Buying a vehicle long distance?

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Anyone have any experiences with this? Im looking to see how the transaction normally goes. Im looking for 2007-2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI and theyre pretty hard to come by near me, anything decent does not look as good as advertised. I found a really clean one in Kentucky, and would like to have it shipped up. Im going to have the dealer perform a PPI just in case, but by the looks of the carfax the big leaks were addressed, oil cooler seals are normally about $2k, and its been regularly maintained throughout its life. Once I see some photos underneath, Im going to make them an offer. My understanding of the transaction is as follows;
Send 50% deposit, have them send back title and paperwork.
Once title is in hand, send remaining balance and book the transport vehicle.
Also any ideas as to whats the best way to send payment, was going to do a check for the title and then certified for the remainder to speed it up. Thanks.
 
I have bought many vehicles on ebay at a decent discounted rate.

I put down a deposit, then ride the bus or fly to where it is and drive it home. It's always worked out OK for me.
 
Its at a delaer, so Id pay them if anything, or take it to a local shop. Id be careful with those "we go to you to inspect" sites, if you read the fine print it doesnt go on a lift, they MAY jack it up, and theres no scanning involved, so no idea about pending faults or if the monitors are ready, if thyere not ready that means they just reset the light or the battery went dead.
 
Is the car at a dealer? Tell them you want to buy it log distance and will need it transported. Let them work for you.

If they're not interested in the sale that way but you still want the vehicle, fly in and drive back.
 
Originally Posted By: Audios
Its at a delaer, so Id pay them if anything, or take it to a local shop. Id be careful with those "we go to you to inspect" sites, if you read the fine print it doesnt go on a lift, they MAY jack it up, and theres no scanning involved, so no idea about pending faults or if the monitors are ready, if thyere not ready that means they just reset the light or the battery went dead.


Why not fly out there and test drive and inspect ?

Unless it's brand new, there's no way I will buy a car sight unseen.
 
Originally Posted By: Audios
Anyone have any experiences with this? Im looking to see how the transaction normally goes. Im looking for 2007-2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI and theyre pretty hard to come by near me, anything decent does not look as good as advertised. I found a really clean one in Kentucky, and would like to have it shipped up. Im going to have the dealer perform a PPI just in case, but by the looks of the carfax the big leaks were addressed, oil cooler seals are normally about $2k, and its been regularly maintained throughout its life. Once I see some photos underneath, Im going to make them an offer. My understanding of the transaction is as follows;
Send 50% deposit, have them send back title and paperwork.
Once title is in hand, send remaining balance and book the transport vehicle.
Also any ideas as to whats the best way to send payment, was going to do a check for the title and then certified for the remainder to speed it up. Thanks.


Everything you mention seems ok EXCEPT, I would never send them 50% deposit. Something like $100-$200 deposit should be more than enough.
 
Flying out and driving would be an issue, newborn son at home and dont want to leave the wife alone. The 50% deposit was for them to send the title up to me so I can register and insure, and also so I have some sort of collateral. Its down in Kentucky, about 800 miles away. Roughly 750 for transport isnt really that bad considering a plane ticket, food, and an overnight stay, and a few tanks of gas could be 500. I will mention it to them if we can work on a shipped price in the deal, its at 13500 now Id like to be in the 12 range, plus shipping but of course 12 shipped would be better, doubtful though.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: Audios
Its at a delaer, so Id pay them if anything, or take it to a local shop. Id be careful with those "we go to you to inspect" sites, if you read the fine print it doesnt go on a lift, they MAY jack it up, and theres no scanning involved, so no idea about pending faults or if the monitors are ready, if thyere not ready that means they just reset the light or the battery went dead.


Why not fly out there and test drive and inspect ?

Unless it's brand new, there's no way I will buy a car sight unseen.


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I bought a 2001 IS300 from pics and had it transported down from NY to VA for free. The seller had the equipment and was going to FL. It just so happened he dropped it off on a rainy day. This is not good. Rain covers up a lot of imperfections. I was disappointed at the rust but it was still a good deal. I will NEVER buy another car like this. I have to see it in person first.
 
I've bought a car this way but i will always drive it home.

I've worked everything out on the phone and email. Got more then my share of photos, I booked a train ticket and had a guy pick me up at the station. I finished all the paperwork and drove it home.




