Purchasing Cars off Ebay?

Question

Title explains it all really.

The car(s) im interested in buying are on Ebay for a lower price than any where else at the moment. I want to know has anyone bought a car off ebay before....or would you?. Do you trust people?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Just as in any other auto purchase, you want to inspect the vehicle prior to purchase (or bidding). You are better off if you can go and physically inspect the vehicle yourself, or have a private inspection service inspect it for you (at your expense).

There are some reputable sellers out there and some scam artists. Look for a seller with a a good feedback rating and read the actual feedback that others have left.

Do not expect the vehicle to be perfect. All used cars have flaws.

Remember to consider your shipping costs. If you are planning on driving the car home, rather than shipping it, be sure there is a way for you to get it home legally. Depending on your state laws, you may need to get tags prior to taking the car on the road!

Answer 2

If the price is unusually low, that is a BIG red flag! If the seller demands payment via Western Union wire transfer, it's almost a guaranteed SCAM. If there is a Buy it Now price that is below market, that's a big red flag. If clicking on the Ask the Seller link opens your e-mail account the page has been hijacked. Do NOT contact the "seller" as it IS a scam!

Keep in mind that a minumum starting bid is meaningless as is the current bid. Most auction items don't see a lot of action until the last few minutes of the auction.

If you are considering buying a car through eBay, you must perform the same due dilligence that you would with a local seller. Inspect the vehicle in person and have it checked out by a qualified mechanic. Run a Car Fax report on the VIN -- but check the VIN in person first! Do NOT depend upon the seller's honesty!

If personally traveling to inspect the vehicle is out of the question, do NOT even THINK about buying the vehicle! Ditto if the seller refuses to allow an independent inspection.

If you do decide to buy, use an independent escrow service of YOUR choice, never the seller's unless it's a major national service.

Answer 3

I bought a van off E-bay. It had a year's MOT, a new cambelt fitted and new tyres It was local-ish but never got around to looking at it before i bought although i did speak to the seller on the phone before buying. The guy selling it was a private individual and he said he was selling because his wife couldn't afford the insurance.
I've had it about 2 months now and done about 2500 miles in it so far. So far the fanbelt has needed tightening, the radiator hose came off which stranded me on the A21 and had to get the AA out to get me home (the engine had cooled down enough when we got home for the AA man to have a look at it and he managed to fix it), and my reversing lights have packed up.
I would probably buy another car off e-bay. I tend to look at past feedback. I check what types of stuff they are selling or have sold. I read the feedbackback beyond it just being positive or negative.
On the whole i don't trust people. Unless you buy off a dealer with a warranty e-bay is no worse or better than buying off a private individual in the local paper. My main question is always as to why they are selling the vehicle in the first place. If i'm happy the reason is genuine i will move on from there. If i'm not satisfied that the reason for selling is genuine i stop there.

Answer 4

Yep, I'd definitely do it again.

Bought a 2L petrol Modeo M reg with 140K miles on the clock for £200. Went and collected, having agreed beforehand that if it was a pile of junk there would be no deal.

It was a good buy for the money, came with £200 worth of Pioneer ICE and went like a good 'un for it's age.
Could see off many of the modern "boy racer" type cars, much to their annoyance!

It was good enough that someone stole it about a year later, ignoring several other Mondeo's nearby with smaller engines.

This time around I bought from Corner Park, what a ripoff.
Wife wanted a small car with PAS, so got a Saxo Desire.
The thing was nothing but trouble for months until they finally managed to fix it properly. The loan car was.. a Mondeo!. It was rubbish compared to the stolen one, no guts whatsovever.

If you are confident and know what you're doing, Ebay every time.

Answer 5

I've bought 3 cars off ebay, all where good value without major faults, one was outstanding, depends what you want to buy, I always paid for the car in cash when going to see it, so if the car was a dog I could walk away.
One car I bought to strip for parts, really cheap drove it 400 miles home without trouble. The other two are still going strong over 1 year later. But both needed parts replaced as you would expect with cars 10 years old, even quality ones.

Answer 6

Based on the experiences of myself and a friend of mine in looking for/buying inexpensive vehicles on eBay, it's best to only consider vehicles that are near you so that you can inspect them in person. Many times there are things that the seller doesn't mention either out of ignorance, or desire to sell the vehicle. If you view the car in person, you can better determine it's condition, how it was maintained, and if it's what you're looking for. I personally approach the situation the same way as if I were buying from a small used car dealer. I don't want to discourage you from buying from eBay; It's a great tool to use, just be careful and informed.

Answer 7

Before you get to carried away I'd get the car-fax report. Check out the rating of the seller. I for sure wouldn't by a car from some one with less than a 95% approval rating. Realize that you will also have to get the car to your location. Buy a car and get a vacation. But the shipping/retrieval costs may bring the price up to where it's cheeper to get on in you area that you can test drive and get a mechanic to look at. Of the people I know half are pleased with their cars, half are out thousands with out the car.

Answer 8

I would definatly check their feedback and if the car you want seems like it's too good to be true then chances are it is. There was some news stories a few weeks back about a scam but I believe that 95% of car sales on ebay are completely legit. Make sure you check their feedback and arrange to meet in a busy place.

Answer 9

Try and view it before end of listing, that`ll definately help. Also check the seller`s feedback if he/she has sold stuff recently then go through the bids on each item they`ve sold and make a note of all the bidderd. If the same name or names comes up on each of their sold items in the bid history then leave it and find something else. This means it`ll be them/their friends or relations bidding on their stuff to shove the price up.
Also probably best to not pay until you`ve seen the car, better to have bad feedbacl left for you (which you can reciprocate anyway) than to be ripped off for a pile of junk. I`ve bought and sold countless cars on eBay and bad experiences are very rare though still be careful.

Answer 10

I've sold two and bought two.

Selling was more hassle than buying as you ALWAYS get scammers....

The two I bought - one was an amazing deal (near mint, good history, 5 tax, 11 MOT) as the guy PRIVATE SALE, bought it three weeks earlier just didn't like it (was manual not auto) and sold it for silly money - still have it.

The other - a I bought as a winter project FROM A GARAGE - was a heap of rubbish. OK, I paid under £100 for it....died three weeks later.

It's ALWAYS better to check it out in person before parting with cash.