Purchasing a vehicle without seeing in person

Like a bad fart!

 

Wonder if a video complete with sound over every inch of the car would help.

But then it takes away from the whole buying experience if you don't see it first. And if you think the flight from NV to FL is too much - how do you plan to get the '51 across the country....

 

Then there are the others that call about a car for sale and are too far to come and look. Suspect they are dealers as they immediately start grinding on you and offer way less than the asking price and want to make a deposit to hold it until they make arrangements and are really pushy--they haven't even seen the car !! Politely tell them DO NOT CALL BACK and ignore any future calls from them.

 

Yes I have with good result- pictures will always look better than in person-

 

Happens all the time, usually followed by
a thread here whining about how they got ripped off.

 

I bought one from pictures. The guy didn't tell me the pictures were 12 years old and the car had been rearended and put in a shed. the shed fell in on it. Pictures don't lie but assholes do.

 

I did, and actually talked to the guy and saw a lot of pics, plus heard the car run. Was still a little disappointed, because the pics only show so much, and what is nice to the owner, might not be quite so nice to you. How many cars have you seen at a car show where the guy is just bragging about how great it is, and you can sit there and pick it apart. I suppose the best way is always expect less than what you see in the pictures. Then you will be less disappointed.

 

I've bought several... two that were far from as described... one that I walked away from after driving 600 miles one way. I would have walked away from the other as well, but I had it shipped to me. Both were in/from Michigan.

I won't buy anymore sight unseen unless I can look at them myself or know someone in the area that can look at it for me.

I have gotten some that were decent and I was happy with though.

I went to NJ and traded a hamb member cars a couple years ago and was happy.


Dave

 

I used to hang out on the ebay motors discussion board when I was selling parts. seems like every other day some guy would post about some car he bought that wasn't what he expected and what could he do about it. I remember one where the guy showed photos from the ad where he photoshopped out the dirt and rips from the seats in the interior.

I did a little work on a 63 Impala that would be a great car to sell to someone who could not see it. nice chrome, smooth shiney paint and nice white interior. car must have been hit and twisted at one point in it's life as the door gaps were all askew to the point that there was no way to fit them right without surgury. there was bondo in spots 2" thick under the shiney paint. the inside of the trunk looked like a playdoh fun factory with bondo oozing out slide hammer holes.

which brings up the thought of having someone else look at it.. I'm sure there would be plenty of people on here that would think the car was nice... where to me it needed to be stripped to bare metal and all the body and paint redone.

I'll never buy a car sight unseen unless it is selling for pennies on the dollar and a major project to begin with.

 

Bought a 55 Chevy truck from a preacher in Fla Boy is he going to hell
Bought a 55 GMC from a guy in Missouri Just what he said it was Still have it
Bought a 32 5 window from Cali well let's say I got my monies worth Guy said he'd make it right soon. I think he will.
Bought a BMW convertible from SC Better than she said it was AND had it serviced before she shipped it WOW

Just be careful or check it out...................It's a roll of the dice

 

X2 on cryobug's post. I actually paid an L.A.-based HAMBer to check out a car for me for a hundred bucks. But even then, I flew out from TX before the deal got done just to make sure I understood what I was walking into. The car checked out and I arranged shipping. If you're spending some real dough, it's the only way to go, as far as I'm concerned. Unless it's a beater project. Then some decent photos and an impartial HAMBer is a good insurance policy. Best of luck.

 

If I did go with this deal I was planning on hiring a trucking company to haul it to Vegas.

 

No way...

 

I have to say I bought 2 vehicles on line, and sold two online. First one was a 65 Coronet that I bought off a mopar forum, hired an appraiser to view it $200 I think, and it was better than I expected to be by quite a bit. Sold a 69 Dart race car/pro street of bay purchaser unseen, guy from NY, he was very happy with his purchase when he came down to fl. to pick it up. Sold my hi buck 65 Coronet Hemi on e bay to a guy from New Zealand, have not heard back from him. Bought a 64 Ford Fairlane 500 hardtop off ebay from ohio. Upon arrival it was a lot better than I expected. Talked with owner at length, and had good pics. Guess I've been lucky. I have driven up to 600 miles towing trailer to look at possible purchases, and walked away. So I guess it's a crap shoot. Still got to go with gut instinct.

 

It's a crap shoot. You might win and you might not. Remember cars and people always look better in pictures than they actually are. Especially after a few beers.


Ken

 

I'm the next city over from j-ville Fl.....but work there part of the month.

Send me a PM.....and hell....send me a pic, I may know the car already....I'm willing to look at it if your willing to work around my nutty schedule.

I don't know what kinda car this is (IE project, driver or alleged show car) but I will warn you....I haven't found a single project in Fl that I would buy due to the cancer from the coast....

