Chuck S

Trouble selling means a couple of things starting with the car is drastically overpriced. Don't ask me what it's worth. Suffice to say if it was worth the asking price it would have been sold already. That's how it works. It could also mean that local buyers have looked at it and determined it's not worth the risk. Supercharging a car does not necessarily add anything to the value as this seller is probably finding out. Same with lowered cars.

Buffalo NY gets dozens of feet of snow annually. Roads are heavily salted much of the year. I missed the model year (if it ever appeared).

-- Chuck

Techie182

Need to know all the detail about car and close up picture inside out.
Last year I flew to Austin,TX to buy Lotus Elise California edition (50 made) from PORSCHE dealership.
Car was tracked and modified heavily with trims held by zip ties. Also car had stone chips all over the body and water stains all over the interior. Car looked real good on the website but was crap in real person.
I spent $700 total including one way plane ticket and rental to drive back. No regret not buying that car.

Also last year I bought a FJ Cruiser from ebay. Car looked real good in the picture and it was from reputable? dealership. Dealership had 5 star reviews on Google and also 100% positive feedback on ebay.
When I got the car....had dog hairs, urine smell, smoke stains, cig burns. Smell was so bad I could not drive over 30 min. Dealer said I could return it but won't refund the $1500 shipping and $900 dealer fee. So I kept the car.
Had to strip the whole interior to bear metal and scrub the smell off. Still smells like dog in warm weather. I left negative feedback on ebay and guess what happen. Dealership paid NetNeutral company to get rid of my negative feedback so they can keep their 100% positive feedback.

I learned my lesson so I deal local or within drive distance.

WVCR-V

I live in WV and bought my S in Nebraska 1000 miles away and drove it home. I knew the seller was legit after a couple of long phone conversations. At least that was my gut feeling. When I arrived, the car was just as described, a mint creampuff with 38k on it and the seller was great.

In your case its a modified car and the stakes are higher. If the seller seems at all less than forthcoming or it just doesn't feel right, run!

B serious

What I've done:
-Fly or drive in to the location.
-Drive the car home after inspecting it.

It comes down to how honest the seller is and how well you inspect the car.

Someone drove my K24 swapped ITR to Northern Cali last year (from the Chicago burbs) sans issue. Because I am not a jerk and I made sure it was solid before I let him drive it 2000+ miles.

Most people worry too much about this stuff. Shipping?? NYC to OKC is 22hrs. I'd do the flight and the drive home in 1 shot. But...it can easily be broken into 2 days.

Choose the correct season/timing and go. Even if the car breaks down....you are stuck with a shipping bill....which will still be less than having shipped it from the original location. NYC to OKC is mostly driving through civilizations anyway. Not like you'll risk being stuck on the Donner pass in a snowstorm in 1852 or something.

I have paid with and accepted, cash, cashier's checks, and PayPal as a GIFT in person. Paypal is the safest way (as a GIFT transaction).

jeffbrig

I bought my turbo cayman out of state, from a private seller. Paid a local mechanic to do a pre purchase inspection. Sent a deposit to hold the car. I flew up, had a final look over the car, ended up buying and drove it home. Great way to get to know your new car! But you have to be prepared to throw away some money if things don't check out. If that's something you can't afford, or aren't willing to do, deal locally... Plenty of cars out there if you're patient.

rudyy

A used car is a used car. A lot of things cannot be justified by just looking at the photos. Cosmetically, a couple of paint chips here and there are acceptable since it is used, but there might be more than that and you cannot tell by just looking at the photos. Also, check for the VIN stickers around the car.

ragtophardtop

No way in hell I would do this for a buyer unless I had already received payment and was certain it could not be clawed back. If you get there and low ball the seller, he's out the drive. I wouldn't buy this car either given the mods, but at the same time I totally understand the sellers position, and so should you.

There's great advice in this thread. I've bought 4 cars at distance, both from private sellers and dealerships, ranging from a $34k acura to a $12k miata, all off autotrader & cargurus, 1 from a private seller, another from a dealer where I knew the previous owner. Not 1 seller fully disclosed the condition of the cars, except the previous owner who had traded it in. One car had almost black tints, another had a severe diff leak, another 1 year old car with 8k miles had serious road rash and a dent and banged up rims. You can preagree on a price, but fly and drive and be prepared to walk, and GET IT INSPECTED BY A QUALITY MECHANIC AND A BODYSHOP - AND DO A THOROUGH IN PERSON INSPECTION.

Better yet, plan on taking a road trip/vacation as part of the purchase. If the purchase doesn't work out, not all will be lost.

kasher_khan

I bought my car from FL sight unseen. This was an Audi Dealer. I paid to have a PPI done by a third party of my choosing. Once the PPI was clean, I paid for a compression test. After that I had dealer knock down the agreed price or fix the defects that were brought up during the PPI. Finally negotiated shipping to my location as part of the deal. Dealer got me temp plates for two months as well. All in all a very professional experience. There was a lot of communication involved as well as paperwork. I don't know that I would have been able to pull it off if the dealer wasn't involved. I would hesitate to do a similar transaction with a private party. A lot of things can go wrong in these transactions and people turn in "douche bag mode" pretty fast if things don't go exactly according to plan by either end.

rpg51

My feeling is that you have to get a really good feeling about the seller. If that is not there then forget it. You can usually tell if the seller is a straight shooter. Best to buy within a days drive. Be patient. Hold on to our wallet if you have ANY doubt about the deal.