buying a car

I would urge against buying a car you haven't test driven and at least seen in person.

Don't do it. There are too many whatifs, and you're not very well covered in case something goes wrong. These cars are sold on eBay for a reason, which is, at the very least, because they couldn't be sold in real life. But, there's nothing wrong with finding a car, then travel to where it is, hire a mechanic to inspect it, and pay for it locally once you're satisfied.

I've never done it but there is truth in the wisdom of a crowd. Ebay is the largest car seller on the planet... fwiw.

I've never done it, but I know of two cases where cars supposedly in good condition were purchased from sellers out-of-town. In both cases, the new owners ended up having to tow the cars home after being stranded on the highway. In fairness, I also know of success stories.

You have to know what you're doing - as a rule of thumb, you should know at least as much about the car as the person selling it, if not more; history, typical issues, opton packages, the going prices, etc. Equipped with such knowledge, you can spot the BS artist a mile away. I've bought the following cars via eBay:

1983 Porsche 911SC
1983 Porsche 944
1983 Porsche 928S was bought via Hemmings
2003 BMW 325i
2003 BMW Z4 2.5i
1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow


The BMWs were simple - they were still under warranty and bought via BMW dealers so no real worries. The Porsches were bought after conversations with the owners, who presented as knowledgeable and sane Porsche enthusiasts. The 911 was the toughest to located - I spoke to more bozos selling 911s than any other car model. One guy advised against an inspection because "those guys only tell ya what's wrong with the car." Asking to get the car inspected at your expense is a great winnowing tool - you clear out a lot of sellers when they start hemming and hawing. I still wasted a trip going to see a 911 that was rusted to the point of being unsafe, but that seller was a stealth used car salesman, and not a private owner, which I should have picked up on. The 1966 RR was the car I was least familiar with, and so the only one I actually had a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) done on.

Re JayJay's comment above: I've driven all of them home, typically 500-1200 miles. The 928 died on me in PA because the fuel pump relay gave up the ghost. I jerry-rigged it with a wad of paper and a paper clip to hold the contacts closed until I got back to Chicago and replaced the $40 part. The car never gave me a lick of trouble after that.

If you buy only buy where you can physically inspect it.

+1. I've identified cars online and exchanged e-mail with the dealers, then followed up with a noncommittal visit.

I agree, buying a car on ebay is as good as buying things online anywhere else.

So if you mean getting scammed 15% of the time by an Egyptian, then yes - buying a car on eBay is just as good as buying anything else on eBay. Except instead of risking it with a $250 iPod you can gamble away at a $35,000 car!

Bought 2 race cars years ago on ebay. One was fantastic and the other was a piece of shit. I did so well on the one car it kind of canceled out the other.

For the most parts your buying from a dealer so it should be fine.

If it's a specialty car you can find a forum dedicated to that particular car and someone would check it out on your behalf.