Buying car on eBay madness to buy just from advert?
Discussion
Hey All,
Would love some opinions here as it seems a bit of a mine field for me.
Fancy an E60 for a daily driver to keep the miles off my E92 M3.
As I am from Northern Ireland there isn't as many car to choose from compared to GB. Basically a GB car is better spec and younger for less money.
Anyway have seen a few pop up on eBay every now and again and I am semi tempted to bid on one.
I know a lot of cars on eBay its encouraged to go view the car before bidding but as that would mean needing to get on a plane to go see the car it's not really feasible.
Does anybody have any tips for buying unseen on eBay and arranging a transporter to pick a car up or is it a stupid idea and move on?
Cheers
Would love some opinions here as it seems a bit of a mine field for me.
Fancy an E60 for a daily driver to keep the miles off my E92 M3.
As I am from Northern Ireland there isn't as many car to choose from compared to GB. Basically a GB car is better spec and younger for less money.
Anyway have seen a few pop up on eBay every now and again and I am semi tempted to bid on one.
I know a lot of cars on eBay its encouraged to go view the car before bidding but as that would mean needing to get on a plane to go see the car it's not really feasible.
Does anybody have any tips for buying unseen on eBay and arranging a transporter to pick a car up or is it a stupid idea and move on?
Cheers
I did it with a car for £1,000.
It used to be you could walk away if it wasn't as described. I'm not sure if it's still the case.
I'd be wary if I was selling though and the buyer said they'll arrange transport etc.
(For what its worth, the car (E39 528i) was my most reliable and favourite car I've owned).
It used to be you could walk away if it wasn't as described. I'm not sure if it's still the case.
I'd be wary if I was selling though and the buyer said they'll arrange transport etc.
(For what its worth, the car (E39 528i) was my most reliable and favourite car I've owned).
It comes down to how brave you are in.some respects.
You could pay for an inspection prior to sale but that would mount up quickly in terms of cost potentially.
I have never bought a car unseen but I have sold one. The buyer paid by bank transfer after a conversation and sent a pickup truck for it.
It was for a V6 mondeo I sold for £1000. It was a good car but the risk was with the purchaser.
You could pay for an inspection prior to sale but that would mount up quickly in terms of cost potentially.
I have never bought a car unseen but I have sold one. The buyer paid by bank transfer after a conversation and sent a pickup truck for it.
It was for a V6 mondeo I sold for £1000. It was a good car but the risk was with the purchaser.
I've done it before, and it's a balance of logical risk factors.
If you research the car thoroughly, you should end up with the following risk factors:
- Average wear and tear
- Model specific issues
- Whether it exists
So I would balance those sorts of things.
There's a lot you can research from MOT History, Car Check, photos, questions etc. to minimise the probability of those issues prior to viewing. I'd always do a check on a car that was £500+ generally, but some times pay for one on cars under that (if they are private sales) just to be sure.
Some cars are just a lot less of a risk, and with some it might even be that you're paying less for it than it's worth in parts etc.
Last year I paid more for a car to be transported than I did for the car, as spares/repair unseen.
If you research the car thoroughly, you should end up with the following risk factors:
- Average wear and tear
- Model specific issues
- Whether it exists
So I would balance those sorts of things.
There's a lot you can research from MOT History, Car Check, photos, questions etc. to minimise the probability of those issues prior to viewing. I'd always do a check on a car that was £500+ generally, but some times pay for one on cars under that (if they are private sales) just to be sure.
Some cars are just a lot less of a risk, and with some it might even be that you're paying less for it than it's worth in parts etc.
Last year I paid more for a car to be transported than I did for the car, as spares/repair unseen.
Wouldn't unduly put me off, if you know what your looking for.
You can do, like what's been said above so many checks online to give you some idea of how a car has been looked after...
But, I would want plenty of detailed photos and at least a video of a cold start, before I paid, no excuse these days not to with technology as easy as it is now really.
You can do, like what's been said above so many checks online to give you some idea of how a car has been looked after...
But, I would want plenty of detailed photos and at least a video of a cold start, before I paid, no excuse these days not to with technology as easy as it is now really.
Did it in 2004 - bought a three year old 40k mile VW Bora V5 on eBay, unseen, for £3.5k from an American who was returning to the US in two days, and was desperate to shift what had been his wife’s car, who had already gone home. Agreed to pay cash on picking the car up, after running an HPI check on the car. Worked out well - put another 75k miles on it in five years, brought both of my children home from hospital after their birth, before being written off by my ex-wife in 10” of water that was only on one side of the road.
