papafarms Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 OK GUYS AND LADIES, I AM LOOKING AT A CAR IN CALIFORNIA, I AM IN MARYLAND, THE OWNER WANTS DOWN PAYMENT OF $2000, BALANCE IN 7 DAYS. I HAVE SENT HIM A QUESTION IF HE WOULD BE ABLE TO HOLD THE CAR WHILE I DO MY HOMEWORK. WAITING ON REPLY (JUST SENT HIM THE ?) HAS ANY OF YOU DONE THIS AND HOW DO YOU GET EVERYTHING LINED UP TO MAKE SURE HE GETS HIS MONEY AND I GET MY CAR, ANY HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, THIS IS MY HOMEWORK THANKS BOB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripwire Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 There are escrow services out there that might be of interest to you. Be aware there are fraudulent services in addition to the legitimate ones. You might also want to find someone near the car to go look at it to ascertain that it actually exists and possibly provide a report of condition. Many club members are willing to help. Some expect to be paid, others will do it as a favor. You didn't indicate the make, year or model of car you are interested in but it would behoove you to find someone who knows something about the type of car you're interested in rather than one with only general knowledge. I'm sure others on this forum can offer more suggestions. Wes in VT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1950panhead Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 The transaction count and feedback are important If count >250 with good feedback risk is low If count <250 or bad feedback expect trouble. Either way an airplane ticket or hire some in area to inspect is cheap insurance. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Feedback count is good, but quite often not all that important. Many people selling cars on eBay have no feedback because they don't sell cars all that often in their everyday life. What is immensely more important is having someone put eyes on the car, reading the feedback that is there, and asking for references. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 What is your worry, terms of payment or the condition of the car? Many times the terms of payment are standard eBay rules. In this day and age even I can make a coast to coast phone call without a fancy iPhone. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Walling Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 When I bought a car on ebay, I asked for his address and looked it up in Googel and looked at his home. I also asked for a pic. of his driver's licence to compare addresses. I also spoke to him on the phone at length to see if he knew any details of the car in question. I was satisfied and sent a wire transfer. You could ask for a recent photo of the car in his driveway or garage with the door open, taken from the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Maker sure you see the paperwork for the car and that it matches the VIN, a friend of mine got burned on a transaction where there was no paperwork for the car. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 (edited) Request a copy of the title (they can photograph it and send it in an email). Name should match seller's name. If it does not, make sure seller gets the title transferred to his name. If you're buying on eBay, pay with a credit card via PayPal. Make sure the hauler has the car in his possession before you pay the credit card bank. Most haulers can send you photos of the pick-up and paperwork, if you request it. On more recent cars, you can run the VIN on the internet to see the car's history. Edited February 4, 2019 by MochetVelo (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Homework should have been done before you bought the car. Case in point- I sold a model A 2 months ago to a guy in Germany. he wtd a bill of sale and all paperwork completed before making payment. needless to say, I didnt sell him the car. He had 7 days for payment and I gave him that. Then went on and sold the car to the next guy. Holding a seller hostage is silly..... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 The never ending talks about Title BS get very tiresome. I'm grateful I live in Connecticut were all titles before 1981 get shredded by the DMV if you bother to bring one along. Sold a "Parts Car" to a fellow in Italy on eBay years ago, the easiest car sale ever. He did all the work arranging pick up and shipping, Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
61polara Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 2 hours ago, 1937hd45 said: The never ending talks about Title BS get very tiresome. I'm grateful I live in Connecticut were all titles before 1981 get shredded by the DMV if you bother to bring one along. Sold a "Parts Car" to a fellow in Italy on eBay years ago, the easiest car sale ever. He did all the work arranging pick up and shipping, Bob Unfortunately, Connecticut is not the center of the world and most of us live in the real world of no title and it's not a car. I'm glad you are so lucky. