Guest Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 Have any of you ever bought a car, sight unseen, over the net? If so, how did it work out, how did you handle payment, any experience, positive or otherwise, with outfits like escrow.com? I'm considering a Buick purchase thru the old car trader site, and want to avoid stupid mistakes by gathering some advice from those of you who've done it before before I take the plunge. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 I bought a 67 Skylark Convertible off of Traderonline.com. I bought it based upon photos sent to me by the seller (which weren't the best but helped) and the description and input from a relative who lived near the seller and went and took a look at the car. The car was actually in better shape than I believed it to be. So I felt great about the deal. Best thing is to have someone in the area look at the car and tell them exactly what to look for. I did not have to do this with my relative as he knew a local guy who restored cars and he went along with him to look at it.<P>Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Buicklover Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 Good Morning,<BR>I purchased an '83 Riviera Convertible last summer from the original owner thru the TraderOnline web site. After conversing with the owner about a few issues, I asked him to send me some pictures of the car. Upon receipt of the pictures, I called the owner back & made an offer which he agreed to. I told him that I would bring him a cashier's check for the agreed amount, but it would be made out to myself. I did so, as I was doing a 2000 mile round trip to get the car,& if the car was not what he stated, I would leave for home with my cashier's check & call it a day.<BR>As it turned out, the car was every bit what he had advertised, so I endorsed the back of the check,& headed home with my new car.<BR>I'm sure this will not work for everyone, everytime,but it worked great for me. <BR>Hope this helps a little.<BR>Bill R. BCA#12434 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 I bought a car in May over e-Bay, sight unseen except for photos. I did exchange several e-mails with the owner clarifying the exact condition of the car, but bid as if I was expecting the worst. The seller was a serious collector, and with his connections was able to get a good price on shipping. I paid with a cashier's check, sent by Fed-Ex. The car was essentially as the seller described, and I would describe the experience was favorable. However the amount of money was relatively small, minimizing the risk. For a more expensive car I would have flown up and looked at it in person. For a top dollar classic I would get an independant professional appraisal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 I bought a car off of bargainnews.com and it was a good experience. I called the seller and we spoke quite a few times over the phone. He was unable to send pictures, but i asked him very specific questions. Since the price of the car (70 Riviera) was not bad, i sent a car hauling company out with my cash and they picked it up and delivered right to my front door. The car did NOT turn out to be as nice as he had stated, but i bought the car without photos. The car needed more work than i had hoped, but the price was very much below what the car is acutally worth. All in all, it was still a very fair deal.<P> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DugsSin Posted October 24, 2000 Share Posted October 24, 2000 I bought my van off the web. Had at least a dozen pictures e-mailed before we even talked price. Had to send a deposit to hold vehicle but it was refundable if van was not what seller had said it was. Opted to drive the 1300 miles with a buddy since flying would have made it a lot more difficult to walk out of dealership. I also ran one of those background checks for $15.00 to see what it might turn up, clean luckly. My deal turned out very well, but I feel like I did as much homework as I could from home. Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 I am purchasing right now. I had pictures then a video tape of the car sent.It showed inside/ outside car, starting, running and driving up driveway. i am going to look at it this weekend but plan on purchasing as it appears to be what is claimed.I'll let you know outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 I got several cars via trader/internet sites.Here's how they went:<BR>1)Bombsite seller described the car,then sent a roll of film which I developed. I sent him the negs and second set of picts as a courtesy. We agreed on a price and I got a car. It was a cheep, rough car and Ihad no hidden expectations.Seller disclosed what he thought was correct. Deal was fine.<BR>2) E bay seller a Mr Al Held of Van Nuys,Ca. Described the red 60 4829. I sent him a check for 1500. NO CAR, NO AL HELD, ABSOLUTELY NO HELP FROM E BAY! EVEN WORSE....THE COPS NEVER RETURNED EVEN ONE CALL. <BR>3)Trader seller sent me pics and described the car OK.I paid the money,got the car. It was as described accurately, except for a dynaflow with NO REVERSE.<BR>4)Unless I see the car,I refuse to buy anything sight unseen! If the vehicle has any value and I want it that bad,I will get pictures,as much info as possible,dial into price as much as possible, then travel to where it is,and drive it or haul it home.<P>Hope this helps. Mitch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
66400 Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 I recently purchased a '91 Olds Custom Cruiser on eBay on the basis of 2 pics and description posted. Car was about 1200 miles from home. We went to Nevada to drive it back home without any problems. Was a very up front seller and price was low enough to where I would had walked away from the car if it cratered on the way home. Was all I expected and more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 Mr Al Held has comitted a felony by frauding through us mail. The Postal service fraud unit will go after him big time.They will recover your funds. What I did one time with a purchase over the net of an auto part was go through State Police dept/and us mail.Once you get the mail involved the police do follow. Got my money back and seller was dealt with in court system Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenc Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 I am very happy for everyone who had a good experience. However, buyer beware! I found the antique Buick I had been looking for on Traderonline. Multiple phone conversations with the seller assured me he was on the level and the car was in great shape. His business is actually selling collector cars. I decided to make the 12 hour round trip to look at it. I'm glad I did. The car was not even close to the condition described and worse yet, was not even the model he advertised it to be. Sadly, the car is still mis-advertised online today as the seller is trying to convince some sucker the car is something it is not. I know folks like this are the minority but just be careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 In May I purchased a 1967 Electra through the Auto trader site...I exchanged emails with seller, received some good photos, talked with her over the phone, obtaining both a home and work number for her....and sent her a check, driving 1300 miles to get the car a few weeks later. The car was just as described, though the paint was even duller and more oxidized than the pictures showed. However, I followed my 19 year old son home with him driving my Dodge Stealth all the way, and the Buick never coughed or lost ground once....I'm happy with the transaction. It turns out the trip down to get the car cost about as much as having it shipped would have, but was a fun getaway which we'll remember. And, there are internet sites where you can check addresses / phone numbers, and make some calls on your own, to perform a little due diligence before sending money to a stranger....Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 25, 2000 Share Posted October 25, 2000 have purchased two cars i found online. have also purchased some parts i found online as well.<P>the cars worked out well, i feel that the first was perhaps a little overpriced, but only a 2 hour drive away, so i saved money over the farther away ones, and it ran like a top (73 rivi). the second car (64 stude hawk) was also from traderonline, and was an hour or so from my parents house. i went for a visit to them, and stopped to see the car as well. the car had the usual stude rust, and does not run, but was inexpensive and close by. so i bought it as well.<P>in one case on parts, i got a very bad picture, and was misled as to the state of the parts. i offloaded them as spares with a car i sold in person, so the same was not done by me...<P>i have a simple rule after my experiences: if the asking price is 100 dollars or more, i MUST see the item/vehicle in person, and i must take delivery at the time i see it.<P>this has saved me a couple times from impulse buying.<P>allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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