Buying car from out of state ( private owner )

[Bow Tie 67]

Ok, I would appreciate any feedback on what not to do. Any horror stories?

If I do go ahead and buy one without seeing it, ( numerous pics would be a needed ) whats the safest way to send payment in a timely manner?

[nancejd]

Airplane ticket and a cashiers check. Seriously, if it's worth transporting, it's worth flying out to see. If you're going to drive it home, why not pay for it when you go out to pick it up.

[4MuscleMachines]

I have purchased my best cars sight unseen, but I would not recommend it for everybody. It's a matter of asking the right questions and being a good judge of character. What I would do is ask somebody in the area to go and fully inspect it for you and then decide what is next.

[Dagger]

At a minimum, I would find someone on the board to go take a look for you! There is bound to be someone close by that can give you an unbiased opinion of the vehicle's condition.

Having said that, I wouldn't buy anything without seeing it with my own eyes.

[Bow Tie 67]

Well, so far he has provided pics of every area I have asked for. ( so far enough pics I feel like I have crawled around and looked at it in person ) And answered all my questions. I work for an airline and actually fly for free. But, I'm just so buisy I really don't have the time to fly out right now.

So if I do go for it, any suggestions on safest payment options?

Oh, by the way, this is a project car in need of full restoration.

[BRIAN]

Project cars are the only car I would buy sight unseen. If you have someone look at it make sure they know what you want and what your idea of "Good" is.

I have bought countless cars with simply giving the transporter the remainder amount in a certified check.

[dropit69]

matt where is the car located?..get me a standby pass and ill go look at it for ya..im off for 7 days starting fri..

[rocketman]

I would never buy one sight unseen way to risky,fly out or ask a board member as said earlier it's just to risky.

[blackbeast]

do your research. Ask a bunch of questions and then ask more questions. If the guy jerks you around or can't keep his story straight run not walk away. Unless you can afford to be screwed out of however much $$ you are buying the car for. I learned the hard way, and had i had a little scepticism and not been so trusting it never would have happened.

[myclone]

If youre buying a car from a seller whom you dont know that has been more than helpful, honest, and detailed consider yourself fairly lucky.

Ive bought a fair amount of cars over the net and at first all but one were in worse condition than the seller led me to believe (ironicallly the highest milage/most abused was the one that was actually in better shape than described). I can only pass on what Ive learned and Im sure there is more to add to the list.

1. Go see it in person...if pictures are worth a thousand words then seeing a car in person is worth a million pictures.
2. Pictures can hide a LOT. I cant stress how much they can hide and be aware that smart but less than honest ppl are out there and will purposefully take pics of the good areas and/or do what it takes to make the bad areas they do take pics of look better.
3. Be aware that someone elses idea of "mint" or "rust free" may be no where near your idea of it. People are out there that purposefully say a POS is mint but what Ive found is that its usually just a case of a different persons perception of what is "mint, rust free, excellent" condition.
4. Be aware that should you decide to send a third party in your place to look at a vehicle they should be well aware of what your expectations are. Hire a third party to inspect it if you if you can.
5. Be prepared to walk away from the deal if its not what you wanted/expected. Unless your buying ZL1s or Yenkos then another car will be along thats a better deal sooner or later. Estate, divorce, bankruptcy sales happen all the time....
6. Make sure the car pick up/transaction happens either at the sellers home or at a place where there is survalance (hint: shopping mall parking lots are usually covered by cameras).
7. Did I mention go see it in person?

As far as how to handle the transaction I wire a deposit that the seller and I agree on and if I send a transporter then he carries the balance. If I transport the car myself I carry the balance with me and complete the transaction in person.

BTW, if youre buying from a title issueing state then make SURE the VIN on the title matches the VIN on the car before any funds are exchanged above the deposit.

Long story short a few months ago a coworkers relative and I travelled to SC to transport a truck he had purchased over the net. The sellers seemed like nice country folksy folk but they kept interupting and asking us if we fished, hunted, etc every time buyer went to compare the VIN on the title to the VIN on the truck. Finally I had to tell the two fellows in a stern but courtious manner to step back and give us a minute while we looked things over. The VINs didnt match and at that point the sellers were given the choice of returning the deposit on the spot or via a cell phone call law enforcement would be arriving to straighten things out. The deposit was returned (it was only $250) and we parted ways without another word spoken.

Just CYA as much as you can and from any angle you can think of.

[69ratfed]

If it's a newer Camaro, get the VIN number and do a ****** on it to see if it has ever been wrecked and how much damage there was. I bought one from Ga. and I live in De. Sent an appraiser to look at it for me and he picked the car apart top to bottom end to end. The best $200.00 I ever spent. They sent a complete 4-5 page package with pics detailing every little knook and cranny. To answer your question a certified check will do. Make sure you get a title first that goes to that car.
Good luck.

[Bow Tie 67]

If youre buying a car from a seller whom you dont know that has been more than helpful, honest, and detailed consider yourself fairly lucky.

