take it to a reputable body shop and have them quote you what it will cost to restore it to the condition it was suppose to arrive in, send him the rest. through your description the "patience" part probably will end up being worth it to you since your dedication and appreciation for the hobby is admirable . so say that puts you at $603 then. even in that condition, i would say paypaling him $300 ish is "fair" in my book. granted this is a very subjective matter.

 

If you factor in all the time you spent prying the lip from his shady hands, he probably owes you money. I say you send him nothing, for he deserves nothing more.

 

While I do agree with this, what's the legality on this - the last thing you want is some douche finding you (he has your address after all) although I guess that's all a bit Hollywood??

As s2sik says, get a quote for final finishing, and offer to send him over $300ish and see what he says. At the end of the day you were going to pay $1000 so if you come out around that in the end and chalk the hard work and effort up to experience.

But DAYUM $1000 for a lip

 

This ^

Get a quote for getting it restored to the condition it 'should' have arrived to you from him, and deduct that as well. this guy doesnt deserve a cent from you imo, if anything pay him the worth of the raw plastic the lip is made from, have him try take it to court, and watch him walk out with nothing. with everything so well documented on your side, he doesnt have much of a case, i cant see any judge siding with such a shady 'business man' and i use that term very loosely.

also, wow, what a nightmare man, you are a saint.

 

Feezy spelled out exactly what he was paying for, and as the seller agreed, that's where the terms lie. The seller broke that agreement, so the $1000 agreed-upon price is no longer valid.
You're forgetting to factor in that he was going to pay $1000 for a lip that was undamaged. People that collect things (cars, cards, stamps, etc) know that an undamaged, never refurbished piece is worth x times more money than one that has damage or has been repaired. As for $300, that's more than I'd personally pay him. With all the time, money, and effort he has (and will) put into this thing, I am fairly certain he will end up spending close to the remaining balance to get it anywhere close to the condition he hoped for and agreed to.

 

Pay him nothing. He certainly deserves no more for effectively attempting to "steal" hard earned money from others.

Talk about irresponsible trash.

 

wow, thats a crazy ordeal on that gears lip. good luck with that one.

i cant wait to see your car in person one day. the mod selection on your car is sooo spot on to my taste. Without a doubt one of the best looking cars on this forum.
if you ever make to so cal to an event, please let me know, i dont want to miss out on an opportunity to see your ride in person.

 

Thank you! You car is one of my personal favorites as well. I really wish I was out on the East Coast so I could see it in person.

I get super jealous every time I see your pictures from shows. As far as I know there isn't anything remotely close to that out here in Arizona.

If you can ever find the floor mats they are totally worth picking up. They are miles above the quality of the normal OEM mats. I almost want to put my second set on display they are so well done.

 

I can't even begin to explain how frustrating the entire situation was. I'm so glad it almost over.

I appreciate the compliments, especially coming from you.

I'd love to come out to California for an event or two. I'm from the Bay Area originally and I really miss the car scene from there. I really don't know many people out in Southern California and I never really thought my car was at the point where it was ready to be shown off at events. I would really like to do it some day though. There are a bunch of rad cars out your way that I would love to get to see in person.

Who knows, maybe one day I could set up a photo shoot out that way and invite some of the local guys. I've always thought it would be cool to get a couple of really well done cars from California and get photos done together.

 

congrats on getting the gears lip cant wait to see it on your car