Paying for a vehicle and coming back to collect it later is something buyers do every day. But a longtime car guy who posts as @UncleTonysGarage says he paid $600 for a non-running Harley Sportster on Facebook Marketplace, and it vanished before his friend could pick it up. He says he has since gone to the police with his bill of sale.
“Actually, I got robbed on Facebook Marketplace,” he says at 0:06.
He says he has bought and sold through classified ads for about 50 years, going back to Hemmings Motor News.
A $600 Deal That Looked Safe
When a $600 Sportster with no title came up, he messaged the seller right away. He calls the bike a 1987 at one point and a 1997 at another. He also says Tennessee doesn’t require a title for a vehicle that old.
In the photos, he saw enough parts to get his money back. So he paid the full $600 and had the seller write a bill of sale with the VIN. According to him, the seller and his girlfriend talked motorcycles for half an hour. They also said they were moving to Florida.
He says he checks Marketplace two or three times a day. The seller even handed him a business card. He also says the bike would turn 30 within a few months.
The Harley Sportster Disappears
After that, he arranged for his friend Malachi to collect it. On Monday, however, nobody could reach the seller. So that evening he drove back and helped roll the bike into the driveway for an early pickup.
The next morning, there was no bike. According to him, two women loading a trailer said the seller had a medical emergency. They also said he had locked the bike in a room. Then he called the local police, but the women left before officers arrived.
“I care that somebody’s freaking lying to me,” he says at 17:10. A relative later walked him through the house, and he says there was no locked room and no motorcycle.
He also checked a trailer park the relative mentioned. Again, he found no sign of the bike.
What He Did Next
Next, he filed a report with the bill of sale and the name the seller gave. He says the seller later sent rambling voice messages that blamed other people. He also says he will press charges if the case moves forward.
Fast Lane Only isn’t naming the seller. The video mentions no arrest or charges, and the account here is his.
He explains that a $600 parts bike doesn’t get the same checks as a $6,000 purchase. Paying in full, he adds, lets a friend collect the bike without handling money.
How To Protect Yourself When Buying On Marketplace
He expects viewers to scold him, but his story still holds lessons for anyone buying cheap:
- Get a bill of sale with the VIN and the seller’s details, even on a cheap parts bike.
- Collect the vehicle when you pay if you can, rather than leaving it behind.
- Keep every message, since they help a police report later.
- Scale your checks to the price, but remember a scammer can target any deal.
Where It Stands
“No matter how careful you are, no matter how experienced you are,” he says at 24:42. For now, the case remains open, nobody has found the bike, and he ends with a warning that it can happen to anyone.
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