Tips for Buying Out of State?

[PaulyWally]

Hi All,

 

I've been shopping for my first classic car for almost a year now. I've got connections on 2 potential candidates. They are both more than 1000 miles away from where I live.  In the past I've used Lemonsquad for inspections and have been generally pleased.  However, 2 other things I am unsure of.

 

If I am unable to complete the sale in person:

 

1.)  In a private sale, how do I protect myself (financially) from someone I never met before?  I've never made an out of state cash purchase this big, and I don't want to become one of those horror stories.

 

2.)  I've used uShip to ship a $5,000 late model motorcycle.  The experience was average.  Not sure if I want to use uShip for a $30,000+ classic car.  Any advice or recommendations for shipping?

 

Thank you!

Edited September 28, 2021 by PaulyWally (see edit history)

[Trulyvintage]

Have you talked to the Seller on the phone 

or in person ? 📲

 

If so - any red flags ? 🚩

 

Vehicles are bought & sold over great 

distances every day - payment is most

commonly done by bank wire transfer.

 

Once the wire transfer is received 

then the title & associated paperwork

is sent by documented delivery mail.

 

If possible - drive or trailer it home 

yourself - if not then hire someone

you can speak to directly on the phone 

that drives the trailer with your vehicle

in it or on it.

 

Use Common Sense 

 

 

Jim

[edinmass]

Get on a plane, inspect it yourself. Do the transaction in person. Inspect the documents and title before you leave for a trip. Been there, done that. 

[John348]

Find out what state the car is currently titled or registered in, and whose name is in. Find out from your state what is paperwork is required to transfer a vehicle from that state. I know some state on offer a "bill of sale" on vehicles made prior to a certain year. Some states might question that. Ask for a photo of the VIN number and the paperwork showing that number to assure that it matches. Make sure this is all good before you even purchase the plane ticket. I have purchased several cars just on photos for under 20K and was very satisfied, and sold several as well and those buyers called to tell me they were satisfied as well

Edited September 28, 2021 by John348 (see edit history)

[1937hd45]

I'm 70 yeas old, Never had $30,000 to spend on a car, but I bought my own ticket from JetBlue, Burbank to JFK for $64.00 last month. Smoking deal, offset some of the Pebble Beach Week cost.  Bob 

[edinmass]

The above is very good advise!  Both John and Bob.

Edited September 28, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Guest]

 Beware of on line sales!!!

 

 There is a car on Facebook that is listed for $9600.

 The ad states that it is a sound car!

 One question from a reader asks "How is the floor", the answer, "needs work"

 

 I know that that car has a rusted out frame, there is no bottom of it on both sides!

 It needs a front crossmember. 

 It needs a complete floor, inc. all braces and rocker panels!

 All of the usual rot spots have been bondoed 15 years ago!

 The car had been sold for parts for $600 recently.

 BEWARE OF COMPLETE LIERS!

[TAKerry]

When I buy anything online I use a simple formula. Dont spend anymore than I want to lose!  Sorry, but I hardly trust anything online. For a big ticket item like a car, I would buy a plane ticket.  A round trip and a rental car may set you back $500-$800 or so, but to me that is a cheap insurance policy. No eyes better to look at a car than your own. You may be able to make a contact with a local club or even through the aaca forum to meet with someone familiar with the brand to add their input. A lunch and a few dollars for their time. If all is good, pay the money, secure the proper paper work and fly home. Make arrangements with someone reputable to do the shipping. There are a couple of good guys on here. Keep in mind between you and the seller that cross country transport may take some time. A good transporter will most likely be weeks to months out. Make sure the seller will store the car securely until that time, or you may have to get a local rental unit in the mean time.

 

I bought a car once from a guy in FLA. I live in MD. I mailed him a cashiers check for something like $500 to hold the deal for a week until I could get there to pick it up. This was on Monday. He called me on Tuesday and said he someone else local was interested. I was on the road Wed. by noon and picked the car up Thurs. AND when I got there he tried to up the price saying the local guy offered more than me. I was SO glad it worked out but the stress level during those few days were on the astronomical level!!

[auburnseeker]

I recently was going to buy a Hudson pickup out of state on facebook and a member here was close enough to check it out for me and get me some photos and a video.  Never had a video done before.  That's the ticket if you can't or don't want to go look at the car yourself.  I was able to scroll back and forth on the video to pick up different things that nobody noticed.  If you can get a video underneath and an complete walk around that's close enough it will answer more questions than a seller and you most likely may see things as I did others might not detect,  if you know what to look for.  The purchase didn't work out because the seller didn't want to sell it to someone that couldn't hand him the money in person.  Wish he would have mentioned that before I went through all the trouble and agony of deciding as the truck was marginally like maybe 5-10% better cosmetically but worse mechanically than mine. 

