Ok, need your experience since I surely don't have it. Found a car I want on the HAMB, bunch of money, I'm in NC, it's in California. Yep, can fly out, rent U-Haul, drive back to NC. Is there a better way? Fellow HAMBer and friend will go and get car, but how about the money, buying the car, etc......Like I said, bunch of money and don't want to pay twice for the car I really want to own if I end up getting ripped off....
Hamb haulers,,we say it everyday,,look in the Hamb-O-Dex,,all these guys are first cl*** and will take good care of you. Get someone on the hamb that lives in the area to go check out the car and give you their honest opinion,,if after you have made the decision then and only then use a wire transfer. The absolute safest thing to do ,,especially since you say it's a expensive car is to fly out and see the car for yourself,,could end up saving you thousands of dollars. Whatever you decide,,good luck. HRP
as far as buying it sight unseen - you can ask a nearby (to the intended purchase) HAMBer to check it out, but that's still risky. Only way to do it is to ask for a lot of pictures, talk to the seller, find out who did most of the work, and in the end, it's still a **** shoot. Transportation costs between paying to have a transport company pick up and deliver or having friends go do same thing should be compared. The truck driver will sleep in his cab, your friends will need a hotel. The truck driver/company has insurance, your friends' insurance may not cover a catastrophic accident while towing. If you can't go look at it....you're just going to have to accept that fact when it arrives. If you're buying from a HAMBer, we can always hope he or she is just the kind of person that wouldn't misrepresent a vehicle, but there are a few "sting" stories on here involving members who were less than forthright individuals. I buy stuff sight unseen sometimes....but I ask a lot of questions and try to talk to previous owners. I ALWAYS ask: "why are YOU selling it?" just to see how plausible their story sounds. Best of luck to you.
Don't part with ANY cash until you've seen it or had it checked over by someone that knows their stuff. Folks can send you all the photos they like but nothing compares to seeing it. Been caught out on that before and only made that mistake once! Since then i've wasted money on petrol and hotel costs and paying someone to look at cars for me but not ended up with an over described car needing a lot of work. Still looking for the right one though Good luck
Yep,the guys are right, if I were spending "a bunch of money" on a car I would want to look it over myself first. Fly out and either bring it back yourself or have a transporter lined up in advance to haul it back for you while you fly back home. Two people can look at the same car and have totally different opinions on if it is a good one or not. Since you are laying out the money it is your opinion that really matters. Don
Bought a few cars on line. One was a 55 Chevrolet truck from EvilBay from a 77 yr old preacher from Florida. Was nothing like he said. Lost about 6 grand. Bought a 55 GMC from a guy in Missouri and was everything he said it was. Still have it. Just bought a 32 5 window from Cali. Was not exactly what I thought I was getting but I at least got my monies worth. No more no less. So the moral of the story is. Unless you can afford to take a chance do what HRP just said . GO SEE IT. On a good note . I have never had a problem with a Hamber.... Good luck
Ramjet, Everything the guys are saying is true....but you must take it a step at a time. I have been selling cars on the internet and ebay for years and most have been sold/purchased at long distances. One car went for $250.000.00 and went sight unseen by the buyer, BUT he did have all the info to make an informed decision. This link is part of the language and tips I use on my auctions. While all of it may not apply to your purchase, I'm sure many of your questions can be answered. Take a look, I can help if you want to talk. Good Luck Murph How a First Trade Registry transaction is handled
Thanks Everyone, although my FNG doesn't reflect my experience, I have to admit, I'm going to do what eveyone else has said. Go see for myself! This is the only chance I have to spend this kind of money, so off to California next week.
Yep, see it for yourself. If that's not feasible, have a fellow HAMBer check it out. There was a car for sale a couple of years back up in Oregon that Harv17 checked out for me and even took pictures. It saved me from making a bad purchase because the car was nothing like what the seller said it was.
Good move...Enjoy the trip, and while your out there take a look at the local auto traders and report back...LOL. Still, read the info in my link....lots of good tips in there..post-purchase. Good Luck Murph
Good decision. The extra money you spend will be well worth the sleepless nights you would have spent from the minute you send the money to the minute you unload the car. A trip to go see the car and another part of the world good or bad is still a good experience.So the money is not really wasted.