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billorn Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 If your truly worried buy a plane ticket and lay you're own eyes on it. Make sure theres a bank near by that you can get the cash out of if the car is good. That's the only way to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynaflash8 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 15 hours ago, 1937hd45 said: The never ending talks about Title BS get very tiresome. I'm grateful I live in Connecticut were all titles before 1981 get shredded by the DMV if you bother to bring one along. Sold a "Parts Car" to a fellow in Italy on eBay years ago, the easiest car sale ever. He did all the work arranging pick up and shipping, Bob Personally I wouldn't (and didn't) buy a car from Connecticut because they have no title. Wherever I have ever lived a title is KING. In Maryland or Florida that is certainly true. In Virginia it was slightly easier. I did buy a car from Alabama once when I lived in Virginia. I can't remember now if Alabama had started later on issuing titles and he had one, or if he only had a registration card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynaflash8 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 (edited) 12 minutes ago, billorn said: If your truly worried buy a plane ticket and lay you're own eyes on it. Make sure theres a bank near by that you can get the cash out of if the car is good. That's the only way to be sure. That's probably the best idea if the asking price of the car can support the cost of a plane ride, rental car and motel room. I'm scared to death of eBay's guarantee. I had an issue on a part and got no satisfaction from eBay....and that was only $100. As for getting a friend to look at the car and the title...that can guarantee your money and the car being there I guess. But, usually the friend looks at a car different than you do number 1, and number two, as in the last case where I tried that the owner wouldn't let him look by making it too difficult for him to see and drive the car....I didn't buy it and I'm sure even if everything had worked out I'd have been into another one of those things like a boat, which they say is a hole in the water to throw money into. At 80, I keep having to pinch myself and tell myself again that I'm too old for another restoration that takes 3, 5, 7 or 9 years. That said, I've found a new place, too late in life, in Sarasota, FL that can be counted on to get it in, get it out and do a good job at a reasonable price. By the way, the seller said that car had a three party title. I offered to pay to get the title in his name and he never said he'd do that either. I'll tell you, a lot of people don't like dealers, but you go to a dealer with a reputable name, he's got a license to protect, and you will get the car and a title you can register in your state, and that's worth a lot, even if you find something you don't like about the car in the end. Edited February 5, 2019 by Dynaflash8 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 22 hours ago, papafarms said: I AM LOOKING AT A CAR IN CALIFORNIA, I AM IN MARYLAND, That's a long way, couldn't find another in between? Honestly, why that one. I am thinking about the $2000 down. That is somewhere between 10 and 25% I would guess. Depending on what the car is, a $10,000- 20,000 price range where the risk would be highest. Above and below that range creates a whole different mode. I would check the zip codes in my marque club roster for someone with a similar car nearby. Usually $200 will get you a very good evaluation. Otherwise, fly out and look at it. That should be easy for $1,000, not a bad price to pay when you remember you have to live with it or find another buyer quickly. Things are quiet here. I would check it over for you at $1,000 per day plus airfare. Could be a credible savings overall, certainly not incredible. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexRiv_63 Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Good responses above. I have bought four cars on Ebay sight unseen, three were good experiences and one was quite bad. I totally agree that all the homework should have been done before you made your bid. You need to have both direct e-mail and phone contacts and by now you should have seen as many photos and verbal info as you needed to have a very good picture of the car and its accompanying paperwork. In this day and age it is not unreasonable to expect dated and detailed walkaround videos of the car starting, running, and driving. Of course the best situation is a personal inspection but if that is not possible at some point you will have trust the seller. IMO a $2000 down payment is quite high, you have to decide if it is a red flag. I use PayPal for the downpayment and wire transfer for the balance, you should get all his personal contact and bank info then call the bank to verify. And lastly you need to see a copy of the cars title plus photos of VIN and engine numbers - No title, no deal. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank DuVal Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 1 hour ago, 60FlatTop said: That's a long way, couldn't find another in between? Honestly, why that one. Because the west has the rust free cars! You live in salt land, right? So you need to find a car that was always garaged and not driven in the winter up there. If you buy a western car, chances are it sat outside all its life and is still rust free!, so way cheaper than the east coast car in the long run for moderate priced cars. Of course, be wary of eastern cars that migrated west, and are now sold as western cars, but have the eastern issues......🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 Agree that it's not really fair for you to ask the seller to sit on the car while you do your homework. You should do that before you engage in the purchase process, not in the middle. It's infuriating to me to have guys on eBay hit "Buy It Now" on one of my auctions, not because they want the car at that price but simply to stop the auction so they can buy themselves some time to negotiate and haggle and investigate the car and prevent anyone else from buying it. They give me $1000 via Paypal for the down payment when they hit the button, I give them a week to consummate the deal, but most of the time when we can't come to an agreement, they complain to Paypal and get their money back. It's incredibly frustrating and costs me a lot of money--don't be that guy. I agree with the advice above. Find someone knowledgeable in a club near the car who can go look at it or else go see it yourself and be prepared to buy on the spot. If you have trust issues with the seller, then eyes on the scene is the only way to be sure it's what you want. I will say that most sellers appear to be pretty honest about the cars they're selling but the problem is that they often lack real knowledge. That doesn't really change the end result, but I don't think you have to worry about outright fraud, just ignorance, and if you're dealing with someone with less knowledge than you, it's often possible to guide them to examining things for you if you tell them what to look for or what photos you want taken. Asking them to offer an opinion isn't as helpful as directing them to supply the exact information you want. Most will do it, although, as I said, not because you put the brakes on the transaction in the middle. Be up front and don't treat them as a crook until they have given you evidence that they are a crook (at which point you will walk away anyway). Treat the seller like he's trustworthy until he proves he isn't. Treat him like he knows less than you and give him guidance to the information you need to make a decision. And as someone pointed out, if the car is junk, that $1000 plane ride will be the best money you ever spent... 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 (edited) If you buy a car without personally inspecting it, just be sure not to complain when you are disappointed. I'm disappointed with the cars I've personally inspected so I can only imagine what happens when somebody else or nobody does it. I say to myself, "what the hell was I looking at?". Edited February 6, 2019 by alsancle (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 All of the sight unseen cars don't always turn out poorly. I sold a 63 Avanti to a fellow out east. He hired Passport to pickup the car. The driver was very thorough. It had a clear title in my wifes name. About a week after he received the car, he called to tell us how happy he was with it. His only question was, how do you turn on the headlights ? Avanti owners know why he had the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 With all the free info going out on the sale of the century it would be interesting to see the eBay auction in question. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 On 2/4/2019 at 9:28 AM, papafarms said: OK GUYS AND LADIES, I AM LOOKING AT A CAR IN CALIFORNIA, I AM IN MARYLAND, THE OWNER WANTS DOWN PAYMENT OF $2000, BALANCE IN 7 DAYS. I HAVE SENT HIM A QUESTION IF HE WOULD BE ABLE TO HOLD THE CAR WHILE I DO MY HOMEWORK. WAITING ON REPLY (JUST SENT HIM THE ?) HAS ANY OF YOU DONE THIS AND HOW DO YOU GET EVERYTHING LINED UP TO MAKE SURE HE GETS HIS MONEY AND I GET MY CAR, ANY HELP WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, THIS IS MY HOMEWORK THANKS BOB Bob, Your thread title says “ EBay “ If you found a car on EBay that you are interested in - the Seller sets the terms and conditions of the sale - not you. You agree to buy according to the terms of the auction when you make an offer or a bid. We are still in the midst of another bad Winter. There are cars waiting to be hauled out of California east. Haulers with experience are not hauling to the Northeast in Winter. Jim 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter J.Heizmann Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 On 2/4/2019 at 5:23 PM, MochetVelo said: Request a copy of the title (they can photograph it and send it in an email). Name should match seller's name. If it does not, make sure seller gets the title transferred to his name. If you're buying on eBay, pay with a credit card via PayPal. Make sure the hauler has the car in his possession before you pay the credit card bank. Most haulers can send you photos of the pick-up and paperwork, if you request it. On more recent cars, you can run the VIN on the internet to see the car's history. papafarms, I had a friend and long standing AACA member go the route MochetVelo suggests. Worked well with peace of mind. I know most buyer's do not like to disclose much about a subject vehicle to ward off anyone on this forum from buying the vehicle. However, a location would be very helpful so we