bulldog-yota

Has anybody bought a vehicle on eBay?

I have a couple of questions:
- Which companies are the best to inspect a vehicle?
- How does the deposit and final payment work?

I have bought stuff before on eBay and I normally check out the seller before buying. However a vehicle is pretty complex and expensive to buy without seeing it myself, so I'm a bit nervous. ANy pointers would be great.

Thanx

BT17R

bulldog, I've bought and sold there. About 70% of all eBay Motors transactions are out of state. It is risky, but you can take some steps to protect yourself. Check out the home page of eBay Motors:

Here

They have some basic tutorials in the "How To" center on the right side. Below those links is the "Services Center". Good stuff in those two sections. Of course you'll want to check their feedback carefully, get a Carfax (but the inspection is more important), inspect the title for liens or exceptions, do a BBB if buying from a dealer, things like that.

cool rob

I bought my 93 Land Cruiser from eBay from a BMW dealership in North Carolina. The first thing I did was run a Carfax. From the pics in the listing, the truck was immaculate, so I decided to rent a car one-way 200mis. to the dealership and drove the Land Cruiser home. I was already preapproved by my credit union and had a blank check in hand. The listing required an immediate 10% deposit but the seller was pretty flexible about the payment options- Im sure most dealerships are (may be a different story with private sellers though). Of course the sale was pending inspection of the vehicle as I was the winning bidder and technically legally bound to buy it. I think most dealerships who list on eBay understand that though. I'm not sure if I helped or not, but good luck!

rimpainter.com

I bought a 00 4Runner on ebay. Before the auction ended I ran a CARFAX and I called them numerous times and asked them a multitude of questions. Not only was I seeking answers to genuine questions, I was also getting a feel for the seller as a person/business.

I also employed the help of "mt goat" here on yotatech, who lives in OK City (where I bought the rig). All I wanted was for him to drive it, do a general inspection, and take a bunch of specific pictures. He did all of that for me, and I paypal'd him $50.

Personally, I would never buy a rig on ebay without a CARFAX and "third person" inspection.

I almost bought another rig in Dallas, and I was going to have an outside inspection company come and inspect the rig before any money was transferred. I never won that auction, but I was sure to find a reputable inspection company in the city before I ever paid. You may want to ask the seller via email if you can have an outside inspection after the auction and specify that you will not pay until it passes. If they say no, then move on.

When I bought the 4Runner in OK city, the seller picked me up at the airport. He drove me to his dealership, handed me the keys and told me to go drive it around for a while. No money was exchanged. I will be honest, I was nervous, but it all worked out in the end.

Document everything, and bring ALL your paperwork (emails, etc) with you. My father in law has purchased 3 vehicles successfully on ebay. So it definitely can be done.

kickaha

There was a recent news article about a few groups of sellers that would bid up the value of cars for each other. People eventually got refunds, but this is likely continuing to happen. So just be careful when bidding and don't get caught up in a bidding war.

BT17R

That's important. I interview the seller beginning with a few polite emails around four days from auction end. If they respond, I then call with a questionnaire I've developed going on three pages that includes cross-checks designed to detect fraud, dishonesty and detailed vehicle condition. If they don't answer consistently, are evasive, or don't want to answer, I move on. I also admit to profiling. If I encounter certain accents, my antennas are full up. I don't think it's a coincidence that those are almost always sellers that evade reasonable questions or refuse to allow an inspection.

Do your research, set your limit, don't get emotional, and you'll wind up buying below Manheim auction prices.

rimpainter.com

Great advice Bob. In fact, if I start looking for another vehicle on ebay, I would like to get that list from you.

FirstToy

Andries,
I bought a car sight-unseen and the only way to do it is have someone go inspect it. If it's a LC or 4Runner, get a Toyota guy in the area to look at it. I have seen ebay auctions with pristine looking LC's, only to have a cruiserhead go check it out and figure out it isn't really worth it.

The usual carfax and questions of course but nothing is going to beat an inspection from someone who knows what to look for.

I, personally, would not do it any other way.

bulldog-yota

Thanks guys for the info!!

It seems the best thing is to get a inspection by another Toyota addict

I'm still looking for an 80 with my name on it.






Q: What is better than a 4R?


A: A 4R and a LC!!

r0cky

my brother sold his car/truck on ebay ... said local pick-up only, but some guy who owns a dealership in washington state was the high bidder, and the truck is for his dad, so he's having a driver fly down here tonight to pick up the truck and drive it all the way to washington!

anyway ... i think you can tell a lot by talking with the seller - whether on the phone or in email, and that would be my 2cent advice for bidding on a vehicle listed on ebay -- make frequent contact with the seller, build a rapport with him/her before the auction ends, and that line of communication should give you some idea of the person's nature.

good luck and you better post pictures!

Bob_98SR5

andries,

i bought my 98 4runner from a seller in LA. I'm paranoid too, so i only searched vehicles within driving distance. given LA is such a huge market for cars, it wasnt too difficult to wait and find one local to me.

that said, i agree with what everything people said here about buying an ebay car.

bob

Kyota

Just like three days ago I bought a tacoma off ebay. Private seller, honest, pictures looked promising. So bought it. arranged to meet Sunday. 10 minutes after getting there I headed back and it's sittin in our yard. Nice truck! I cant drive it untile I sell my 90 toyota, haha. My parents are kind of loaning me about 4000 so yeah...selling it quick!!!

Pretty much the biggest hazzard you have is losing the cost of getting there and back. I didn't do that '500 is due with X days' thing so there was no possibility of getting jacked when you pay all at once. BTW drove about 250 miles, redding to sacramento.

bulldog-yota

Thanks for the replies guys.

Yeah, the problem is all the good ones I have seen are in Florida and I'm in Cali, so it isn't a quick drive And I dont want to wait to see the thing till it gets dropped at my house to actually see the condition. Oh well, will keep looking.