Buying a car off of Ebay?

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

Has anyone done this before? I have been considering doing that since the used car market around here just sucks. Just wanna hear some of the experiences people have went through before I make a decision.

[Cerwin Vega Fan]

One more thing I should clarify is that this would be for long distance buying. Basically buy the car and have it shipped to me. If I could drive out and test drive the car myself I would not be worried but using E-bay for long distance purchases makes me nervous. But on the other hand people do it everyday and are happy with the results.

[tclelland]

I have not done it yet, but also have considered it and someday probably will. I would see if someone local to the seller could take a look at the car for you. Maybe someone from the board lives close by....or knows someone who does. That way you could get a non bias opinion before you buy. At least run the VIN through a service such as Carfax. Also consider other online options such as AutoTrader.com

I was close to buying a T/A in Houston, TX when my wife found my current T/A at a local Ford dealer less that a mile from my house. The guy traded it on a then new '03 Mustang GT. I wonder if he wants to race

Best of luck on your decision!

[ExtinctBird]

I bought a car 600 miles away on eBay. I went to pick up the car after the auction. It was only a $2000 87 Formula, so I could pretty much tell from the pictures and the seller's feedback that the car was worth that much. I'd probably only consider long distance buying if I was looking for a specific/special vehicle. The one I bought was exactly like one I owned years ago.

[TraceZ]

I purchased my Camaro and my Oldsmobile on Ebay, long distance, sight unseen.

Try finding a LT1 6-speed vert with less than 60,000 miles on it locally.
There were only a half-dozen for sale in the country at any given time.

The pictures in the auction looked great. The seller was honest about a few problems the car had. The price was well below book. Carfax checked out so I jumped on it. It needed tires, intake gaskets, a clutch, foglights and a few other little things to be perfect. I'm pretty happy with it. I would repeat the purchase if I had the chance. Shipping from Texas was $550.

My Oldsmobile was a local trade at a NC Lexus dealer on a brand new Lexus. Once again the pictures looked great, it only had 46,000 miles on it, carfax checked out and I got it for thousands under book. I paid $3,400 for a car that booked at $6,500. I had to pay shipping from North Carolina which came to $700.

I'm really happy with both my Ebay cars. For as cheap as I got them, I could afford to fix any little problems they had. I'm exceedingly pleased with the oldsmobile. It is perfect! I havent had to do a thing to it, and it looks ans drives like new. Not bad for $3400. I feel like I stole the thing. The key is to get tons of high quality, high resolution photos of the car. Get them taken of the seat bolsters, the carpets, the body panels, the motor, the rims... and also get one of the guages at full operating temp showing the oil pressure. Also make sure you run a carfax. And be sure you are picky about who shipps it. Check the shipping company out well, and have the car fully insured before it is shipped even if the shipper claims they have full coverage.

[Copernicus]

Well my brother and I sold our 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX and 1995 Eagle Talon Tsi both on eBay with great results as well as purchased our current 1996 Z28 from a great seller located in Modesto with no hassle at all. I would just say take your time, read what other users have had to say about this seller and most importantly trust your gut. Good luck!