Learn Me: Buying Long Distance

GRMers, please help me out.

I live in the land of salt and have been scouring craigslist (via searchtempest)/FB nationwide all summer for my future rust-free Bavarian. Although I have been pretty picky, there have been a few times I have engaged a knowledgeable seller about their car, even gone as far as scheduled PPI's, before the seller informs me the car has been sold.

What am I doing wrong here? Will I just have to live with the fact that if you buy long distance, you have to drop your money on a complete unknown, trusting only the word of a stranger? Or is there a way to get a PPI done without losing out to a local who shows up with cash?

You will always lose out to a local guy with cash unless you get far enough in talks with the owner they are willing to sort of hold the car for you. I bought a car sight unseen and had no issues but I did check out what I could about the guy and the car etc first

Long distance has been included with my phone plan for almost a decade.

You'll lose out to locals more often than not.  I've been on both sides of this, buying and selling.  When I was selling more desirable cars, I had at least one occasion where I sold to a local who showed up with funds even after a long distance person had expressed interest.  Just can't pass up a sure thing.  The only time I've done different is when the long distance person puts down a significant deposit ($1000 or so).  We agree, in writing, that deposit is non-refundable so if they flake out, I keep the money. 

To some degree if you are buying long distance, yes, you have to take a leap of faith. 

All true, but often so worth the risk. Losing even a $1000 deposit is so much cheaper than trying to restore a rusty car. I have bought multiple cars out west and not really been screwed on any of them. That said, an old car always comes with surprises... few of them are ever good.

Look at this way, if you make one $1000 or even a $5000 mistake in your life, haven't you really had a pretty good life? And if you never make a mistake like this,  then you probably weren't taking enough chances.

While Western cars are popular, cars from the mid-south generally are nearly as rust free and the interiors and trim aren't so trashed by the sun. Think Arkansas to Atlanta, when searching Craig's list.

I have bought and sold long distance and never had a bad experience.  As a buyer and seller I look for people who are enthusiasts.  As a seller, if I like someone and they are willing to travel, I will honor my word that I’ll hold the car until they see it.  I don’t want to deal with the hassle of taking a deposit.

‘First with the cash,’ is fine for commodity objects, but there are only so many enthusiasts for old German eurotrash cars.  It’s a small world and the friends and acquaintances I’ve met are often worth more than the cars.

OTOH, if you’re buying someone else’s commodity junk, first with the cash rules.

Interesting takes, thanks. Yeah I suppose I should offer up the cash and try to make a case to hold it until the money arrives.

I have been looking across the south and to the west, although shipping is obviously cheaper from the south.

Cash Talks and BS Walks. Seriously though, It's tough doing it straight from CL. I've bought long distance but it was from board members here. 3/4 of my fleet came from other states which is funny because I live in TX. Every time I bought something, I skipped CL. I have enough trouble with flakey CL people local to me let alone halfway across the country. I shop forums or specialty sites. 

Rapport and your feeling about the seller matters.  I just bought the NSX from 900 miles away based on some not so great pictures because of a great conversation I had with the owner and a carfax full of regular dealer servicing.  This guy was the kind of guy you want to buy an exotic from: has 7 cars, just bought a Bentley he wanted for a long time, arthritis keeps him from driving the NSX much, dealer serviced.  I have a deposit via papal, had a deal worked out in principle, then went and picked it up in person before handing over the cashiers checks.  With this seller I would have been comfortable shipping it too.  

Sonic said:

I just bought an NSX from 900 miles away...

Whoa whoa....you can’t just skip right past the ‘bought an NSX’ part.  

I've had generally poor experiences buying long distance, even with getting PPI's done at reputable shops.  I've flown in to pick up the car and found missing parts, undisclosed paint and body work, etc, etc, etc.

At this point I basically refuse to buy a car unless its local, or I'm buying it brand new from an out of state dealer.

I just bought my KTM from out of state and that worked out ok, but the sellers offer to deliver it to me (and he did!) allayed any of my fears.

I've bought most of my current fleet long distance, most of those from forum members. Always a risk, but I'm seldom shopping for a certain car and tend to buy based on "holy crap that's cool" so it's a bit different than searching for particualr cars. I grew up with rust and agree with Tim that rust free cars are worth the risk. 

I've always had better luck buying from (and selling to) forum members, whether here or other speciality forums. Perhaps surprisingly, people seem to value their reputation within their chosen group and behave if they know it could come back to them. 

Tyler H said:

Sonic said:

I just bought an NSX from 900 miles away...

Whoa whoa....you can’t just skip right past the ‘bought an NSX’ part.  

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/everyday-supercar-life-with-an-nsx/133453/page1/

It's a leap of faith. The only way to hold a local with a wad of cash at bay, is with a deposit and the understanding that if the deal goes south, the deposit is probably gone. 

SanFord was bought with a $500 deposit, from 1000 miles away, sight unseen, other than a few crappy pictures and a couple of videos. Including car rental and fuel, I was $1000 into the deal before I ever laid eyes on it. If the deal had gone bad, I would have had to walk away from that grand and moved on. It's a chance you take dealing with a complete stranger from a distance. 

I bought my van from St Louis, one 30 gallon tank away from home.  We agreed on a price, he held if for me with no deposit.  The seller picked me up at the airport in the vehicle that I was purchasing.  This could not have gone better, we even had the same bank so the teller just handed us both a receipt of funds transferred.

The seller did call me one time to make sure I was coming, after he got another offer from someone out west willing to do a fly and drive also.   I told him the ticket was already purchased and would see him in two days, that was as good as a deposit I guess.

Ten years later, still going strong and still rust free despite a couple of Michigan salt spray tests.

docwyte said:

I've had generally poor experiences buying long distance, even with getting PPI's done at reputable shops.  I've flown in to pick up the car and found missing parts, undisclosed paint and body work, etc, etc, etc.

At this point I basically refuse to buy a car unless its local, or I'm buying it brand new from an out of state dealer.

I just bought my KTM from out of state and that worked out ok, but the sellers offer to deliver it to me (and he did!) allayed any of my fears.

I wish I could buy local, but it is pretty much out of the question for me because of salt and too many American cars, unless I get really lucky. 

I've sent deposits for long distance purchases however I also ask lots of specific questions and ask for detailed pictures.  I then prefer to go pick it up myself.  Make a mini-vacation of the trip.  I make sure the vehicle is in exactly the same condition as the seller said.  If it is not in the same condition then I would expect to get my deposit back even if they say it isn't refundable since the vehicle was not as described.  Get all question replies in writing.  Save all emails to document the stated condition.  If you ask questions on the phone send a follow up email to get confirmation in writing.  If the seller is unwilling to do this then it's likely they weren't being exactly honest.  

Most of the used cars I've bought out of state were from forum members.  The one I got the most burned on was from a Rennlist member, who lived in a McMansion with a 4 post lift and also owned two other Porsches, 1 being a 911 turbo.

So, no, buying from a forum member isn't really going to help. 

Now I've had friends who've had great success buying cars out of state, so maybe it's just me, but at this point, I'll pay more for a local car that I can see in person myself.