OT: Anybody ever bought a car off ebay?

[weaponsgrade]

comments?

[Birddog]

I have not, but I know 2 people that have and their deals went down without a hitch. One was located in the same area, and the other had to drive 250 miles. Ebay "Feedback" is worth a lot in a deal for a car. The guy that drove 250 miles even traded in his old truck to the dealer. That dealer BTW, did most of his biz on the Bay.

Birddog

[Kines]

Yes. Five years ago, while pregnant with our second, my wife went nuts and bought a 911 on ebay (I blame it on the hormones). It went quite well, as I covered all the bases as best I could, even having it independently inspected, and with multiple phone calls to the seller. And back then, one could get a one way ticket from here to Jacksonville FL for $59 on Air Tran, which I did, and drove "Heidi" back home where she still happily resides. Heidi and I had fun on the SC freeways on the return trip. We cut over 2 hours off the expedia-generated time estimate for the drive....

I guess we got lucky, as I'm sure there is a lot that could possibly go wrong, and I can't think of any specific advice, so I suppose this doesn't really help you.

Hopefully you've been getting some good rides in! Say hi to Tam for me next time you're up there!

KN

[bigman]

I did last December - no issues smooth transaction. The only way I would have ever consider this is if the vehicle is still under manufacturer's warranty. The add had over a hundred photo's so there were no surprises.

[avalonracing]

A buddy of mine bought and Audi S4 on ebay. The seller swore that he was the original owner (true) and that it had never been in a accident (NOT TRUE).

My friend brought it home and I saw the car from 20 feet away and asked "When was the front of the car repainted?" It was obvious to me at least.

That said, I found my motorcycle on ebay. But I went to look at it in person and test rode it before I bought it. It is the ONLY way to buy a car or M/C on ebay as far as I'm concerned.

[avalonracing]

I would recognize that 911 dash anywhere.
A friend of mine had his 911 independently inspected before he drove halfway across the country to get it. The missed about a $1000 worth of items that needed repair.

[ti_boi]

Yes. Five years ago, while pregnant with our second, my wife went nuts and bought a 911 on ebay (I blame it on the hormones). It went quite well, as I covered all the bases as best I could, even having it independently inspected, and with multiple phone calls to the seller. And back then, one could get a one way ticket from here to Jacksonville FL for $59 on Air Tran, which I did, and drove "Heidi" back home where she still happily resides. Heidi and I had fun on the SC freeways on the return trip. We cut over 2 hours off the expedia-generated time estimate for the drive....

I guess we got lucky, as I'm sure there is a lot that could possibly go wrong, and I can't think of any specific advice, so I suppose this doesn't really help you.

Hopefully you've been getting some good rides in! Say hi to Tam for me next time you're up there!

KN


UR wife sounds like my kind of gal...........




I sold a car on eBay and bought a motorcycle and have sold four.
One as recently as a week ago. Each deal was excellent for me (seller) and the buyers.


If it is a dealer....do your research. Find out how long they have been selling and 'if' they are starting new accounts after burning buyers.

If it is a private seller....a carfax helps...but it does not address everything.
If they claim rebuilds and maintenance and cannot show receipts. Run the other way.

[weaponsgrade]

Yes. Five years ago, while pregnant with our second, my wife went nuts and bought a 911 on ebay (I blame it on the hormones). It went quite well, as I covered all the bases as best I could, even having it independently inspected, and with multiple phone calls to the seller. And back then, one could get a one way ticket from here to Jacksonville FL for $59 on Air Tran, which I did, and drove "Heidi" back home where she still happily resides. Heidi and I had fun on the SC freeways on the return trip. We cut over 2 hours off the expedia-generated time estimate for the drive....

I guess we got lucky, as I'm sure there is a lot that could possibly go wrong, and I can't think of any specific advice, so I suppose this doesn't really help you.

Hopefully you've been getting some good rides in! Say hi to Tam for me next time you're up there!