 

I've bought a few cars site unseen.  The ones I was disappointed in,  were the cars that I was not provided with the photos I wanted and would have made me decide to not buy it if they had been provided. 

Wire transfer seems to work well for both parties and I'm at the point where I call Passport or somebody like them if it's a long distance move of a simple to move car.  If you need something special or I know of a transporter headed that way I will reach out to them or put a call out on here for suggestions or offers to move.  I buy literature collections so that requires something a little different but an empty enclosed hauler headed in the right direction is a good way to get them moved. 

Also as mentioned make sure the paperwork is in order and the car has a corresponding vin that matches.   If not and you are willing to accept the risk and hassle,  make sure it's discounted accordingly if you are in a state that is easy to get it registered in.  Some are hard/ near impossible,  others are just a few simple forms. 

 

[TTR]

30+ years ago, before I got a stupid idea to open my own restoration shop, I spent 4-5 years buying, selling & brokering hundreds (close to 1000 ?) of (vintage) cars.

Many transactions were done sight unseen, involved International shipping and transfers of funds, mainly between Europe & US, but also Asia, Africa, South America, etc and with exception of maybe 1 or 2, all went quite smoothly.

Mind you that I was just a young, long haired punk with barely a middle school education, self taught in English (and couple of other non-native-to-me languages) and operating from a base +/- 6000 miles away from were I was born and raised. Oh, and didn't even have a bank account anywhere in the world.

 

But basically, if you can't inspect the car (or it's documents) in person or have them inspected by someone you explicitly trust and anything gives you a slightest uneasiness or worry, walk away.

There are tens of millions of vintage cars out there and the right one for you with easy transaction will come along. 

Edited September 28, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

Of all the tricks and lies a criminal can think up or pass along in prison none of them can fool me as much as I can fool myself. You may have heard the old saying "We have met the enemy and they are us".

 

The biggest risk is your own rose colored glasses.

 

I have heard the stories and the victims pretty much set themselves up.

[John_S_in_Penna]

On 9/27/2021 at 9:49 PM, PaulyWally said:

Not sure if I want to use uShip for a $30,000+ classic car.  Any advice or recommendations for shipping?

 

I have bought several cars from out of state, even 3000 miles

away.  Here are viable options:

 

(1)  Go see the car yourself, as others have noted.  Even an

honest seller may describe things differently from what you expect.

"The paint is very good," for example, may mean different things to him.

$500 in travel cost is worthwhile, as it may save a multi-thousand mistake.

 

(2)  Have a club member from that area look at the car and report to you.

Be sure to pay for his time and mileage.  It helps if he is knowledgeable

about, at least, the same era of car; and even better if he knows that marque

very well.  I did this once for a car in Texas that I bought;  the results were

okay but not perfect.

 

(3)  Trust the seller if he seems to be forthright, answers all your questions

directly, and provides extra specific pictures you request.  I've done this

twice, based on the character of the private seller, and been satisfied.

There's more risk this way, obviously.

 

You might tell us what car you like for $30,000.  Are you aware of actual

valuations?  A dealer may be good to deal with (some are not) but have

an asking price of double a car's actual worth.  He is a middleman in the

business for profit, and in recent years, some asking prices are ludicrous. 

If you really like the car, it may not matter to you what you pay;  but be aware.

To me, the best seller is a private party, a specialist in the type of car

you're buying, who is honest and who has cherished that car for many years.

Such a private seller will want to see the car go to a good home.

 

Forum-goers have said that most inspection companies are worthless.

Don't use them.

 

Reputable enclosed transporters are Intercity Lines and Passport Transport.

I've used both and been satisfied.  There are others.  Don't use a broker,

other forum members have found.  Some transporters aren't reliable.

 

Car ownership is fun.  Just enter the hobby with your eyes open, as you're doing.

 

Edited September 29, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[alsancle]

What is this "classic car" you are trying to buy and why do you need to go 1k miles to find one?

[joe_padavano]

3 hours ago, Roger Walling said:

 Beware of on line sales!!!

 

 BEWARE OF COMPLETE LIERS!

 

People don't have to be on-line to be complete liars. There have been many, many bogus, mis-represented cars at big name auctions, for example.

