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Location: Where nothing ever grows. No rain or rivers flow, Texas
1,085 posts, read 1,580,720 times
Reputation: 468
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Hi
I have bought a number of cars online but that was easy when I was in the northeast since there are lots to choose from within driving distance. Now in TX most of the cars I like are hundreds of miles or out of state, so I'm thinking and go ahead and buy and have it inspected/shipped. If it was a legitimate dealer, maybe with financing, can I just get that to safely pay for the car? If no financing is available or its a private seller, is there a method of payment that gives me some security? like a bank to bank transfer or cashier's check, is there some kind of protection with that? it also seems autotrader has better options than ebay, so there goes the ebay buyer protection. thanks
Lessons from someone who buys cars all the time. Many times, long distance.
1. I never pay/buy unless I drive it, and test it out. I never buy anything unseen. (unless you're buying a project car, meaning you know it has a blown engine/clean body etc, I say take a look at it yourself).
2. Flying is cheaper than the possible headaches you'll deal with if you don't inspect it yourself. I trust dealers less than private owners. Half the time, the dealers know little to nothing about the car's history. They might have gotten the trade, and want to dump it off to you.
If a car is worth the drive or the flight to you, go there. Inspect, test drive and take it from there. The seller will know you mean business if you fly to see the car, after he/she sent you hundreds of pics, faxed/scanned documents etc. Take your cashier's check with you or cash (Depending on car price). Drive it back, or have it shipped and fly back if you dont like long drives.
Location: Where nothing ever grows. No rain or rivers flow, Texas
1,085 posts, read 1,580,720 times
Reputation: 468
Thanks MisterNY. Lets say I found a car close enough to drive over a weekend (~1000mi?) can I just drive it home thru many states? is that with the origin or my state temporary plates? my temp insurance? I can definitely consider giving it a bit more effort if its within a weekend. Thanks!
Thanks MisterNY. Lets say I found a car close enough to drive over a weekend (~1000mi?) can I just drive it home thru many states? is that with the origin or my state temporary plates? my temp insurance? I can definitely consider giving it a bit more effort if its within a weekend. Thanks!
I've had dealer tags for years, so I use them when I get a car in/out of state.
I have purchased cars out of state prior to having a Dealer License though. I can recall getting a car from NJ once, (that was over 10 yrs ago). I bought it from a private owner, but he had a contact at a small dealer that gave me a NJ temp tag.
From the dealer, I got my insurance documents faxed there, had my bill of sale/receipts in hand and drove South without issues. Double check on your end just to be safe.
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