Just got a bunch of pics from a seller and he answered every question. I was sold. Hooked to the trailer and drove all night to get to his place (14 hours total). It was junk. Nothing like it looked in pics, and things he said were great were nasty. Turned right and drove another 8.5 hours and looked at my backup plan. Just what I wanted and it came home with me. If it was junk, I had 5 more in the same general area to look at. Go with a backup plan! 1926 miles, $550 worth of gas and a weekend with 6 hours of sleep but came home happy with what we wanted. SPark
If you buy it and deside to drive it home, photos of the trip will help you fall into the HAMB family. Good luck. Bob
Like "House" says, "Everybody lies." If you only have pictures and what you've been told and you buy it...expect different. I have bought several cars "sight unseen" and been very lucky. I've also had good car friends check one out for me. This is a good way also. Due diligence the best way you know how. Good luck!
Take a fellow gearhead mate and some basic hand tools. If the car is a driver and its a good one, give it a once over, grab some spare service parts from a local store and roadtrip it back home in no particular rush. Really quite jealous, a possible roadtrip, with a good mate and in a new car. It doesn't get better than that, i dream of **** like that. Just do***ent your trip as mentioned, lots of pics and vids. From someone in kind of the same situation i really hope you find what your after. If it's not, don't stress, they are out there, you just have to be patient. Again good luck Dan
Smart decision to go see it yourself. I have bought two cars off the internet without looking at them in person and was disappointed both times. The first one was so bad I wished I hadn't even bought it at all. I think a "bunch of money" is worth investing in a plane ticket and arranging for a transport once you see it.A uhaul trailer across country would be a rough trip. I just hauled one 300 miles and did not enjoy it much at all with the traffic the way it is now days. I would try one of the hamb transporters, it might be around the same price as doing the drive yourself.And a transporter should have better insurance than if you did it yourself.Insurance companies may not cover you doing the hauling.
Please post a follow up on your potential purchase and experience, it would be interesting to know how it turned out.
bought a 54 merc 2dr h/t on ebay ,seen pictures asked questions, priced right ,had it shipped to ny from michigan...motor was tired body so so, if i had seen it in person i would have p***ed on it,spent a ton of money on it to get it half way decent,,, hope for the best prepare for the worst.i would check it out in person or have a qualified person take a look before shelling out big bucks.jmo
You've made a very smart decision, enjoy the trip. Like was suggested, maybe have a second or third car in the general area as backups, that way you won't be making the trip for nothing if the first one is a dud. But even if you don't buy anything a plane ticket is cheaper than buying a car that is a POS and having to dump lots more money into it. And yes, please report back how it went. Don
I must offer my ,(former) professional truck driver service. I will gladly fly out with you,check out your new car,help you drive her home and enjoy cheeseburgers & drinks all the way home. All you need to do is finance the whole deal!
I'm swapping pictures and mails, I'll go see the car for sure. You guys have been so motivating... I really appreciate your comments and spirit..In my mind, the car is already sold to me, but I'll still go look at it.. I'll keep you up to date.......
I would never buy a car sight unseen. Almost did it once but went to see it instead. What a POS. A plane ticket is way less expensive then laying out a big piece of change.
I used a company called escrow.com great I sent them my money they hold it seller sends them his ***le when the car arived I got to inspect it for 3 days then accept it and escrow pays the seller and sends me the ***le. If it is not what it is said to be i turn it down escrow sends me my money seller has tpo ship it back if he lied. I dont see how to loose. I have used das shippers very satisfied. Just my luck
....done it both ways.. bought sight unseen.. then took the leap and drove it over 3000 miles,WITH another "sight unseen" mouse trap on a trailer behind it... I did lots of maintenance before the trip--and planned most of it.. HOWEVER--the most interesting part was all the UNPLANNED events of the trip... It's a trial and trial and trial and trial and eventually you'll realize the errors of your ways.. But, you'll learn alot.. AND you'll really appreciate your adventure (that's what such a purchase will be deemed)... It's always an interesting preposition to buy something blindly--BUT if it's something you want bad enough--you'll end up taking it home. There is tons of experience on this website to help you through just about ANY build---wish you luck.. -John
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