would you buy an expensive car on ebay without viewing it?

[LaurasOtherHalf]

as in the title, car will probably go for between £7-8 grand, it's on a no reserve auction & seems like a good 'un (specialist forum member etc)

unfortunately i won't be able to view until after the auction has ended so it really is unseen.

[Dusty964]

Jus look on PH for the endless eBay threads about scams, idiots, timewasters and so on.

The answer is no.

Next question?

[daemon]

I would bid and if you win the auction, turn up and check the car over.

If its as described then pay for it and drive off, if its not, walk away.

[anonymous-user]

daemon said:

I would bid and if you win the auction, turn up and check the car over.

If its as described then pay for it and drive off, if its not, walk away.

Yep, this. If the seller has been honest about the car then it shouldn't be a problem. Make sure to get answers to any specific questions before bidding and check out the history. If you're especially interested in something specific then ask directly - e.g. if you're very critical about paintwork don't just say "is the paint in good condition" because that is subjective, ask "does the paint have any swirl marks, chips or scratches".

In any case with cars on eBay you're not entering into a contract to buy as you are with other purchases, if you view it and you're not happy the worst the seller can do is leave neutral feedback slagging you off.

[kambites]

I bought my Elise (for just over 16k) from ebay unseen.

If it hadn't been as described I would just have walked away.

[barker22]

daemon said:

I would bid and if you win the auction, turn up and check the car over.

If its as described then pay for it and drive off, if its not, walk away.

I don't agree. You are bidding to buy.
Yes if the car is completely not as described then you don't bid, but you find that out before you even contemplate bidding for it.
You wouldn't be allowed to do it at a car auction.
You are bidding to buy - not to earn the right to haggle.

[Spitfire2]

charltjr said:

In any case with cars on eBay you're not entering into a contract to buy as you are with other purchases, if you view it and you're not happy the worst the seller can do is leave POSITIVE feedback slagging you off.

EFA

[Engineer1]

Bid on it if it is as described then you've bought it for your bid if not you can either walk or discuss dropping the price, but don't be surprised if the seller gets pissed off.

[billzeebub]

NO

[andy43]

barker22 said:

daemon said:

I would bid and if you win the auction, turn up and check the car over.

If its as described then pay for it and drive off, if its not, walk away.

I don't agree. You are bidding to buy.
Yes if the car is completely not as described then you don't bid, but you find that out before you even contemplate bidding for it.
You wouldn't be allowed to do it at a car auction.
You are bidding to buy - not to earn the right to haggle.

Ebay rules for car purchases state you can walk away.

[Wuzzle]

barker22 said:

I don't agree. You are bidding to buy.
Yes if the car is completely not as described then you don't bid, but you find that out before you even contemplate bidding for it.
You wouldn't be allowed to do it at a car auction.
You are bidding to buy - not to earn the right to haggle.

If the car is misdescribed then seller shouldn't expect the buyer to go through with the sale.

You buy anything on Ebay on the assumption it is as described in the advert.

[MX7]

charltjr said:

In any case with cars on eBay you're not entering into a contract to buy as you are with other purchases, if you view it and you're not happy the worst the seller can do is leave neutral feedback slagging you off.

I don't think that's true.

"Certain eBay listings involve non-binding bids, such as items listed in Property and eBay Motors classified listings."

Ebay.

If it's a auction, I think you are expected to buy unless the advert is misleading.

[daemon]

barker22 said:

daemon said:

I would bid and if you win the auction, turn up and check the car over.

If its as described then pay for it and drive off, if its not, walk away.

I don't agree. You are bidding to buy.
Yes if the car is completely not as described then you don't bid, but you find that out before you even contemplate bidding for it.
You wouldn't be allowed to do it at a car auction.
You are bidding to buy - not to earn the right to haggle.

Who mentioned haggling?

I have sold 5 cars this past fortnight on ebay via auction and i put in the advert "You are bidding to buy not to view! Final auction price is non negotiable - if in doubt arrange to view BEFORE auction ends. £100 deposit by paypal by midnight of auction end date. Balance payable by cash on collection and collection to be made within 48 hrs of auction ending."

All five people subsequently turned up the day after the auctions, checked the car over, took a test drive and paid for them. The cars were as described therefore no problem.

