Buying a car sight unseen from private seller

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fridgemadness@reddit

I bought a '97 F350 from auction. The pics in the auction showed a nice looking truck with a decent interior. Spoke with the seller and was told he'd just returned from a 3000 mile round trip in it. When I got the truck, I learned not to really trust the small low rez pics on an online listing. The truck had been repainted, (not a heart breaker) but the worst was the interior. They had painted the dash, door panels and even the fabric seats! The seats looked ok, but felt, well, painted. The paint on the dash and doors immediately started peeling. you take a big risk.... so don't expect a great deal.

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Marshall_Lawson@reddit

i know a few people who have done this and they get burned every fucking time

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trivletrav@reddit

Me as well! Haha. Couldn’t resist a suspiciously low priced first gen 4runner. The burn was bad, but the rust is worse lol

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1989toy4wd@reddit

I got lucky with mine. I had cash and drove 6 hours to see it. Bought it on the spot, rust free, California and Texas truck!

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pitchingataint@reddit

Undisclosed rust issues is inexcusable. People suck. I get embellishing the condition of the car a little bit to get more out of the car …but selling a car as if it’s in excellent condition with a floorboard perforated with rust holes should be a crime.

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Erection_unrelated@reddit

As soon as you said 4Runner, it had to be rust.

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trivletrav@reddit

It was always rust 🧑‍🚀🔫

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istrerbunny@reddit

You can add me to that list. Bought a JCW Mini from FL. I'm a car guy, built a few engines in my time, I can fix stuff. Car looks good in pics. I spoke directly with the seller, seems like a reasonable dude. How bad could it be? As soon as I got it off the trailer and the trucker drove off, the rear hatch randomly opened itself. Remote didn't work. One of the headlights was held up by folded-up newspaper painted black to match the body, if that tells you anything. One fender was held on by 2 total screws. EVERY single ball joint was bad. Front bumper was held on by drywall screws (3). Turbo and rad both leaked from an obvious front drivers side collision. Bad repaint that was still curing when it was delivered to me. Seller wouldn't answer the phone. The car only had \~40k miles, so I sunk about another 4-5k in it determined to get it right, b/c "I was a guy". It was a nightmare. Finally got fed up and found a dealer that would take it on trade on a new GTI.  Never. Again. Don't do it if you can't see it in person. Peace of mind is worth the plane ticket.

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Marshall_Lawson@reddit

Jeez. How much did you pay for it?

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TweeksTurbos@reddit

The only reason I did this was the car was exactly what i wanted at $600.

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Thommyknocker@reddit

Nope just nope put eyes on it and under it before cash changes hands. I'm to the point where I bring a screwdriver to poke, pry, and scrape at shit.

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_rhenry01@reddit

P-l-e-a-s-e ... Let's be real here. It's a 6 hour drive. If you are that tight on time you damn sure don't have time for a project car.

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notadoktor@reddit (OP)

I’ve got a 4 year old and a 1 year old and my wife isn’t keen on having to watch them for the entire day while I go buy another truck. Have to pick my battles.

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truckerslife@reddit

Take the wife and kids with you. Leave out early or the night before, bring a few activities for the kids. Have a meal and an activity planned after looking at the vehicle.

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turbols3@reddit

If your wife isn’t going to let you be gone for a day you’ll never have time for this vehicle. It also seems crazy to be she can’t spend d a day with your kids so you can avoid a huge risky situation and go get this yourself.

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repsol93@reddit

How much money are you and your wife prepared to lose? This is the real question. A day of taking care of your semen demons alone to avoid potentially throwing thousands down the drain seems like a good compromise to me, but maybe that's just me?

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frsbrzgti@reddit

You don’t need the car then. Spend time with the kids and wife.

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truckerslife@reddit

I would not do this. There are so many easy ways they could scam you out of your money and you would have little to no legal recourse

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point50tracer@reddit

Do not send the title with the person shipping the car. It'd be awfully easy for them just to fill in their name and you just bought them a car.