 

Honestly. I have never had anything good come of this!!!

 

Yes and no.

Many years ago I found a car on eBay that was local. I bid without seeing - it sold cheap. But I had seen the car. Like a year or two before, parked in a field, while out driving, saw it, stopped, checked it out. Might have belonged to someone else at the time. But no question it was the same car, the 1967 low # plates gave it away.

Thing was never I looked under it.

So I load it on the trailer to haul back and the unibody frame rails in the car were full of rot holes. Well, crap.

On the bright side, I've had it so long scrap is up enough I can make money on it even after the fuel to bring it back. And I sold the plates for about 1/4 of what I paid for the car in the first place.

 

X 10 don't trust any collector car dealer, after all they are selling used cars just like that guy in town with the bad toupe and his shirt don't fit, either look at it or pay a reputable inspector

 

I almost bought one sight unseen. Wised up and went to see a POS. It would have been one of the mistakes I ever made. Go see it or forget it.

 

I've bought a number of projects sight unseen. A couple without even seeing pictures, just talking with the guy on the phone. But I never spend more what I figure they are worth if they are a POS. Having a third party look for you can be a crapshoot. What they think of as fine might be a pos to you, or it could be the other way around. I did buy my OT crew cab dually off Craigslist on the basis of pictures and talking to the guy on the phone. I flew to Phoenix, he picked me up at the airport, picked up the truck and drove back to Mi. left Phoenix Wed afternoon and was back home Fri. night, trouble free. Still have the truck and am very satisfied

 

A good friend of mine recently bought an old truck online. It was represented as beautiful recent restoration, needing nothing. The photos of it looked good, but I warned him to go look at it before committing to it and sending good money for it and having it shipped. When it arrived, he found that it was a mess. Lots of bondo, ratty frame with broken shock mounts, farmer welds on the frame, rough torched out cross-member, motor mounts made of scrap steel, different engine than advertised, nothing in the electrical system works, door hinge pockets rusted out.....and those were the GOOD features. He learned his lesson the hard and expensive way. Shame, he was warned.

 

Did it three times...

First time was ok...a little rougher than what I was expecting, but overall not a bad deal.

Second time, he should have kissed me first, 'cause I got F*UCKED when the truck arrived. '57 Chevy 3100 that looked decent in the pics, but when it go there, competely rotted floors, bondo'd cab corners, rot in the windshield eyebrow, non-functioning electrical system, doors flexed 3" when you lifted them. I immediately re-sold it, but told the buyer about the defects, and he was happy when he got the truck.

Third time, got about 60 pics, looked good, 8 hours away. Told the guy I'd buy it for cash if it was as advertised, and it was...Not perfect, mind you, but no surprises.

Sold a '51 Fleetline to a guy in Norway...sent him about 30 pics, told him about the defects. It was a solid car, but not perfect. He was happy.

Ask SPECIFIC questions...ask to see pics...Pay for an inspection.

Expect to have SOME disappointments, you always will.

Chris

 

No way ! I trusted the word of two friends that this car was OK and it turned out to be a rust bucket. I have the new floors and rockers in the shop and just am waiting for the seller to show for the GNRS to show him how wrong he was. I doubt our friendship will continue over a few thousand dollars worth of work to get what was mis-represented in the first place. Barnfind survivor--yeah buddy!

 

i have twice,both from guys in their 80's,first was the original owner of my 67 impala and the second was my 39 ford coupe from an old farmer in IL,granted i sent them dep for $500 each time and went to haul them back myself a week later....both cars were exactly as they described in fact the 39 was way better than described

 

For us living far away from the USA it is common to buy cars by pics only and overpay everything with all the costs to get those home.

I have bought several total project cars with some pics and only one was better than I expected.
I have no complaint on the worse cars because it really doesn't matter me much if I have to weld some more than I thought by pics and mechanically these have to be torn down and get repaired anyway.
IMO many of the nice looking and told to be good cars for sale are often those that should be seen and tested in person. What's under paint, driveability etc.

 

My 26 RPU looked much better in the pics, i was a bit pissed when it arrived and had a good look. Some very strange engineering done in Utah two or so owners ago,nearly sorted now. JW

 

And the sellers frequently our-right lie.

Or if they don't they at least conveniently (for them), skip the truth...

 

got 3 sight on seen 65 vette 56 t bird 36 cabriolet all outstanding more than outstanding talked to all the everyone that did the work the owners were more than happy to give me there info all turned out great.
i THINK IF YOU DO JUST A LITTLE DIGGING PEOPLE ARE HONEST I MAY BE A LITTLE SILLY THINKING THIS BUT A FEW PHONE CALLS AND YOU CAN TELL

 

I got plenty like that and you know some you do ok and some you might as well use them as planters hahaha