Is this a fake 190SL ad?

[Ulf]

Hi, a friend of mine is looking for a 190 SL and stumbled across this - but compared to its immaculate condition, fitted luggage etc, the price seems almost too good to be true. What's your opinion?

Br

Ulf

http://www.classicandperformancecar.com/mercedes-benz/190sl/mercedes-benz-190sl-in-banjarmasin-kalimantan-selatan-indonesia/368850/ad

[Rolf-Dieter ✝︎]

Ulf,

Something is definitely not right here. Be sure to let your friend know to make sure the car actually exists and is available before making any offers or committing any funds. If it looks too good to be true it is properly a scam and not true.

If your friend is interested he should engage someone reliable (like a member from here near by or a reliable shop) near the location of this car and actually put hands on this car, inspect the car and paperwork etc. etc.

My 2 cents on this link.

Best,

Dieter

[Ulf]

Thanks Rolf-Dieter, I think you might be right - the car is located in Indonesia, so getting someone to validate it might be tricky - or maybe he should use it as an excuse for a nice holiday there... :-D

Br

Ulf

[Pawel66]

Ulf,

You can also ask there: http://www.190slgroup.com

Similar community.

[Chris_ATL]

Pretty sure it's fake... I spent some time in Indonesia and some things don't tie:
- Indonesia has heavy import taxes, once a car is there you don't export it.
- Demand for Classic cars is low, and centered around the wealth center... this is on the south side of Kalimantan, which is very poor.
- The car is not registered locally in the pictures... nor do the pictures seem to be taken locally
- The price is very low.
- None of the images turn up on a reverse image search...  not even the seller site
- The seller website (rickyclassic cars) is dead... it just has meta data not a real site

I would steer clear..

[PeterPortugal]

I have previously seen similar ads from the same company. I happen to work with some Indonesians and when I told the dealer that someone was coming to check the car it all went quiet.

[thelews]

Going to buy a car from Indonesia that seems dirt cheap?  Hmmm, how about that money that is waiting for me if I just send some to the emailer I got the notice from.

If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

[Garry]

Ulf


With out validation of its existence and location from an independent inspection, then it will be an almost certain disaster and a loss of considerable $$.


This sort of thing is tried on in the Australian market from Indonesia and Malaysia quite a lot and normally is a fraud.


Garry

[Ulf]

Thanks guys, you more than confirmed my skepticism :-)

Ulf

[mdsalemi]

...from Indonesia and Malaysia...normally is a fraud.

Not only would I not give this a second glance with any seriousness if I was a buyer, but I stopped selling to places like Indonesia and Malaysia on eBay. In fact, "first world" countries only. Too many lessons learned. Never really lost anything but my patience and time. Just not worth the effort.