| First time I did just about everything wrong. Second time I learned from my mistakes and had a pleasant experience. I'll summarize: Bad experience:
1. I paid via cashier's check
2. I located the ad from Craigslist
2a. I knew nothing about the seller
2b. I should've requested references to prove he's a reputable guy (ebay seller's ratings, other forums he's on, etc).
3. He had no documentation for anything, aside from pictures of the engine After months of waiting and yelling at him, he ended up sending me a POS stripped engine which was nothing like the one in the ad. I refused delivery at the shipping terminal so it got shipped back to him at his expense. Beware of Anthony Licata from Arizona. When the time and resources become available, I intend to sue him. Good experience:
1. I bought from a reputible guy on this forum whose name I've seen around.
1b. This enables you to ask for references on this site from those who have dealt with the forum member in the past (which I did).
1b. You can search their post history on this site to look for red flags. Very helpful to check Tech section to see if they had any major problems with their engine previously.
2. The engine was well documented - seller included a recent video of compression test he performed and was prompt to return all communications and requests for photos. He was very thorough with all that he had replaced on the engine, and it shows.
3. I used paypal non-gift transaction for buyer protection. Note: you need to file a claim within 30 days that the money is sent, so make sure you have shipping arrangements in order ASAP. I've heard of guys using credit card tied into Paypal for additional protection through their credit card company, but I've never tried that method before.
4. He was selling the engine as well as rolling chassis so engine mileage was documented and certain. He only used the best parts for his rolling chassis and engine and his rolling chassis was in excellent cosmetic shape. Engine looked very clean cosmetically as well. The above good experiences are the only way that I would purchase online from a third party. I would never buy a JDM engine unless you plan to completely rebuild it (in which case, there are more cost-effective methods than this, IMO).
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Parting out my entire 1990 twin turbo! Please email me for needed parts!
See profile for my WTB/WTT list as well.
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15:20:23 03/31/14
