[mjw930]

I've bought my last 2 Porsche's through on-line ads, one from ebay and the other through a yahoo search.

Ebay has turned into the top listing agent for used cars but most cars that end up being sold due to an ebay posting are not sold through the auction process. When my '03S popped up on ebay I called the dealer (an MB dealer in PA who took it on trade) and negotiated a price. Within 10 minutes I had arraigned financing through one of their banks and the car was gone from ebay! I flew up, they picked me up at the airport and we drove the car home (back to FL) that day (well we took 2 days to get home).

I've listed and sold 2 motorcycles through ebay and both were negotiated the same way. They didn't sell through the auction, the buyer called me and we negotiated a fair price. Once I had their deposit I closed the auction.

Think of ebay as just another avenue like auto trader and forget about the bidding process, it's a waste of time on big ticket items like this.