I am looking at buying a car from here in cl***ified section but I wanted to know how I can protect myself as a buyer. Currently the car is on the other side of the country from me for over $10,000. Ideally I would be able to go out and deliver my payment, put it on a transport and meet it back at my house. but at the moment i don't think that I will be able to do that. So really I'm looking at options for protecting myself and the seller short of sending out a payment and hoping to receive the vehicle. I realize that each seller will have their own preferences but I find a little knowledge can go a long way. Thanks for any help.
No way I'd ever buy anything I haven't seen or crawled underneath. Too many horror stories about buying sight unseen. Your just asking to be ripped off.
I second that. My friend traded a running hot rod for a running hot rod and got straight up screwed on the deal... even with looking over the car in person after driving 2 hours to get it. I cant imagine driving across the country and realizing the car you have your sites on is not what it was made out to be. Unless you know this guy or know someone who can look it over on your behalf... man its a tough one...
is there a list of HAMB members who are willing to go look at cars in their area for other HAMB members who can't personally check them out?
This may sound goofy, BUT would the seller ship the car for you to view and inspect first hand and then you send it back to the seller if you don't like it? Of course you pay both ways. Bad idea!!!! Buy a plane ticket and go see the car. Peace of mind is priceless and a good bet against losing $10K.
I'm with the other guys...a plane ticket and a weekend could save you alot of money and headache. I bet you probably could find a Hamber that could look at it for you...problem is everyone has their own idea of a nice car.
I'm with everone else on this one, don't buy it if you can't check it out. Would you pay that much for a car sight unseen in your hometown if you'd never met the seller? I doubt it
If you want to pay that much for a car and cover your *** and be sure you got what you want fly out if you buy it hire a shipper or just rent a truck and trailer and take it home.If you pay 10grand for a car you haven" actually looked at and checked out in person you have only yourself to blame if you getted screwed.
I have only bought one car, ever, out of state and it was a fairly late model performance car (about 2 years old). After scouring all the pics I got from the owner, and talking to him extensively on the phone, I told him that I would fly there and buy it IF it was everything he said it was. Turns out it was, and a rather large buddy and I (no way in hell was I flying to Detroit with 22k in my pocket, alone) had one heck of a road trip bringing it back to GA. if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't consider any other way. What is potentially a few hundred wasted in plane tickets, vs. fixing even one relatively minor issue that the owner didn't disclose?
I would hire a professional to take a look at the car to see what they think of the car and what it's worth . I would NEVER but a car that I spent more that $300 for site un seen ! Too many rip offs and horror stories have been told right here all the time . Just wait to find one that is closer to you so you can drive out to see the car yourself ! Retro Jim
get on the plane, if you like the car buy it, drive it home or put it in a storage facility. till you can get it, i got screwed on 2 cars from a famous arizona junk yard, lost my deposit ($2500), but i was lucky i sent our company truck driver who was wise enought to ask if it wanted the cars, the photos were doctored to look good. so i left the cars there and ate the deposit, so go in person
My recent experience: I bought a gl*** 32 roadster project for Harm's Way who is a longtime HAMB member. After a few phone conversations with him and by coincidence a neighbor/fellow hobbyist also spoke with him a deal was struck. This was a time critical sale for both of us, so I wired the money (a bit more the the $10,000 dollars you are looking at spending) and even worked out a deal for the seller to deliver the car to me the following week while I was out of town.. He is 2 states away and charged me just for the cost of fuel. Very nice gesture. I know I was taking a chance wiring that much money to someone I had never met, but I saw that Harm's Way had a history on the HAMB and based on talking with him I had a good gut feeling. As it turned out I was back in town when he delivered the car and it was better than described and Harm's Way is a great guy. I guess what I am getting at is that any time you buy car sight unseen long distance (I aslo bought a car fron New York several years ago and felt the car was as described by the seller) it's really about feeling comfortable with the seller. If your buying from a Hamber that has a history here I think that should put you somewhat at ease. I like to believe ther are more honest people than crooks in this hobby. The week between transfering the money and getting the car I slept fine every night. You need to have that same feeling in any deal you make. Good luck and I hope the sale works out for you.
have somebody you trust go look at it because even hamb members can be flakes when it comes to a car deal! ask me how i know.
My dad recently bought a 1929 Model RPU from a guy in Alabama. The pics the guy sent looked great and the guy explained everything he had for the car and the cars condition. He was thinking of having it shipped but was reluctant to buy it sight unseen. So my dad and three of his old rodding buddies took off work and made a road trip out of it. They drove all the way from Colorado to get the truck. They got there and everything was exactly as the fellow described. He got a kick*** project and a awesome roadtrip full of memories. Its the only way to be totally protected. Although I would feel alot better buying from a Hamber.
It all depends on who you are talking about. There are a few west coasters on here I'd buy a car sight unseen from based upon their word. There are a bunch of other people I wouldn't. Not all because I think they are shifty. I just don't know.
An honest seller is going to just as wary of you as you are of him, especially for the kind of money you're talking about. If he's too casual about the transaction, I'd be concerned. But as others have said here, if there's any way for you to look at the car yourself or have someone you trust look at it, you eliminate a lot of the apprehension from both sides of the equation. Barring that, if you're not happy with the level of long distance communication, s**** the deal. I bought my car through pics and emails and phone calls. The seller was always available and quick to answer questions and send pics of every square inch of the car that I had questions about. I sent a good faith deposit and the rest of the money the day the hauling company arrived to pick the car up, and couldn't have been happier with the transaction and the condition of the car when it arrived. So it CAN be done, just tread carefully.
Agree on a low down payment say $500 and draft a 'letter of intent to buy' to complete the deal if it meets the XYZ following conditions (one of which is an inspection by you and your decision to go ahead with the deal). In the letter I'd repeat all the 'claims' made by the seller, so it is clear as to what you believe you're buying. List all the main parts, pieces that go with it -- just so when you get there, that there are no doubts about 'what is in the deal' and what is above it. The letter should state that the down payment of $X reserves you the right to buy the car at a certain price by a certain date -- if the date p***es, the contract is off and you lose your down payment. Make sure that is has a clear out clause for your inspection -- that is it not a contract to buy, but a contract for a 'right to buy'. Then you both sign/date the letter and you're ready for a trip. If the seller won't do this in good faith, then you're probably wasting your time. Then you buy a plane ticket and have a nice weekend. I've put a hold on a $25,000 car this way, flew to hell and gone . . . and it wasn't the car for me. I lost my $500 -- which was cool with me. I would not buy a plane ticket to go across country without the above type of contract -- or you might get there and the car is 'no longer for sale . . . or sold'.
if you live in an insecure world you become insecure yourself,as most hambers are,learn to trust people.as an ossie i have bought several cars from thr states,sent as much as $20,000.00 as payment (seller has my money and my car ) i have faith in any hamber to do the right thing,never been ripped off yet and i hope it stays that way thanks to all the people i have delt with
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