Looking for internet P.I.

[ScubaSteve]

I'd start with a CarFax report on the VIN to see if anything comes up that way.

As for the business, it might be possible to hire an independent to verify the business. I do this with manufacturers in China. I get someone to go to the manufacturer to verify the business, sometimes inspect the product and make sure everything is legit. Only costs me $150!

Maybe try to find a mechanic or someone like I mentioned above in their area to go check out the place. $150 is a drop in the bucket for the car and is far less than a flight or being scammed the full price of a car.

[MarkoD]

I've had friends that did this. And it ended up not being worth it.

By the time you pay duties (If not American), GST, turn on day time running lights. Switch over to km, out of country inspection etc. it ends up eating up the savings.

And my rule of thumb for buying things online is : if it seems too good to be true, it probably is..... Unless you can verify it yourself

[michika]

Originally Posted by MarkoD

I've had friends that did this. And it ended up not being worth it.

By the time you pay duties (If not American), GST, turn on day time running lights. Switch over to km, out of country inspection etc. it ends up eating up the savings.

And my rule of thumb for buying things online is : if it seems too good to be true, it probably is..... Unless you can verify it yourself

Agreed. I've done this 3 times.

2010 Chevy Truck - Worth it
2011 Mercedes - Not at all worth it
2011 BMW 4 Series Coupe - Marginally worth it

[sphelps]

Well seller is importing the vehicle, GST, duty & RIV taxes are included in purchase price. All modifications required for Canadian roads will be done by seller along with recall clearance letter. 30 day inspection period begins once car is received and buyer can reject the car for any reason with full refund. Carfax and VIN checkout. Overall difference in price is around $10K.

So yeah sounds pretty much too good to be true, but typically I'd easily find evidence of fraud surrounding the company which doesn't appear to be the case. Ultimately unless someone can point out the obvious scam I'll either fly down or hire someone local to investigate.

[MarkoD]

Seems too good to be true.

Why would someone sell it for 10k less than what it's worth unless something is wrong with it?

Also if its newer, the warranty won't transfer from the states

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by MarkoD

Seems too good to be true.

Why would someone sell it for 10k less than what it's worth unless something is wrong with it?

Also if its newer, the warranty won't transfer from the states

10K less than what you typically see it for here, which I've read is typical for some higher end used models. It's a 2010 so not concerned about warranty although BMW warranty does transfer from US to Canada from what I've been told.

Anyways that all said I'm confident it is a scam Here's the recent pic I asked for, bonus points to those who can spot the obvious

[Ross]

At least they didnt use wingdings for font matching...

[ScubaSteve]

Ran the pic through some ELA software for fun.

Photoshop tag found. Image has been compressed to JPEG twice. Image edited with Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows

Photo has been modified since it was created. Modified: 2013:08:20 11:21:58

image created 2013:08:20 11:10:07-06:00

Science is fun...

[sphelps]

Yeap clear as day font overlay & Photoshop signature in exif data. The most painfully obvious part was the wrong model number, 535iA instead of 550iA

[Ross]

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

Photo has been modified since it was created. Modified: 2013:08:20 11:21:58
image created 2013:08:20 11:10:07-06:00
Science is fun...

Simply looking at the black box nearly free of camera noise and the mismatched font style and color where the serial number is.