OK so my saratoga top just got "stolen"

[User1]

Sorry for the false start, I just posted this then as soon as people started replying I pulled it down again, as I was back on the phone with the seller and guiding him into our site's FSW so he could have a look around at the sale thread for himself...

Anyway, here's the deal, someone (I am assuming who saw it on our FSW page yesterday) has apparently gone out there to this guy's parts yard and stolen the top between when I bought it yesterday and when I just spoke to the guy now...

Upon first hearing this, I thought "come on buddy how stupid do you think I am??" Someone obviously just saw the ad here and went and offered him some larger sum and bought it out from under me (even though the deal was closed already.. it happens), but then I spoke with the seller again just now, and really, he's either a convincing bs-er, or, someone really did go steal this thing from him yesterday after seeing our thread about me buying it in FSW...

Seller said that after me a number of people started calling him up asking about it, he said "I made the mistake of telling a couple of them where we're located".. and as of today someone had come and physically stolen it from his premises...

SO I don't really know what to believe, either someone bought it out from under me by offering the guy more (although after speaking again with him this really doesn't seem to add up, since he knew point blank I was already willing to still offer him even more for it, and yet we still closed the deal and he said he was satisfied with it), or, someone really did see the ad call him up get directions go out there and steal it...

I don't know what to make of it, all I can say is, I don't have to worry about how to ship it now... And the seller asked me to pass the word to all of you, if you see anyone advertising a saratoga top thats missing a latch or has some tackon strip on one side mysteriously appears in the NY/NJ area, let us know, OFFLINE, because he swears someone just came and ripped it off from him in the past 24 hours...

I think I am going to just build myself one of those Ricardo tops - much less expensive and in many respects nicer than the original anyway...

 

[User1]

Orig FSW thread moved to DF

for archival, so it doesn't fall off the back of FSW...
http://xwebforums.com/forum/index.php?threads/1288/

 

[DuaneEstill]

Saratoga

Saratoga is the 'generic' Italian reference for pull-off, removable, targa, etc. But I think here don't we mean a 'clear' one for the X or do you just mean the removable top?

 

[JimD]

Bummer Mac

Sorry to here you lost out on that deal. Just more proof that no good deed goes unpunished.

 

[User1]

Saratoga top

was also the actual name of the clear X1/9 top product, as the company that produced it was named Saratoga Technologies (or something like that)

 

[User1]

Yeah welll

Heres the real b*tch of it, I just KNEW I should have just deleted that ad from FSW the minute I closed the deal on it, but the last time I did that, buying some oddball part off here a few years ago, someone accused me of pulling some FSW funny business, "oh I see your racket Mac skimming the best for yourself!", seriously have any of you seen my car? The user angrily accused me, even though really I was just deleting it like a dumbass because well the item was sold! Like I'm hovering in FSW 24/7 waiting years on end for any 'good' part to "skim off the top"... please... Anyway I knew I should have taken it down this time anyway, I just knew having the guys # still up there after I closed the deal with him was probably just inviting someone to come take it away from me (although I admit I wasn't expecting it to be LITERALLY taking it, away from him) but I just left it up so there would be zero chance I might get accused of any funny business for deleting someone else's ad 9 minutes after it was posted.. Oh well!

 

[Ricardo Borja]

That's bad!

Don't worry Mac i hope all this situation it's just a mistake and gets your Top.
Now If somebody are interested i can post the instructions with the last updates.

I made my 2nd one on copper.

Ricardo
X19/79

 

[JimD]

I got my Saratoga with my 78

I am the second owner on the X and the top. Notice that the Saratoga was added at the dealership on the original sales contract. Look under "Other - describe" near the upper right corner:



We will definitely keep an eye out for your top Mac.

 

[JimD]

Seems like all that hair you have on your head

would be constantly rubbing against the top Ricardo. That has to be really annoying. Since I already have a Saratoga top, just send me your hair. I need it more than you do.

AnthonyG(left) and JimD(right) in Hamel, Illinois at 2 freakin' AM on Nov 5, 2005

 

[User1]

Not my top...

...it's not even my top yet! I was waiting for a ship total from him today so I could cut the check! It's still the seller's, and now, it's gone

 

[User1]

Dude I am scarred now

Even when I was closing the deal on that saratoga top Ricardo in my head I was envisioning that pic of your car with the (I call it) Ricardo top on, looking up at a sunny day through the plexi... I really dig that top you made.. thats the very best of Best of right there. Your top rocks :headbang: I am going to just build one of those when the time comes I need it (still some time off as my '75 is nowhere near driveable).

