Realoldspower.com

VcodeHustler · Joined: 29 Mar 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Fall River, MA

Hi everybody! I am a newbie on ROP but have been playing with olds 442's for years and have had some real nice rare rides.
I hope I am in the right spot to tell my story? if not, I apologize in advance.
Let me tell you about my experiences with this guy, known as John Ebbs(spelling could be off?). I had a 69 442 W30 stick and a very rare 72 V-Code rag top 455/4spd. This guy is a well known olds collector in Seebrooke NH. After a lengthy 2 hour face to face, i felt like he was an ok guy to deal with. We struck a deal to trade my 69 442 W30 and my 72 V-Code rag top for his 70 W31 4spd, and a 68 442 that needed a ton of work but had paperwork. Well in trusting him, I allowed him to pick up my 2 cars and he dropped off the 68 442 and the deal was he would get his W31 in running trim so I could drive it home. Well, once he had my two cars, he started to change the deal we had agreed upon. He basically held my 70 W31 HOSTAGE! he changed the deal completely and decided upon himself that he would no longer honor our deal and instead TOLD me what HE wanted to do! Apparently, now that he had my car he didn't want to get it running for me and actually STOLE the 455 from my rag top that he was to let me keep as part of our original deal. To date, John still has my TO code 3:91 rear end, my bellhousing, my brand new shifter and linkage, and he even had the balls to steal the crappy radio and speakers with a whopping value of $40 just because he had the car at his place and failed to realize i had pics of it before we made the deal! I thought for sure, this guy will be a great connection just by the amount of cars he owned, but now I feel, he must have screwed a lot of people like he did to me to get what he has today! The W31 he dropped off to me looked like a 3 year old put it together! All the chrome moldings all the way around the car are garbage! dented and broken (he probably swapped them out just before bringing the car to me) the trunk needs work, the hood is a mess, I can't even begin to tell you just how bad the car was when i got it home. I even had to threaten to contact my lawyer to get my car back. This guy is out of control, and I do know that there are a few of you guys out here who have dealt with him and pass him off as a strange guy, but you really need to let the people out here know just who and what he is.......a THEIF! I hope you read this posting John, you know what you did and what you still owe me! I am letting anyone who deals with oldsmobiles know just what kind of guy/businessman you really are, not what you want them to think. If anyone wants to know the real deal of what went down, please feel free to contact me and I'll give you the honest truth, I am not a big wheeler and dealer, just a small town guy who found a couple of rare cars and looking to get a couple of nice Olds muscle cars to enjoy with my son and people like this john ebbs guy are making it real tough to trust anybody anymore, when he lies right to your face without even blinking an eye!
I have met some real nice olds guys since my run in with John Ebbs and have since found out, this is how this guy operates and I wasn't the only one John screwed over, there is another guy (a lawyer I believe) that purchased a yellow W31 from John and it was even worse than mine! So, I have been in touch with REAL olds guys to get the parts to fix the disaster that John dropped off at my door, but I will never forget this guy for the criminal way he operates! That's the funny thing about a circle, John, it always comes around to the point where everything started, so try to lie your way out of this one!
Cheers to all out here trying to make this car hobby of ours great! This one bad apple won't ruin it for me!
paul

aliensatemybuick · Joined: 29 Apr 2005 Posts: 2212

Sorry to hear about what happened, but I hope you didn't have just a handshake deal?! The days for that are long over (if there even WAS a day for that!). If you did have something in writing, or a witness to the deal (preferably a disinterested 3rd party) then you need to pursue a legal remedy. Even if it was just a handshake deal, you may want to pursue a legal remedy as a way to motivate the guy to make good.

The problem with coming here and posting your complaint is that what you are saying may be nothing new to most people. Im my experience, the crumb guys/vendors in this hobby continue to do as they do despite many knowing their deal; there's always fresh meat.

Then too, there are two sides to every story, and knowng that, you may not be able to convince many people that you were in the right. Ultimately, what people think is irrelevant; which is why I say again that you should pursue a LEGAL remedy; if you can prove to the courts that you were defrauded, its the only thing that matters, ultimately.

Best of luck.
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VcodeHustler · Joined: 29 Mar 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Fall River, MA

Hi, thanx for the advice. I'm not the type of guy who trusts too many people on face value, but if you had seen the vast amount of cars and what looked like a restoration shop, and after talking to the guy for the two hours I did, it all seemed legit and I wouldn't have thought anything otherwise, but like you said, it should have been written down. I do have witnesses to all that transpired, but I'm not about to spend $3000 to get back $2000 so I feel it necessary to at least warn people about this guy, I mean, that really is the true essence of these forums is to communicate and help people, so that's the real motivation for my posting. Thanks again for the input and hopefully my story helps someone else out there before they lose more then I did.
Cheers! Cool

Oldsfreak1 · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 281

That's a real shame, I feel for you. If you ever have witnessed his vague descriptions and minimal picture ads on Ebay, it might have tipped you off. Like Aliens said, you should probably pursue it legally, as no doubt you will not get much sympathy here.
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Oldsfreak1
64 Jetstar 88 Fac 4spd
67 442 4spd
67 Vista Cruiser
96 Caprice 9C1 LT1

VcodeHustler · Joined: 29 Mar 2009 Posts: 5 Location: Fall River, MA

hi oldsfreak1, thanx. you know the real purpose is just an FYI, I'm not looking for any sympathy, in the end its up to the two people involved to protect themselves in any type of deals no matter who you deal with. its funny you mentioned his ads, the last car he posted that I saw was the 69 442 W30 I traded to him. The car body was rough, but it is a real w30, and in his ad, he did an excellent job of only showing small pics and NONE of the body...its almost laughable to think that someone is gonna buy a car and not ask for pics! Its not that he doesn't have a camera to put good pics online, its the fact that he wants to take advantage of someone else with his sneaky tactics, just like the 70 442 ad he pulled because it was on with no reserve so he pulled it before the ad came close to ending and he didn't want to let anyone bid on it late and win it for his no reserve price. That's just the type of tricks this guy likes to do. Cool

66-442 · Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 2:15 am Post subject:

I bought a 66 442 3x2 car off eBay from a guy who Ebbs had done the same thing to. He bought the car and some other stuff,then started backing out and changing the deal.I see a pattern here.
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OLDSMOBILE=Made it's way by the way it was made.