[46 woodie]

Paul, I wish I could give you an answer, but with the requirements different in every state as far as Titles/Registrations and money transfers I can't. What I do know is that one member of our local car club purchased a car sight unseen from California. His rational for not having someone inspect the car for him was "It's a California car, how bad could it be". Well, he purchased a real piece of junk that he has so far spent many, many thousands to just get the car presentable. I'm told that the bondo was over 3/4" thick in places. You might want to just step back from this purchase of the vehicle until you can get all your answers. Once the seller has your money, you will never get it back if the car is mis-represented.

Edited September 28, 2021 by 46 woodie
spelling (see edit history)

[joe_padavano]

My long-distance purchases tend to be in the $3000 range, not the $30K range. I've bought such cars with postal money orders and even paypal payments. I've trusted the seller based on receiving multiple photos, knowing what to look for, and asking follow-up questions on anything questionable. I also go out of my way to buy cars from the southwest to avoid rust issues, but even that's no guarantee. The only car I've ever been disappointed in was a 1964 Vista Cruiser from Reno, NV. The car looked very solid in all the photos, and the seller represented it as such. Once I removed the stainless trim around the roof windows, I found the rust holes. I should have checked this more thoroughly, since that's a well known rust area on those cars. Of course, it was a $4500 car, not a $45K car, and I knew full well that it needed a full resto anyway. For a $30K or $45K car, I'd buy the plane ticket.

[TTR]

2 hours ago, joe_padavano said:

 

People don't have to be on-line to be complete liars. There have been many, many bogus, mis-represented cars at big name auctions, for example.

I've been saying it for years/decades, but 9 (or more) out of 10 cars presented for sale through auctions, regardless of the house or venue, likely have enough issues/problems they'd be difficult or nearly impossible to sell (for reasonable money) directly/privately when buyer(s) have a chance for in-depth pre-purchase inspections and test-drives.

 

I couldn't tell how many buyers/owners (usually first-timers) of multi-six figure cars I've met over the years and whom have later privately admitted having had made a mistake (sometimes a huge) by buying theirs at an auction, sight unseen or without personally vouched for/properly recommended PPI (Personally, I wouldn't trust any "online appraisers/inspectors" if my life depended on it and they offered a full money back guarantee).

Edited September 28, 2021 by TTR (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

4 hours ago, alsancle said:

What is this "classic car" you are trying to buy and why do you need to go 1k miles to find one?

 

Al, from your extensive experience, you may already

know why the search is country-wide!

 

If we could find a wide array of models and colors

within our own state, we wouldn't go far afield.

But to find a scarcer model;  in an appealing color;

in excellent condition;  and at a realistic price, one may

have to scour the country.  One may have to keep

looking for a year or more.  If it just happens to be located

close to us, then we're especially happy!

 

Edited September 28, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[alsancle]

53 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

Al, from your extensive experience, you may already

know why the search is country-wide!

 

If we could find a wide array of models and colors

within our own state, we wouldn't go far afield.

But to find a scarcer model;  in an appealing color;

in excellent condition;  and at a realistic price, one may

have to scour the country.  One may have to keep

looking for a year or more.  If it just happens to be located

close to us, then we're especially happy!

 

 

John,  I agree and understand the problem well.   But I just want to confirm the OP is not looking for something garden variety that might not require the logistics of a non face to face transaction.

 

[60FlatTop]

I have been selling cheap cars all my life, a hair over $12,000 on the high end, but most in the $2,000 to $4,000 range. There are stereotypes for buyers just like there are for sellers.

I price fair to move fast and disclose most problems that are un-obvious. And the condition is what drives my price overall.

 

The greatest problems I have encountered is with buyers who saw the price and thought they were stealing the car. "I wouldn't buy a car unless I can steal it." is a very common type of buyer. Another is the type who is absolutely driven to pay less than asking price no matter what the price may be. One subgroup will come back looking for their money back, another subspecies wants a partial refund.

When I was selling automotive collectibles often on Ebay there was one county where it was frequent to get a request for "some" money back. They would never accept a full refund and return, just part of the money. I quit selling to that whole country, it was so common.

 

When you are in Hershey next week have a little fun and spot personalities (If you can get through the mass of four door trucks with over sized camper and find the car spaces).

 

One year I came around a corner to see one guy, I doubt he had over 100 red corpuscles in his whole body. He was sitting on a metal folding chair that I bet was "accidentally" left on his truck after a church outing. I think he was at my house once trying to buy a headlight bucket. He had that look where I knew he wanted to teach me something the hard way.

 

As a casual hobby seller I don't trust the buyers. I sold a part for $180 ten days ago. Each time I have changed my pants I put it in the fresh pocket just in case the part shows up. Maybe today I will fold it in with my walking around cash roll. Well, maybe Monday.

 

You know, it is a share the word conniver feel out of common use. So many opportunities to use it.