Anyone ever buy a car on ebay?

[BedKnobbery2]

Just curious as to how it went....I only have 2 second-hand experiences to go on (friend of the son of a co-worker). I'm not married to the idea, but it intrigues me, particularly because there are several cars listed that are within driving distance, so I could see before I buy. (And they are a make--Volvo--I am extremely familiar with, which I think helps because I already have an idea of what can turn into a major problem, what's a minor one, and how the car is generally supposed to "feel" when I'm driving it.) I don't really need a new (used) car just yet, so I'm not under the gun to make a decision; but started poking around on ebay motors last night, and would love to hear of others experiences (good and bad). Thanks!

 

[DCLuvinit]

My husband and I bought our car for a really great price on EBay - but it was listed by a dealership. It was within driving distance, so once we got there it was just like a standard purchase. No probelms. Good luck!

 

[ZachnElli]

I know 2 people who sold their cars on ebay and all went well on their end. My FIL fixes up old cars and he sold some old Ford he had fixed up and the buyer was from New Zealand! The buyer paid for the shipping!

 

[crz4mm2]

Yep. Bought two VW bugs on ebay (old ones). First one wasn't exactly what I expected. 2nd one was better than expected!!
I think it can be a great experience if you do your homework.
Good luck!

 

[janette]

One of my sister's bought one and has had no problems. It was local so she was able to look at it first.

One of my brother's bought an airplane. Sold it later at a profit so I quess it worked out.

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Thanks for the input, everyone! It sounds much like regular car-buying.....part do your homework, and part hope for the best! Do you feel like you got a better bargain than you may have otherwise?

The car I am most interested in has some cosmetic problems (which I don't care about...I'm a "point A to point B" kinda car owner) and because of them, the price seems very very right! A couple thousand less than it would be if it were "pretty".

Edited to add....all 3 of the cars I'm most interested in appear to be listed by used car dealers.

 

[Az Pirates]

We found a car on e-bay - didn't bid on it - but ended up contacting the dealership that had it listed and buying it from them later.

We feel like we got a good deal on it even after paying the shipping fee. We knew exactly what we were looking for and we checked out the dealership pretty carefully.
We were kind of nervous about sending off the money for a car we had never even seen - but it worked out great.

Good Luck - hope you find a great deal!

 

[krissy3483]

Just a quick idea, whether you are buying a used car on ebay or from anywhere else..... run a carfax report on the car first, I believe it is 19.99 for one car or 24.99 for unlimited checks. My bf just bought a used car, and we were both amazed at the information the report provided. Among other things, it checks whether the car was ever in an accident, as well as if it was ever reported stolen, and how many people were registered owners of the car. If you buy a used car from a dealership, they may give you the report on their own. My father recently bought a used civic, and the dealer gave him the carfax report.

 

[BedKnobbery2]

Excellent advice, Krissy. Ebay actually has a similar service that you can click through from the VIN; it gives similar information (although I think it only showed when it had been registered, not by whom, although it did give the locations). It costs $5 for 1 report, $10 for 10 reports. I got one report on the car I was most interested in.

Also, I've got to reiterate the "do your homework" step as being vitally important--in my case, in emailing the seller and asking pointed questions! Turns out the car I was most interested doesn't having working A/C or a working temp gauge--neither issue is mentioned in the listing. I'm glad I found out before driving down to see the car--those could both turn out to be huge problems!

 

[DVC-Don]

I know someone who won an RV on eBay, but they drove down to Virginia to look at it before bidding.