Buying a used car on Ebay. (1 Viewer)

[Philip_T]

Has anyone ever purchased a used car through Ebay before? I'm thinking about it but wanted to know if there was anything in particular to beware of or what to expect at the transaction level and after purchase (ie, titlework, taxes, etc.) I'e only had experience at the car dealerships and none with private parties. TIA for any assistance.

Phil

 

[Andy Hardin]

I've bought and sold cars on Ebay before. As for buying, have all of your questions answered before bidding. Make sure that there is some out if you get there, and the car isn't as described. Most honest sellers trying to move a decent car won't have a problem with that. The last car I sold, I required a $100 nonrefundable deposit 3 days after, $1000 in a week, and balance on pickup. I said in the add that if you get there and the car isn't as described, I keep the $100 for my time, you get your $1000 back, and we walk away.

Other than that, simple common sense. I look for honesty in the listings, and prefer the ones where they list the major or minor problems. Don't bid on the "its got 150K, but the interior is still like the day it left the showroom". Odds are, the interior looks like crap and the engine is about to fall out.

Watch the feedback, and there are many dealerships selling on there as well, that's not a bad thing. You can get a deal if you look hard and have some discipline to not overbid.

Good Luck!

 

[Philip_T]

Andy,
Thanks for the response. Many good points there. The sellers auction appears to be legit and honest. I have emailed him some questions and hope to hear from him soon. The car is a couple of states away from me so either I would need to fly out there and inspect it before giving him the balance or pay the balance, have it shipped and hope for the best. Id rather inspect it 1st. He is in clear possession of the car and has the title. Is there anything special that needs to be done with the title? Like, does he need to sign it over? Do I pay the taxes? or does he? (I would imagine I would). Like I said, Ive never dealt with a private party for a car so this is all new to me. Thanks again.

Phil

 

[Tim Markley]

I purchased my 2000 Corvette off of Ebay. Andy covered the basics of what you need to do real well. The main point is to be 100% sure of what it is that you're buying.

The buyer always pays the taxes (paid to your local DMV when registering the vehicle) so you need to factor that in. I would definitely call the seller first before bidding on the vehicle. You can tell alot about a person just by talking to them over the phone. If you're suspicious about anything at all, don't bid. You'll find another vehicle. You also might want to consider having the car inspected before you purchase it. There's links right on the Ebay site for companies that do the inspections.

My Corvette came from FL and I live in CA. I bought it from a car broker and saved at least $5k over what a similar vehicle would've cost me in CA. I think that Ebay is a great place to purchase a vehicle.

 

[Shawn C]

As a matter of fact, I just purchased a car off of EBay this past Monday. I bought a 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe. Anyways, the car was local which made things alot easier. I went and saw the car, made an offer, and bought it on site. The seller just ended the auction early.

I know that if I had the auction continue, the price would have been more than I gave him for the car.

I know this isn't much help, but....nevermind..

 

[Eric_L]

Watch the buyers you are bidding against. I sold a car on ebay and had the good fortune to have one bidder notify me of the bad feedback on the highest bidders profile - They had failed to pay before on a car auction. I suspect it was someone trying to spike my auction - either out of spite or in order to try to negotiate a lwer price after the close of the auction.

Anyway, with 30 minutes left to go I deleted their bid and blocked them. It dropped my price $1000, but it went back up to within $100 by close. The winning bidder was a wonderful person who I wish lived closer. Unfortunately, the whistleblower was outbid...:frowning: but still appreciated. (never heard from the spiker - either before or since)

 

[Joey_N]

I bought my current car (95 Acura Integra) from Ebay last July.

Since I'm fortunate to live in a large metro city (Philly), I focused my searches to those auctions originating from the Philly area.

When I saw the Acura thread, I sent a question to the seller asking to checkout/preview the car in person. They lived about 30 minutes away from me, so it wasn't a big issue.

When I saw it, it was in very good condition w/ all service records available. Based on the bidding at the time (bidding was still quite low compared to avg. private seller prices, think peeps were lining up to do the "bid at the last minute" tactic), I made an offer after the test drive that convinced them to close the auction right then & there. Went to AAA to complete the sale the next day.

This method is obviously limited to if you're lucky to live somewhat near the actual seller, but it worked for me

 

[DavidAM]

I bought a car on ebay about a month ago. It came from a dealer in Atlanta and they took care of everything. I flew up and drove it home. They did my financing and bent over backwards to make me happy. Just buy from a reputable seller and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[Philip_T]

Thanks again for the response guys. Well I went ahead and did it. I bought an Audi A4 from out of state and I am flying out tomorrow to pick it up. I've talked to the seller quite a bit over the phone and he seems like good guy. So far everything has gone very smooth. He even promised that if I got out there and did not like the car, he would not only refund my deposit, but pay for airfare home. From the pictures I've seen of the car though, he wont't need to do that. Just wanted to thank everyone for sharing their experiences and advise to help me take the plunge.

Phil

 

[Philip_G]

Good luck!
weird, Philip_T and Philip_G, both in denver.

 

[Philip_T]

weird, Philip_T and Philip_G, both in denver.

Even weirder, My last actually does start with G, but since that was taken, I used my middle initial.

 

[Tim Morton]

Great topic guys!!! I am going to be buying a car on ebay this month, because i live in a rural part of vermont and I am looking for a Saab 9-3 convertible. They are very hard to find here on the used market and when they are avilable they are going for a premium. 96 with 60k on it sold last week for 16,500.00. Its a little scary, but its great to hear not a single bad experience here. I did check on del;ivery charges a couple days ago on a car I was looking at. From Nashville to Vermont was 900 bucks, so flying down and driving back is the way to go.

 

[Philip_G]

haha, MY TWIN!