If you wanted to buy a car off Ebay?

Question

But it was too far away for you to view it in person, would you consider paying a third party who lived locally, to give an appraisal for you? How could this work? does anyone know of a service like this? Thanks

Answer 1

I have done that and taken the chance twice, and ended up with 2 cars that were perfect. Once was because I needed a car desperately after a brand new car I bought had to be returned to the manufacturer because it was so poorly built. I was unwilling to trust a replacement and managed to get a refund!!

But that aside, remember when you go to buy the car, although you have a contract, they still have to describe the vehicle validly. If you go to collect a vehicle advertised as perfect condition, then arrive there and find a door smashed in, they have broken the contract not you and you do not owe them a penny. In fact if you take this type of incident further with eBay you may well be able to charge their account for the cost of your transport too.

It is a risk, but what isn't in life? And from my experience the sellers are very honest and trustworthy, more-so than from a garage most of the time.

A lot of people that have never tried it just say no, because logically it is stupid to part with so much money when you haven't seen an item. But it's far safer than you imagine, as long as you avoid any vehicle that asks for a deposit to be paid before you have seen it. The people that demand a deposit to be paid within say 48hours may well be hiding something, so don't touch any vehicle advertised like that, but so long as they are willing to let you see the vehicle before you pay it's safer than a standard car auction.

Just check that the seller has very good feedback, if possible they have sold cars in the past, that they don't require a deposit immediately, and they are willing to let you view it beforehand even if you can't do so. If all of these can be ticked off your fairly safe.

Answer 2

First of all never buy a car unseen unless it is just money you can afford to throw out the window! I have bought three cars off of e-bay all sight unseen. But when you are only paying 600 dollars what do you expect. I have been happy with the deals by the way. So when you search e-bay sort by distance. For two reasons: 1. So you can go look at it. 2. So shipping costs don't ruin the deal. One car I bought was less then 100 miles away, and it was not running. To get it delivered would have cost another 300 dollars. So before I bid, I made sure I had a way to get it to me that I could afford. No one delivers cars for free, shipping costs are excluded. Some "Great Deals" also have some terms of sale that must be met. Such as payment in so many days, pick up in so many days, and a real deal buster additional handling charges that must be paid. Read the complete item listing, look for "hidden fees" and other items that can turn the deal sour. Always keep in mind, buying a car at auction is a game, don't gamble more then you can loose. If you can not afford to loose, don't play the game!

Answer 3

Try and find one more locally, if it is too far away, and anything is not right with the car after you buy it, you will have to go back again anyway. there are lots of cars around, must be something local. An AA inspection will do the survey, but charge a few quid for the privilidge. If in doubt, PULL OUT

Answer 4

Ebay is great for getting cheap cars and their are great bargains to be had. I've sold several great buys on it.

BUT, it is an auction and if you win its yours. You would then have to get any inspection done before you bid. Can you guarantee you'll be the winning bidder?

Also as its ebay, generally the cars will sell for around trade values. In which case you take trade risks. I dont get a full inspection and test drive when I buy at auction. If an ebay bidder asked for similar on an auction car I would probably refuse. Not that the car is bad or misdescribed, but because I'm not prepared to tie up my time for a car selling at trade.

Answer 5

I would suggest that you definatly get the vehicle inspected but an appraisal would not be applicable for an eBay aquisition.

Check with eBay, they may be able to recommend a service provider for the inspection and, from what I understand, you would pay for that sepoaratly from the purchase.

Answer 6

You could probably contact a local mechanic shop in that area and work something out with them. Most of the time for the right price you can get things done even if it is not a common practice.

Answer 7

No you could get ripped off that way and the cars that are auctioned off on ebay are risky to buy, you would be better off looking in the local paper for a car.

Answer 8

I saw a car I liked on eBay and paid approx £40 to the AA to go and check it out - it was a dud, glad I did before bidding on it. Best to check it out yourself, or buy from a reputable dealer (do they exist?) which can give you some kind of warranty.

Answer 9

Yes you can hire a company to inspect the car for you and a transport company to bring it to you. But you will be relying on their judgment and would have little recourse if the car had issues you did not like but were unaware of when you purchased it. See it or forget it.

Answer 10

i would most likely not buy a car off of ebay because so many things can go wrong.however, i would look around on ebay to see what cars i like and then search dealers around where i live to see if they have any i like and go from there.