Buying a car, then using transport company to collect it?

[brillomaster]

How common is this?

Looking to buy a car for about £5000, but its quite a long way away, so struggling with how to get the car home!

My thoughts are, drive up to see the car, test drive, check paperwork etc. Assuming all is good, give seller a holding deposit of a few hundred pounds. Then drive home. Then, once back at home, send the rest of the money via bank transfer, and once seller is happy its cleared, send a transport company to go collect the car.

Does this all sound ok? Never used a transport company before but they exist for this purpose right?

Has anyone bought and sold cars using transport companies? Dont want the seller to think im trying on a scam, obviously he'll only release the car once full payment has cleared?

[Auto810graphy]

Transport companies are common for the motor trade but most won’t deal with private work but it’s still worth a ring around local vehicle logistics companies to see if they will quote you.

Avoid Shiply as I directly know people who have suffered financial loss when couriers have decided to keep items they collected.

[stevemcs]

Why don't you just get the train, plane or even a hire car, view it, buy it and drive it home.

[blueacid]

Why not transfer the money once there? Or do you just need a bit of time to reflect rather than make a rash decision? If that's the case, leave the deposit with the seller and head to a pub/restaurant for lunch, then head back afterward to seal the deal?

[Belle427]

Be careful getting the train because you may feel pressured into buying it even if its not quite right.
Ive travelled 8 hours round trip to view and again to collect, yes its a long time but not really a chore due to the excitement of a new car.
I have got the train twice but luckily each time the cars were right, im maybe about to do it again very soon.

[jonwm]

Had this recently, car 150 miles away in Hampshire, looked good, history good, was priced at £8k l, had a quote of £200 for a trailer delivery.

The garage wouldn't sell it me without seeing it and wouldn't do a walk around video for me, I was prepared to send full amount by transfer.

In the end I got a lift and drove it back, bit of a pain but cost me less I guess

[valiant]

The dealer you’re buying from will have the necessary contacts to deliver it for you at cost.

[MDL111]

I bought a car from the UK via phone and had it delivered to Germany by a UK transport company [heaunique]. Worked without any issues

[silentbrown]

Remember the usual caveats about buying a car from a dealer that's a long way away. Any issues, you've got to get the car back to them. They have no obligation to pay for someone else to look at it.
Unless it's a really unusual car I'd find one closer to home.

[horsemeatscandal]

I was actually on the phone to a dealer yesterday, talking about such matters, and he said it can be up to £2/mile for transport, so probably more for a private service.

I'd probably just give yourself the best chance of not being disappointed when you go and view the car and minimise the risk of a wasted journey and coming home without it. Ask about all common faults and issues with the car and get them to send as many photos as possible.

I've got a nice 14 hour round trip to pick up me next car, couldn't be further away without leaving the country. So count yourself lucky!

[sixor8]

I made an 18 hour round trip to Dundee to pick up my TVR in 2021. Not a common model considering condition, price and spec. I'd been sent lots and lots of photos of all areas of my concern and had sent a holding deposit. I did the rest by BACS transfer after checking documents on site. It being July made it acceptable but I was dog tired by the time I got home.

The collection can be a bit of an adventure if you try to enjoy it, I got a great deal to go 1st class on a train on Saturday to get there.

[davek_964]

silentbrown said:

Unless it's a really unusual car I'd find one closer to home.

+1 - I'm happy to travel a long way to view / buy something special. There aren't many £5k cars where I couldn't buy similar closer to home though.

[georgeyboy12345]

Sorry is this a dealer or private seller? Couldn’t see from the original post

[brillomaster]

private sale, but the seller is in the arse end of nowhere, so to get public transport there would take forever. Plus i'm not 100% sold on the car, hence me wanting to drive up and view it first.

its just the problem of how does one person drive a car to a location, and then get two cars home? i see now why people in the trade have trailers!

i think i'll be alright with a transport company, even at £2 a mile - then i can make sure everything is paid for first, and then get it transported as a convenient time. i'll just negotiate it off the asking price...

[Philvrs]

In the past I’ve drove down and used justpark to leave my old car on a nearby driveway for 24hours. Take new car home same day, then return via train the following day to collect old car.

[bitchstewie]

Check on here for a "Is this buyer trying to scam me?" thread on the day you go to see it

[silentbrown]

Hire a trailer?

Or, make the deal conditional on the seller meeting you somewhere less inconvenient to do the final handover. Then it's his problem how to get home...

[the-norseman]

An old school friend runs one of these companies now moving cars around, he moved one for me recently.