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Instead of eBay-- you might want to consider buying a late model, low mileage, CPO vehicle from a reputable dealer and having it shipped. The manufacturer backed warranty, along with the considerable savings, gave me the assurances that I needed to feel comfortable doing so.
I did so not once, but twice, in the last 10 years-- I was able to save $5-$7K vs what I found in my local area, even when including the cost of shipping. My rule of thumb is that I had to purchase for close to trade-in value, so even if I had to dump the car, I wouldn't be out much, if anything, out of pocket.
That is a concern. Ebay supposedly offers some coverage / protection. Haven't looked into it much though, but will soon.
Edit: Got the shipping part figured out kinda. Take 3-5 days to pick up from location A, and up to 9 days to be delivered to my door.
I believe eBay offers car buyers fewer legal protections than buyers of $5 or $100 items due to most state laws being that used cars are considered as-is sales. As a former resident of Anchorage OP, I feel your pain. The costs of even a POS car in AK is so much higher than the lower 48. But if you buy from an out of state seller on eBay and end up having to sue him/her, you will have to sue them in their state of residence, unfortunately. That is how small claims court works. My suggestion to you is to check eBay's protections. If they don't offer anything more than the standard "Buyer beware," you might want to go the painful route.
Maybe look into buying a car in Canada (maybe in Whitehorse, Yukon if you live in Anchorage and want to drive about 1/3 the distance than to Seattle). I have no clue how much that would cost you. It's probably a very expensive idea but worth looking into anyway. Alternatively, check out purchasing one from your nearest neighbor, Washington state, and doing the long road trip back. You could do a one way flight there do there's less driving, of course. That's still a PITA, but look on the bright side: You get a chance to test its reliability
I believe eBay offers car buyers fewer legal protections than buyers of $5 or $100 items due to most state laws being that used cars are considered as-is sales. As a former resident of Anchorage OP, I feel your pain. The costs of even a POS car in AK is so much higher than the lower 48. But if you buy from an out of state seller on eBay and end up having to sue him/her, you will have to sue them in their state of residence, unfortunately. That is how small claims court works. My suggestion to you is to check eBay's protections. If they don't offer anything more than the standard "Buyer beware," you might want to go the painful route.
Maybe look into buying a car in Canada (maybe in Whitehorse, Yukon if you live in Anchorage and want to drive about 1/3 the distance than to Seattle). I have no clue how much that would cost you. It's probably a very expensive idea but worth looking into anyway. Alternatively, check out purchasing one from your nearest neighbor, Washington state, and doing the long road trip back. You could do a one way flight there do there's less driving, of course. That's still a PITA, but look on the bright side: You get a chance to test its reliability
Open to any suggestions.
Dealers have really come down over the years, but people still want top dollar for their used vehicle.
I've purchased many vehicles from eBay, and I've never had any problems. My current car, a Lexus ES300h, was purchased from Chicago (I live in NJ now) and shipped sight unseen. It arrived looking exactly like the photos described and has been flawless for the ~25,000 miles I've put on it so far.
I also bought an RV from Massachusetts sight unseen, and it was exactly as described. Also bought an Audi A6 and a Mazda 3 over the years. Never an issue.
eBay protects you if there is something seriously wrong with the car, like if it shows up with 3 wheels instead of 4, o rthe VIN doesn't match the listing, or more importantly, if it never shows up. It won't protect you for annoying things, like "it smells funny", or little dings/dents that don't show up in the photos, but these are minor.
You still have to do your ordinary diligence regarding the car- get a carfax report, etc. But you're really running no more risk on ebay than if you were to buy a car from a dealership down the street- they can all engage in shady tactics. At least with ebay there is a feedback system and you can review any negative feedbacks to see if they are indicative of a trend. At the end of the day, it's just a car.
I now pretty much only buy cars from ebay. I just hate pulling teeth at dealerships and dealing with the markup. My favorite type of purchase is ebay private party, although a small buy here/pay here style dealership can have good deals too. I haven't had any luck with big dealerships on ebay- their prices are all too high.
You'll be buying from some cruddy buy here/pay here lot that you'd never set foot in it it were real life.
some of the most exclusive luxury car dealers in the US use eBay
every week Ferrari's and Rolls Royce's are sold on ebay to happy buyers
cruddy buy here/ pay here lots rarely use ebay, please provide links if you find otherwise
I have purchased 2 cars off ebay in 10 years, both were better than described/pictured, nothing exotic but i wanted perfect condition... not just average
locally there was nothing, although i was looking for a particular model and color and am picky on condition
I also place a high value on having all service records proving all maintenance was done on time by dealer
the only place I was able to find that was on ebay, especially living somewhere where prices are inflated and rust is a problem
How specific is your search? Are we talking a 1976 Gremlin drag car, a 2007 Toyota Carolla, or a year old Tesla?
There is the issue. I am a car nut in general and while my mental health is good / normal - my car nut health is bipolar.
I want this one day, and that another day.
Currently looking for 1999-2004 Mustang Gt's with manual transmission and lower miles. Yesterday, I was looking at a 2007 GTO, and the day before a G8.
Last night? Was looking at a 1994 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer in amazing condition. These are on top of my list and have wanted once since the mid 90's. There are a couple up here, but they have very high millage and are typically trailed pretty hard.
Tomorrow, I may look at Acura's - Haha!
It is not just about the 'high' price people want for there vehicle here, it's also the condition they are in. People are very, very rough on their cars / trucks, and it shows.
I sold a car on Ebay once. I have 100% positive rating. A guy from Italy bought it. Actually his wife bought it for him. It was a Mazda RX7. It had been a race car and had documentations and pictures from its race days. Also had extra parts, tires and a Chevy 6cyl engine on the side. His broker is in Houston and sent a shipper to pick it up. Very odd transaction. I've sold saddles, a boat anchor, a boat grill, clothes, footwear, books, movies, odds & ends.
Also I've used U-Ship to ship stuff before. You can get a free quote - or bids - once you know where your car is coming from.
There are inspection companies that will go over the car for you after your winning bid, but before you send final payment. Any down payment can be refunded if a lot of problems are found. You can often have it inspected before any payment is made.
I bought a vehicle online, w/o getting any inspection. It turned out just fine; but I wouldn't do it again. The inspection is like 125 to 175.
OP, I bought a car online last year. I found it on cars.com and I hired an inspection service to handle the PPI. I gave them explicit instructions on what to check. The car was a 2013 and still had 2 years of warranty coverage. I had the car shipped to me. Buying online can work.
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I have 100% positive rating. A guy from Italy bought it. Actually his wife bought it for him. It was a Mazda RX7. It had been a race car and had documentations and pictures from its race days. Also had extra parts, tires and a Chevy 6cyl engine on the side. His broker is in Houston and sent a shipper to pick it up. Very odd transaction. I've sold saddles, a boat anchor, a boat grill, clothes, footwear, books, movies, odds & ends. 
