- Report: #179685
Complaint Review: Scott Vardeman - Magnolia Texas
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Scott Vardeman
1402 Goodson Magnolia, 77355-5233 Texas, U.S.A.
Phone:
936-648 8599
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Scott Vardeman mustang "restorer" in houston area using deceptive descriptions of cars Magnolia Texas
in november of 2003, i found what APPEARED to be an immaculate, and beautifully restored 1965 mustang fastback, for sale on ebay.
it was described as:
1965 FORD MUSTANG FASTBACK 2 + 2
VIN# 5F09C690895
Body Plate Codes:
Body 63AFastback, Bucket Seats w/Standard Interior
Color K------Silver Smoke Gray
Trim D6-----White w/Black Appointments
Date 08R----April 8, 1965
DSO 51------Denver Co.
Axle 6--------2.80:1
Trans 6------C4 Automatic Transmission
Equipment:
289 V8
Mustang Factory Air Conditioning
Cruise-O-Matic Automatic Transmission
Rally-Pac Gages
Styled Steel Wheels
B F Goodrich Radial T/A Tires
GT Equipment: GT Fog Lamps & Grill Bar, Dual Exhaust with Trumpet Extensions Through Valance Panel, GT Stripe and GT Ornamentation.
Visibility Group: Remote Control Mirror, Day/Nite Mirror, 2 Speed Windshield Wipers and Washers.
Back-Up Lights
AM/FM Cassette Stereo
Heavy Duty (3 core) Radiator
Heavy Duty Battery
Seven Blade Cooling Fan
HI-PO correct Air Cleaner
4 Piece Mustang Deluxe Floor Mats
Description:
Excellent example of a restored, highly collectible, investment grade, rust free, North Texas car.
Originality stressed during restoration.
Body Data Plate matching.
Number matching Engine and Transmission.
New factory correct paint.
New interior
Highly detailed engine compartment.
2,000 miles on Engine and Transmission rebuild.
Less than 100 miles on complete Differential rebuild.
New Parts Include: Radiator, water pump, fuel pump, A/C compressor, battery, alternator, voltage regulator, engine compartment wiring harness, starter solenoid, windshield washer pump and bag, gas tank and sending unit, front steering components, brake wheel cylinders, brake shoes, new tires and much more.
History:
Three Texas owners in the last 16+ years.
Car driven 2,000 miles since 1988. Mileage on odometer is 28,200.
Have spoken with the last two owners to verify vehicle information.
Will supply names and contact information on previous owners when car sold.
"every nut and bolt replaced, needs nothing"
so, i contacted the seller, to let him know i was interested, however, i wouldnt have the money to pay for the car until january of 2004. he agreed to pull the auction if i sent a deposit, which i did, of 3500$
the car sat in a "museum" until that january, when i was able to pay mr vardeman, and his business associate, ed boule.
at this time, and after speaking with scott several times regarding doing a few modifications to the car, i decided to hire the services of "vardeman motor works" to complete the following modifications:
remove original engine and transmission, and replace with a custom built 289 engine, and late model T-5 transmission.
replace factory rear center section with aftermarket "3.55" center section
replace factory front drum brakes with aftermarket disc brakes.
install a "monte carlo bar", and an export brace.
replace factory shocks/springs with aftermarket(stiffer and shorter) versions.
replace factory radiator with aluminum "griffin" brand radiator
install front and rear sway bars
install aftermarket guages (oil pressure and water temp)
install aftermarket rims/tires
---------------------
in addition to the $23,000 i paid for the car, i sent scott an additional $10,000 for the work. most parts were supplied by me, other than the engine, trans, and clutch assembly. i had all parts shipped to mr vardeman via UPS, express, next day service.
After 16 long weeks of excuses and arguments, i finally received the car. this is where it all really starts to go downhill.
----------------
i'll start with the engine...
the engine i was told i was getting, was a ford 289, with an estimated output of 400 hp.
in fact, i was sold a 302, which barely put out around 150hp, on a good day.
the engine was leaking all fluids from all possible places.. the intake manifold bolts were barely hand tight, so coolant was shooting out, and there was no vacuum present.
the oil pan was loose as well, and oil was leaking everywhere.
there was a several rattling coming from the passenger side valve cover, so i pulled the cover off, and realized that one of the rocker arms was floating around, and was banging into the other rocker arms and springs.
this caused the valve stems to become bent, wearing the valve guides (on heads i had just paid 1000$ to scott for "rebuilding")
as a result of the valve issue, there was literally oil shooting out of my tailpipes. the whole back of my car was covered in oil and soot.
i eventually ended up removing the heads and replacing them to the tune of 1300$.
