Buying a Car From Far Away

[thstone]

Originally Posted by BoxMann

(i) Do you ordinarily do it in two trips, i.e., one trip to see the car, then if you like it return home and arrange a PPI, and if it comes through the PPI with flying colors, you fly back to pick the car up?

OR

(ii) Do you do it in one trip, i.e., fly there to see the car, have the PPI done, and if it all checks out, pay the Seller and drive home?

OR

(iii) Arrange for the PPI first, and if it checks out well, fly down, pay the Seller and drive home?

Zero trips.

PPI first by a local inspection company. Then bought the car (paid via wire transfer). Then had a transport company pick it up and deliver it to me.

I've done this three times and its worked great every time.

[BoxMann]

Originally Posted by thstone

Zero trips.

PPI first by a local inspection company. Then bought the car (paid via wire transfer). Then had a transport company pick it up and deliver it to me.

So, you relied 100% on the PPI then. I've thought of that, but I think I'd like to see the car either before or after the PPI before calling it a done deal.

Also, do you fully trust car transporters with a Porsche?

And my last question: did you use an escrow service for the payment and title transfer? If not, aren't you sticking your neck out a bit wiring funds to someone who could possibly not sign the title over to you and skip town? (Of course, if I fly out to pick up the car to drive home, it's a face to face swap of the money and title)

[thstone]

Originally Posted by BoxMann

Also, do you fully trust car transporters with a Porsche?

Yes, a car is a car.

Originally Posted by BoxMann

And my last question: did you use an escrow service for the payment and title transfer?

No escrow service. All of those buys were from sellers on the up and up, so I wasn't worried about getting ripped off.

But I've done my fair share of sketchy car buys too and in those circumstances you have to do what you need to do to protect your interests. Who knows, maybe you'll feel that you need to arrive an hour early to check out the meeting place before anyone else arrives and bring a 9mm Glock along. Don't ask me how I know.

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by thstone

Who knows, maybe you'll feel that you need to arrive an hour early to check out the meeting place before anyone else arrives and bring a 9mm Glock along. Don't ask me how I know.

Pro travel tip: don't bring a loaded Glock into an airport. You're welcome.

But good advice about location. May want to meet at a bank, etc. They should have plenty of surveillance cameras in the parking lot.

If you use a transport company, have the seller take a pic of the mileage going onto the truck.

[Qckslvr]

When I bought my R32 Skyline GT-R I did it in two trips.

First trip I rented a cheap car from Enterprise and drove 1000 miles to go see it. Test drove the car, talked to the dealer, etc.

After deciding that was the car I wanted I made arrangements for it to go to a shop. Here in CA Imported cars have to be made smog legal. So the shop had the R32 for 6 months running it on a dyno, changing the tune etc.

When the car was ready I flew out, and drove her home.



Obviously you don't need to make the car smog legal. But I do recommend that you drive or fly out, make sure it is what you really want, then send it to a shop for inspection.

What may seem to be a little issue on a Boxster.... like a demon possessed driver side window is something not to take lightly.

[BoxMann]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Pro travel tip: don't bring a loaded Glock into an airport.

That's probably good advice.

Of course, I can't bring a loaded Glock anywhere, except a range, because in my state only the Bad Guys are allowed to possess weapons, not the Good Guys.