I understand with a newborn and etc. Its one weekend away and you protect yourself in so many ways, its almost worth it. Worst case, speak to a buddy who might do it for you. Have a set of trust eyes at the final inspection. I've offered to do it for plenty of people for a few bucks.
 
Go down there and look at it. Put $100-500 down on it remotely and fly down for a personal look.

This half-down nonsense, is not how car buying works. Neither is only looking at a carfax. You could be setting yourself up for a very expensive mistake.

Don't forget all the hurricanes that happened last year. It's fun to armchair-surf and research. This works for the stock market, not for the used car market.
 
Back in 03 I purchased my 88 325is without pics, but with a lengthy chat from the PO and a nearby reputable mechanic who did a pre-purchase inspection for me. This was back when the internet and digital cameras were still in their infancy.

I ended up flying out and driving my new (to me) BMW home. In person, it was far more beautiful than anything I could have imagined. The 8 hour drive home was exhausting, but a fun way to experience my new car!
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I have purchased 2 cars on e-bay. 1 turned out to be ok, the other I got hosed. Have a trusted, knowledgeable friend, yourself, or a professional check it out for you, or don't buy. JMO.
 
Long distance deals are generally a bad idea, and rarely work out. I'd say for every collector car deal I attempted outside the 2-3 hour driving range, none of them worked out. And I considered a couple dozen of them. Invariably, the cars always have more flaws than the seller admits to. I did 2 deals on cars 1,000 and 2,000 miles away that required transport. Despite detailed photos, video, etc. those cars had some significant flaws when they arrived. Had I done a pre-purchase inspection, I would have passed on both of them or at least negotiated for a better price. The one time I considered a car 3,000 miles away I hired a Hemming's car inspector to look at it for me. The car turned out fine. But, then the seller jacked up the price on me another $1,500 and told me there was another buyer in play. So generally, I avoid LD deals where I can't test drive it myself for an inspection....and get it in my hands the same day (ie reg and title, signed/handed over). On one of the 2 transport cars, the seller lied to me about the title. He didn't have it. The bank did. But he called it "his" car. It took a month before I ended up with the title.

Since you can't travel, I'd at least hire someone to inspect and drive the vehicle for you. It might cost $100-$200 but at least you won't end up with a lemon from this dealership. No way would I buy a long distance car again w/o someone checking it out in detail. There are Mercedes clubs out there. You might consider joining one and having someone local to that car check it out. The downside to that is you might alert someone else to a decent deal and lose it that way. Whatever you do, don't trust the dealership to give you all the dirt and issues with the vehicle. And with a 10 yr old car, there should be plenty of them. I often ask such a seller to list 10 flaws on their vehicle. This should EASY for a dealer...especially a collector car/vintage dealership. If they can't do it or refuse to, move on.

There are plenty of nice cars out there to buy. I don't know how many times I thought I missed the deal of the year, only to find a better deal 3 months to 2 yrs later. Buy in haste....repent in leisure.
 
The F250 7.3 in my sig was purchased online. Wife found the truck on eBay and decided she had to have it. Thing is, we did this in 2002...when buying a vehicle online was in its infancy.

The truck came out of Canada and was sold through a dealer who had just started using eBay. We completed the paperwork and had our truck about 10 days later. Would I do it again? Probably not. Trying to keep the wife happy will make you do things you normally wouldn't.

That being said, the truck has been fantastic...and we get compliments on it to this day
 
I purchased my 2009 Civic from Rusty Wallis Honda in Texas. They sent me a bunch of pictures, we agreed on a price and they met me 1/2 way,
i lived in Iowa, we met somewhere in Missouri. Great dealer, Easy transaction. They said they do it all the time. No charge.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: Audios
Its at a delaer, so Id pay them if anything, or take it to a local shop. Id be careful with those "we go to you to inspect" sites, if you read the fine print it doesnt go on a lift, they MAY jack it up, and theres no scanning involved, so no idea about pending faults or if the monitors are ready, if thyere not ready that means they just reset the light or the battery went dead.


Why not fly out there and test drive and inspect ?

Unless it's brand new, there's no way I will buy a car sight unseen.

+1
I would NEVER buy a 10 year old M-B sight-unseen, you are just asking for trouble!
While you are there, take the car to an independent mechanic who is experienced with M-B products and pay for an inspection.
If you can't do this, pass on the car and wait for something to turn-up closer to home.
 
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