KN

nice pic. i've been riding my mtn bike to tam a lot. riding knobbies on the road is painful, but it's great to be able rip down the fireroads.

[C5 Snowboarder]

i bought one a couple of years ago./.
it was a 1984 280 SL Mercedes with a 5 speed manual. Talked with the owner several times, asked for copies of the reciepts for the work she had said was done, did not have it inspected-- bought it sight unseen. had it delivered to Tacoma Wa and drove down and picked it up .. drove it home and was pleased with my new toy. Sold it recently cuz I have/had two of these and just need the garage space. :beer:
i'd do it again

[Z3c]

I have bought 2 and sold 1 on Ebay; each time without any issues. IMHO, you need to try and speak with the individual prior to making a committment. Take the time to read the seller feedback in detail. Listen to that little inner voice; if it says run, then you should run. Don't letter buyer emotion lead you into a bad situation.


Scott

[SimonC]

I have also purchased two cars on eBay, and sold one (the former, to buy the latter).

The first one was a cheap runaround (with a bit of a kick to it!) - the guy seemed honest and had what I considered a reasonable Buy It Now. I only ran a basic background check on the car, but it was fine when I collected it, and I ran it for a year with no problems. I managed to sell it on for a fair portion of what I paid for it.

The second was brought from someone who traded cars on eBay. It had all the paperwork, and the guy seemed honest. Again, it's been fine - the only problems have been those caused by me!

In both instances I purchased sight-unseen, and had to travel to collect the cars. However, the prices I paid relative to open market both factored that in, and I was happy with both deals.

[WadePatton]

I bought a $20k used pickup on ebay with 49,000 miles on it a few years back. I didn't bid it off. I called the dude and said I'll take it provided it passes my inspection. They regularly deal on ebay and always reserve the right to end auction early and had great feedback.

Got a cashiers check and another driver, drove to TX, inspected, accepted and put 95,000 more miles on it before selling it a few days ago.

I'd do it again in a minute, but I'm a car/truck nut and usually know more about the make than the seller and can spot a hack job 1/2 mile away.

BTW my 911 was a 1973 (s/n 9013101819-from memory) and an absolute blast!

[MilanoTom]

I've never done it, and most likely won't, unless it's a model I've already owned. I'm fairly short and drive a standard, and a lot of cars have the pedals positions so that when my legs are comfortable, the steering wheel is too close to my chest. Tilt/telescoping wheels notwithstanding, I need to drive the car to make sure it fits.

Regards.
Tom

[csm]

my brother has sold both a car and a motorcycle. the car went to a kid in Montana who flew to PA to pick up the car. the bike to someone about 2 hrs north.
I've looked at buying off ebay but have (fortunately, perhaps) been outbid on the cars I've wanted. I was looking at some interesting vehicles.

[William]

I ended up buying my cruiser from someone on an auto forum. The guy sent me a 110 pg power point presentation on the rig photographing just about every part of it inside and out. Similar to feedback on ebay, I was able to go into the archives of the forum and see everything he had posted since he first bought the vehicle. Like the buying from established posters on the Serotta forum, he had a well known reputation as an honest guy, mechanically inclined, and asked the experts on things he didn't understand. From that I was able to conclude that the dude was honest and took good care of his rig. I was still throwing caution to the wind by buying a plane ticket and flying out to Chicago, but I still didn't have to buy it if something smelled fishy. We spent a good 4-5 hours going over it before I went ahead and bought it and then hit the road heading back to R.I. (ROAD TRIP!! :D )
Do your homework, check the seller out as much as possible, go get it yourself and leave an out if something doesn't seem right so you can get back home.


William

[Polyglot]

I have sold three cars and bought one. Never a problem. The cars that I sold ended up in California, Texas and Maryland. Not bad when you think that I live in New Jersey. Two of them were however rather unique cars. I viewed the car that I bought before placing a bid, as the dealer who was selling it is only about 40 miles away. I got the car for well under the Edmunds trade-in value, so I got a screaming deal as far as I am concerned.