slimfast Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 last month i went and looked at a 98 LGT ltd that was about 30 minutes away. it looked nice in the dealer ad on craigslist and the description made the car sound good. when i got there i was informed that it was a rebuilt title, which wasnt mentioned anywhere in the ad. then when i took it to a local mechanic it turned out it needed at least $2300 worth of work. the guy also found a nail in the right front tire. so thats basically my worry about driving several hours.. even if i call them first and ask a bunch of questions they could still take me for a ride. any tips? or is this just a risk you have to take when buying a car long distance? i see people buying cars on ebay.. but how can you buy a car you havent even driven yet? explain the madness! obviously i would get an autocheck record and maybe even a carfax too before i traveled any major distance.. but anything else i can do to put the odds in my favor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 this just a risk you have to take when buying a car long distance My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nflea7 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I've bought and sold a bunch of cars on Craigs List, I purchased 1 from ebay and a few from bottom rung dealerships. Now I'm only dealing with first run dealerships, I usually have 3-6 different cars a year. The last few were a Lexus IS300, Kia Soul and the one I have now is a 05 Legacy GT LTD. Best deals you can get are usually from Craigs List. Do your homework; ask for service records and a list of parts recently replaced. Anyone you want to do business with will have that stuff ready for you. Really there isn't a good way to avoid a car repair when buying a used car without a warranty. Cars break down; parts wear out and need to be replaced. I know this is obvious, but even at first run dealers buying a used car you never get told the whole story and need to trust your instinct and if you don't know much about cars have it inspected by a mechanic you trust or walk away. Other than that the short of thing is no there isn't much you can do about buying a car without seeing it first. If it’s a great deal you are also fighting others for the same deal. Best bet is one that has had a bunch of recent service done. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLO03 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I bought a car on ebay last year. And it took me almost yr.to get up the nerve. But it went smoothly. They have companies that do pre purchase inspection. For like $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimfast Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 I've bought and sold a bunch of cars on Craigs List, I purchased 1 from ebay and a few from bottom rung dealerships. Now I'm only dealing with first run dealerships, I usually have 3-6 different cars a year. The last few were a Lexus IS300, Kia Soul and the one I have now is a 05 Legacy GT LTD. Best deals you can get are usually from Craigs List. Do your homework; ask for service records and a list of parts recently replaced. Anyone you want to do business with will have that stuff ready for you. Really there isn't a good way to avoid a car repair when buying a used car without a warranty. Cars break down; parts wear out and need to be replaced. I know this is obvious, but even at first run dealers buying a used car you never get told the whole story and need to trust your instinct and if you don't know much about cars have it inspected by a mechanic you trust or walk away. Other than that the short of thing is no there isn't much you can do about buying a car without seeing it first. If it’s a great deal you are also fighting others for the same deal. Best bet is one that has had a bunch of recent service done. Good luckok thanks. and do you think i should keep the fact that im driving a substantial distance a secret? or it shouldnt matter.. maybe it wouldnt hurt telling them over the phone but when i actually get there i think it might be a better idea to keep it a secret. at least at first.. just looking for personal opinions on this. and TLO03 do you mean "they" as in ebay has companies that do pre purchase inspections? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLO03 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I think ebay recommends a company,and the seller offered one as well. I found one local to the seller myself. Also you can go to the regional forums and ask about a potential seller.. All in all it's a nerve racking experience I'd did it only because It was a good deal and exactly what I wanted and could not find it anywhere.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HtrdlncN281 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Only bad experience I've had was an S60R I test drove. It wasn't so much the car itself was in bad repair, just absolutely hated the way it drove. Went all the way to Boston to test-drive it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogg Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 I have purchased/tried to purchase a handful of vehicles from far away. (from 2 hrs to 20+ hours). Basically, I came to the conclusion to never travel more than 2 hours. Too often people lie and are dishonest about what they are selling. Carfax and records only tell you so much. Pictures also only show you so much and can be taken in a way to make it look better than it is. One theory of mine is for the most part, if it really was a good deal, someone closer would have picked it up. Sometimes you can get lucky but in my experience, it's about 1 in 20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nflea7 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Slimfast: You have lots of choices being near NH and the Lowell area. Tons of cars I'm sure you'll find a good one. I wouldn't let them know you are traveling; it’s not really relevant to the purchase of a decent used car. I happen to think it gives the buyer leverage over you if you let it. Also just because you drive a long way to look at a car don't feel the impulse to buy it. If its a good deal, everything checks out, go for it. But if something feels wired or funny bail, better walk away than get into something you'll regret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLO03 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 id try to stay in the forums most guy on the boards will keep it straight. and value there online rep.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nflea7 Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Someone just posted a 96 legacy in NH on Craigs List for 2500 obo only 123k might be worth checking out. PM me if you want and I can help you best I can with trying to find you a good car in your price range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Due to local market being so much more expensive than other areas, plus not being able to find the used car(s) we were looking for, all vehicles my wife and I owned so far we had to drive way out there to get them. Recently, her Mini, took us 1K miles round trip. Best advice I can give you is to find back-up deals along the way. If one falls through, you have a back-up plan. Better yet, check them all out and compare. I've had bad luck with small dealers. First Legacy I looked at the dealer swore up and down it was in mint condition, drove 8 hours only to have had the privilege of checking out a Legacy with a completely trashed interior. The next morning however, drove to the back-up car and it was the perfect vehicle. Lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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