I bought 2 used cars within the last 6 months from out of state sellers, I am in New York. The first was the 911 from a dealer in Pittsburgh back in February, I planned on flying out there to see the car, buy it, and drive it home. Unfortunately the horrible weather we had ruined my plans on 2 occasions, so I decided to just get a PPI done and just take a shot. To make a long story short, the PPI came back good and I closed the deal but I did feel a bit nervous about sending almost $50k in certified and loan checks to someone I didn't know (but had excellent feedback and reviews online). The Porsche was amazing and exceeded my expectations in it's condition. Second story, I purchased a Mercedes on eBay a few months ago (also sight unseen, and no PPI because it was a cheap car which I now know shouldn't be an excuse). The seller assured me that the only paintwork on the car was the lower driver side door and the rest of the car was original paint, I asked for more pictures and he provided some strategically taken shots which looked great. To make another long story short, we agreed on a price and he had the car shipped to me from Ohio within about 10 days which was great. Once I received the car I could automatically see while it was on the flat bed that most of the car had been resprayed and badly, I also found multiple rust spots throughout the car as well. On top of that he said the title would be in my possession within a few days, but it realistically took almost two months to get the title from him. At the end of the day it is hit or miss, most people out there generally do the right thing but there are also a fair share of ****bags that will take your money and run, I suggest using some sort of auto escrow service for a portion of the payment just so you're on the safe side. Good luck with your purchase!

 

I flew from here in NY to Ohio to see the car before I sent any money at all, just because even if the PPI came back flawless, that wouldn't necessarily mean that the dealer and the PPI shop weren't in cahoots. And If they were, then what? I'd be in NY with little recourse.

I didn't even tell them who was doing the PPI until I arrived to see the car in person. Overkill, perhaps, but so much better safe than sorry - especially when you can buy it for the cost of a plane ticket.

-V

 

I would buy one locally like some people say it's hit and miss. Even the car can be in amazing working condition but you may run into some problems down the road I say have at least 5k just sitting around.

 

My last 7 car were purchased out of state. All deals went fairly smooth except for the ONLY car I bought sight unseen from Ebay. The seller failed to mention a color mismatched front fender which was fairly obvious upon arrival in person. It was a custom painted classic car which color matching would be very difficult. I was fortunate to have a talented local shop fix the problem.

That said. I'm not sure I'll ever buy sight unseen again. Also, pay the extra few bucks and go with a reputable shipping company.

Oh and to answer your question about the BOS i usually have one drafted beforehand and also ask the seller to send (w/tracking number) the title immediately after receipt of funds. Hopefully this helps.

 

Thanks for the detail much appreciated!