Buying car unseen

[wannarun70]

Anyone ever buy a car online and have it shipped without seeing it? Any advice if I do decide to do it. Thanks, Mark

[tom406]

Try to find an appraiser who knows what they're doing to look at it, verify that it meets your expectations, and also to look at the title paperwork and verify untampered VIN on the car. If its a lot money you can use a lawyer to set up an escrow account to verify funds and paperwork for each party. When I appraise things after they've been purchased sight unseen and arrive, I'm more often than not the bearer of bad news. Last month I informed a buyer that his title didn't match his car (registered by the original engine number which was no longer in the car). That was from an established collector car dealer who should've known better than to assume the numbers were fine.

[COPO]

I've done it probably a dozen times and honestly have yet to have a bad experience, so perhaps just lucky as there are loads of horror stories as well. Have purchased from both individuals and dealers. Mostly later model cars, but a few muscle cars as well. Get lots of pictures and ask lots of questions, but always better to have someone put their eyes on it.

[SS427]

I have only done it once and was extremely satisfied but that is a gross exception to the case as you are taking a huge risk anytime you buy sight unseen. For the cost of a seasoned inspector you are doing yourself a huge favor by having it inspected and in most every case a good inspector will be able to get you enough information to at the very least negotiate the price of the car to cover the cost of the inspection. At least then you are breaking even but know what you are getting. Best case scenario that same inspector will prevent you from spending money on junk. You are out the fees but are not stuck with a car you had not bargained on. Over the years I have come to a point that I simply do not trust photos. The photographer can avoid bad areas or can hide so much in a photo that you simply will not see it and if you try and sue those photos are his way out. Hire an inspector. Money WELL spent!

[Zedder]

I have done it numerous times too...but got burned on my last car. Long-term, professional type (engineer and business owner) owner in his late 60's. Seemed as honest as the day is long. Sent him my paint meter to meter the car. His readings came back showing that part of the roof had been repainted, otherwise original paint (it was a 993 Porsche). Paid market for the car based on that and his promise that all was good and it was properly maintained. Metered the car myself on receipt and found that the entire roof, sail panels, left quarter and right fender were repainted. Readings would have been impossible to misread! Left door check strap weld was broken, door speaker broken and just hanging by one screw, dent in front fender and rear quarter with areas on the bumper polished through. None of this showed in the pics. I'll never buy without having someone lay eyes on the car again.

In fact, I lost out on a 67 Camaro this past weekend because I couldn't find anyone close by to look at it for me and someone else scooped it up...

[Jonesy]

I did it once, got burned. Never again. Pics looked great but when I got it it was totaly not what I expected. It was a dark green car. The ebay seller used black spray bomb paint to hide the rust down low in the rear quarters.
The chrome on the dash around the gauges was hand painted with model paint.
Just alot of things that added up. If I would have looked at it in person I would have caught all this. It all showed good in the pics and was listed rust free. Phoenix car but came from Chicago area.

[Damien]

Yes, more than a dozen times due to the fact I'm in Australia.
Two things ring out for me, due diligence- do your homework as best as you can and have someone who actually knows what they are looking at inspect the car for you. Money well spent if you have the right person.
I have also bought a couple of cars through members here and never had an issue.

[L78M22Rag]

I have bought several cars sight unseen, and had one bad experience. As a result, I’m very VERY reluctant to buy from a dealer. They know their business and they rarely get the short end of the stick.

If you contract an appraiser, make sure you find someone that is unbiased. In my one bad experience, I’m certain that the seller knew the appraiser and paid him extra for a glowing report. If you cannot find an appraiser, perhaps the local Chevrolet Dealer or a local repair shop will do an all points inspection (unlike an appraiser, they’re looking for faults where they could do the repairs for you). With all due respect to some good appraisers I know, there are plenty of appraisers simply looking to pump owners up on how good and valuable their car is. As a result, I would view any appraisal report with caution (unless you know the appraiser).

Lastly, the benefit of buying a survivor is that there is little to hide. I can usually assess the condition of a survivor with decent closeup photos, whereas a seller can hide just about anything on a restored car (as in my one bad experience). Ultimately, that one bad experience of buying that “restored” 1967 Chevelle SS 396 convertible clone from a dealer has steered me in the right direction. All’s well that ends well. Good luck!

[Mr70]

Originally Posted by Jonesy

I did it once, got burned. Never again. Pics looked great but when I got it it was totaly not what I expected. It was a dark green car. The ebay seller used black spray bomb paint to hide the rust down low in the rear quarters.
The chrome on the dash around the gauges was hand painted with model paint.
Just alot of things that added up. If I would have looked at it in person I would have caught all this. It all showed good in the pics and was listed rust free. Phoenix car but came from Chicago area.

Was this a 1970 SS L-78 Chevelle by chance?

[danachevroletfor1967]

I've only ever done it once, and that worked out fine for me. I bought it from a private owner that was selling it thru a dealership. I trusted the description and photos. It was shipped to me from Illinois out here to California. The only negative that happened was that they had to remove the right front radio antenna for the car to go into the enclosed shipping truck, and when I got the car unloaded the disassembled antenna was missing one piece. I was able to buy that piece from a restoration company and amazingly to myself put the antenna back together. They sent me a CD with probably 100 photos showing the restoration process of the car. I found the car thru an advertisement in Hemmings Motor News.