scott said that this was because he "forgot that he used hydraulic lifters, and set the valve lash incorrectly"
-------------
paint and body:
the body is COVERED in dents and dings, and there isnt a straight panel on the car. i was contacted by "one of scotts several thousand happy customers", who sided with scott, and didnt respond to my MANY repeated offers for him to come see the car in person.
i even offered to give him 1000$ in cash, if he could find ONE straight panel on my car.
he never showed up.
big surprise.
the paint is horrendous.
it has dirt under the clear coat, in MANY places, and looks to have been painted in a field, by monkeys, rather than in a paint booth, by professionals.
i was told the car had all original panels, and NO RUST EVER.
however, both rear quarters had been replaced, as well as the driver's side door.
in fact, the quarter panel repair is so bad, that the inner welds are beginning to rust, and will require immediate attention.
the rear wheel wells have a large amount of "bondo", and i was told that there wasnt any in this car.
--------------
the interior:
the dash board is covered in scratches and gouges which were simply painted over, and not repaired. the dash pad has paint overspray on it, and there is one rear seatbelt.
the center console which scott claimed to be original to the car, had been modified to fit with what appeared to be a hacksaw.
all interior screws are mismatched, and some arent even automotive grade.
the AC unit was not charged, allegedly because scott "forgot to do it", but, upon attemting to charge the unit myself, i discovered that there was no valve into which the refrigerant should be placed. even if scott "remembered" to do it, there was no way it could have gotten done.
----------------
glass:
all but ONE of the windows have large scratches and scrapes. scott agreed to replace the passenger door glass, and the windshield, but i never received either.
-----------
suspension:
ALL new fittings and boots were left dry. there was no grease, and therefore the boots and some fittings needed to be replaced.
the rear sway bar was LOOSE, and needed to be tightened.
-----------
the drive shaft was cut too short, and does not fully reach the tail shaft of the transmission
------
there's more i could list, and i'd be happy to do so, should anyone decide to join forces, and file a class action suit against mr vardeman for fraud.
i have all of the emails i have received from scott, from admitting to taking shortcuts on my car because he was having a hard time with his daughter's medical bills, agreeing to send me back all of the original parts he removed from my car, (and never did), to threatening to sue me for "liable"
in fact.. last i heard i WAS being sued..
im still waiting for that to happen.
YAWN...
Seth
baltimore, Maryland
U.S.A.
it was described as:
1965 FORD MUSTANG FASTBACK 2 + 2
VIN# 5F09C690895
Body Plate Codes:
Body 63AFastback, Bucket Seats w/Standard Interior
Color K------Silver Smoke Gray
Trim D6-----White w/Black Appointments
Date 08R----April 8, 1965
DSO 51------Denver Co.
Axle 6--------2.80:1
Trans 6------C4 Automatic Transmission
Equipment:
289 V8
Mustang Factory Air Conditioning
Cruise-O-Matic Automatic Transmission
Rally-Pac Gages
Styled Steel Wheels
B F Goodrich Radial T/A Tires
GT Equipment: GT Fog Lamps & Grill Bar, Dual Exhaust with Trumpet Extensions Through Valance Panel, GT Stripe and GT Ornamentation.
Visibility Group: Remote Control Mirror, Day/Nite Mirror, 2 Speed Windshield Wipers and Washers.
Back-Up Lights
AM/FM Cassette Stereo
Heavy Duty (3 core) Radiator
Heavy Duty Battery
Seven Blade Cooling Fan
HI-PO correct Air Cleaner
4 Piece Mustang Deluxe Floor Mats
Description:
Excellent example of a restored, highly collectible, investment grade, rust free, North Texas car.
Originality stressed during restoration.
Body Data Plate matching.
Number matching Engine and Transmission.
New factory correct paint.
New interior
Highly detailed engine compartment.
2,000 miles on Engine and Transmission rebuild.
Less than 100 miles on complete Differential rebuild.
New Parts Include: Radiator, water pump, fuel pump, A/C compressor, battery, alternator, voltage regulator, engine compartment wiring harness, starter solenoid, windshield washer pump and bag, gas tank and sending unit, front steering components, brake wheel cylinders, brake shoes, new tires and much more.
History:
Three Texas owners in the last 16+ years.
Car driven 2,000 miles since 1988. Mileage on odometer is 28,200.
Have spoken with the last two owners to verify vehicle information.
Will supply names and contact information on previous owners when car sold.
