car buying long distance

It will never be a good as you expect.
Be patient on the transporter. Money Talks.
and are we talking a few states away or another country? (wire transfer/cashier check).

I have done all of the above . do your homework on people. and DONT bet what you CANT loose.
good luck
ak

 

I have bought two via long distance.

The first thing I do is learn who the seller is. I think it is as important to know who you are buying from as it is to worry about the deal itself. If they have nothing to loose move very slowly. I prefer to deal with well established people in their communities.

If I have your name, age and home address and can't find solid background info on you, I'm not going to be sending you my money.

If your place looks like a junk yard on Google earth, I'm not going to be sending you my money.

If you have a criminal record longer than mine, I'm not going to be sending you my money.

If you have a solid background, good civic reputation and own a 1/2 million dollar home I figure you have more to loose than to gain by trying to screw me over on a 20K dollar deal.

I have been happy with both my deals.

 

Up front and eyeball is the best method. If you do not want to travel then hirer a certified appraiser, it's worth the $. As far as the money goes you can wire to his bank after you are completely satisfied with the car. Pay the owner the balance of the money after the carrier is at his door step with ***le in hand. Make sure the car has a clear ***le with no liens on it.
Another thing, talk to your state DMV and find out what do***ents are require to register your new car. Good Luck. my .02. It worked for me many times.

 

I bought my roadster after never seeing it and haven't had any bigger issues than I would have if I bought it local. Not everyone builds a car the same way. That being said, I did send a local guy I trusted to get the car and had him waiting to pick it up (with ***le) as I was wiring money. The only gripe I had is th guy wouldn't ****er around on price and tried to convince me there was a lot more interest locally, I ended up paying full asking, but it was worth it in the end.


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Hi,

Let me handle it for you. Currently, I have nearly $1 million/cars out on the internet. ....been doing it 15 years...no problems yet! Card attached.

Murph

 

I have purchased, sight unseen, five dailys and about a dozen project cars on eBay and the HAMB and either flew in or drove to go get 'em.

I either arranged with the buyer to pay in cash once I looked over the cars or sent a SMALL deposit to hold the car until I could pick it up.... never had a problem. But, then again, I tend to be realistic about a vehicle's condition and don't pick apart every little detail on a $5,000.00 DD or an old project car.

I have SOLD a half dozen or so old Triumphs to overseas buyers and, again, never had a problem. I made sure the cars were as described, the paperwork was as stated in the description and I looked over the transport companies "inspection report" to insure any problem areas were accurately written into the pick-up info.

If you're the kind of person who is easily disappointed or you are afraid to take a chance, buying a car sight unseen probably isn't for you...

 

I did it once and got fairly lucky. The car was not in as good as shape as I was led to believe or actually hoped. The guy told the truth and I had a friend look at it for me. The problem was my friend idea of "great shape" and my idea of "great shape" were on two different levels. I ended up flying out to see it after I put a deposit down and bought it when I got there. Don't get me wrong, the car is very nice, but it could have been nicer. Anyways it turned out just fine, but I will never buy one out of my area again. Personal examination is always the best.

 

So you paid full price, what's your gripe? If I have something for sale and it is priced fairly you are gonna pay full price or walk.

Oh wait, maybe I should overprice it so I can come down...?

 

LOL I guess I should clarify, that I couldn't get as much of a feel for negotiation/market interest buying remote versus buying at a Swap or watching on local CL. I happily paid full price and feel like I did real well.


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Just wasted a day of vacation, a weekend, and 600 mile round trip because the pictures looked soooooo gooood and the price was rrrrrrright. But the guy really didn't misrepresent the car because emotion and takes over and makes you see what you want to see and ignore the warning signs.

A bad sight unseen purchase a few years ago was enough for me to learn.

 

One of the best things advised here, try to get to know WHO you're dealing with. At a minimum, a couple phone calls and really LISTEN. There's a few key things that many just say colloquially, they don't mean any true harm, but their version of the bad may not match YOURS. I hide from nobody. I tell who I am, what I've done, where I can be found, my ph, email, etc. Those are a good start IMO. I have a tendency to speak to everyone as if I've known them my whole life. And why not, because I really like this **** fellas. And ladies too, sorry. The entire process should be a fun and rewarding experience for both. You should be able to make a friend out of it, even if you only say hello once or twice a year.

 

GREAT Advice......Talk....ask questions....get many photos and ask more questions. I had a HAMBer go look at a car for me...worked out great. Its not rocket science, if you do your own due diligence. Read my current signature....