Well, I bought a transmission for the car, sort of. Long story, but the short version is that I put down a 50% deposit on a T56 from a Camaro, out in Clarksville, IN, then drove out there the following day to pick it up and pay the balance. I paid the deposit thru Paypal. When I got there, the seller was nowhere to be found, and would not answer any of my calls or texts. 350 miles away from home, I was stuck with no other option than to wait for him to get back to me. I waited for 4 hours, decided I had enough, and headed back for a 6 hour drive to Cleveland empty handed. Understandably a bit ticked off, I waited a few more days, then filed a claim with Paypal. Now, we all assume that Paypal is the "safe" way to carry out online purchases, since its "guaranteed", right? Well, after a few calls to Paypal, they tell me that since it was only a deposit, never mind a 50% deposit and a fair amount of money, they were not required to cover it! All I could do was dispute it with the seller, whom I was becoming fairly convinced was a fraud. After 20 days as a dispute, with no positive outcome, the dispute either closes, or is upgraded to a Paypal claim. I was literally told by Paypal that there was no hope for me getting the money back, that if it was escalated to a claim, that they would side with the seller!
At this point, almost a week after driving out to Indiana to pick up the transmission, the seller finally sends me a message, saying he's sorry and that his cell phone got turned off the night before I left, and that I must have went to the wrong address. Well, wanting to believe him, and still wanting the transmission, I really wanted to believe him. He said that if I could undispute the money that was the deposit, that he would use that to pay his bills and to ship out the transmission, and cut off 15% of the price for my costs of driving out and my aggravation. The seller seemed like a nice guy, and I hate to assume the worst in people, and not having any other option of actually getting my money back (remember, Paypal already told me that if the dispute was escalated, they would almost surely side with the seller, the guy who didn't deliver the goods and took my money!), I had little choice but to go along with it and hope for the best. Now a week later, since his promise of shipping it out, and I have not received anything. Not only that, but once again the seller is totally unreachable by phone, text, and email. Great, just great.
Now I'm left waiting for someone to restore my faith in humanity.
Note: Never again Paypal, never again will I trust you to protect my money in any transaction. I would recommend to anyone reading this to avoid Paypal as well, if they don't care about my significant "deposit", why trust them with your hard earned money?
Update: Paypal eventually refunded my money, all of it. Except that evidently there were three people in this scam - me, the scammer, and the guy that I paid directly, who turned out to be innocent. So Paypal took the money from the guy I paid and gave it back to me. Only by sheer luck was the guy able to in turn get his money back from the scammer. ( The scammer had told the guy that I was a friend making a payment on his behalf, he then used that money as credit to buy things. ) What a horror story.. At any rate, if you're going to use Paypal for a transaction like this, use your credit card to fund it...
www.SpartanV8.com
Welcome to my latest project, the Spartan V8 prototype roadster.
Take a look around, and feel free to leave a comment!
What is it?
A: The Spartan V8 is a type of high performance car called an "exoskeleton" car, exoskeleton referring to the framework of the car which is both visible and aesthetic by design. It is being designed entirely from scratch, by me alone (constructed and tested entirely in SolidWorks). I'm about a year into the design; from initial idea, to working concept, to full 3d virtual model. Once I have the remainder of the crucial components (engine, transmission, suspension, etc) modeled accurately in 3D, I'll be able to finalize the design and begin construction.
What would it be like to drive?
A: Something like this.
The metallic click of a switch engages the ignition and fuel pump with a hum. You engage the clutch and push the starter button.. the V8 engine thrashes and bursts to life with a snarl, sending shivers through the frame, and straight up your spine. The shifter in your right hand snicks into gear, and you ease out the clutch and apply the throttle.. by the time you fully release the clutch, its already time to shift into second. As you shift to 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th, the sheer acceleration nails you to your seat, the exhaust roars to either side of you, the intake growls in front of you, the big 305 series tires shriek in protest as they claw at the pavement, the wind whips past your head and body, and you are catapulted to speed more rapidly than you thought possible.
A stab at the brakes invites the race compound pads to bite into four oversized vented rotors, rapidly bringing you to a screeching halt.. brutally throwing you forward against the belts of your 5 point harness, threatening to eject you from the cockpit as you slow back to a stop. Your pulse is racing, your breathing is quickened, and the back of your neck is tingling. Savage and raw, the Spartan V8 isn't just quick. It is downright terrifying.
More akin to riding something wild, overpowered, and foaming at the mouth than just driving a car. It roars, it screams, it snarls. It thrums with power lurking just under its thin skin, daring you to mash that accelerator to the floor, and chase down something exotic..
Why design and build your own car?
A: Why not? It will be fun to design, build, and drive. It will be a learning experience like no other. Also, because of it's tremendous power to weight ratio, the Spartan will be a veritable supercar - more than able to hold its own on the road or racetrack against other street cars costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Check back whenever you like, as I'll be adding updates frequently.
Take a look around, and feel free to leave a comment!
What is it?
A: The Spartan V8 is a type of high performance car called an "exoskeleton" car, exoskeleton referring to the framework of the car which is both visible and aesthetic by design. It is being designed entirely from scratch, by me alone (constructed and tested entirely in SolidWorks). I'm about a year into the design; from initial idea, to working concept, to full 3d virtual model. Once I have the remainder of the crucial components (engine, transmission, suspension, etc) modeled accurately in 3D, I'll be able to finalize the design and begin construction.
What would it be like to drive?
A: Something like this.
The metallic click of a switch engages the ignition and fuel pump with a hum. You engage the clutch and push the starter button.. the V8 engine thrashes and bursts to life with a snarl, sending shivers through the frame, and straight up your spine. The shifter in your right hand snicks into gear, and you ease out the clutch and apply the throttle.. by the time you fully release the clutch, its already time to shift into second. As you shift to 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th, the sheer acceleration nails you to your seat, the exhaust roars to either side of you, the intake growls in front of you, the big 305 series tires shriek in protest as they claw at the pavement, the wind whips past your head and body, and you are catapulted to speed more rapidly than you thought possible.
A stab at the brakes invites the race compound pads to bite into four oversized vented rotors, rapidly bringing you to a screeching halt.. brutally throwing you forward against the belts of your 5 point harness, threatening to eject you from the cockpit as you slow back to a stop. Your pulse is racing, your breathing is quickened, and the back of your neck is tingling. Savage and raw, the Spartan V8 isn't just quick. It is downright terrifying.
More akin to riding something wild, overpowered, and foaming at the mouth than just driving a car. It roars, it screams, it snarls. It thrums with power lurking just under its thin skin, daring you to mash that accelerator to the floor, and chase down something exotic..
Why design and build your own car?
A: Why not? It will be fun to design, build, and drive. It will be a learning experience like no other. Also, because of it's tremendous power to weight ratio, the Spartan will be a veritable supercar - more than able to hold its own on the road or racetrack against other street cars costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Check back whenever you like, as I'll be adding updates frequently.
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