Purchasing a vehicle without seeing in person

Done it twice: Once was a home run, the other time a bunt single.

 

I've done it 4 times. The key is to limit your offer to the "worst case scenario" value for the car. This way you have mostly upside. It may mean that can't make a deal on a car that you really want. Wait for the next one in that case.

My latest was a 63 Ranchero. The car was rustier that I expected, but it was mechanically sound way beyond my expectations- overall a break even...good purchase.

 

I have bought a couple unseen with a couple of pictures but they were less then 2000 dollars,if I was going to spend more I would fly in and look at it or find someone to look at it for me.

 

I shipped a 1966 F100 from Texas to England, that had a "rebuilt" 352 and "new" paint job. I planned on using it as a daily driver but I guess my idea of rebuilt and paint was different from theirs.

 

I bought a cab over that i was not disappointed with because its what i wanted. What i was disappointed with was the seller who received cash in hand has never produced a title and he said he took off the vin plate so it would not get lost. Go figure.

 

Projects that you know you will work on? Sure....A car that you expect to take to a show the day after you get it?...Absolutely NO!
You just can't trust ANYBODY these days. You wouldn't buy a used house on just pics alone would you? Look at it yourself or hire someone that knows what they are looking at. Too many cars look "Picture perfect". Our shop has rebuilt alot of shitty, thrown together "auction whores" that a customer had just spent big money on and got a real stinker....

 

If you look at a car in person; never look at night under parking lot lights!!

Learned the hard way.

 

Have done it maybe a dozen times, no big deal if the low cost projects are not what they were supposed to be BUT, when the high dollar "drivers" turn out to be not what they were described to be it is a big problem. you CAN NOT go by the pictures, Lesson learned, never again, It's like trying to determine how honest a person is by looking at their picture. Would definitely suggest paying someone that you trust to evaluate prior to purchase.

 

A friend has a mechanic's shop. One of his favorite customers is a guy who buys all the time on Ebay sight unseen. He cannot believe the wool these guys pull over his customer. But it keeps him busy.

I sold a Cobra sight unseen to a guy in New York. He was happy with the purchase. But not so with the transport company. It seems the driver decided he didn't want the job anymore and left the truck and trailer sitting somewhere outside of Detroit. Never did find the driver. To make life more interesting, the driver took all the keys to the cars at the same time. Left about 10 cars immobile. Fortunately I had left a backup set of keys in the trunk.

I agree with others, if you're spending big money have someone who's an expert check it out.

 

NO....DID I MENTION...NO....I MEAN NEVER, AS IN NO................Aplane ticket is too cheap for a mistake like that....I drove to Evansville, In. to the Frog Follies...long way from Mobile, Al. to look at a '32...pictures guy sent looked like a show car...it was spotless down to the screws and bolts in the pictures....when I got there...the car looked likem it had been peppper shot from the front with rock salt.....interior was oily...you ever saw an old work car that has sweaty arm stains in the seat, foor panels and headrest.....that's what the interior looked like....He said, what you think....I said, your the best photographer I've ever seen and walked off...............did I mention NO about not looking a a car.............

 

Did i once sold it as scrap and got half of the Money back :-(

 

Have the seller pay for a CarFax .com It is somewhat accurate about the background.
Normbc9

 

A good friend of mine always says "Inspect what you Expect".

I once bid on an OT pickup truck on an online auction with gorgeous photos. I got a bad feeling in my gut and went for a 2 hr drive to check it in person. It had a quickie paintjob and new chrome bumpers. Otherwise the truck was a disaster. Close call.

In another, I bid at the last minute on a project car with no time to see it. It turned out better than expected.

Are you feeling lucky today? Do you have money to spare for gambling? If you're unlucky you can't complain here that the seller ripped you off.

 

All respect, but CarFax is useless for On-Topic cars, besides it doesn't mention our favorite things like rust and bad body work.

 

So you are in Afghanistan ?

Active duty ?

Maybe a HAMBER will check it out for you ...

I am on the road a lot hauling cars.

I will help out if I can

Merry Christmas,


Jim

 

Flew from Seattle to Chicago for an eBay win with plans to drive it home - one way ticket. The '41 Ford P/U was not what I expected workmanship wise. Walked away from it at night during a thunderstorm. Did give my Son a quick tour of Chicago the next day before we flew back.

Then I turn around and buy a '40 GMC clear from the east coast sight-unseen. Much nicer but still had un-disclosed flaws - pitted chrome and a wow in the back of the cab etc. Did a lot of work to it including new tires/wheels, the bent wrench bumper guards, chrome work, paint work inside, bed coated the running boards etc. Had fun with it for 3 years, then sold it sight-unseen right back to the east coast - wow in the cab still there. That buyer was happy but he said the front ball-joints were sloppy, something I was not aware off.

