230GE in UT...any advice?
- Thread starter Flagster
- Start date
I wish I was. I'm reluctant to divulge into the details but we are still waiting.
burquedoka
Adventurer
Man, this is so shameful for you to be placed in the position you are. And you're not alone! Why is ExPo continuing to have these guys as site sponsors?! I recently saw Frontrunner post a picture from Masterbate-on, oops did I misspell that again? It makes me sick to think they are still selling themselves as a reputable company.
Last edited:
McBride
Adventurer
Bullsnake,
So how are things going with your Mastodon builds? I haven't seen any build posts of your Mastodon G's, or a recent response from you to my previous question. Are they still on your highly recommended list?
I ask because a lot of other very good folks have been having very serious problems with them. Care to share your Mastodon experience? I understand if you can't due to advice from your attorneys but it would be nice to have a yay or a nay.
FWIW I've been a customer of Tim's so I know his capabilities and M/O.
Regardless , the rest of the G world is wondering why Expo continues to promote Mastodon - considering the ever increasing buyer fraud complaints. Tim is very accomplished at deleting eBay purchase transactions and blocking almost all negative reviews and that keeps their negative numbers down - I've experienced that first hand. Their unblocked scamming complaints, however, have grown significantly in recent months... People having paid lots of money to Mastodon for G builds have now gone months without response from Mastodon - vehicles missing... website shut down - calls blocked - midnight moves - moved out of state - and not telling their clients any of this or returning their calls - we all expect a nice rationalization for all of this from Tim. Multiples of their customers are in a very bad place - almost none of them are posting it here but they are on other forums. They took your positive reviews and the veracity offered by their Expo G site sponsorship and they are in a very bad place now.
Basically, the G community would like some response from Scott Brady - he had rave reviews and support for Mastodon, albeit a paint job - and Bullsnake - also stood very solid ground for Mastodon and it would seem you spent a lot of money with them - what are the results - honestly - how was your experience in the end - did you receive well sorted G's?
We'd just like to know where Expo stands on supporting and promoting this company. My interest is as an enthusiast and in the quality and continuity of the USA expedition G world, if that matters to anyone at Expo. I wouldn't bring this up unless things hadn't become very problematic regarding Mastodon in the USA G world.
We would really appreciate your response(s). The possibility exists that the dozens of recent Mastodon complaints and reports of lawsuits could be fake news. Either way, that would be useful information.
Thank you.
William
Mastodon4x4
New member
This is crazy. Why would you people post things like this? I can't understand how people can be so caught up in other people's lives. As stated before our lease was up at the old 7800 west 48th building and the lease would've gone up to $5700 if we decided to stay. Not sure how many of you are familiar with the real estate market in Colorado but it has become insane. Also Colorado is in the process of changing there emissions laws to match that of California which would make it almost impossible to title a vintage or older Gwagon. We decided at that time it made more since to look at another state to move the shop to and chose Utah. Most of our customers that communicate with us already know this. Most of the reviews on our website are posted by one of our neighbors and his friends who we are currently in a lawsuit with to fix the problem. One of the complaints was a legitimate problem and sent us a bad review after we purchased the car back. Not sure why but we did the right thing so that's really all we could do. We also just opened a dealership in Alabama for the used cars and the raw Gwagons we import from overseas. We wanted to separate the used cars from new builds so people don't get confused and think they're buying a frame off fully restored Gwagon for $20k. We only have 3 employees at the golden Colorado shop right now that to nothing but work on builds. With all that said the builds are going slower than expected but still going forward until we get the shop opened in Utah and hire more staff. Any of you feel free to call me. My number has never changed and I've never gone MIA or have I ever made a midnight move. Thanks 615-557-3825
Last edited:
otiswesty
Regular guy
I bought a Syncro VW T3 Westfalia from Gowesty quite a while ago. They were continuously harangued for their high costs online. I declined many dealer opportunities to "rebuild" my vehicle. Yet they supported and help build a community of high end 4WD campers. While I have concerns about naive individuals buying a 460/461 Gwagen "forever-wagen" at a high cost as an ultimate vehicle, due diligence is the buyers responsibility. Maybe Mastodon is the rock upon which those dreams and waves sometimes crash. They are clearly working to supply an under-served demand. I would be the first to critically assess a vintage diesel powered 7000 pound camper, but the customers demands for a "million mile motor" in their go anywhere, go forever car is only a set up for disappointment IMO.
William is lucky that he picked up an unfinished amazing camper designed by a guy (Dave Holland) that built and owned Europa motors.
The unrefined condition of a vehicle can only be assessed by personal or professional inspection. If you are expecting to get a perfect 20+ year old vehicle based on pictures and telephone discussions, you are wildly deluded. Maybe a nice new coat of paint will improve image and longevity of the body when done properly, but the used car business is very fickle.
I would advise potential buyers to buy non-rusted personally inspected vehicles and make changes in an incremental, well researched, and cost effective manner. The big budget, throw cash at it build, is bound for multiple failure points. Shop wisely.
William is lucky that he picked up an unfinished amazing camper designed by a guy (Dave Holland) that built and owned Europa motors.
The unrefined condition of a vehicle can only be assessed by personal or professional inspection. If you are expecting to get a perfect 20+ year old vehicle based on pictures and telephone discussions, you are wildly deluded. Maybe a nice new coat of paint will improve image and longevity of the body when done properly, but the used car business is very fickle.
I would advise potential buyers to buy non-rusted personally inspected vehicles and make changes in an incremental, well researched, and cost effective manner. The big budget, throw cash at it build, is bound for multiple failure points. Shop wisely.
redthies
Renaissance Redneck
It expired on the 25th of this month, which was only 5 days ago. Maybe they missed renewal? I'm not a proponent of Mastodon, and have not personally done business with Tim, but it seems a couple of you guys on here are on a crusade to run him out of town. I think Scott (you know, the guy who owns this forum?) has dealt with Mastodon, and if he felt anything shady was going on, he'd be interested in getting to the bottom of it for his own peace of mind.
DUTCH
Curmudgeon
Did you notice that EP has removed them from sponsor of this forum; and Tim and his wife have filed for bankruptcy protection in Alabama. That's a pretty good distance from their liabilities Colorado.