I've never bought a car from out of state and had it shipped to me. I've seen on this site others have but no mention on how you go about paying for it while being able to protect yourself from fraud. I had this car inspect by a family member and it's real solid. The guy wants me to send the money to his account then he will overnight the title to me. Is this how it's normally done?
Buying car from out of state?
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That's how I did it. I actually used paypal for a deposit (certain % of total), signed/scanned the bill of sale then sent the rest of the payment. At that point he overnighted the title to me, I arranged shipment, and it was here a few days later. Other than going out there and bringing it back with you, I don't know another way to get it done.
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Despite all the sky is falling,, paranoia type replies you may get.. in sum..Yes, this is the way to do it.
WIRE Transfer money to seller, followed by FED EX overnight of Title to Buyer... or if your Family member is close enough to have seen the car.. then have said member pick up the title once wire transfer is confirmed.
You should still have something in writing as to what your arrangement is/should be.. but yes.. that is Safe and the way I have done every deal for cross country sales or sight unseen deals.
MC
WIRE Transfer money to seller, followed by FED EX overnight of Title to Buyer... or if your Family member is close enough to have seen the car.. then have said member pick up the title once wire transfer is confirmed.
You should still have something in writing as to what your arrangement is/should be.. but yes.. that is Safe and the way I have done every deal for cross country sales or sight unseen deals.
MC
Same here. I sent a deposit via paypal, had the car inspected and had the seller mail me copies of all documents. Title, registration, buildsheet, etc. Upon inspection, I overnited the balance. Once the check cleared, seller overnited all original documents and I arranged transport at the same time. It went pretty smooth.
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I cannot disagree with any of the above, but for me, inspeciton of the car and money/title transfer is ONLY done in person. PERIOD.
I know, I know, I know, many people have done VERY successful money/car transactions by sight unseen. I personally would not do it, and it is extremely unlikely that I would encourage someone to do it.
Agreed, if you have a VERY knowledgeable person on tap who can closely and thoroughly inspect/drive the car and make an acceptable evaluation, then that is probably fine for some people. But I gotta see it, feel it, drive it and crawl under it myself before I'm satisfied.
I drove (with a family member) from Okla City to the Dayton area in 98, with check in hand, to inspect our 70 Malibu conv. The owner and I had exchanged multiple emails and he sent several pictures. All looked good. But the only proof was to actually go and see/inspect/drive the car in person. I have no regrets to this day. As soon as we exchanged the check and title, I jumped in it and drove it straight to OKC. All went perfect. That's the only way I'd ever do it again. :thumbsup:
Oh ya, I forgot to mention, I found the car in a For Sale ad right here on TC. I think that was also a plus. The discrepancies between the owner's description and the actual condition of the car were so minute, that I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and I paid the agreed price without any negotiations.
Actually, after it was all said and done, I have always been quite surprised that no one beat me to it because he said he had been advertising it for about 3mo. I think a lot of people missed out on a good deal who didn't buy it first!
I know, I know, I know, many people have done VERY successful money/car transactions by sight unseen. I personally would not do it, and it is extremely unlikely that I would encourage someone to do it.
Agreed, if you have a VERY knowledgeable person on tap who can closely and thoroughly inspect/drive the car and make an acceptable evaluation, then that is probably fine for some people. But I gotta see it, feel it, drive it and crawl under it myself before I'm satisfied.
I drove (with a family member) from Okla City to the Dayton area in 98, with check in hand, to inspect our 70 Malibu conv. The owner and I had exchanged multiple emails and he sent several pictures. All looked good. But the only proof was to actually go and see/inspect/drive the car in person. I have no regrets to this day. As soon as we exchanged the check and title, I jumped in it and drove it straight to OKC. All went perfect. That's the only way I'd ever do it again. :thumbsup:
Oh ya, I forgot to mention, I found the car in a For Sale ad right here on TC. I think that was also a plus. The discrepancies between the owner's description and the actual condition of the car were so minute, that I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and I paid the agreed price without any negotiations.
Actually, after it was all said and done, I have always been quite surprised that no one beat me to it because he said he had been advertising it for about 3mo. I think a lot of people missed out on a good deal who didn't buy it first!
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Not endorsing site unseen purchases at all... but the question about how to handle payments is a bit different depending on circumstances.. as in, for that guy who has maybe taken a flight and seen a car in person.. but was not ready to make a decision on the spot... that guy is not going to Fly all the way back to where said car is.. to pay for it... and if it is not a DRIVER, but a high dollar show car.. it may need enclosed professional Transport.. bottom-line, I too strongly encourage parties buying cars to FIRST.. have someone put eyes on it for you.. a fellow ACES or Team Chevelle Member..( They are everywhere!! ) if that report comes back positive.. then strongly consider seeing car in person.. and at some point after that., payment transaction has to be discussed. Again, not everyone is buying a car on the spot.. and it may be LARGE sums of money, as in Greater than $50,000..either way, the safest and best way to pay for a car that is not sitting in front of you is the question at hand.. and wire transfer, Fed Ex and/or escrow account set ups.. are viable and safe options in my opinion.
MC
but the question about how to handle payments is a bit different depending on circumstances.. as in, for that guy who has maybe taken a flight and seen a car in person.. but was not ready to make a decision on the spot... that guy is not going to Fly all the way back to where said car is.. to pay for it... and if it is not a DRIVER, but a high dollar show car.. it may need enclosed professional Transport.. bottom-line, I too strongly encourage parties buying cars to FIRST.. have someone put eyes on it for you.. a fellow ACES or Team Chevelle Member..( They are everywhere!! ) if that report comes back positive.. then strongly consider seeing car in person.. and at some point after that., payment transaction has to be discussed. Again, not everyone is buying a car on the spot.. and it may be LARGE sums of money, as in Greater than $50,000..either way, the safest and best way to pay for a car that is not sitting in front of you is the question at hand.. and wire transfer, Fed Ex and/or escrow account set ups.. are viable and safe options in my opinion.MC
:yes: I did the same as you.
