Just wondering what your experience was? I am looking at a few (reason being is the price is 30%+ below market value). The sellers have established feed back of 50 or more, all from other established members, and all were vehicle purchases.

 

I have bought two. I bought a 00 C4 and had it delivered, had a few extra dings and got compensation from the dealer and sold it a year later for the same price I paid. I recently bought an M5 01 from a private party and flew down to pick it up, great price and car. Both were still in warrenty and great deals, but I suggest you go see the car before you pay for it. I used PAY PAL both times and if you have a valid reason to pull out of the deal you can easily get you money back, although that is just hearsay since I havent tried it. Its a lot of fun if you feel adventurous. Good Luck, Will

 

I sold a vehicle on ebay before...only took 2 days. Good stuff

 

Scot,

I bought my Porsche from an eBay seller sight unseen. I'm a bit distrusting of people I don't know, so I drafted up an agreement that addressed the condition of the car, whether it'd been in accidents, painted, etc. The car had about 1000 miles so I doubted that much could have gone wrong, but at the same time it made me wonder why the guy was selling it.

Since you're in Canada, it's not to pragmatic to fly to the States for a car, but if you're up for it (and hopefully for your sake the car is in a sunny location) you should.

I did five things:

1) Draft a contract that has the seller warranty the condition of the car (I can give you mine if you decide to pull the trigger);
2) Hire a local mechanic to check out the car. The cost will run you about $100;
3) Run a Carfax. Not fullproof, but interesting to see what it will pick up;
4) Call body/paint shops in the area of the seller; see whether they've done work on that car (give the VIN#). Chances are that Carfax would have picked up such work, but it's worth the few minutes to call;
5) Hire a reputable trucking company, and depending on the type of car, be sure the truck is covered. Ideally, your car will be the first delivered in the group so that it isn't constantly being shifted within the truck.

Good luck. eBay is a great community in and of itself. There are plenty of crooks, but handfuls of honest sellers.

-Bobby G

 

One way flights aren't that much to go down to the states. When I was 17, I picked up my first car (a CRX) for $300 from Rhode Island and drove it home. One ticket, and a ride home with a clutch that was slipping, and I got a good car for a reasonable dela that lasted until a ford f150 drove into me

Thanks for the info and good news stories! It is nice to know that people have good experiences like this

 

I bought a CLK 55 cabriolet off Ebay. A Mercedes dealer in SD was selling it in January of '02. I guess there is not much of a market for those kinds of cars in that state at that time. I bought it with about a $6k discount off of an $82k car that my local dealer wanted full sticker for. The car was delivered on a flat bed trailer, and it was a smooth transaction. He took my '00 C4 in trade in, and gave me a decent valuation. All in all, very pleased, but that was with the original dealership, not a third party.

 

Wow, they took your car for trade into? Thats cool. I guess I have to start looking for a dealership to do that with my A4. I might just get a S4 right now, and a P-car in a bit when I get a new place with a nice size garage. Not sure yet though.

 

I've bought 2 commuter cars off eBay . The first was a '97 BMW 540i. Got a great price and the car was in excellent condition as described. The 2nd one was an MBZ C280. Seller described it as in excellent condition and I got a great price. When the car was shipped to me, it had a dent in the rear 1/4 panel, a missing driver side mirror and the remote key was falling apart. By the time I addresses these issues the price wasn't so great anymore. Bottom line is that it's a crap shoot when you buy out-of-state cars on eBay. I don't mind taking a chance when buying a inexpensive commuter but would be more reluctant to buy a high-end car sight unseen.

 

Well I would probably try and find a car in New York. Spending $50 on gas and having a nice saturday drive to check out the car (12 hours round trip) wouldn't be that bad if I am saving $5-$10k off KBB value.

 

Purchased my 99 Cab off Ebay, our 01 Boxster, Uncles 99 Cab, helped 2 other friends get there Porsche's off of ebay. Just have the car checked out at a dealer before purchasing. I've had 0 problems with ebay sellers and cars.

 

I found my '02-C4S "used" on ebay for about $3,000 less than anything I could find "locally" (with 20x the miles). It had about 250 (yes, 2-5-0) miles on it and was about 5 months old. The seller was a car dealer (it was registered to him - a car he personally owned), and after many, many emails, faxes, talking with Champion (where he bought it) etc., I felt comfortable enough to buy. A buddy that owns an enclosed racecar hauling rig sent his driver out to South Dakota to pick it up for me. If it had even the slightest bit of damage or if he had any doubts, he was told to leave it and drive back empty. It worked out fine, the car was perfect and I am happy.

 

Champion? Like Champion Audi that backs the R8? Thats cool. This is definitley upping my hopes at getting both the S4 and a 996 of some sort by the end of the year