buying a car long distance

[2manycars]

When buying a car long distance, what is a safe way to exchange the money for the car when the car is being shipped by truck? I am concerned about sending thousands of dollars to a person I dont know, as it is always possible they may get the money and I may not get the car. I cant expect them to send the car without the money, but I am concerned about sending the money and waiting to get the car. Any thoughts on this?

[BudP]

Before you go any farther, have the seller email you a good copy of the title to prove he owns the car.

[allen]

Having brought most my cars far away some as far as 2000 miles away you can do a couple of things,

One get a independent appraisal they are listed in Hemming motor news
Two get a video of the car the way you want in other word ask him to film the area you want to look at, Most will only photo good areas.
Three get all the paper work in order Title, Bill of Sale, etc.
Four. get a good shipping company that will keep you abreast shipping point to shipping point

[John Stone]

Originally Posted by BudP

Before you go any farther, have the seller email you a good copy of the title to prove he owns the car.

And the VIN on the title actually matches the VIN on the car. A lot of Model A's don't.

[Franchise_24]

Originally Posted by John Stone

And the VIN on the title actually matches the VIN on the car. A lot of Model A's don't.

^^ This times 1000000. I ran into this issue when I bought a car in Michigan. Didn't match up, so I hate to wait a few months longer while the owner took care of things through his DMV. If I would have gotten it home and then realized things didn't match up, that would have been a whole new can of worms.

[Richard Wilson]

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Before I would send a bunch of money I would want to inspect the car in person. Descriptions and pictures often times have different meanings for different people. While there I would do the legal (title) and financial stuff in person at the same time. Good luck.

[Not George]

Originally Posted by Richard Wilson

Before I would send a bunch of money I would want to inspect the car in person. Descriptions and pictures often times have different meanings for different people. While there I would do the legal (title) and financial stuff in person at the same time. Good luck.

I agree with Richard, if it is in this country go look at it.
I know it will cost you x amount of dollars to do this, but you mentioned sending "thousand of dollars". It will be worth the cost to protect your interest.

[gz]

Having sold and bought a lot of cars sight unseen, the advice that has been given by everyone else is true. In terms of transferring the money, a bank wire transfer is the safest way to go. Your bank will give you proof that the seller's account has received your funds and the seller does not have to wait for anything to clear and he can release the car and/or title immediately upon receipt of the wire. Typically, when I sell a car, I will usually ask the buyer to send a deposit via PAYPAL to hold the car and give him some time to get the rest of the money together and have him send the remaining balance via wire transfer. I always provide the buyer with a copy of the title once the deposit has been received as well as a bill of sale with all the pertinent information on it. Once I receive the payment in full, I overnight the title to the buyer (unless otherwise requested).

[Mitch//pa]

there are alot of ways to go about it depending on your personal preference. i have had customers buy cars sight unseen just from pics and descriptions and find once the car is delivered it was misrepresented. i agree with richard in post #3. i would want to see the car in person no matter where i had to go and transfer title. would rather spend for airfare and hotel then get screwed for thousands
to many yackasses out there

[2manycars]

Thanks for all the replies. It makes me less excited to buy the car, which is 3000 miles away. I should probably look for one locally.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by 2manycars

Thanks for all the replies. It makes me less excited to buy the car, which is 3000 miles away. I should probably look for one locally.

I just purchased (6 wks ago) an old car from long distance. Never have done business this way..not having seen the involved car in person. Never would again! Since you are a fellow barner, I've decided to answer your question , in an effort to help you!
NEVER purchase long distance without examining the vehicle up close/personal OR having another , whom you trust(mechanic/club member)do the job for you!
I used ALL of the suggestions given, except examining the car myself. The seller and his wife are, in fact, very wealthy...but unfortunately for me..are without principals/ethics/morals , when taking anothers money is concerned. In MOST cases YOU will regret not seeing the vehicle prior to purchasing.
NO vehicle is worth the hassle/stress that you cause yourself/family when making such a large expenditure ..sight unseen/long distance. You may follow every one of the good pieces of advice given here, but only have to make ONE mistake...that's the one I made. Good luck in your quest/decision

[Chris in WNC]

Originally Posted by Jeff/Illinois

'Anybody who has a lot of money, got it by either screwing somebody else out of it, or if they inherited it then their parents or grandparents did.'

a common sentiment, shared by many who are envious of other people's stuff, in spite of it's total inaccuracy.
certainly a lot of wealth is ill-gotten but a lot more is the result of hard work, good luck or other circumstances outside of unethical behavior.
I'm not wealthy by a long shot but have totally gotten over any wealth envy I once had.
I have good health, a wonderful family, good friends and some old cars to play with. what more could anyone wish for?

