mean they were the ones to do it. Some offer the service, some don't. But if it was done at a Toyota dealership it should be in the cars recorded Toyota maintenance records. As well as mileage entries.

The way you describe the vehicle wants to make me go back to step 1.
Confirming exactly what you are dealing with.
Because I'm willing to believe in a 300,000 mile 2015 made to look like it's a lot younger vehicle in terms of miles.
BUT I'm not willing to believe in a 300,000 mile vehicle that in ALL respects looks and acts like a vehicle with 39,000 miles.
You can't put 300,000 miles on a vehicle without those miles being evident in some ways.

 

Priuschat, place were you lead horses to water and they get beaten to death.

 

Toyota maintenance doesn't include engine bay cleaning. I used to spray clean my engine bay once a month, but after moving I stopped cleaning it. Everything in the engine bay always blinged even with 100,000 miles. It's just like facial make up, any women will look younger with it.

 

Well good luck...with ownership and whatever you pursue from this point out.

 

I agree, especially not a part of regular maintenance.
But I would say my dealership did offer detailing services, IF you wanted to pay for them. They had "guy" that did those type of things.
My Prius was new enough that it was never an issue.

Plus, yeah, ANYONE can steam clean/detail an engine. There's endless tutorials on youtube, even though I think most of them are dangerously incompetent examples.

 

I know...right?
I've made it my life's goal to get on @Grit greatest hits board, and some people can do it in under 20 posts...

 

Replacement engine?

 

OK, so are you going to DO something about this or not ?

If yes, you NEED a lawyer.

Discussing it in places like this ad infinitum accomplishes exactly NOTHING.
Well, except keeping an interesting thread going.

 

No indication in the official Toyota service record of a replacement engine.

BTW, the engine and inverter coolant were replaced at approx. 100K and 200K, but the dealer's recommendation to do so again at 291K miles was not performed. So maybe the new owner should do that.

Brake fluid exchange at 255K -- and again at 280K!!

Transmission fluid drain and fill at approx. 120K and 220K. Maybe about time to do that again too.

Something else has occurred to me: was the "seller" of the car ever its official owner? Could he have been merely a middle man who bought the car from the registered owner and got the car detailed and the odometer rolled back but never had it registered in his name. Could this explain the report near the beginning of the thread that the original owner "had not released" the vehicle (or some such wording)?

 

Or, maybe the newer motor only has 37,000 miles on it...

 

There’s no indication that a newer motor was swapped in.

 

And no record of any EGR service. If the engine hardly ever got a chance to cool down (5K miles every 3 weeks), would that make a difference? Should the new owner get that checked out?