I wanted everyone on this site to know about a supposed "restoration" shop in Magnolia, TX (Houston area) by the name of Vardeman Motor Company. It is owned by a loudmouth named Scott F Vardeman. I was dumb enough to win an eBay auction for a '65 Vert. The car was not nearly as described in the ad, and not as verbally described to me as well.
To make a long story short, I refused the vehicle, and after much arguing, Vardeman agreed to refund my $15,000 deposit. That was Aug 6th and I am still waiting. I have been told by him not to call any more and been given his attorneys name.
In the meanwhile, I have met another VERY unsatisfied customer as well. He lives in MD and will be filing suit after the new year.
Hopefully some pressure from the local Mustang community will bring enough pressure that he will have to make good some day. I have just filed suit in TX, and as i live in AZ, this is gonna be a tough road to hoe. I'm thinking about posting his email address and cell number as many places as I can think of.
There's a bunch of dos/don't for buying a classic vehicle, but NEVER part with 1 thin dime until you have seen the car. There are about 14 other rules I did not adhere to as well.

 

Thanks for the info, Im sure someone out there will benefit from this post.

And BTW, dont worry about it. There's a bunch of us here from Texas, and if you know Texans, we dont take BS. You'll probably win the suit.

 

That's awful. Hopefully you'll get your money back and can get another vehicle very soon. If you're interested, a guy in my local club has a VERY nice '65 convertible that he would sell. He's completing a '65 fastback and I think he wants an '05 to go along with it. I'm definitely not trying to rip you off. I know this car very well but would still suggest that you come and look for yourself. This car is in the low $20,000's. If you're interested, PM me and I'll get specifics. Good luck either way!

 

Yeah, there are some real jerkls out there, aren't there? Caveat emptor

Hope you get satsifaction in court.

Also talk to e-Bay about it. They police pretty tightly.
At least you can get him off there.

 

that sucks i hope you get you money back and they close his shop down. also i noticed your name what kinda ranchero do you have? i have a 76 with a 460.

 

Sinister, I also have a Ranchero. '59 with a '68 390 (worked) and a C-6. Hope to be on the road this spring.......

 

Have you reported this to e-bay?
Have you actually had a discussion with his Lawyer (Liar).

 

that sux, there are some real jerk-offs down here in texas, he was falsely advertising his vehicle for sale, you will probably win.

 

Having been through this myself on a much smaller scale, I'd recommend making sure you have YOUR documentation in order.
That will make all the difference in the world. I don't know how it is in TX but in Va that's a civil matter and believe it or not...I was required to collect my own debt even though I won. There was no criminal problem for him by not paying.

 

A little advice as mentioned by rollin66. Keep a log book of dates and conversations. Call this guy every few days and ask him what he is going to do. Keep the times, dates, and detailed notes of the conversation. Send him certified letters with return receipts. Make copies of the letters. Make your demands clearly and always include the deception and his advertisement. Do not give up and be persistant. Most scum will hope you will just give up and go away. Call the BBC and the Fair Trade Commision. There may be other help also. It is best to correspond by e-mail so you have copies. Make a folder with all correspondance. This guy may not want to bite off what you can feed him. I am a supervisor for a small company and know how important it is to keep records and diaries of dailey activities. It has saved my company in several lawsuites.
I was also ripped off by a jerk in Wisc when I bought my 36" superswampers. I have a 02 Avalanche. I'm riding 20" HeloMaxx wheels with the 36"superswampers. I have a 9" lift and the thing is a beast. Too much to list. Anywy, I ordered the superswampers in radials and the shipped bias. I guess he figured since I lived in Alaska that I would not persue what was mine. Boy was he wrong. I called the distributor and found that he ordered the bias. I kept records and called him regularly. Needless to say, I ended up with the tires for less than $500 when it was all over. The screwer got screwed! I hope I didn't bore you. Now, I gave the Avalanche to my 18 year old daughter and bought my 68. I wish I would have put the $10,000 in extras that I threw at the AV into a 65 fastback.