There is a 997.1tt that I bid on ebay. Autocheck score over 90, no accidents, no funny stuff on Autocheck. Auction ended, and I was the highest bidder but my bid did not meet reserve.

Few days later, the seller contacts me, and we've been emailing back and forth. Seller offered to sell it to me at another price via a 2nd chance offer on ebay. After a few days we've come close to agreement to a price after the seller agreed to throw in a 2nd set of Techart wheels plus a front spoiler.

Some things though have me suspicious:
1) Seller says he has a medical condition that prohibits heavy lifting. He says he cannot box/wrapup the wheels/rims/spoiler for an auto transport company to pick up the items.

So he proposes I use his out of state friend that he "trusts" to transport the car/wheels/rims/spoiler.

Seller says if I use a big name auto transport, they cannot transport the 2nd set of rims/wheels b/c they need it boxed up; so I have to use his friend.

2) I have repeated asked the seller to take new pics of the car's front, rear, odometer, rims/wheels/spoiler, and most importantly a pic of the title as proof of ownership. I ask for new pics to confirm the car is in good condition, as well for existence of the spoiler and wheels.

I get no pics, claims he has no smartphone and lives in the boonies (this I confirm via Google maps from the location he lists on ebay, he lives in a rural area). Yet somehow seller has pics of the vehicle on ebay, and he also is able to email me pics of the key and vehicle binder.

Seller says the title is still in the name of the dealership he bought the car ~1.5 yrs ago, and he needs to transfer it into his name.

3) Initially I asked for a brief video of the car running. He says again he has no smartphone w/video capabilities b/c he lives in an area with no cell service. And he says he has no insurance on the car, and doesn't want to start the vehicle without insurance. WTH?

4) Ebay has a $50,000 vehicle protection program. Price of car is more than $50k, so if I pay this guy and I don't get the car, I'm screwed the difference from Ebay's guarantee.

5) Ebay's protection program does not cover buyer if buyer does not receive the title from the seller.

6) I ask if he can bring the car for a PPI; he says the nearest Porsche dealership is 60mi away and that is an issue for me. He emails me a PPI from 1.5 yrs ago when he first bought the car in another state.

So, am I being unreasonable for wanting to see updated pics of the car, car's odometer, rims, and title? Seller has repeatedly questioned why he needs to take requested pics and asks me to call him (which I will not at this time).

Something doesn't smell right here, or am I being paranoid?

 

All bad. If you must have it You'll risk less with a plane ticket out to see it in person

 

You've already figured it out that this entire deal is bogus don't bother going any further

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Yea RUN away, EVERY red flag is raised on this one. If you dont run away at least fly in and check out the car.

 

Agreed, I would recommend taking the time and eating the cost for a plane ticket to check it out if you are set on the car.

No way would i pay this much for a car without seeing it and talking with the previous owner - especially if it is from a private party - read way too many horror stories to trust someone on a purchase like this. What is the sellers feedback rating on ebay?

I purchased my classic Bronco from ebay sight unseen, but had great communication throughout the auction and after and it was through a small dealership that specialized in older cars. If at any time it seemed like something fishy was going on, i would've pulled the plug.

 

All this and you need forum members to tell you what to do - come on man - you already figured it out.

 

I wouldn't touch this deal with a ten foot pole. Run, don't walk, away from this. There are many good, honest deals out there so keep looking.

 

anybody who has something for sale on eBay and tells you they can't provide pictures, is a fraud. Lots of cars out there!

 

exactly what everyone said - don't even waste the plane ticket. Find another car...

 

^^^^
What he said!

 

Appreciate the responses so far. Just wanted to keep my emotions in check, esp since I'm using the internet as one of my resources and I don't want a potential 911 purchase to be a emotional one.

I would appreciate if someone can offer their thoughts on this: For those who bought from an online private seller, or a dealership for that matter, is it reasonable for me to ask them to send me a pic or fax of the title, to ensure a potential buyer the selling vehicle in question is indeed theirs to sell?

 

yeah that is clearly a bad deal all around. I was thinking of selling my car on Ebay but after looking at the cars, you either get a dealer asking too much or a shady one, and Im not in a hurry to move it. I am just gonna wait


No its not asking too much for a video of a car, or at least pics while he figures out how to upload it. He can put it on Ebay but cant get you pics? Ok.....

 

It is but let this go this is a scam don't waste your money on a plane ticket or any internet time on this one it's shady period.

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Not unreasonable at all - the good reputable sellers/dealers wouldn't hesitate at all. My last 6 purchases have all been out of state, both dealers and private parties. Too many red flags with this one - move on.

 

I bought mine sight unseen from Ohio (I'm in Canada). Had it PPIed remotely at the local P dealer in Ohio and spoke on the phone with the tech doing the PPI. Trusted what he had to say and the car was a winner. There were no red flags. When you find the car you should buy there will be no red flags. The car you mentioned is ALL red flag, lol.