eBay Motors

[R Evolution1]

Hello everybody, I was just wondering if any of you have purchased a vehicle online (specifically from eBay).

If so what was your experience and/or steps. Was it really better than buying locally from a used car lot?? Was everything as described?? Were you satisfied with your purchase?

This is because I am considering purchasing a car this way and wanted to hear someone else's buying experience.

Thanks a lot for your time to reply to this thread, and have a nice day.

[Tim Lingor]

Re: eBay Motors

Hey,

I believe Mike Phillips bought his Datsun on Ebay. Hopefully he will chime in on the thread.

Tim

[Lydia]

Re: eBay Motors

My Dad bought his Gold Wing on ebay and he had a great experience. The guy was VERY helpful and friendly, and he got a great deal on it. Just keep an eye on the feedback score...the guy my Dad bought his Wing from had 100% good feedback.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: eBay Motors

Yep, purchased a 1974 Datsun 260Z off eBay.

Everything went okay, not great but okay. The guy I bought the car from was in the middle of a huge land deal and also a family emergency so he was very hard to get a hold of which after the sale and committing to $5000.00 dollars it was a little disappointing not to hear from the seller for about 4-5 days.

The car was as advertised, it's really in pretty good shape for as old as it is, there was this one little thing he should have told me about before I purchased airline tickets to Sacramento to pick the car up and drive it home and that was a horrendous exhaust leak that was getting into the car.

It was a real experience getting the car home alive but we made it.

Check the sellers feedback and if it's a big purchase for you then do your best to contact them by phone before the purchase and get them to be upfront and honest about the true condition of the car.

Again the car I bought was as advertised and it was a good deal and even a great deal if your a fan of these older Datsun sports cars. We would buy another car off eBay but we would do a better job of contacting the seller "early" in the bidding to make sure it's in the condition the information on eBay is describing.

If possible, try to look at the car in person.

Here's a picture snagged from the eBay auction




Here's one we took...

[R Evolution1]

Re: eBay Motors

It was a real experience getting the car home alive but we made it.

Sorry, that made me laugh. Thanks for sharing MIKE.

Most likely it seems like I will not be able to see the car since most of the "better" deals are accross the country . And as such I have been told that its because of corrosion (more salt on the east coast??).

So I was thinking about having one of those 3rd party people inspect it. << Regarding this, they usually say 170somthing point inspection(s), does anybody know what "points" they are inspecting?

Once again, thank you for viewing this thread and posting.

[Renny Doyle]

Re: eBay Motors

I have purchased two vehciles but did so after having a professional look at the vehicles in person! Both were fantastic deals and I would do it again...but only if I followed the same pattern as before and hired on a true pro to have a look at the prospective purchase!

[mbbransc]

Re: eBay Motors

I tried buying a QX56 on eBay and it was a scam. After winning the auction, I bought the CarFAX Report and the info on there did not jive with what the auction said. After several unanswered emails, I got the sellers contact info from eBay, but the numbers were no good. I reported it to eBay and they handled it from there. I was off the hook, and only out $9.95 for the CarFAX Report.

I'm in Atlanta if there is something here you'd like info on. I felt the same way as you though, the best deals were on the opposite coast!! Funny how perception works!

[yakky]

Re: eBay Motors

The best way to approach an Ebay auction for a car is to use Ebay to make the offer. Do everything like you would with a regular used car. Call the person, get the story on the car, ask for specific issues, do some more research, check out the car in person (or have someone you trust). Then when you are confident, place the bid. Don't bid because the deal is too good to be true. I bought a van from a new car dealer that listed his used vehicles on Ebay. It was a great buying experience. I talked with them at length on the phone and we basically agreed (in email) that my bid was only binding if I was happy with the vehicle in person. At that point I bid, went up and was pleasently surprised.