What’s the consensus? VW transporter of course, £4200 in value and it’s in Scotland. We are about 50 miles from London and the seller won’t use phone for contact but wants the money through eBay or PayPal means. The van is ex-police with FSH and the pictures show alot of the vans condition to be very good. Delivery at the seller’s cost if quick sale.

Anything to be worried about as long as the transaction is secure?

Cheap advanced return to scotland?

Anything to be worried about as long as the transaction is secure?

The engine is shagged?

the gearbox is shagged?

I wouldn’t.

Why won’t the seller use the phone?

This is also one of the biggest scams in the book. As you haven’t given any details as to age / mileage etc , I am assuming it appears very good value for money.
I had to trawl through waves of these when I was looking.
Please don’t pay for a vehicle that you can not see, or even speak to the “owner” on the phone about, and certainly no through “eBay”

Why won’t he use phone? I’d tell him to poke it.

How do you know they are even photos of the van you are buying?

No barge pole long enough.

Sounds a little like this

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/does-this-sound-suspicious

The seller might have a severe speech impediment.
Or, he’s trying to take your money and sell you crap.
Which is it?
Are you a gambling man?
As with everything on life, if it seems dodgy it probably nearly most certainly is.

Nice revs1972. Exactly the same gaff we’ve been subject to. Thanks all.

Anywhere legit that I can buy a transporter from? :p:p

I just bought one from gumtree but it was half a mile down the road and I recognised the house from the photos.

If £4200 is round about your budget, then I would say a good later plate T4 would be better than an early T5 if you want reliability etc. I’m no expert, but looked on forums etc and that was the conclusion I came to.
I do like the modern look of the T5 and it’s supposed to be more car like to drive, but I’ve grown to like the T4 I have , and as it’s only for recreation then I’m not bothered that it’s a bit slow etc, and being a more basic engine, if worst comes to the worst, I can get another one fitted for under £500. 1996 1.9 TD

Stay away – sounds ridiculous!

May be a few on Piston Heads classified pages

You’ll get an email that looks like it is from ebay/paypal and asks you to put the money into an escrow account. At which point you wave goodbye to it as it enjoys a foreign holiday via MoneyGram.

You want to buy a used vehicle totally unseen, untested with a seller who won’t use the phone ? Wow. This is a troll/windup.

If its cheap for its year too. Then greed will blind you.

Ex police van walk away, it will have had a hell of a hard life, may be low miles on the clock but I can get you the engines been on tick over for twice that mileage!

I’m currently looking too and its a complete scammers paradise,such a minefield and very few sellers seem genuine.A lot of the Vantrader scams are really obvious though,almost always immaculate desirable models with all extras at a fraction of the expected price,the ads are usually in capitals and 4-something £ and @80k mileage.Ridiculous really

Do not go anywhere near this, these are well known scams usually on gumtree. Friend had same thing told couldn’t view van in person as work comitments meant van would be in Scotland. And was contacted three times (different email address each time ) this is unfortunately quite common

Scam

I know of case where someone sent about 6k through bank transfer for a caravan and got a post code in Scotland.

He drove up and waited outside a house no sign of a caravan, when he knocked the door the owner had no idea what he was talking about.

We felt a bit off from the start regarding no phone contact and other things including your responses sealed it.

You are right though, scammers paradise.

busters your man check his facebook page