I think it's about one's man's treasure is another man's junk....

 

I've bought a few cars sight unseen, some weren't good deals. But I bought my 34 unseen and it was in better shape then I thought it would be....

 

Yes. I would purchase a new vehicle from a dealer without seeing it. I would purchase a $100 parts car without seeing it. I am sure your vehicle falls between these two extremes but you neglected to say what you are talking about. As a general rule I would buy a plane ticket or have someone else look at the vehicle for me. I have flown to see a couple of vehicles and was unhappy what I found when I saw them. It seems that my definition of restoration didn't match the sellers.

Charlie Stephens

 

Trulyvintage. Yes Afghanistan. and yes active duty. Been here a year and I'm finally coming home. I'm looking at a 51 Chevy in Jacksonville fl. The guy seems honest and been good with all my questions. It really sounds like a good score, but again I haven't seen in person and never purchased an unseen vehicle. I live in Vegas and its a pretty long and $$$ flight. I think I'm going to look into some one checking the vehicle out for me. Thanks for the advise.

 

Any HAMBers in the Jaksonville, FL area willing to check out a 1951 Chevy for me?

 

Son-in-law borrowed my trailer to pick up a car. Called me at work and said "This guy has a 53 ford truck just like yours. He said it runs good, has a 455 oldsmobile motor. Do you want it? It's only $300." I said yes. I got home it was a 59 ford, motor was locked-up, no doors. no bed, no seat.

 

I had a customer that bought his wife a 69 Camaro sight unseen for her 50th birthday. Paid top dollar for it. Dont know where he found it, had a million pics all taken the right way with the right lighting. When he brought me the car to do the Motor Vehicle Inspection so he could get it registered, I found so much cancer in the rear of the car that I could not pass it, he ended up taking the car to a resto shop and dropping a lot more than he wanted to to get it road ready.
On the other hand, I had another customer that found a 58 Cadillac two door convertible in Cali, flew down to see it and drive it and bought it. He then flew home after making the arrangements to have it trucked up here. When he had it towed to the shop it didnt run! The carb was completely screwed and the choke butterfly was seized shut! After rebuilding the carb it still ran like a pile and we found that three holes were dead and we ended up rebuilding the engine for him. He was certain that they installed a different engine after he left!
Ive also seen lots of good cars that were bought for realy good deals as well, its a crap shoot. Good luck.

 

have only sold a couple of cars but when long distance buyers inquired, I told them either come look at it or have someone with knowledge check it out--otherwise, I would not sell to them. Some got pretty insistent about buying it long distance (think they were dealers) but the final buyer came and looked and is very happy. On the other hand, a friend found a car he wanted-it was 600 miles away. He was going to send a nonrefundable deposit but i told him let's just go now with a trailer. We went and it was not a good car even in the dark!! No harm, no foul--had a fun road trip anyway-found him a better one for 1/2 the price 10 miles away..

 

Yep! Once.

Never again!

You live... You learn!

 

^^^ Same exact thing for me.
Did it once, will never buy something again without my
own eyes seeing it.
The disappointment lingered

 

Yes I bought three on the internet a different times. They werent the best deals. Its gambling so dont pay more than you can afford to lose. When Is sell a car I prefer the buyer to look at it in person. and not pay me a dime until they see it. then if they buy it. I want to be paid in cash no guarntee as is. and take it away right then. OldWolf

 

Bought two cars that way. All I saw where pics but lots of them.
Lots of emails back and forth to get a feel for the sellers.
Both successful purchase and both were as advertised.

Take your time...it can be done well.

 

70 camaro drag car from New Mexico, if it hadn't been a desert car I probably would not have bought off pics

 

I purchased my '50 Nash Ambassador Brougham from 4 fuzzy, long-distant Instamatic photos taken by an almost-blind retired optometrist in Garland, Texas, for an even grand. When the truck delivered it, I received a completely intact, unmolested, never hit, and very rare 27,000 original miles car which was worth 4-5 times what I paid. It needs nothing/everything depending on my mood.

I've never done it before, and I'll never do it again. I don't want to ruin a good story.

 

Yes, bought a car off here. A member of our car club was going that way and said he would look at it for me and call. My friend said it was a good car and I bought it.
Look at it yourself. What is good to someone else may NOT be good to you. Also the guy did not send all the parts to it, and was selling them in the classifieds after our deal was made. He is no longer here, banned. Not for that but for other reasons later on.
I sold the car in the exact same condition I bought it at our annual Swap Meet for the same money. I was lucky on that.
I also had a Hamber look at a Packard coupe in Houston on EBAY for me. He sent more pics and described it better than the seller did. I passed on that one because of the rust.
Thanks houston54