The $5,000 Prius: Too Good to Be True?

Updated at 9:45 am on 11/10/08: TDG received an email from Suzanne Harper, a public affairs officer for the 48th Fighter Wing in Lakenheath, which we pasted below. On Nov 6 we received an email back from Sgt.Anthony.Cruz, whom I asked to comment on this post. I have now pasted that below.

Lt Col Steven R. Huss has a bridge, er I mean a hybrid car to sell you. A Toyota Prius to be precise, a fully equipped 2007 model for $4,990.

There is nothing obviously wrong with the car in the pictures, no horrendous crash damage, and it doesn’t appear to have been fished out of a river. It has a full range of comfort appointments, including navigation and a six-CD changer. The ad proclaims “clear title” and “no lien.”

How about that price? Kelley Blue Book puts the value of such a car at $20,000. And we know the Prius has continued to be red hot, especially as sales of small and efficient cars have been booming.

The posting appears in the Long Island, New York section of Craigslist, but as of this writing it has been "flagged for removal." If we are to believe one Craigslist user from Chicago, Lt Col Steven R. Huss is neither in the military nor actually selling a genuine $4,990 Prius. The Chicago poster accuses Huss of being a scammer, and, of alternately claiming to be in the UK on an airforce base, in Utah or Connecticut, and going by the name of Lt Col Steven R. Huss or Sgt.Anthony.Cruz.

No other listings could currently be found for Huss, but there are some for Sgt.Anthony.Cruz, including this suspicious $4,950 Audi listed for Chicago. Details on that car are sketchy, but apparently it's "must sell." I've emailed the poster of that listing for comment, and am waiting for a reply. I also emailed Craigslist's abuse team seeking a comment.

The complainer accuses the seller of declining to talk on the phone and of spinning creative stories. Craigslist warns site users to be wary of this kind of maneuvering, and to deal with people locally, and that you can meet face to face, as much as possible to guard against scammers.

Another Craigslist user did apparently get a response from Huss, and forwarded it to URTH Guy. That is posted below. I'm also trying to check with the U.S. Air Force to see if there is such an officer.

It sounds like the lesson here is to be careful on the Internets, and be wary of anything that sounds too good to be true.

Letter forwarded to URTH Guy by Craigslist user:

Hi there, I'm glad you're interested in my car.

This is a 2007 TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID,Fuel type: Hybrid-electric, 4 Cylinders,Transmission: Automatic , only 16,000 ; Miles, VIN# JTDKB20UX77577959.

Here you can find more pictures with the car: http://picasaweb.google.com/craigdwills3/Prius (if the above link does not work copy and paste it into a new web browser window)

It is in EXCELLENT condition; the body and paint are great, no scratches and no dents; the interior is clean; it has never been involved in an accident.

I'm an US Air Force Lt. Col. currently stationed in UK and the car is here with me. It was bought in the US and shipped to Europe, but it was never permanently registered here, the car is still registered in the US.

The car is for sale locally as well, but there are slim chances of this to happen. First of all this is a US model car, with the steering wheel on the left side, as opposed to a UK model, that has the steering wheel on the right side. And second, in order to be able to register this car here in UK the buyer would have to pay very high import/custom taxes. So I decided to sell the car back in the US.

As I'm unable to travel in the near future and I don't have anyone back home to help me with the sale I decided to make this transaction through eBay or craigslist.

So how this actually works? Simple: the buyer sends the payment to eBay and they hold the money until the car is delivered; I ship the car to US; I get my money only after the buyer receives the car and makes sure everything is as agreed. I believe this protects both buyer and seller and it's the right way to do this.

The final price is $5,000 including shipping from Europe to the US and delivery to your home address.

So if you decide to buy this car or need further information please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thank you and have a great day,
Lt Col Steven R. Huss

Email URTH Guy received from Sgt.Anthony.Cruz after asking for comment:

Hi,

Thank you for your interest in my car.This is a 2005 AUDI A4 QUATTRO Sedan 2.0T EXCELLENT Condition ONE owner Sedan 2.0T with 26,877 mi,VIN: WAUDF68E05A506770,Exterior Color: White,Interior Color: Tan,4cyl Turbo, AUTO w/Tiptronic, 17" Wheels, Leather, Premium PCKG Includes. Glass Sunroof, Pwr Front Driver & Passenger Seats, Cold Weather Pckg Includes Heated Front & Rear Seats, Ski Sack, CD & Much More.

Here you can find more pictures of the car:

The car has been well taken care of, always kept in the garage.Flawless exterior/interiorcondition,no scratches and no dents.It has never been involved in an accident.The engine starts and drives like new and the paint looks great.It comes with US clear title which will be signed and notorized in the buyer's name.Have original manuals and all keys.

I'm an US Air Force Sgt.currently stationed in the United Kingdom.The car is here with me. It was bought in the US and shipped to Europe, but it was never permanently registered here, the car is still registered in the US.The car is for sale locally as well, but there are slim chances of this to happen. In order to be able to register this car here in the UK the buyer would have to pay very high import/custom taxes that will double the price. So I decided to sell the car back in the US.

The price is $4,950.00 including shipping from the UK to the US and delivery to your home address.

So if you decide to buy this car or need further information please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thank you

Sgt.Anthony.Cruz

Email URTH Guy received on 11/10/08 from Suzanne Harper, a public affairs officer for the 48th Fighter Wing in Lakenheath:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Throughout the year, military members' names from RAF Lakenheath have been used in an attempt to prey on the good will of the American public. There is no difficulty in selling left-hand drive cars here in the UK as there is a large transient population that is regularly seeking good deals.

You may find the article below from the Stars and Stripes of interest: Lakenheath airmen's IDs used in scam.

The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is currently investigating.

v/r
Suzanne Harper
48th Fighter Wing public affairs
www.lakenheath.af.mil