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Oh_hey_a_TAA@reddit

Over the last 20 years I've bought cars sight unseen 6 times, got fucked once and lost $3k, the other 5 showed up and of those five only 1 was a great disappointment (specific frame rot on an otherwise very clean car). It depends entirely on your risk acceptance level, and due a little bit of die diligence such as buy through a forum or platform that you know or communicate extensively with the seller and walk away if it doesn't feel or sound right, etc etc.

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sqchauvskin@reddit

I’m in Washington (seattle) and I’d be happy to check it out for yiu

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SeaninSd@reddit

My dad and I have both bought cars sight unseen multiple times. Only one time it was misrepresented and the owner simply didn’t know. Bottom line is buy the seller, not the car. Get a very good idea of the type of person the seller is. If I don’t like someone, I’m not buying from them. IDC how good of a deal it is. Titles can be transferred via mail. Purchase via check in the mail or wire transfer. Shipping is easy. Mechanic - up to you. I’ve never consulted a mechanic before buying a car. The seller and the condition and paperwork along with lots of research should give you an idea of what to expect

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SomeSydneyBloke@reddit

I bought a car sight unseen from an interstate private seller. Ok, the car was only 5 years old and maintained at the dealer with only 82k kms. I asked for an independent PPI and pending the result, I transferred a holding deposit, flew to Melbourne early morning, handed over the bank cheque for the balance and drove 14h home the same day. I had a good experience so it's not always doom and gloom (though it often is).

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Joecantrell@reddit

This is a slippery issue. I purchased a car via BringaTrailer a year ago. A “well sorted” car. Lots of pictures on BaT and comments from others. There is no buyer protection on BaT. So, their suggestion is have buyer send you photo of signed title immediately and send you via overnight mail bill of sale and title. The seller protection is your certified check or bank transfer to buyer - we did a wire transfer. Obviously, a lot of trust has to occur. My purchase was during a hurricane event so I had buyer send additional pictures. Shipper picked up the car and when he was unloading from the trailer commented the emergency brake didn’t work. As I signed for the car it stalled out - we had left it idling. I couldn’t restart the car and ended up pushing it home. In the year I have had it I’ve driven it 4 times and have broken down each time. It is currently in my garage on jack stands as I am working through issues. I paid $17k for the car and $1500 for shipping in enclosed trailer. It is wise to find a local PPI inspector to check over the car. Some of the PPI shops will act as agent for the buyer. Shipper is your representative but only in regards to getting car from seller to you. Many shippers don’t want to deal with a bunch of parts so make sure with shipper. Good luck.

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GreasyDesigner@reddit

What car was it if you don’t mind answering?

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Joecantrell@reddit

1974 BMW 2002 base model coupe. 4 speed manual, no AC

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GreasyDesigner@reddit

I was going to guess a vintage Mercedes. Good luck with your project, I hope you get it running smoothly. It’s a really sweet looking car! I’ve got a 1992 Miata, 5 speed, no AC or power steering. Drove about 4 hours each way to pick it up. Really not a bad or long trip. The peace of mind you get by checking it out in person is well worth the afternoon you’re going to lose, OP.

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YagerD@reddit

Where in wa is it located?

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notadoktor@reddit (OP)

Elk

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Powerman913717@reddit

I did this about 6 months ago... Washington State shipped to Virginia. It's been an absolute disaster. 10/10 would not recommend. Fly out and see the vehicle yourself or don't bother at all and find something local.

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Alone_Tear9329@reddit

Don't

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uglyugly1@reddit

I bought one from a dealer out of state. Looked pretty nice in the pics. I sent Lemon Squad to look at it and their report came back clean. Clean Carfax. I figured I was good, so I flew down and drove it back. Mechanically, it runs and drives perfectly. But the dealership and the inspector both neglected to mention the poorly repainted roof, and the fact that the entire car was *covered* in paint overspray. I also put tires and brakes on it right away (they didn't mention those either). And predictably, they jerked me around on the title and temp tags for months. Unless you can drive there and look at the vehicle yourself, don't do it.