[spikey78]

I've just sold a car on Ebay for £18k-buyer couldn't come and see it first cos he was miles away. As it happens it was a good, genuine car and he came down had a quick look around it, paid up and was on his way no worries! Not sure I'd do it though, mind you he could have walked away if it was carp which would've been ok with me too–I don't really go for this 'you bid, you buy' nonsense

[Gallen]

As someones said before:

You're bidding based on the description being accurate. Bid, check it out (ideally in the reverse order than that), pay or walk based upon accurate description.

Ask your questions first. Clarify ambiguities. Remember there is no such thing as "immaculate for year" and "1991 concours winner" means nothing now!

BUT - you can't walk away if you decide you don't like the colour, or have since found cheaper or better elsewhere. In this respect you must be committed prior to becoming involved.

G.

[McSam]

MX7 said:

I don't think that's true.

"Certain eBay listings involve non-binding bids, such as items listed in Property and eBay Motors classified listings."

Ebay.

If it's a auction, I think you are expected to buy unless the advert is misleading.

Yes. The Motors auctions are just as binding as anything else on eBay, which is to say that if you win an auction and cannot find anything materially, significantly misdescribed by the seller, you're obliged to buy the car for the amount bid.

I don't see a problem with it in principle, but you need to ask detailed (specific, to avoid fuzzy answers) questions and be confident that the seller is honest. Saves you wasting your time.

But generally, you're far better off buying from the top end of eBay Motors than you are the sheds..

[falkster]

barker22 said:

daemon said:

I would bid and if you win the auction, turn up and check the car over.

If its as described then pay for it and drive off, if its not, walk away.

I don't agree. You are bidding to buy.
Yes if the car is completely not as described then you don't bid, but you find that out before you even contemplate bidding for it.
You wouldn't be allowed to do it at a car auction.
You are bidding to buy - not to earn the right to haggle.

Although I do agree to a certain extent, I have had several people use tiny tiny details to back out of the sale - a 8 year old car having 20 stone chips across the bonnet/bumper was too many for a car with 80k on the clock.
'Its not as good as I expected' was a response I had from a guy when I was selling my friends 3 year old 40k A4 sportline. It was almost perfect but he wanted perfect.
It's too easy to back out for the time wasting bellends but you've just got to suck it up.
By the same token I wouldn't bid on a car, above a certain amount, without viewing because I know how much it pisses people off to turn up and just spout 'not as described' to get out of it.

[anonymous-user]

MX7 said:

I don't think that's true.

"Certain eBay listings involve non-binding bids, such as items listed in Property and eBay Motors classified listings."

Ebay.

If it's a auction, I think you are expected to buy unless the advert is misleading.

i am glad you pointed that out as a lot think it applies to all motor sales.

[daemon]

falkster said:

barker22 said:

daemon said:

I would bid and if you win the auction, turn up and check the car over.

If its as described then pay for it and drive off, if its not, walk away.

I don't agree. You are bidding to buy.
Yes if the car is completely not as described then you don't bid, but you find that out before you even contemplate bidding for it.
You wouldn't be allowed to do it at a car auction.
You are bidding to buy - not to earn the right to haggle.

Although I do agree to a certain extent, I have had several people use tiny tiny details to back out of the sale - a 8 year old car having 20 stone chips across the bonnet/bumper was too many for a car with 80k on the clock.
'Its not as good as I expected' was a response I had from a guy when I was selling my friends 3 year old 40k A4 sportline. It was almost perfect but he wanted perfect.
It's too easy to back out for the time wasting bellends but you've just got to suck it up.
By the same token I wouldn't bid on a car, above a certain amount, without viewing because I know how much it pisses people off to turn up and just spout 'not as described' to get out of it.

Like all my cars i've sold, i try to make sure that anyone who comes out has no reason not to buy, ie, the car is either well prepped or very well described - in fact both.

But i take your point that there will be the odd muppet who you'll never please - probably moreso the higher the value of the car, but then they're probably the sort of person who'll whinge subsequently at every opportunity, so probably best not sold to anyway.

[Gallen]

Daemon said:

...but then they're probably the sort of person who'll whinge subsequently at every opportunity, so probably best not sold to anyway.

Like some questions regarding cheap snotters: Is it hpi clear?

fked if I know! It's only £500's worth!

OR

How much is insurance?

OR

I have "a friend who knows about cars"....