What’s the furthest you’ve traveled to purchase/test drive a car?
Posted by Indigenousboy420@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 64 comments
Thought about traveling a state or two away to test drive a Mercedes because I can’t find the right spec in my state.
RemoteVersion838@reddit
I flew 1480km to buy a car then drive it back. I was quite sure I was going to buy it based on what I saw online and after talking to the owner
wmhaynes@reddit
SC to Chicago to get a Volvo XC90 when they were just released. They were pretty rare for at first.
Naught2day@reddit
Maybe 50 miles or so. I did buy one over the phone and had it shipped to me. That one was 1400 miles away.
RingOk664@reddit
SoCal to Sacramento.
NoWastegate@reddit
Last 3 cars I bought sight unseen other than online photos and description. One I picked up the other two I had shipped to me.
SyntheticOne@reddit
About a 1,000 miles. A few times now.
I likely would not do it for a private party sale as established dealerships are usually more reliable at holding the car after paying a deposit then flying in.
I look at it as an adventure/mini-vacation during the flight out and the drive back.
Confident_Chipmonk@reddit
Charlotte to Long Island 634 miles
___GRUMPY___@reddit
Drove a couple hundred miles to buy an old truck.
ms_merry@reddit
Chicago to Madison, WI. I must have had a rental that I dropped there, because I bought it. My previous car had been totaled. Scary that I can’t remember exactly how I pulled it off in 2011.
Outside_Bicycle_1387@reddit
A little over 800 miles (one way) - NJ to KY for my 2015 SS that I won on Cars & Bids
TheGeek00@reddit
I traveled an hour to buy a used Accord. I made the mistake of telling the salesman this beforehand and he tried to rush me into a sale at asking price (it wasn’t worth asking). Had to walk away. Bummer, but necessary.
80s-quicksand@reddit
I drove 450 miles each way to buy a Saab TurboX Combi (station wagon). It was a semi low production car. Only 500 wagons came to the US. They made about 300 HP from the factory. It had been chipped and was producing 400hp. I love Saabs, I love high horsepower and I love wagons. How could I say no?
It was loud as fuck, fast as fuck and pretty as fuck. It’s a shame Saab went under and parts became unobtainium.
coastalneer@reddit
800 miles
Wanted a specific trim/color that was rare. There were two down there.
Flew in, bought it, drove home that night.
Auslander808@reddit
I always just search nationwide for a vehicle with the options I want. I usually start with an area that has more than just a single unit I'm interested in. Last one I flew in from Rapid City, Sd to Travis City, MI. The one before that was flying from St Louis, MO to Dallas, TX. Also bought a motororcyle from NY while living in Miami, FL.
Steffiluren@reddit
Roughly 500km twice. Flew from Bergen to Oslo (Norway) in the morning, test drove and bought both cars and then had a scenic drive across the mountains back home. My favourite weekend activity.
ZTH-Yankee@reddit
4 hours from central PA to central CT for a 1 owner, unmodified 2014 Mustang GT.
IDPotatoFarmer@reddit
Flew from Phoenix to Milwaukee to buy a 2022 Supra, sight unseen, from a private seller...then drove it home
Sargent_Supernova@reddit
I bought an R8 from LA while living in PA.
I was looking for a while, then this car came on the market and I knew it would not last. Put a deposit down on a Friday afternoon. Could not decide if I needed to go see/drive in person and therefore could not sleep. At 1am Saturday I bought a flight for 8am the same day. Saw, test drove it, bought it and shipped it home.
Worth-Salamander-836@reddit
Just drove 4.5 hours to check out and buy a new car a couple of days ago
PollutionOld9327@reddit
Over the years I've purchased two different cars over the phone, then flew out and drove them home.
In 1999 I flew from Denver CO to Las Vegas because that's where the car I wanted was. New off the Dealers lot. No one around me had the spec I wanted. A Black C5 Corvette Coupe fully loaded with a stick.
In early 2016 I ordered a new C7 Corvette Cyber Grey ZO6 ZO7 3LZ Coupe from my local Dealership, they screwed up the order and delayed the "delivery date" 3 times. I finally got tired of them screwing around, canceled that order and hit the computer. I found the exact spec (color, options) at a Dealership just south of LA, CA. I bought it on the phone, flew down the next day. A dude that works at the Dealership picked me up at the airport. Ii took all of 15 minutes of paperwork signing and I was off. I enjoyed the ride home, all 950 miles of it.