could possibly see if there is an AACA Region or Chapter close to the vehicle's location of whom just might go look it over for you (I did this 3 times for people and it worked out fine). Regards, Peter J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Here is how vehicles usually exchange ownership that I haul: Seller and Buyer establish TRUST thru direct communication. The condition of the vehicle is fully disclosed by the Seller in writing. This can include images - videos - inspection by third party. It is the responsibility of the Buyer to inquire as to the condition of the vehicle and to have the condition verified to their satisfaction. A mechanical inspection by a third party and/or an independent comprehensve inspection requested and paid for by the Buyer sometimes is performed before purchase. Ownership of vehicle confirmed by copy of valid title provided to Buyer from Seller ( if applicable ) - not all vehicles have titles Vehicle is paid for in full usually by bank wire transfer. Seller sends title and/or bill of sale to Buyer via mail requiring signature for delivery confirmation. Then I pick up the vehicle. If Buyer or Seller do not trust each other - do not do business together. I won’t schedule a vehicle for pickup unless it has been paid for in full. I won’t act as an agent for either Seller or Buyer - that is not my job. I usually take a walk around video and/or images on my smartphone before loading a vehicle at pick up - once again when loaded in my trailer - then again at drop off. Sometimes I will take paperwork ( including title and/or bill of sale ) but I advise exchanging that as I have outlined above. Jim 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Your point about direct communication is critical. You need to talk to the seller (or buyer) and be sure you are comfortable. Also, almost everyone has some sort of internet footprint that tells tales and can confirm background info. For example, does the seller actually live where he says he does? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 19 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: Agree that it's not really fair for you to ask the seller to sit on the car while you do your homework. Most of these topics come up from buyers concerned about the seller. With over half a century of buying and selling, my concern is with the buyer. You can say what you want about profiling and stereotypes, but those things didn't just come in a vision during the night. I have only sold cars for a livelihood twice in my life, once while still in High School and once for a short time in my 40's. All the other times I generally refer to as "sport selling". (A deviation of an old High School term) Once, when my 37 year old Son was about 3, I got a call about a Chrysler convertible I had for sale. We were all at the supper table and the phone was on the wall behind me. The caller asked about the car. "Sorry, the car is sold." My Wife said "Did you sell that Chrysler?" "Nope" "Why did you say you did?" "Didn't want to deal with the guy." Then I turned to my Son, even though he didn't understand, and told him what I did and why. My Wife said "You shouldn't say things like that to a little kid". Oh well, the seed got planted. Buyers trained me as a seller. And I think I am a pretty good buyer. Sometimes it frustrates a seller when my answer is yes or no. Last year I looked at a one year old used car at a national rental dealership. It appeared their policy required any potential customer to be grilled by a minimum of three levels of management before they could leave. It was a disappointing experience for them, but was entertaining once I saw the method. I have two cars I bought sight unseen. They are keepers. Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 So goes with transport . You have that “ little voice “ talking to you in your head for a reason. When things go South - it usually is because I didn’t listen ( to myself ). Jim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 1 hour ago, 60FlatTop said: Most of these topics come up from buyers concerned about the seller. True, and the problems are the same on both sides of the coin. Thinking it through statistically, there are as many dink buyers as sellers. Sellers should be comfortable with the buyer too. Everybody operating in the open and good faith can keep things smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 and some buyers think it should all be free........................ LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wetherbee Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Trulyvintage said: So goes with transport . You have that “ little voice “ talking to you in your head for a reason. When things go South - it usually is because I didn’t listen ( to myself ). Jim Oh man you are absolutely right on this point. I bought a car on eBay three weeks ago, called several highly respected haulers and made the mistake of choosing the one who said he would do it next week when the others were 2-1/2 weeks out, then he said he got held up and it was going to get done next week... see a pattern yet? Today I am waiting for the new story but it needs moved by the 13th or I have to wait a few week after that. I also have another transport I’m in touch with