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Smart Shopper Buying and Selling Vehicles Online (eBay, etc.)
225 messages, Last post on Sep 24, 2009 at 8:13 AM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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Replying to: tidester (May 20, 2008 4:41 pm) |
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Replying to: prithis (May 20, 2008 1:23 pm) i did my homework regarding the car and the dealer. it's a '07 prius with 27,000 miles, still under warranty (which transfers with the car). also, got it through ebay, where the seller has a long, dependable history and is interested in keeping a good reputation. through ebay, the purchase is covered up to $50,000 against fraud and more. i don't expect to have to deal with any of that, but i decided it was worth the risk for getting just the car i wanted. the request for identification info did make me a bit nervous initially. i just hadn't come across it before. all good there now. it wasn't too steep a discount, though i ended saving $6-8000 off what i would've paid for a new one. and used prius' just can't be found in my neck of the woods. people get hold of one and don't let go....
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Replying to: calleaghn (May 21, 2008 7:24 am) |
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Replying to: gagrice (Mar 03, 2008 7:44 am)
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Replying to: vlane (Sep 30, 2008 4:41 pm) When you are on Craigslist shopping for ANYTHING, how on Earf can you make sure you are "dealing with respectable people?" Do a background check on the person? Interview their parents? Craigslist is something you should be VERY CAREFUL if buying a high-dollar item. Buying used clothes for your kids or a cheap this or that is fine. But you generally have zero recourse if someone cheats you. I will add a caveat: Personally, Craigslist saved my butt once. I needed to get rid of a high-dollar lease vehicle that was WAY TOO MUCH VEHICLE for my family (it shrunk because of a divorce). I was in the bucket BIG-TIME and could not sell it or trade it and it was too expensive to drive. I was on the verge of seriously considering allowing the bank to Repo the vehicle, which would have of course killed my credit - and I was home-shopping at the time !!! I posted a CL ad, and LO AND BEHOLD I found a family who "needs a vehicle that size but we have terrible credit" and they were willing to pay me cash each month for a portion of the $872 payment on the vehicle. I took a large risk by trusting them, but they WERE honest people, thank gosh. They ended up keeping it for a little over two years and helping me pay it off in full. I paid around $15,000 on the truck AFTER they leased it from me, but they kept it until it was paid off and I signed the title over to them at the end. It was a win-win for both of us. I would not advise that course of action for anyone, but I did want to pass this along as a "risk" which turned out to be luckily worth it for me. |
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Article in my local paper tonight: Scammer sells luxury cars on Autotrader.com using fake Boise address (Idaho Statesman) Steve, visiting host |
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Lots of comments from people buying locally on Ebay, and people selling on Ebay. Anyone actually bought from someone on the other side of the continent? I'm contemplating buying a late-model VW from a dealer in New Hampshire, I'm on the west coast. Questions: 1) Would you fly to see the car? If so, how long would you stay, and how would you get there, etc? 2) Have it taken to a third-party mechanic (a no-brainer if you didn't do #1)? 3) How did you negotiate pricing? It's being sold by a car dealership (ad from autotrader and craigslist), so at least it's unlikely to be a complete fraud.
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Replying to: brygx (Feb 09, 2009 11:35 am) 1) The answer to this (and #2) largely depends on what type of dealer has the car. If it's a new car store (especially a VW store), I most likely would be content with high quality photos so long as the service history is documented and the Carfax is good (not that it is any guarantee). Also, would try to wrangle the previous owner's name/number and talk with her/him. If you do go, it seems to me that you fly into Boston and rent a car for the drive up. 2) Really don't see much point in this on a late model transaction if the caveats in #1 apply. If they don't, I wouldn't buy. 3) Negotiating long distance or in-person is pretty much the same in my direct approach - "I'll pay X dollars" (seller accepts or not) or "what will it take to buy it?" (I accept or not). What kind of late model VW is worth the hassle of long distance? |
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In either case, did you fly to see the car? Under what circumstances would you think that's necessary? As for which car, this is probably going to put me in a world of hurt, but ... =) I'm leaning towards the VW GTI. My top pick would be a Cooper S, although I'd prefer a 4dr and the GTI does have a 4dr style. My next pick would be the Mazdaspeed 3, with the downsides being it's lower mpg and a bit big (more stationwagon-like instead of hatch). Other cars off my list were the WRX (too ricer), BMW 335i (too expensive to maintain), and Elise (can't drive it anywhere).
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