Beware of Autokultura in Kursk - A Middleman's Scam

I recently bought a car from Roman K., who claims to be the owner of Autokultura in Kursk, based on his reviews on a popular online platform. The dealership is located in the city center on Lenin Street, 24 (which is actually the address of a hotel, 1st floor).

The results of my inspectionWhat I expected to get:

A "capital" engine, as promised- A car company, as I thought

A car in perfect condition, with a perfect paint job and a height of over 2m- A car in perfect condition, by frame and good by suspension - from the words and in correspondence with Roman, "full order", by engine and fuel "all good", any defects will be eliminated before my arrival (I was coming from another city), the body in perfect condition, original factory paint

The results of the accident and shift- Accordingly, the price as for a car in normal, running condition, not without flaws, of course, since the car is 19 years old, but in working, serviced condition. The car is from 2006, with a mileage of 118,000 km, the engine is a 2.5L TD5 English motor, 5-cylinder, 5-speed manual transmission. The engine is within normal limits.

- The rear gearbox is leak-free

- The crossmembers, as Roman assured me, are in perfect condition

- According to the report, the car was in an accident, Roman claimed, allegedly, of what kind of accident he didn't know, (in the report, by the way, nothing was said about this, no photos or data were provided), on the car and its roadworthiness, according to his words, it had no effect.

- All roadworthy elements are without significant wear, i.e. the roadworthy condition is "good"

- All electrical components are working

- I sent a work order with 3 defects: condensation on the right ball joint, oil condensation in the area of the transmission, oil leak from the valve cover (valve mechanism), and as a result, oil leaks from the seals and gaskets

What actually happened/reality:

- To be honest, this isn't a car dealership, it's just Roman K., a private individual who signs a contract with you, the buyer, for a fraction of the car's price, avoiding taxes. There's no paperwork for maintenance or servicing, no specified terms. The only connection to a real dealership is the frame for the license plates and a listing on a well-known online marketplace.

- The frame is in decent shape, but it's far from perfect: there's no anti-corrosion coating, and you can see rust spots near the rear wheel arches (no mudguards). The brake hoses, attached to the frame in some places, need to be replaced. According to the repair order Roman sent me, the right front suspension ball joint is worn out, with cavities and worn-out grease. Replacing it will likely cost around 60,000 rubles for the original part. The engine is a nightmare - the repair order mentions a leak from the valve cover, but in reality, it's a more serious issue with the 1st or 2nd cylinder head gasket. After a short drive, the clutch failed, and a mechanic in Moscow told me that the dual-mass flywheel needs to be replaced. To make matters worse, white smoke started coming out of the exhaust pipe - probably due to worn-out or partially burnt-out copper gaskets under the fuel injector.

- The transmission's rear differential is leaking (not severely, but it's still a problem). You'll need to get in there to re-pack the bearings.

- The rear cross-member is severely worn out and needs to be replaced.

- You can see the extent of the damage from a previous accident on the photos. The car's not roadworthy, and I couldn't register it with the traffic police because it can't reach speeds over 30 km/h without stalling. The bodywork looks fine from the outside, but an expert inspection (which I had done later) revealed some issues with the paint job. The color is supposedly original.

- The rear differential is leaking (not severely, but it's still a problem). You'll need to get in there to re-pack the bearings.

- The rear cross-member is severely worn out and needs to be replaced.

- As for the crash damage, you can see the extent of it on the photos. The car needs to be disassembled and rebuilt, and some components will be difficult to repair due to the front-end damage, which shifted the engine forward.

- Replacing all the suspension components, including the wheel bearings and brake discs, will likely cost around 250,000 rubles, according to estimates from various mechanics.

My verdict on Roman K. from Autokultura in Kursk? Be super careful when dealing with him. He's a pretty aggressive reseller, so make sure you read the fine print in the contract you're signing with him, not just his company. Get a thorough diagnosis done at a reputable dealership (preferably with a specialist) to back up your claims and negotiate a better price. In my case, the subsequent repairs ended up costing over half the original price he quoted, which was inflated by a factor of 1.5 to 2. So, ask for a discount, and make sure you get a checklist of maintenance done on the vehicle, including oil changes and replacement parts. Only then can you consider his offer. And if you're looking at used cars, it's better to stick with reputable dealerships rather than private sellers who might be trying to pass off their own vehicles as company stock.

Here are the details of my purchase: Roman gave me a 50,000 ruble discount on the car's non-functional ABS system. However, it turns out there might be issues with the ABS module itself, and the car's communication with the engine is also suspect. The 'launch control' feature isn't working either, although the overall electrical system seems to be functioning. It's possible this is due to a specific protocol issue.

I also asked Roman to include the original LR stereo system, but he told me the code wasn't available at the time. He promised to send it over, which he did. But when I entered the 4-digit code and increased the volume, I was surprised to find that the right speaker was crackling. That's my experience with Autokultura and Roman K.