Have you bought a car without viewing it?
Discussion
I've a car for sale at the moment.
I've had a person contact me, and they've made an offer, a little lower than I want but the best so far. They haven't seen the car except in photographs and read my descriptions. They have said they will transfer the funds by BACS and arrange collection.
As someone who is seriously old school and have never transferred money or paid cash until I've given a car a good look over I find this difficult to comprehend although living 500 mile away from my car makes viewing a bit of a trek.
Is there a catch / scam here?
I've had a person contact me, and they've made an offer, a little lower than I want but the best so far. They haven't seen the car except in photographs and read my descriptions. They have said they will transfer the funds by BACS and arrange collection.
As someone who is seriously old school and have never transferred money or paid cash until I've given a car a good look over I find this difficult to comprehend although living 500 mile away from my car makes viewing a bit of a trek.
Is there a catch / scam here?
I would be cautious here, it could be a scammer or it could be genuine. The last few cars that I've sold/bought at a distance, I've had a FaceTime call with the person to walk them around the car, show any damage, answer questions etc.
Have they been asking you questions about your car to show genuine interest, or have they just made an offer and asked for your name/address/bank details?
I sold my Impreza to a chap in France last year. Had a fairly extensive email that seemed suspicious at first, but 48 hours later I had the funds in my account without him seeing the car and he flew over that weekend and drove away happy! Personally though, I would never commit to transferring anything more than a small holding deposit without seeing a car in the flesh...
Have they been asking you questions about your car to show genuine interest, or have they just made an offer and asked for your name/address/bank details?
I sold my Impreza to a chap in France last year. Had a fairly extensive email that seemed suspicious at first, but 48 hours later I had the funds in my account without him seeing the car and he flew over that weekend and drove away happy! Personally though, I would never commit to transferring anything more than a small holding deposit without seeing a car in the flesh...
What car is it and what's the value?
I bought a 1 year old BMW from a main dealer sight unseen, but that's very different from a private sale.
I'd be cautious, but it's not unheard of to buy a car unseen - especially if it's a rare/desirable model or spec.
Just make sure the bank transfer is non-reversable.
I bought a 1 year old BMW from a main dealer sight unseen, but that's very different from a private sale.
I'd be cautious, but it's not unheard of to buy a car unseen - especially if it's a rare/desirable model or spec.
Just make sure the bank transfer is non-reversable.
Done it loads of times, after I've spoken to the owner and been confident that they're not a knacker. Once a rapport has been built you can get an understanding of how well its been cared for and how genuine the owner is. I've also used this method to complete reject any potential car
Never been bitten yet in over 20 years and 36 cars
Never been bitten yet in over 20 years and 36 cars
Muzzer79 said:
What car is it and what's the value?
I bought a 1 year old BMW from a main dealer sight unseen, but that's very different from a private sale.
I'd be cautious, but it's not unheard of to buy a car unseen - especially if it's a rare/desirable model or spec.
Just make sure the bank transfer is non-reversable.
27 year old Merc SL - asking £8450I bought a 1 year old BMW from a main dealer sight unseen, but that's very different from a private sale.
I'd be cautious, but it's not unheard of to buy a car unseen - especially if it's a rare/desirable model or spec.
Just make sure the bank transfer is non-reversable.
p4cks said:
Done it loads of times, after I've spoken to the owner and been confident that they're not a knacker. Once a rapport has been built you can get an understanding of how well its been cared for and how genuine the owner is. I've also used this method to complete reject any potential car
Never been bitten yet in over 20 years and 36 cars
Thanks.Never been bitten yet in over 20 years and 36 cars
I have done it 3 times now, always from a dealer never private, worked for me and will do it again. Yours, however is suspicious, it is quite a specific car, apologies for calling it old, you will definitely expect the buyer to view the car, so many things could not meet his/her expectations. I am assuming that it is through eBay, in which case you are already going outside their payment protection. what's the betting that they receive the car and then "there is a scratch/dent you didn't tell me about, I want some money back" claim to follow. I believe if they want this specific car, they will travel.
Yes, bought / leased brand new having never driven the model.
Bought my AM without seeing it / driving it.
Bought a few others without seeing them, you can overthink these things, have a chat with the owner, get a feel for them and decide if you can accept the risk.
The only car i have ever bought that was a dog was one i went to see and test drove.
Bought my AM without seeing it / driving it.
Bought a few others without seeing them, you can overthink these things, have a chat with the owner, get a feel for them and decide if you can accept the risk.
The only car i have ever bought that was a dog was one i went to see and test drove.
Daughter was selling a £600 Mk1 Clio a few years ago. Reasonable condition and relatively low miles.
Lady phoned her, obviously as mad as a hatter, asking if she could deliver the car - from the Midlands to Cornwall. Answer: no. The only "pertinent" questions she asked were "does it go" and "Is it red". Answers: yes (this was an AT advert with pictures).
She paid the full price immediately by bank transfer and said she'd get someone to pick it up.
10 days later a transporter turns up to take it away.
Spent the next month expecting a call from a relative or carer saying the woman was loopy and would we have the car back! But no comeback. It did a few more miles but failed it's next MOT and looks like it's not been on the road since. It's probably still languishing in her orchard (which was described in the phone call! )
Lady phoned her, obviously as mad as a hatter, asking if she could deliver the car - from the Midlands to Cornwall. Answer: no. The only "pertinent" questions she asked were "does it go" and "Is it red". Answers: yes (this was an AT advert with pictures).
She paid the full price immediately by bank transfer and said she'd get someone to pick it up.
10 days later a transporter turns up to take it away.
Spent the next month expecting a call from a relative or carer saying the woman was loopy and would we have the car back! But no comeback. It did a few more miles but failed it's next MOT and looks like it's not been on the road since. It's probably still languishing in her orchard (which was described in the phone call! )
I bought a 12 month old Range Rover without seeing it but that was from a dealer. I have bought a few classic cars without seeing them as well, I did get scammed on one Healey in the US but luckily I got the money back on insurance.
I have bought cars up to 40k as long as lots of photos and I now get an independent person to check it over, usually either a forum member or local garage just to check its actually there.
I sold a car last year to a chap in France who never came and looked but just sent the money and then arranged a transporter to collect, it was 16k and he was happy.
I have bought cars up to 40k as long as lots of photos and I now get an independent person to check it over, usually either a forum member or local garage just to check its actually there.
I sold a car last year to a chap in France who never came and looked but just sent the money and then arranged a transporter to collect, it was 16k and he was happy.
Skyedriver said:
I've a car for sale at the moment.
I've had a person contact me, and they've made an offer, a little lower than I want but the best so far. They haven't seen the car except in photographs and read my descriptions. They have said they will transfer the funds by BACS and arrange collection.
As someone who is seriously old school and have never transferred money or paid cash until I've given a car a good look over I find this difficult to comprehend although living 500 mile away from my car makes viewing a bit of a trek.
Is there a catch / scam here?
I would be be very cautious. My girlfriend had exactly the same thing when trying to sell a Mini on ebay. Decent offer without seeing the car etc. It was a scam. They were phishing for bank details, address, email address etc. I can't remember now what it was that finally alerted us, but it became obvious during the dialogue. Your buyer could be real, but be careful especially if you're using ebayI've had a person contact me, and they've made an offer, a little lower than I want but the best so far. They haven't seen the car except in photographs and read my descriptions. They have said they will transfer the funds by BACS and arrange collection.
As someone who is seriously old school and have never transferred money or paid cash until I've given a car a good look over I find this difficult to comprehend although living 500 mile away from my car makes viewing a bit of a trek.
Is there a catch / scam here?
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