"every nut and bolt replaced, needs nothing"
so, i contacted the seller, to let him know i was interested, however, i wouldnt have the money to pay for the car until january of 2004. he agreed to pull the auction if i sent a deposit, which i did, of 3500$
the car sat in a "museum" until that january, when i was able to pay mr vardeman, and his business associate, ed boule.
at this time, and after speaking with scott several times regarding doing a few modifications to the car, i decided to hire the services of "vardeman motor works" to complete the following modifications:
remove original engine and transmission, and replace with a custom built 289 engine, and late model T-5 transmission.
replace factory rear center section with aftermarket "3.55" center section
replace factory front drum brakes with aftermarket disc brakes.
install a "monte carlo bar", and an export brace.
replace factory shocks/springs with aftermarket(stiffer and shorter) versions.
replace factory radiator with aluminum "griffin" brand radiator
install front and rear sway bars
install aftermarket guages (oil pressure and water temp)
install aftermarket rims/tires
---------------------
in addition to the $23,000 i paid for the car, i sent scott an additional $10,000 for the work. most parts were supplied by me, other than the engine, trans, and clutch assembly. i had all parts shipped to mr vardeman via UPS, express, next day service.
After 16 long weeks of excuses and arguments, i finally received the car. this is where it all really starts to go downhill.
----------------
i'll start with the engine...
the engine i was told i was getting, was a ford 289, with an estimated output of 400 hp.
in fact, i was sold a 302, which barely put out around 150hp, on a good day.
the engine was leaking all fluids from all possible places.. the intake manifold bolts were barely hand tight, so coolant was shooting out, and there was no vacuum present.
the oil pan was loose as well, and oil was leaking everywhere.
there was a several rattling coming from the passenger side valve cover, so i pulled the cover off, and realized that one of the rocker arms was floating around, and was banging into the other rocker arms and springs.
this caused the valve stems to become bent, wearing the valve guides (on heads i had just paid 1000$ to scott for "rebuilding")
as a result of the valve issue, there was literally oil shooting out of my tailpipes. the whole back of my car was covered in oil and soot.
i eventually ended up removing the heads and replacing them to the tune of 1300$.
scott said that this was because he "forgot that he used hydraulic lifters, and set the valve lash incorrectly"
-------------
paint and body:
the body is COVERED in dents and dings, and there isnt a straight panel on the car. i was contacted by "one of scotts several thousand happy customers", who sided with scott, and didnt respond to my MANY repeated offers for him to come see the car in person.
i even offered to give him 1000$ in cash, if he could find ONE straight panel on my car.
he never showed up.
big surprise.
the paint is horrendous.
it has dirt under the clear coat, in MANY places, and looks to have been painted in a field, by monkeys, rather than in a paint booth, by professionals.
i was told the car had all original panels, and NO RUST EVER.
however, both rear quarters had been replaced, as well as the driver's side door.
in fact, the quarter panel repair is so bad, that the inner welds are beginning to rust, and will require immediate attention.
the rear wheel wells have a large amount of "bondo", and i was told that there wasnt any in this car.
--------------
the interior:
the dash board is covered in scratches and gouges which were simply painted over, and not repaired. the dash pad has paint overspray on it, and there is one rear seatbelt.
the center console which scott claimed to be original to the car, had been modified to fit with what appeared to be a hacksaw.
all interior screws are mismatched, and some arent even automotive grade.
the AC unit was not charged, allegedly because scott "forgot to do it", but, upon attemting to charge the unit myself, i discovered that there was no valve into which the refrigerant should be placed. even if scott "remembered" to do it, there was no way it could have gotten done.
----------------
glass:
all but ONE of the windows have large scratches and scrapes. scott agreed to replace the passenger door glass, and the windshield, but i never received either.
-----------
suspension:
ALL new fittings and boots were left dry. there was no grease, and therefore the boots and some fittings needed to be replaced.
the rear sway bar was LOOSE, and needed to be tightened.
-----------
the drive shaft was cut too short, and does not fully reach the tail shaft of the transmission
------
there's more i could list, and i'd be happy to do so, should anyone decide to join forces, and file a class action suit against mr vardeman for fraud.
i have all of the emails i have received from scott, from admitting to taking shortcuts on my car because he was having a hard time with his daughter's medical bills, agreeing to send me back all of the original parts he removed from my car, (and never did), to threatening to sue me for "liable"
in fact.. last i heard i WAS being sued..
im still waiting for that to happen.
YAWN...
Seth
baltimore, Maryland
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Seth
Baltimore,Maryland,
U.S.A.
AND THERE'S MORE??????
#2Author of original report
Fri, November 10, 2006
wow.. just when i thought this thing was over, i made arrangements to sell the engine which vardeman removed from the car, described to me, in writing, as "original, numbers matching 289" well, lo and behold, i take off a valve cover to photograph the head, and there's a big ol "302" casting mark, right there in plain sight. i really thought i'd be able to let this go, but now im more fired up than ever. to think i almost felt sorry for you. haha!!!
