New to the forum and have enjoyed learning a lot and seeing your rides. I am thinking of buying a project off of the internet and looking for any helpful info or experiences you guys may have had or anything to look out for before I purchase. thanks Scott
Buy off ebay. Make sure to check the sellers rating & feedback. PAY FOR INSURANCE when shipping!!! When in doubt, ask lots of questions. I've bought cars, had them shipped up to Canada and was more than satisfied with my purchases. Ebay has a few policies that protect buyers from getting ripped off. Go on their site and read up on it. Good luck!
I am crazy for auctions. I bought a 240sx in new york, I live in KC. drove it home. I bought a chevelle, turned out to be a pos 53 chevy, in town, so far no regrets several beaters, broke even so far. important thing is don't get excited, go look 1st, then bid. I have been lucky so far.
I bought a car off ebay. The deal went ok... but I wasn't real happy overall. His description and pictures weren't too accurate. I was just glad I got the car at that point. I wouldn't buy a car for very much money without seeing it in person first. I really think you are the safest buying off the HAMB, from someone who's been on here a while.
Even with E-bay be very cautious. Ask lots of questions and get close up pics of everything, even frame. Try to find someone to look at car for you if you are too far to go look. Price of a somewhat local plane ticket is better than regrets later.
Welcome to the HAMB, are you new to the hobby as well? If so do some reading and know what you want befor bidding on something just because the price looks low. Buying the vehicle is the first step, then it is just time & money. Buy the best bodywork you can afford, take the time to drive over and look at the vehicle before you bid. No two people judge rust the same way, and the degree and discription is not the same in all parts of the contry. Good luck!
Ebay has a few policies that protect buyers from getting ripped off not true at all. there is nothing ebay can do to someone who takes your money and sends no car, or poorly describes a rusted POS as a creampuff. it is never a good idea to buy a car sight unseen.
One of the problems, even when finding someone to look at a car for you, is everyone has their own opinion on what something is worth and its condition. One guy may pay 30,000 for a 32 3 window with no interior and think he's got a bargain. Another (like me) may think anything within that range needs to be finished and complete with only minor work. Its always best to view it yourself. On ebay, you may not have enough time to view the vehicle. Thats when alot of people make their mistakes. Even if I decided to take a chance and buy a vehicle without seeing it. There's no bad "feedback" in the world that would force me to pay for something thats been mis-represented.
I have bought over 200 on ebay and sold more than that. with that said I can only say ask for more pics of what you want to see have a hamb guy nearby to look at it for you if you can, and ask lots of questions. and check shipping which is a minum of around 700 more or less .. good luck
If you can't go see it in person, ask someone on the HAMB to go look at it for you. If a HAMBer ever wants me to go look at a car in the Green Bay, WI area, let me know, I like to do that stuff. If you buy a car and don't want to get ripped off, just use common sense. Ask if you can pay in cash when you go to pick it up. Don't send them a check for the full amount if you're afraid they're not being honest. If they want a down payment, pay with Paypal, and use your credit card through Paypal, so you can fight it if you don't get the car. I've bought lots of cars on eBay, and I never once got burned, use common sense and you'll be fine. Craigslist is another place you can look for old car projects, sometimes there's bargains.
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