I only really jumped at this seller's s-top because it was just sheer coincidence it was posted exactly as I was coming in the room and I knew it may be the only shot I ever had at actually finding an original to preserve (on my own '75 I admit but still...). To be honest though I've been 'sniped' on so many ebay auctions in the past etc, had miraculous deals fall miraculously apart, I am not even that upset about losing out on the top. What really p*sses me off most is just having to even contemplate the very idea that someone lurking on our FSW may have been responsible for stealing something from the seller? :mad4: WTF that is not cool

Of course, because we run this forum wide open, login is not required to view I mean, it could have quite literally been anyone on the internet who stumbled in the door... so there's no way to really know, in fact it is theoretically possible someone just saw his ad on CL and went on that, but upon weighing out the whole sequence of events, I am most inclined to think someone probably saw the FSW thread and went on that. The guy said he had zero response off CL but after I called (and then posted here immediately after) he got a number of calls rest of the day and today its gone...

So anyway, I'm building a Ricardo top and calling it a day

 

[PeterHansen]

Mac's top

For what it's worth, I think Mac should be able to buy anything he wants from FSW, there should be a perk for running this site!

 

[User1]

well

Hi Peter! In all honesty, I almost never actually USE FSW for its intended purpose anyway anymore, because for one I'm too broke (generally) to be doing that too often and also my X is not even close to being ready for parts, I don't even have a resto start date so.. it's not really an issue these days.. I used to be a lot more active buyer/seller of stuff when I had a running car, but these days, I mostly don't even look in there except to just prune expired ads or do a high fly by on my way to somewhere else in the forum. I do appreciate your vote in favor of me being able to use it though! I didn't mean to cast everyone here in that light of one person who said that to me, I know most people do not care or probably even think of it the way that guy did, just weird things happen around here sometimes...

 

[Rooster]

Don't worry Mac i hope all this situation it's just a mistake and gets your Top.
Now If somebody are interested i can post the instructions with the last updates.

I made my 2nd one on copper.

Ricardo
X19/79

Hey Ricardo, I'd be interested in your latest updates...

 

[Greg (in Conn)]

Here's a thought...

maybe someone can start a collection to have a top commissioned by Ricardo for Mac! Who has the skills ( & patience ) for the craftsmanship those pictures show of the "Ricardo" tops.

Not me for sure...Be our way of thanking Mac for this site and info!But of course Ricardo would have to invest much time (labor) so hopefully I have not spoken out of place.

I will start the contribution... in for $25. Later,Greg

 

[User1]

most kind offer! however

If I were to buy a "turn key" Ricardo top I would not feel right about doing it that way, I'd want to pay for it myself... (Ricardo, you down? LOL! )

If people are feeling some surge of empathy then just channel that for me into keeping your eyes peeled for anyone advertising that top. That was the seller's last request to me upon reading FSW while I was talking him in on the phone.. and that's what I'd like to do whether I ever even see the top or not. I am feeling a lot worse for the seller getting robbed, if that is what happened, far moreso than I do about the deal going south...

 

[emrliquidlife]

Mac the guy is lying to you.

So he entertains conversations on the top, actually gives out his location to some, and says, sorry the top was stolen.

I have no problem saying the guy is full of BS. Lets keep this in the community and alert all of the Fiat peeps. When the top is found, if we have an honest brethern, he will tell us how/where he got it.

This scrap guy is full of it.

Ed

 

[User1]

well Ed

I am not defending the guy in any way, I don't know him at all, I freely admit that may be the case... except, from our conversations on the phone, and while he sounded at first clearly unaware its a potentially valuable part, I essentially told him that before I even tried to close the deal and he was totally cool with the deal we struck, to the point he was volunteering to do all this extra stuff to ship it, and, knew already I would have offered more, if someone were to "outbid" me I assume?

And he really put in a great deal of effort to reiterate to me how he wanted everyone here to know about this and be on the lookout for the top should it surface anywhere.. In fact mostly (apart from me venting) the only reason this is getting press here is because the seller was so adamant I tell you all the thing is a stolen part and to please be on watch for it...

I may be "thinking the guy is full of crap" as the expression goes but still I cannot write it off 100% as you can... I have seen way too much "over the top too outlandish to be true" stories played out on this forum over years and years and years, truth can be stranger than fiction no writer could make up some of the stuff (or even try it would just sound too ridiculous to even believe sometimes, imo)

Anyway bottom line is whether it is bs or its not I'm movin on. I did not even need the thing any day soon anyway as I only have a dead '75 carcass at-or-below "UK restoration candidate standards" (you northwest guys know what that means, so far gone no 'sane' person here would even take it on as a parts car, I've seen their before/after resto pics, those guys are the true hardcores of rust repair, I just hope to do so well with mine...)

 

[BrettM]

That really sucks...

We need to spread the word with the NE folks as well. A top like this would be difficult to hide for long. Maybe Greg S. has moved to the NE. I am sorry that you missed out on the top Mac. The top that Riccardo makes is much nicer in my opinion as well. Has he ever offered to make these for a price?

Hang in there Mac.
Brett

 

[BBeaudet]

I am finding it hard to believe.

Where did the seller state the top was being stored? Most boneyards have secure warehouses for storage of loose parts. Was he actually storing this outside?

If in fact it actually was stolen then it is most unfortunate and even worse that it was motivated from the posting on this site.