Prior to buying (2) NEW 08 SE's, I spent a TON of time lurking and searching all over the internet for the PERFECT deal on a Raptor. Sure, there are good deals to be had, and places like here and the Raptor Forum are probably the best place to look, but in the end you must be cautious.
With that said, I want to put this topic out there to inform and educate the other new guys, and maybe a few of the veterans who might eventually be tempted to buy into one of these scams.
So, here are some hard, fast guidelines for buying/selling a USED Raptor via the internet:
1. When in doubt ask enough questions to annoy the seller. I found that anyone who was trying to rip me off would answer questions ALL DAY LONG via e-mail. Think about it, what does he have to lose? The more answers that he gives you that make you comfortable, the more likely you are to do the deal. The big key here is when they answer your questions, they will be very vague lots of times, and in some cases the answers will seem like they didn't even read your question. This is a BIG TIP OFF!!!
2. Make arrangements to see the ATV in person. This is the QUICKEST, EASIEST way to sniff out a scammer. Even if there is no way in hell that you can fly to Iowa (or where ever) and look at his/her ATV, tell him you will. Of course, it's not possible for you to see the ATV, because they don't have it, so they are going to have to stall you or put you off about this. This one also usually ends up with the seller not contacting you back. At least if you do this right away you don't waste your time and breath on a scam.
3.Offer to have the seller ship the ATV using a freight company that accepts COD. C.O.D means Cash On Delivery. If you receive an ATV, you can pay CASH at that time, or in some cases a Certified Check made out to the Seller. The usual answer with this one is that they can't ship it that way because a 'third-party' has the ATV. Let's be honest... You own a Raptor or anything else worth $4000 or more, who are you willingly going to leave it with and trust to ship it around the world and then give you your money? Nuff' said!
4. Here are examples of only a few scenario's that are practically written by Hollywood screenwriters:
Scenario 1: A man is getting shipped off to Iraq to defend his country for you, all he needs to do before he goes is sell his $6000 ATV for less than 50% of it's value. And since the U.S. Military pays so well, he will even cover the shipping costs.
Scenario 2: A recently divorced parent must liquidate the assets of the marriage. As a result, EVERYTHING MUST GO! And since the husband was a two-timing low-life, why not sell his precious ATV for 50% off. After all, the whole divorce is his fault, shouldn't he pay dearly!?!?
Scenario 3: My (insert relative here, i.e., father, brother, cousin, uncle, etc.) recently passed away and we must sell off all of his belongings. One of those items is a 2007 SE Raptor 700 with GYTR pipe, GYTR Bars, Moose Bumper, and TONS of extras. We know nothing about ATV's but we sure know enough to put all the important slang and lingo in the advertisement! Give me a break...
Another big tip-off is when the seller is doing EVERYTHING possible to make the deal right for you. Since when does that happen?
See you in the dirt!
SpeedQuest