72olds442 · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 619 Location: Battle Creek, MI

66-442 wrote:

Kev442 · Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 734 Location: N.E. Wisconsin

"won't sell me the item i won at the price i won it at. wants 400 bucks more."
Thats epay feedback from 4-3-03. Some things never change!
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From The Land of Sky Blue Water

'68 442
'73 Cutlass S
'69 Vista
'78 Firenza

70W-32 · Joined: 07 Mar 2005 Posts: 1493 Location: WarrenWoods,MI

Con artists know their game, and you always here the victim say they were nice people and came across as sincere. Thats why theyre con artists, if you cant fool people, its not the business to be in.

You can sue the guy in small claims court, no attorneys allowed. If you can put together a case with witnesses, it would go a long way towards putting this guy out of business. Thats another thing that conartists rely on, that their victims wont do anything about it.
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Companies I dont do business with:

Mondello Performance Products
Inline Tube
MotorCity Supercars(inline tube alias)
FCR

vette442 · Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 1884 Location: McMurray, PA

Hi Paul - Wecome to the forum.

Does John own your V Code now? (gotta keep the site up to date!) Did the 455 get back into the car? (Was it the original engine? I never had that particular info for your car's page.)

I had a verbal deal with John to buy his old Viking Blue V Code ragtop in late 2001 - I got the cashiers' check and was on my way to FedEx when he called and bailed. He said Volo was coming to buy it with some of his other cars. They bought his W-32 SX and two '70 pace cars but not the ragtop, but he backed out then nearly doubled the asking price. I wasn't too pleased.

I met him by coincidence on the Ohio Turnpike a few years ago when he passed me and was towing two Oldsmobiles. I knew it was him with the NH plate and talked to him for a few minutes at a rest stop. He had just gotten burned after wiring big $ for an X Code H/O ragtop in California that turned out be an Ebay scammer. Karma perhaps?

I hope things work out for you in this situation.
Terry
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two '72 455/M20 Supremes (2 of 77)
'70 SX 455 Conv.
'72 442 (455 OAI)
'96 Corvette LT4/6spd CE
'72 Chevy C10 pickup

34487M · Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 26

Hey Guys

Paul and Terry sorry to hear about your situation, but it does NOT surprise me when John Ebbs is involved.

Paul go fo the legal action, I will help pay some of the cost that you will have in filing a claim. NO PROBLEM!!!

This guy has all the cars and parts in the world but will definetely #$%^ you if he gets a little chance. That is how I believe he has acquired what he has! Don't let John Ebbs the CON screw you into anything. He is one smooth individual. If he tells you he has been screwed out of cars/money in the past he is lying. He is the one that is doing the screwing. He tells you stories how how someone stuck it to him but the actual story is how he stuck it to someone AGAIN.

There have been many stories about this guy over the years. Just take a look back on here at old post. I am sure John Aldridge can share more about his W31 that he purchased from Ebbs. Total piece of Sh*t when he got it, John A. has posted "a blind person could of painted it better".

I have been to his compound before to look at some cars he had for sale. Now, I wish i had taken some pictures to share with everyone to what he has in the buildings.....what a CROOK!!!
Anyone else been there? Any pictures?

Let's keep sharing the stories to put an end to this guy! This will help others and prevent them with dealing with Ebbs. It might also help anyone who decides to go the legal action way because there is a history and patterns of his re-occurring behaviors. He is an odd guy!

Thanks!

GO CELTICS!!!!

vette442 · Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 1884 Location: McMurray, PA

baddd andy · Joined: 10 Mar 2005 Posts: 11577 Location: dining room

i knew the same thing,but never bought anyhting from the guy.

so why bother.

34487M · Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 26

allyolds68 · Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 8:23 pm Post subject:

I met John three or four years ago at his place (the quonset hut in vette442's pics). He was probably one of the most likeable guys I've ever met. A crazy olds nut who was making a living buying & selling Oldsmobiles & had been for most of the last 10 to 15 years. He'd previously worked as a clammer and lobsterman (according to him) I'd never heard anyone say a bad thing about him until 442oldslawyer bought the Yellow W31. I saw that car (if it was the one that had the 427 chevy in it when John Ebbs got it) I thought daveh was going to buy it but then heard he didn't end up getting it. That car was rough (but very cool, it still had 70's ladder bars on it when I saw it) as it had been raced hard. John had supposedly struck a deal to buy 2 W31 motors in N Dakota for that car &, I think, a 69 W31 he had.

John Ebbs has always gotten top dollar for his stuff. He's the kind of guy that could have an undocumented W31 but because he was convinced it was the real thing, you would believe it too. When I was at the quonset hut the cars were parked inches away from each other and the place was packed with about 30 cars. A beautiful Saffron 68 W30 4 speed convertible, 2 69 Hurst/Olds, 2 68 Ramrods, A 70 442 convertible with a factory 3 on the tree, hell there was even a Ram Air III gto convertible in there (the only non olds). It was an amazing day & John spent over an hour just shooting the sh*t with us & he knew we weren't buying a friggen thing.....

That being said I would never close any deal until the car was presented as agreed. I would hope that you guys have at least of bill of sale between you which spelled out the conditions of the deal.