EC_CO@reddit
Flew to TX to drive my Challenger home to CO. Awesome experience, 10/10 would do it again
noah_fechts@reddit
When I lived in Boston flew down to Atlanta to see what looked like a genuine Abarth 595SS. Unfortunately, it was a replica someone tried very hard to look like the real thing so ended up not buying it.
AgentAaron@reddit
Drove with a friend from Albuquerque NM to San Diego CA for her to buy a MKIV Supra.
advmaxx@reddit
720ish miles. Flew to West Palm Beach, bought a 2010 CTS Sport Wagon and drove it back to Alabama.
VW-MB-AMC@reddit
Around 400 km / 250 miles.
uwiggly100@reddit
Farthest.
lunchbox651@reddit
I've currently only done a 7hr drive (each way).
My next car may be a fly interstate and drive 20+hrs home.
NYOB4321@reddit
5 hours
BoxBoxBox888@reddit
Found the M3 spec I wanted in Indiana. I'm in SF.
My kids named it Jones
rudbri93@reddit
I drove 5hrs to see a car that was totally thrashed. Nothing like the ad or how it had been described. Buuuut i did find another car on the way home i ended up buying.
bfjt4yt877rjrh4yry@reddit
I also did a 5-hour drive for a rust-free rust bucket. A month later I found the car I wanted and it was 8 hours away and totally worth the trip
Viking2151@reddit
Well I mean I technically traveled over 2100 miles to buy mine..... I live in Ohio and I drive a rental to Arizona to pick it up, was a 92 c1500 Silverado with 320,00 miles on it.
But it wasn't just for the vehicle though, I got family I wanted to stay with for a while, In fact I planned it out, I talked to this older gentleman that was near my moms place and the entire idea was to buy this thing and take to my moms and fix it enough and trailer it back home to Ohio with a U-Haul.
Well the day came to go look at it and pay this man for the truck, he said it ran and hes moved it around the yard and that was it, I guess his buddy owned it and he passed away and say in probate for like 3 years, he didn't want it, too old for him. I brought my sisters boy friend with his truck and trailer as I thought I was just going to trailer it back, I drove it around the block and it did run like crap at like 20 - 30mph, I unplugged the EGR vacuum hose and it ran great, I ended up driving down rt10 from Phoenix to just outside of Eloy, did great at highway speed.
Of course I drove it around Arizona to places for the 2 months I was there, just to make sure. It had no thermostat so I put one it because it was spring and some places on the way home were going to be in the 30s, so I wanted heat. Anyway It made it back to Ohio with vary little issues, I did blow a spinal bearing out in Kansas, changed out the spindle and bearings on both sides on the side of the road with a sludge hammer and some long piece of metal that was on the side of this abandoned building lol.
That was in 2016, I still own that truck, I got the interior torn out to replace it all, I added c2500 leafs under it and 4.11 gear, still stock height, don't plan to lift it, Still need to do body work on it, bed side has a dent and I covered bare metal spots with paint for the one winter. Last summer I threw in a timing chain cam and lifters, and I threw on a used but good super charger, and did some headers and stuff. Idk how much power it makes now, but its more than the 200hp it use to have, The truck had 495,000 ish miles on it now.
Since I can't upload a picture, got a picture of it, this was last year before I did the engine work. https://prnt.sc/7TLAtb2mLbJ5
Sad_Win_4105@reddit
I went from Chicago about 150-175 miles into Wisconsin to see a motorcycle on ebay, tested it, then successfully bid and returned a week later to ride it home.
hatred-shapped@reddit
Flew to Malaysia to visit in-laws and I bought a used car because it was cheaper than renting a car for three months
Lower_Pangolin3891@reddit
Minneapolis to Las Vegas
51line_baccer@reddit
About 2 hrs. 2023 tacoma I currently own.
jojowasher@reddit
I bought a 1984 VW GTI on ebay for $400, didnt think it would go that cheap, it was about 6 hours away, turns out it was a piece of crap
grod1227@reddit
2760km. Flew from Canada to Anaheim and drove it back with a friend. Took 27.5 hrs with only gas breaks. Slept solid for a couple days after.
