Has anyone ever bought a car off ebay?

Question

I've seen a 2004 VW golf being sold on ebay for £3000. Could this be dodgy?

Answer 1

The ad should give you the option to check whether its dodgy or not, it would say "Get the Vehical Status Report" in the description. I wouldn't buy it unless I had checked that 1st. Good luck and happy bidding LOL!
Hope this helps

Answer 2

yes i buy and sell cars on there all the time - have bought 19 cars on there so far and only had problems with one where it was not as described so didnt buy it when I went to pick it up.

2004 Golf is worth much more than 3000 so if that is the buy it now price then yes be wary unless it has 200,000 miles and a possible accident history. It may be that the auction has not run its course and the car will fetch much more than that by the end of the auction. You could ask the seller to give you an HPI report which shows any finance, accidents, etc....

your best bet is to bid on the car - if you win it at that price then check the car out before you hand over the money - if you dont like it walk away - you may upset someone but who cares. You may also get a bargain that you can sell for a profit - thats what I do and I make a mint from it!

Answer 3

Yes... I have! Two years ago I saw a well specified, very low mileage, Mercedes C200 Elegance model advertised on eBay. Enquiries were made via several e-mails, the vehicle was inspected and was found as good as, if not better than described. I eventually won the Mercedes for what was, to me, a truly bargain price. It has served me absolutely faultlessly to date, and I suspect it will continue to do so for the next few years.

And the secret of not getting caught out...?

First of all read the ad carefully... be careful of the ones saying "selling for a friend who hasn't got a computer/ebay account or is out of the country", or this is a "one day auction". Why?! And if a car is for sale at a low 'Buy it now ' price, then that should make you suspicious. Then ask about _and_ check everything - ownership, outstanding finance, service record book, maintenance bills, MoT cert, (NB if previous ones are available they'll give a good indication of total mileage). Be careful to check for any accident repairs, too. Then inspect the car thoroughly, carrying out full checks yourself - or use a knowledgeable friend, or the AA/RAC. Lastly, drive the car and make an honest assessment - if any doubts, walk away.

The vehicle I found was only for sale in order to close the estate of a Mercedes enthusiast who had lavished great care on his 'pride and joy', and had kept it in excellent condition. In two years of ownership I have spent money only on routine servicing and (my choice) a larger capacity battery.

So, as with all auctions, do your reseach first and be brutally honest with yourself. Don't bid unless you are absolutely positive that the vehicle is 100 percent genuine. If you use your commonsense you should end up with a bargain. And good luck!

Answer 4

Be very careful! If the car seems to cheap to be true then its probably a con...

There are a lot of criminal gangs putting up very very cheap listings. They then ask the winning bidder to bring cash and mug them at knife point (or worse) when they turn up to an address they don't live at.

eBay have made it worse by introducing classified ads which have exploded the number of cons while reducing their liability and increasing their profits.

If you do buy a car then get the AA to go round and check the car over and run a HPI check. Criminals will not go through with this.

Also ask the seller to bring the car and a signed receipt with proof of their identity to a branch of your bank, where you can cash a cheque and pay them within the bank.

Answer 5

I've bought a car off ebay and it spent half its life with me in the garage for repairs, ebays getting a rep for dodgy motors which is no suprise to me!

if you do get this car off ebay for sure go have a look, test drive it and HPI check it before bidding! golden rule with ebay is if it seems too good to be true it most likely is!

Answer 6

I sold my car on Ebay for £160. It didn't run and needed a new engine. Make sure that the seller is honest and identifies any problems. If its much cheaper than the book price theres probably a good reason.

Answer 7

A friend of mine bought a car off Ebay but he had to travel some distance in order to get it, also due to the distance, he ended up having to book in at a B&B. But the car was in good running order.

In saying that he does know what he's looking for, if you aren't a mechanic or mechanically minded, don't do it.

You could end up with a lemon :(

Answer 8

Yes it is a con. Steer well clear. Trust me.

Think about it. Is a 2004 Golf only worth £3000?

Answer 9

My boyfriends dad bought a few cars from ebay and were fine but phone the person up and ask if you can have a look at the car before you buy it

Answer 10

i offered a 1998 Honda Prelude sort SH off of Ebay with 186,000 miles on it for $6200 in 2005. on the time, it became up for bid, yet had the fee i offered it from as a purchase IT NOW fee. I did somewhat examine on the Prelude, intently examined all of the photos, asked the broker a pair of questions (he became located in New Jersey and that i became in Ohio, so there became no pre-purchase try force) and that i fell in love with it and offered it. here i'm, over 2 years later, the automobile has 224,000 miles on it, the paint remains suited, the engine nonetheless runs solid (i took off the valve hide and it has NO varnish on any steel factors) and the only important restoration became changing the snatch at 2 hundred,000 miles (first time in the autos historic previous) This became the suited purchase I definitely have ever made, and that i urge you to take this opportunity besides, it specific became the suited selection i've got ever made. The issues to submit to in concepts: Make the customer communicate as usually as you may attempt to objective force it in case you may attempt to get them to deliver as many extra photos to incorporate photos of the engine, under the automobile, and the wheel wells notably. Use warning in the event that they initiate itemizing off information of issues, they could be worse than they are genuinely