Seth
Baltimore,Maryland,
U.S.A.
lies, all lies
#3Author of original report
Mon, October 23, 2006
scott vardeman posted: "It amazes me that the description of this car was how wonderful it was after he had done NOTHING to it after purchasing this car and keeping it for a few months and then selling it for more than he paid for it." ok, i'll start with this one... first off, i didnt do "nothing" i re-did almost everything that vardeman did. ALL of the work was shotty and rushed, and totally unacceptable. if i did "nothing" i would have had it on the road within days after receiving it. instead, i had to wait until AUGUST to actually drive it. i purchased the car in november, it arrived in may, and was not road worthy. "common sence" (it's actually "sense", scott) would say i'd want to drive this car as soon as possible, right? i didnt keep it for a few months. i kept it for a YEAR. on to the next lie... "The bottom line is this. I offered to purchase this car back from this person and he said no." this is ENTIRELY untrue. he offered to sell it for me at auction. he wanted the car back first, and to pay me the money later. after hearing about mr osborne's ordeal with vardeman (read another rip-off report), there was no way in hell i would EVER trust this man with ANYTHING of mine, especially money. "He chose to blast me and my company and so be it. As it turns out he claimed to have done alot of work on this car in his ebay ad and that was all FALSE,he claims that this car was perfect in his ad and he did almost NOTHING to it once it left me." really? did you fly to baltimore and inspect it? i WISH i didnt have to do anything to the car, scott! i replaced the heads, intake, carb, cam, lifters... i also had to reinstall almost everything you added to the car, with the exception of the front discs. those you actually did a nice job on, surprisingly. moving on... "He had 3 months to come and look at this car and told me 4 times that he was. He never did. He got what I described and then wanted to whine." true, i DID have the opportunity to come see the car, BUT, i trusted your description, which was WAAAAAAAAY off. we will NEVER agree on what "perfect" is, apparantly, because i have EYES, whereas you seemingly do not. ok.. and.. "Common sence would dictate that if your spending 20 or 30K dollars you need to spend the 200 it takes to go and look. Everyone else does, so I get blasted for this? How can I be wrong after attempting to refund his money? Did I need to get him another house or do his windows or what to make him happy?" first off, common sense would dictate that an adult of 50 some-odd years would have a basic handle on the english language. and NOT EVERYONE else does, scott.. look at poor john osborn. the mnan gave you 15K upfront, sight unseen, for a rustbucket. when it arrived, he refused delivery, and you STILL havent paid him his money. i'd be surprised if he EVER saw a dime of what you owe him. do you think that he and i dont talk about this? do you think that because i sold my car, i wont stand by my offer to go to court for him, against you? dont bet on it. you NEVER offered to buy back the car. you offered to sell it for me. i purchased the car for 21.5K from you, invested another 10K in work i had you perform, and the work you did, was not up to my standards, or the standards of any of the professional mechanics i had inspect the car. AFTER i got the car from you, i had to spend another 4 thousand dollars to put it on the road. i sold it on ebay for under 23K. how the heck did i sell it for more than i paid? your grammar seems to be on par with your arithmetic. was 8th grade REALLY that tough to work out? i lost my butt on this car, and it was a valuable lesson learned. never buy a car sight unseen, and NEVER take the seller's word for ANYTHING. anyway... "I will continue to take care of my real customers and hope not to run into people like this. 33 years in the car business and from time to time I make someone angry. This is not my intention. I love it when they can't quit smiling. We sell alot of classic cars and a few over demanding people do not represent the average consumer." if after 33 years of working on these cars, you dont know which direction to install a monte-carlo bar, then you are in serious trouble, and you may want to persue a career more within your realm of expertise. politics would be a good place for a liar such as yourself.
Scott
Magnolia,Texas,
U.S.A.
Response to Seth
#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sun, October 22, 2006
It amazes me that the description of this car was how wonderful it was after he had done NOTHING to it after purchasing this car and keeping it for a few months and then selling it for more than he paid for it. The bottom line is this. I offered to purchase this car back from this person and he said no. He chose to blast me and my company and so be it. As it turns out he claimed to have done alot of work on this car in his ebay ad and that was all FALSE,he claims that this car was perfect in his ad and he did almost NOTHING to it once it left me. He had 3 months to come and look at this car and told me 4 times that he was. He never did. He got what I described and then wanted to whine. Common sence would dictate that if your spending 20 or 30K dollars you need to spend the 200 it takes to go and look. Everyone else does, so I get blasted for this? How can I be wrong after attempting to refund his money? Did I need to get him another house or do his windows or what to make him happy? I will continue to take care of my real customers and hope not to run into people like this. 33 years in the car business and from time to time I make someone angry. This is not my intention. I love it when they can't quit smiling. We sell alot of classic cars and a few over demanding people do not represent the average consumer.
