Isabelle

I'll be moving over to the US of A in a few months and will be needing a car. I've had an S2000 for about a year here (sold last week) and am considering a replacement in California when I get there. Anyway, I was snooping around on Ebay and some of the prices that the performance cars were going for were unbelievably good (for the buyer).

I'm pretty old school and am from the club that believe that there's no such thing as a free lunch (without any strings attached anyway). So what's the catch with those cars on Ebay?

Would you buy a performance car off ebay? It's beginning to look like a pretty attractive option, especially those traders that advertise as Bricks and Mortar operations that have cars with clean titles and too good to be true prices......

Anybody here with bad/good experiences buying an S2000/Boxster/350Z/TT off Ebay? Care to share?

TBC

amongmany

I have considered purchasing off ebay a few times, but after hearing some horror stories, I'm just not comfortable with it. If you can find one near you (shouldn't be tough in Calif.) and check it out before you bid, then I would think you'd be safe. Often the seller will sell to a walk in buyer and close the auction too if you find one you like.

Hondafan

I've purchased three cars of ebay. No problems here.

jjanari

I bought my 2002 S w/only 5,300 miles off of Ebay. However, it was a local car, so I could inspect it prior to purchase. Since it had such low mileage, I wasn't overly concern. I would be more reluctant to purchase a car that I could not inspect due to geography. Definitely check out the seller's feedback.

iLikeBeer

This is crucial, 90% of the time you can tell if someone is an honest person with good items just by checking their feedback. Just make sure they have positive feedback for items with similar price tags.

coles2k

The prices look too good to be true because some are, but don't forget that location can be a big player in the expected price. Maybe the demand isn't as high in the midwest as it is in cali, so you can get a great price.

Definitely check the feedback, as well as if they've changed usernames. Also, be sure to use an escrow service to protect yourself. I'm not sure what these places are called, but I've heard of businesses that will go check out the car for you, and give you a full report for a small fee.

The Gasman

I know people who have bought off of ebay, and the cars were 60k dollar cars. The key like everyone has said is doing your homework. I know it's hard to do from GB though. There is a big group of owners in the Bay Area who may be able to help you out in checking a car out since the density of the area is so great someone probably lives close to where you'd find a car.

Did you change your mind about the s2000? I thought you wanted a car with more creature comforts here in the US? If you find a car in Sacramento (100 miles from San Fran) let me know and I'll give a look see for you.

Raj

Isabelle

Raj,

I've narrowed it down to a used Boxster, used Boxster S, new 350Z and used TT.... Am not planning to spend more than US$35K out the door.

Do you know what the resale market is like for the above mentioned cars. I will probably keep the car for 1-2 years, so am pretty hesistant to buy a new one where I'll take the biggest hit in the depreciation. In that aspect, the Porsches look pretty attractive.

Catch is, I'm not that familiar with the US/Bay Area used car scene. I can tell you exactly what car you're going to get for a price over here in the UK, but I'm not too familiar with the demand/supply for Porsches over there.

There's a learning curve, took me about years to figure this out in the UK. (I think I can easily be a trader here) I've owned 3 cars in 3 years and have lost very little in terms of depreciation of each. I'd like to think that I'm pretty astute when it comes to putting my money down.

So buying a car in the US, given my lack of understanding of the market forces, is a bit of a shot in the dark for me.

TBC