Ive bought a fair amount of cars over the net and at first all but one were in worse condition than the seller led me to believe (ironicallly the highest milage/most abused was the one that was actually in better shape than described). I can only pass on what Ive learned and Im sure there is more to add to the list.

1. Go see it in person...if pictures are worth a thousand words then seeing a car in person is worth a million pictures.
2. Pictures can hide a LOT. I cant stress how much they can hide and be aware that smart but less than honest ppl are out there and will purposefully take pics of the good areas and/or do what it takes to make the bad areas they do take pics of look better.
3. Be aware that someone elses idea of "mint" or "rust free" may be no where near your idea of it. People are out there that purposefully say a POS is mint but what Ive found is that its usually just a case of a different persons perception of what is "mint, rust free, excellent" condition.
4. Be aware that should you decide to send a third party in your place to look at a vehicle they should be well aware of what your expectations are. Hire a third party to inspect it if you if you can.
5. Be prepared to walk away from the deal if its not what you wanted/expected. Unless your buying ZL1s or Yenkos then another car will be along thats a better deal sooner or later. Estate, divorce, bankruptcy sales happen all the time....
6. Make sure the car pick up/transaction happens either at the sellers home or at a place where there is survalance (hint: shopping mall parking lots are usually covered by cameras).
7. Did I mention go see it in person?

As far as how to handle the transaction I wire a deposit that the seller and I agree on and if I send a transporter then he carries the balance. If I transport the car myself I carry the balance with me and complete the transaction in person.

BTW, if youre buying from a title issueing state then make SURE the VIN on the title matches the VIN on the car before any funds are exchanged above the deposit.

Long story short a few months ago a coworkers relative and I travelled to SC to transport a truck he had purchased over the net. The sellers seemed like nice country folksy folk but they kept interupting and asking us if we fished, hunted, etc every time buyer went to compare the VIN on the title to the VIN on the truck. Finally I had to tell the two fellows in a stern but courtious manner to step back and give us a minute while we looked things over. The VINs didnt match and at that point the sellers were given the choice of returning the deposit on the spot or via a cell phone call law enforcement would be arriving to straighten things out. The deposit was returned (it was only $250) and we parted ways without another word spoken.

Just CYA as much as you can and from any angle you can think of.

Excellent post, I am very anal when it comes to rust / cancer. This gentleman seems very honest, and has sent pics of all the areas I wanted in high res. If this is going to happen, I'll make a point to fly down and look at it in person.

Thank you all for your ideas and experience.

Matt

[blackbeast]

also, feel free to do some research on the person you are buying it from. Most people use the same username and email address on forums all across the internet. Googling their name, username, and email address can be helpful. It all depends on how much the car is worth, and how much mjoney you have at stake vs. how much of your time and money you are willing to sacrifice.

[JoshStratton]

Excellent post, I am very anal when it comes to rust / cancer. This gentleman seems very honest, and has sent pics of all the areas I wanted in high res. If this is going to happen, I'll make a point to fly down and look at it in person.

Thank you all for your ideas and experience.

Matt

It only takes one experience before you turn sour, like me. I recently went through the same exact thing you are. The guy sounded totally honest, nice and full of experience. He took pictures of the areas I wanted and took a TON of them.

What he DIDNT do, was say one damned honest thing to me. He took the pics at angles that made the damage look better than it was, and he didnt give me a title. Now he is being investigated for fraudulent activities.

Blackbeast and MyClone have it correct. Unless you can have someone PERSONALLY look the car over for you and verify everything is correct, you shouldnt do it. At the very least, ask for a photocopy of the title and pics of the VIN, and get EVERYTHING in writing. Phone calls don't hold up in court.

[ProTouring442]

I agree with everything here, but would add one thing. When you go to look at the car, you will be excited and may overlook something that would matter to you later. Don't ask me how I know this! Anyway, I now write up a check list for each area of concern. I acutally start with the left front fender and work from there, checking things off as I go. Works great, and when you look at the check sheet you'll remember to "look in the passanger door for rust" even though you forgot after you looked in the driver's door.

Something like this:

LF Fender
_ Rust
_ Dings/dents
_ Trim
_ Paint condition

LF Door... You get the idea.

Also, if the car is within a couple hours drive of MD, I'll be happy to go take a look if you'll pay my fuel.

Shiny Side Up!
Bill
'72 442 "Inamorata"
www.fquick.com/ProTouring442 (http://www.fquick.com/ProTouring442)

[Bow Tie 67]

Great Idea, with the checklist. I'm an aircraft mechanic and used to do walk arounds all the time.

The car in question was in TX, but that one is no longer available. I am concentrating on finding a 69 Camaro, I know, just to fit in. LOL I have a 67 and know exactly where to look on these cars. My goal is to find a roller that needs work. I would prefer one with good floors and trunk. So the search is still on.

Thanks guys for all your insight and ideas.