DonkeyImpossible316@reddit
San diego to Houston....2x. Drove it home..
FlatSixFun@reddit
In 1998, a friend and I flew from Maine to Florida to buy a car off an internet rando and then drive it back to Maine. We did the transaction in a parking lot at night, it was pretty sketchy. The car was a Saab 900 Turbo SPG convertible. He drove it for a few years before upgrading to a 93 Aero.
ScaryfatkidGT@reddit
I drove 3.5h for a broken ass motorcycle that I drove back on cracked ass tires…
bavile2002@reddit
I bought a car 1200 miles away just last month.
seanx50@reddit
35 minutes. Because my ex stepdad worked at the dealer.
PowerSpool@reddit
8 hours Ohio to NC for my speed3. I was just happy I didn't have to go as far as I thought for a rust free mazda lmfao. I started my search for cars all the way in Texas and California
i-eat-coochie@reddit
To Denver from Knoxville
Dirty_Butler@reddit
I drove from Portland to Montana to pick up a truck. Saved over 10k and still have it. It was a fun test drive in the snow.
GetawayDriving@reddit
Bought my last car 1000 miles away. Car before that 1500. Have flown all over the country to kick the tires on cars, from Chicago to Irvine to Sioux City to New Haven.
mattkime@reddit
Drove about 1000 miles round trip but I had a list of 3-5 cars I wanted to look at. It was hard work but I found what I wanted at a good price.
Brainfewd@reddit
I’ve traveled multiple states away a few times to buy stuff. But it’s usually vintage stuff. I’m in NY and I’ve bought from MI, OH, PA, MA, NJ, WV and probably more. Multiples from a few of those.
Hell I helped someone ship a car from NJ to California, and had an empty trailer coming home so I bought a car there and brought it with me back to NY. So I guess that’s the farthest lol.
Zonda1996@reddit
Bought my 2nd car sight unseen off the web. Flew 700km and drove it home.
7eregrine@reddit
45 minutes
Rare-Bet-870@reddit
North Texas bought a truck in Kansas
MattTheMechan1c@reddit
I’m from Canada. Bought a 2002 Mercedes from New York once. It only had 30,000 miles on it as it was parked for most if it’s life, literal time capsule as it had casettes and 9/11 Memorial stickers on it.
adjusterjackc@reddit
Within my state is my limit. Preferably a couple of hours each way.
Though I did accompany my friend on a drive to San Francisco from Phoenix to trailer a car back. But he already was familiar with the car and the seller.
I wouldn't go out of state for myself. Just not worth it to me.
Choppersled@reddit
1100 miles one way for one, 700 miles one way for another.
aWesterner014@reddit
Ninety miles (one way).
The closest Honda dealer refused to work with me on a price, so I emailed the Honda dealers in the next towns over. The one to the east (40 miles away) wasn't very helpful. The one to west (90 miles) was more than happy to meet the numbers I was wanting to see.
Drove over one weekend to sign the papers and then the next weekend to take delivery. So I guess the real number was 360 miles.
birdpix@reddit
100 mile circle when we look. A 90 minute drive to nearest larger metro area.
RealPin7537@reddit
If it’s a rare combo of trim, color, or options, going a state or two away isn’t that unusual.
PharthSharth@reddit
50 minutes
corporaterebel@reddit
2300 miles. Best thing I ever did, met so many good people and had a lot of fun with perfect strangers.
Galopigos@reddit
1500 a few times. Buying vehicles from no rust states.
frankcommon@reddit
2000 miles for a motorcycle - flew there paid the man, rode it back through the Rocky Mountains and a terrible hail storm hahaha - the story and bike are still with me to this day, she is just nicer after I pulled off all the crap the other dude put on it. Vehicle - approximately 800 miles. Both used though, I never buy new. Get the car you want not “close enough” it is worth it if you get your smiles per gallon - it’s a depreciating asset that needs to offset with the joy of the ride. Hope you find it!
Bubbly-Pirate-3311@reddit
To Seattle from Denver with my dad to pick up his project car at the time.
frenchsquared@reddit
1800 miles. Ive done it twice. Gone 1500 miles a few more times. I rather picky. Im fine traveling for the price and options I want.