The car sounds like it may be a good one. Make a deal contingent on final inspection. Fly to the car, (or drive with a trailer). Drive it. Listen to the motor and feel the transmission and suspension. Keep your emotions in check. Be prepared to walk. But, if it checks out good - do the deal. Best to act quickly, like tonight. If you snooze you lose with these cars.

 

I bought my 2006 GPW over the phone after seeing it posted in the Marketplace here, the car was 6 hours from my house. I sent the owner a deposit and told him that if the car was as described then I will hand over the cash, I was not disappointed.

Good luck with your decision and if the price is reasonable then I would suggest that you jump on it.

 

Pretty much the same for me, and I never sat or drove in one either. And, I might add, never saw one in person. It's a Honda, I pretty much knew what to expect, absolutely no regrets.

 

Hopefully you've picked up on the trend that has developed in this thread. I also informed my remote seller that if the car was as presented upon inspection, then I was all in for their asking price, no games. A legitimate seller who has presented the car honestly should have no problems with such a stipulation. For me personally, when it comes to a big-ticket item like a car, it's important that I get a good feeling for the seller as well. Chances are, I wouldn't want to do business with anyone that wouldn't be open to such a request anyway.

 

I used an online escrow service to release funds when on the truck to me. Shipping was approximately $1200 from Tenessee to south Florida. Full set of pictures, compression testing, cold start video, vin tags, etc. should be part of due diligence.

 

What is your price point for an S2K?
Chad

 

I've heard about various companies that will check out a car for you. Car Hex, Lemonsquad and others. I don't have any experience using one though.

 

I bought a 2009 Rio S2k with 14,000 miles on it from Gandrud Chevrolet in Wisconsin one year ago. I live in Delaware and this is what I did:

Talked with the salesperson A LOT
Carfax Check
Sent pics of every inch of the car including all the VIN's, undercarriage, interior, exterior... all of it everywhere
Took a video of everything and did a test drive with me virtually

They had a 7 day guarantee if anything was amiss for any reason... send it back.

They sent the car to me in a closed trailer which I negotiated them to pay for... they didnt have to. Would have cost me $900 from about 1,000 miles away.

This is my 4th S2K. I wanted the Rio color and in pristine condition... I did not have the ability to travel. I would NOT have done this with a stranger or a dealer that has not been in business with a decent reputation. VERY NICE STOCK S2K's are hard find... I say go for it!!

 

There are nationwide inspection services you can hire. For about $120-$150 they send a local mechanic to evaluate the car and take pictures, and send you a report.

 

There's quite a few reputable people on here that live in the NC/SC area that I'd trust to pay expenses plus some cash to go take a look. Im not going to name anyone particular because it's all preference but I'd take a look around the region threads. I'm not sure I'd trust your average mechanic as there's quirks and features that many average mechanics will not be aware of. However a general look over, drive, and pictures I'm sure would be sufficient. The best thing however to do is line up 2-3 to see and drive or fly down. You know if you see it yourself what you're getting into.
PS I would not buy a vehicle without seeing it myself first. I have trust issues. Haha