[Bob-A]

Chris in WNC,

Ditto!

Bob-A

[Franchise_24]

Originally Posted by Chris in WNC

a common sentiment, shared by many who are envious of other people's stuff, in spite of it's total inaccuracy.
certainly a lot of wealth is ill-gotten but a lot more is the result of hard work, good luck or other circumstances outside of unethical behavior.
I'm not wealthy by a long shot but have totally gotten over any wealth envy I once had.
I have good health, a wonderful family, good friends and some old cars to play with. what more could anyone wish for?

I agree with you. People are jealous of other people. I'm extremely wealthy...and I don't have alot of money, Im sure wealthy in other ways.

[CarlG]

I did ALL the wrong things when I bought mine. I'm really fortunate that I didn't get completely hosed on the deal. (Only a little tiny bit).

The old addage: "If I only knew then what I know now ... !"

[Steve Wastler]

I have not and would not hesitate to purchase another long distant A. That being said one must complete due diligence on All aspects before completing any transactions. Being each potential purchase shares it's own case of logistics, it is hard to give any specific advice, after everything else, 'Trust Your Gut' if any of it makes you uneasy, best to air on the side of caution.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Just in case you have second thoughts; from experience:

As a minimum for just the paperwork:

1. Get photo copies of title and/or registration, because some states required registration in lieu of titles in the Model A era; &

2. Go to "your" local DMV, ask for & sit down with an agent who is familiar with transferring vintage vehicles, & have him/her verify "exactly" what "you" need for a "legal" title transfer in "your" name in "addition" to what papers you have.

Also agree 100% with others; i.e., hands on inspection prior to purchasing "anything" used.

Even if the seller is a minister, policeman, judge, elected official or whatever -- my experience is that many of these types of professional guys are past masters at phoney salesmanship.

After the sale, they will claim, "Well, I never said I was a mechanic." -- then you are truly stuck with absolutely no recourse.

[Franchise_24]

Another thing you also may have to do is an out of state inspection. I'm not sure if all states do it, I know they do in Ohio. Before you can get the title transferred to your name you have to have an inspection. They basically have to match the VIN# on the car to the # on the title. So if they are using the engine number make sure it all matches correctly.

[jrapose]

I just went thru this selling to a guy in Ohio....I think I represented the car properly and I thought I had the paperwork proper.... but we ran into a real problem...I never put the car in my name in California.... and to do that I needed to have the car inspected in California, the California DMV would not accept an inspection from Ohio..so the title from the Previous Owner would not work as my name was on it...
What a mess...and I felt really bad for the guy in Ohio who wanted to license the car.. seemed like the two DMV offices did not want to work with us...I tried everything I could....no go... Finally I think the guy in Ohio just lied to his DMV and told them he had owned it for lots of years and had no paperwork on it.... I felt terrible, sure hope I never meet that guy....he owes me a black eye..

Joel in Chester Ca.

[32coupe]

There is No such thing as Free Insurance, Not to mention On someone elses word....Go get it yourself and pay CASH!........Or there are appraisel companys you can hire to go inspect it and make sure it is what it is supposed to be. You can also have them handle the deal for you in most cases. Bottom line here is If you send someone You do not know thousands of dollars On their word in todays world......You are a fool! I sell quite a few cars on the net to customers all over the world, I always sugguest that they Come get the car themselfs, Or fly in and make sure it is what they want before they buy, Some do and some don't. So far I have not had any complaints, However If someone Did complain and they Did Not Come look At it Or have someone Come look At it for them. Then They have No right to Complain and It is On them.