Justin & Eklutna Craigslist Nightmare
We’ve all heard Craigslist horror stories, but Justin & Eklutna’s is easily the worst I’ve heard . . .
In November 2020, Eklutna, in desperate need of replacing her rusted out 2010 Honda Insight, found on Craigslist a car that matched her needs and budget, a 2010 Subaru Outback with 145,000 miles on it, no rust and a good bill of health, according to the seller. After she and Justin did a ton of research, they figured the $4,400 the seller was asking was reasonable and agreed to meet with him in Weare, NH. They met in a neutral location, looked the car over, heard the detailed description of its history and repair background and took it for a test drive. The owner was firm on the asking price and proudly informed them that he had several other offers waiting for a response. They gave the seller $4,400 in cash and headed home. Less than 20 minutes into the trip, the engine started to smoke and stall, leaving Eklutna on the side of I-93, and Justin, behind her, panicked and confused. They immediately called the owner, who acted surprised and sympathetic. He suggested they have the car towed to a repair shop and promised to “make it right” for them after the problem was diagnosed.
The car was towed to their mechanic in Campton, who promptly diagnosed the problem: a blown engine. Justin attempted to call the seller back and quickly discovered the phone had been disconnected. He later wrote the seller a letter, detailing his situation and asking him to “make it right” as he was promised over the phone. A week later he received a call from “Todd”, who claimed to be the car’s original owner, but not the person who sold them the car. Todd claimed he had sold the car to another man, months before, and that it had been sitting in his driveway, undriveable, for months before that. It seemed the seller Justin had been dealing with, falsely represented himself as “Todd” and forged his name on the bill of sale.
In December, 2020, Justin filed a police report with the Weare police department. After several months of investigating, there were no significant leads. Justin and Eklutna were out the $4,400 (plus $300 in towing) and stuck with a car with a blown engine. Justin’s brothers, both mechanics, offered to install a rebuilt engine into the Subaru. He had it towed to Maine, where they live and spent $2,000 for the engine. 1 month later they tried to start the car with no success. It seemed the anti-theft device on the car was not allowing it to start with the new engine. They had the car towed to a Subaru dealership in Maine where it sat for 2 months while more problems with the car were discovered: bad transmission, radiator, body integrated unit, catalytic convertor, head gasket and more totaling more than $6,800 in parts and labor (and I’m sure there’s more I’ve overlooked). It was also confirmed that the coolant system was full of Stop Leak, a temporary fix likely used by “Todd” to keep the car running adequately while Justin test drove it. During all this, the Weare police have had them participate in 2 police line-ups to help identify the guy that sold them the car. Still no hope that he will be caught. Bottom line is, Justin and Eklutna have put out over $10,000 during this Craigslist nightmare. They both head to Eugene, Oregon this August, where Justin is enrolled in grad school, with their savings depleted and mounting credit card debt.
We’re trying to raise the $7,000 they poured into the car to get it running again. Anything you can do to help them would be appreciated. If you know either of them, you’d be quick to agree, they are usually on the giving side of things, both having generously given countless hours to Plymouth Area Renewable Energy and Local Foods Plymouth. They are always quick to help when friends or other community members are in need. They would never reach out for help on their own and I, along with many others, felt we could bring their story to light and help them get back on their feet, financially. Thanks in advance everybody! Let’s send them to Oregon on a positive note!