and if these both fall through there’s a friend of a well respected forum member here going to Florida at the beginning of March that can help. Absolutely frustrating! On the other side, the seller has been great. I have all the paperwork you could ask for (including the original 1935 title from the previous owner which I plan on not giving up) and if the paperwork is not right for my DMV he is willing to help however possibly. I even invited him to visit while he is on vacation next week and is staying the next town south of us - which is why I needed to move the car before that. This will be my third car from eBay and if you do your due diligence first then you shouldn’t have any issues... EXCEPT TRANSPORT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 Normally Scheduled auto transport with direct contact to folks who actually do the hauling averages (30) days. More in Winter or with remote pick up and drop off locations. It takes time to build a trip to transport a vehicle. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 A few years back I bought a 1953 Jaguar Mark VII big sedan in Federal Way, Washington. The sale went fine but the shipper had untold problems hauling it to the Rochester, New York area. Up to the point of buying a new truck. When he got to the NY state line he was thrown off the interstate for pulling tandem trailers and called me from about 30 miles away, a bit lost and down. I could feel his relief when I told him to stay on the road he was on and I would meet him in 20 miles. We met at an intersection in a closed diner parking lot at midnight. He was in his late 50's and wore a T-shirt with MOPAR across the chest. Even with the troubles he told me it attracted more attention than any car he had hauled. The car had little badging and people always asked what it was. He said he asked them to guess. We stood there in the dark and he said "Most people thought it was a Bentley." After a pause he asked "What's a Bentley?" A bolt of lightening hit me and I almost said "You win the MOPAR T-shirt." I restrained. My kids say I ain't hard to entertain. Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wetherbee Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Trulyvintage said: Normally Scheduled auto transport with direct contact to folks who actually do the hauling averages (30) days. More in Winter or with remote pick up and drop off locations. It takes time to build a trip to transport a vehicle. Jim I get that, but be up front about it. The carrier blatantly lied just to get a contract and string me along. It gives all of the independent carriers a very bad reputation and with the internet it gets around a lot faster than anybody would think... I should have listened to the voice that said it was too good of a turnaround... JUST TO BE VERY CLEAR, IT IS NOT JIM I AM REFERRING TO, HE WAS VERY HONEST WITH ME ON A PREVIOUS NEED AND MY CIRCUMSTANCES ARE SIMILAR ENOUGH I DID NOT ASK HIM ABOUT THIS RUN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 With shipping, you always get what you pay for. We have an excellent broker we work with who gets us good equipment, good drivers with good ratings, and guys who show up when they say they will. It also costs about 20% extra to get all that. About 30% of the time, our buyers decide they can do their own transport. They go on uship.com or something like that and put in an offer of $600 on a job we told them would cost $1200. The car sits. And sits. And sits. We will happily store for 30 days free of charge, but after that, it's $125/day, and we hit it often when people book their own shipping. Just last week we had this abortion of a rig show up to try to haul a 1967 Lincoln to its new owner in the snow, who was trying to do it on the cheap. No idea how they expected to get a giant Lincoln on there with a huge rear overhangs They had 2x8s for ramps. Actually, two different trucks showed up at the same time, one at the correct address up the street where the car was stored and this one that just showed up in our parking lot hoping to grab the car. So we had two drivers fighting over the car. Who is supposed to take it? Not my problem. First guy got it because he showed up at the right address. Goodbye. Don't know if he was supposed to be the guy to take it, but he was at the right address first, so there it is. Not my problem. Cheap shipping gives you headaches. Spend the extra few hundred bucks for a reputable shipper with an enclosed truck. You won't regret it, although you'll second-guess yourself because nothing will go wrong and start thinking you could have gotten it cheaper. Wrong. The reason nothing went wrong is BECAUSE you spent extra. It is never a mistake. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 From the driver’s seat ..... One of the elements of a sale contract should be how long the Seller will agree to store the car until it can be picked up. A reasonable Seller should be prepared to store a vehicle for a Buyer who lives outside of the area for a minimum of (30) days. A reasonable Buyer should be prepared to wait a minimum of (30) days to have a car picked up - even longer in adverse weather and/or remote areas. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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