As the others have stated above, a wire transfer and overnighting the title are the safest way, without physically picking up the car. However, for your own piece of mind do a little investigative work on your own. If you have the owners address info and home phone number, call information and see if they are listed. You can also search Town property tax records on line to see if they really own the house and for how long. Again, anyone can be taken by a well run scam but the last long distance car my friend bought, this info showed they were in the house for 20+ years and AT&T had both the husband and wife listed in the directory. That was a little bit of piece of mind for him. Also, get the car insured ASAP. Some companies on a new policy will only do it by mail the 1st time, as oppposed to calling your present company, if you have one and just getting a binder. Good luck!!!:thumbsup:
Thank you everyone for all the responces!!!
I did have my sister and brother-inlaw drive two hours and inspect the car for me. She spent two hours on her cell phone with me as I had her check out everying I could think of, she even crawled under the car and descibed what she saw and she knows what to look for as I've taught her in the past on how to do it. My brother-inlaw is a metal worker by trade so he knows what to look for when it comes to rust. They both agreed that the car is solid from top to bottom and was well represented in the ad. I feel very comfortable about what the car is.
I guess I'm not familiar with exactly what a "wire transfer" is. The seller banks with the same bank as I do so would I be safe transfering the funds from my account directly to his?
I did have my sister and brother-inlaw drive two hours and inspect the car for me. She spent two hours on her cell phone with me as I had her check out everying I could think of, she even crawled under the car and descibed what she saw and she knows what to look for as I've taught her in the past on how to do it. My brother-inlaw is a metal worker by trade so he knows what to look for when it comes to rust. They both agreed that the car is solid from top to bottom and was well represented in the ad. I feel very comfortable about what the car is.
I guess I'm not familiar with exactly what a "wire transfer" is. The seller banks with the same bank as I do so would I be safe transfering the funds from my account directly to his?
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No sense in my trying to explain to you what a wire Transfer is and the safety of it, etc.. call your bank and ask them.. they will explain all the details of it and what you need to do, etc...
In short.. It's Money from your account sent directly to His account, verfied funds by both banks when it is sent and arrives... sort of like high tech western union of the old days..
Good luck
MC
In short.. It's Money from your account sent directly to His account, verfied funds by both banks when it is sent and arrives... sort of like high tech western union of the old days..
Good luck
MC
Well I bought the car last week. Transfered the funds on Thursday the 24th. He said he received it and he would put the "pink" in the mail that Saturday. Called him this past Wednesday and he said he forgot and that he would put it in the mail by today Friday. He also said he's having trouble getting a hold of his shipper. Getting really nervous about this whole thing!!!
When I bought mine I set up the transporter. I'm not sure but, I think if you did a wire transfer with a bank and it was sent to his bank you might be able to go back to the bank you transferred the money from and tell them whats going on. They might be able to call the bank the money was wired to and put a hold on his account. Might be worth a shot if things don't work out.
Maybe someone on this site has some other ideas to help you.
The guy I bought my car from was great, as soon as he had the call from the bank he faxed me a bill of sale, copy of the title with the back of it filled out with my name and the appraisal he had done on the car for insurance. Then on top of that he overnighted all the things listed.
I hope it all works out for you.
Maybe someone on this site has some other ideas to help you.
The guy I bought my car from was great, as soon as he had the call from the bank he faxed me a bill of sale, copy of the title with the back of it filled out with my name and the appraisal he had done on the car for insurance. Then on top of that he overnighted all the things listed.
I hope it all works out for you.
I've never bought a car out of state. I asked the guy how it's done and he suggested a couple of guys he's used in the past with good results and said he's give them a call that way they may give me a break on cost.
We actually use the same bank so I had a cashiers check made out to him and the bank put that into his account, I provided the number to them that he gave me (which I still have). I thought since we used the same bank and I had his account number I was pretty safe.
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I have bought and sold cars over the internet.I would use a shipping company to pick up the car and bring it to my house,most times it was shiping from one side of the country to the other.When I paid for the shiping they did not say one word about they had to wait till they had 4 or 6 car to make a load before they would ship.A few times I had to wait a month before I got the car.When I sell a car on the internet (ebay) I try to be as honest as possible.I have missed a few small things like a small nick in the chrome but when the shipping company inspects the car and finds it,I have to call the guy I sold it to,with the inspection sheet in hand and tell him about it.I also have to send him a copy of the inspection sheet.I have been very lucky all the buyers have said,dont worry about it,its an old car and it is not going to be perfect.Im thinking ,how much money are they going to want back,before they say,dont worry about it.It may take a few weeks before you get the car but in the end it will all be worth it.The waiting part is the hardest and to add to that,watching your car on the internet as it is stoped for a few days in no mans land while the shiping company waits on another car for that load.
Sorry I forgot to post an update on this car. I got the car and the title was in it. The title was in a 3rd party's name which concerned me but when I took it to the DOL they looked at it closely but didn't question it and apparently it went through. Now I'm just waiting for him to send me some small parts that were suppose to be with it. Fortunately the car was as described.....just the communication after the money was sent/received was difficult. Thanks again for the responces!!!
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