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Spike_Spiegel@reddit

Find someone in the area on a forum.

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jimbofranks@reddit

If it’s in Seattle I can lay eyes on it for you.

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notadoktor@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately I’m near Seattle and the truck is near Spokane.

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jimbofranks@reddit

I would be cautious. If it’s a private seller do you have the VIN? If you do run it through a service like staterecords.org they will give you the name of the person that is on the title. You can do the same with the license plate in Washington state. This saved me time when looking for the truck I have now. there were more than a few flippers that would come up with a bullshit story…. My old Silverado started life out in the Spokane/CDL area and the rockers eventually went. I don’t know if they salt in Idaho or not - something to keep in mind. I would put a deposit down - and go inspect myself. It’s an hour flight.

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PeachSignal@reddit

Haven't done it in a long time, but my results weren't great. Mind you this is early internet days.. We were mailed polaroids of a 76 Ranchero, found the Ranchero in the woods of the Ozarks, car was not at all what was photographed. Luckily the owners friend gave us our money back. Anyway, you can have a mechanic go and check it out, but he'll probably take your money and just say "ya it's good" You have to go your self, it's really the safest bet.

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SlodenSaltPepper6@reddit

lol, that all sounds sketchy af.

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PeachSignal@reddit

It honestly didn't get weird until the hand written directions, and the deliverance like location.

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HotRodHomebody@reddit

my younger brother bought Chevy S 10 without looking at it in person and had it shipped from Florida to California. Turns out the entire underside was completely rusted out to the point where it wasn’t safe to drive. The seller was an idiot and told my brother that he could file a claim with the shipping company citing damage. Guy was either ignorant or a thief. In any case he was stuck with nothing. The frame actually failed due to rust. Then he basically gave the truck to someone else after taking swapping the interior with another one that he bought afterward.

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digital_nomada@reddit

I sold a car to a gentleman out of state. I was very anal about the entire thing. I provided a video of the car cold started, running, driving and an overall inspection. I wrote a bill of sale, and would only overnight secure mail the title once the funds cleared. He had the bill of sale before I cashed the check, so he also had confidence in the transaction. I also had him put insurance on the car the minute signed the bill of sale. Then he ordered and paid for the shipment of the vehicle once the check cleared. So the car did sit at my house under his insurance for a couple days.

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HotRodHomebody@reddit

bought a car from a dealership out of state, and the guy did a FaceTime with me so he could walk around the car and answer questions. Still didn’t show defects, but a good overview nonetheless.

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notadoktor@reddit (OP)

Great info! Thank you so much!

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302w@reddit

I think the kind of car matters in all of this, for whatever it’s worth. The higher the complexity and price the more wary I would be.

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charge556@reddit

A project car, maybe if you know what you are looking for and are able to walk away after driving all that way. A daily? I have only bought one used car without a pre purchase inspection...and it didnt go well. My advice? Look around on the subreddit for that area (if they have one) and ask around for a good local mechanic shop, see if you can get a PPI scheduled for that day to have it looked at (shouldnt take long)....or just get something else. You *might* luck out without getting an inspection...but how pissed would you be driving all that way, getting the car without a PPI, and having to replace a motor, tranny, or other high end cost repairs a week or two later.

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powerhouse403@reddit

Never buy a car unsightly, unseen!

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jlenko@reddit

Meanwhile, the seller is gonna come on here and ask about a guy who wants to send a cheque and can’t show up in person, so someone else will do. And we’ll all say it’s a scam.

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Spiritual-Belt@reddit

If it’s a private seller I’d have it inspected and if it passes find a way to fly in and drive it home (or send a willing friend). If it’s from a dealer you can do the shipping thing no problem.

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