Do it literally all the time for maybe a car or 2 a week. (Just bought one this afternoon, and I don't even know the colour).
I like buying from people I trust and have bought from before.
I like to speak to the seller, and see if they can string 2 sentences together. I usually ask about condition, inside and outside, any bumps (same question really), what's wrong with it, how long have they had it, what's their history with the car and why are they selling, what's the service history etc.
The people that answer enthusiastically and openly are far more likely to get my buy than some oik who has had the car 5 mins. I did buy a bit of a dog the other day, but I was dazzled by cleavage and good looks.
For me the cars I buy are simply not worth going to have a look at. I can roll up with a trailer, and if I don't like it, go home again without spending much more than rocking up to look, going home, and then back later with the trailer.
I like buying from people I trust and have bought from before.
I like to speak to the seller, and see if they can string 2 sentences together. I usually ask about condition, inside and outside, any bumps (same question really), what's wrong with it, how long have they had it, what's their history with the car and why are they selling, what's the service history etc.
The people that answer enthusiastically and openly are far more likely to get my buy than some oik who has had the car 5 mins. I did buy a bit of a dog the other day, but I was dazzled by cleavage and good looks.
For me the cars I buy are simply not worth going to have a look at. I can roll up with a trailer, and if I don't like it, go home again without spending much more than rocking up to look, going home, and then back later with the trailer.
We had an ex taxi 407 about 5 years ago as a trade in and advertised the car on ebay (we don't use ebay anymore). It was in black, scratched and battered but had full history and ran well. A guy from Cork got a plane to Luton then a train to Norwich then a taxi to our site and drove it home. It was cheap but what a faff to buy an old ex taxi!
Thanks for the replies everyone definitely something to think about and might give it a go if the right car and seller pops up although would be very hard to seem genuine if I ask about getting transport arranged etc as sounds a scam to the seller.
A few friends have done it with 2/3 year old BMW’s and it worked out well for them but I would be wary with an E60 due to its age.
A1VDY said:
We had an ex taxi 407 about 5 years ago as a trade in and advertised the car on ebay (we don't use ebay anymore). It was in black, scratched and battered but had full history and ran well. A guy from Cork got a plane to Luton then a train to Norwich then a taxi to our site and drove it home. It was cheap but what a faff to buy an old ex taxi!
This is the thing for me too, by the time I drive to Belfast airport. Get a plane then get to the sellers location from the airport then a long drive then boat journey home just such a faff whereas a case of arranging a transporter to drop the car off at my door just seems so much handier.A few friends have done it with 2/3 year old BMW’s and it worked out well for them but I would be wary with an E60 due to its age.
I'm west coast Scotland, almost every car for sale is light years away. Always ended up either bottling it or offering low enough to cover the things that the seller forgets to mention.
Was registered to bid on a couple of different cars at car auctions a month ago, auction site did a walk around on the phone, and sent extra photos. Both cars went above what I thought they were worth but subsequently people who had actually seen the cars told me of things the auction company had not mentioned. So beware. It's not easy to judge a car, especially a one more than a few years old from a few photos.
Was registered to bid on a couple of different cars at car auctions a month ago, auction site did a walk around on the phone, and sent extra photos. Both cars went above what I thought they were worth but subsequently people who had actually seen the cars told me of things the auction company had not mentioned. So beware. It's not easy to judge a car, especially a one more than a few years old from a few photos.
Skyedriver said:
I'm west coast Scotland, almost every car for sale is light years away. Always ended up either bottling it or offering low enough to cover the things that the seller forgets to mention.
Was registered to bid on a couple of different cars at car auctions a month ago, auction site did a walk around on the phone, and sent extra photos. Both cars went above what I thought they were worth but subsequently people who had actually seen the cars told me of things the auction company had not mentioned. So beware. It's not easy to judge a car, especially a one more than a few years old from a few photos.
I have the very same problem (live in Ayr), been looking for specific cars for the last few months and so far every single one has been around 300+ miles away. I don't mind travelling but most have been no where near an airport I can fly to without having several hours after by train.Was registered to bid on a couple of different cars at car auctions a month ago, auction site did a walk around on the phone, and sent extra photos. Both cars went above what I thought they were worth but subsequently people who had actually seen the cars told me of things the auction company had not mentioned. So beware. It's not easy to judge a car, especially a one more than a few years old from a few photos.
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