What are some of things that can be checked out before spending money on a plane ticket? (beyond the obvious car-fax,etc..)

Honesty of the seller cant really be taken into consideration.

Any experience’s?

 

there is only so much you can do away from the car what it all boils down to is you have to be willing to spend that money on a plane ticket but walk away from the car if its not what you truly want or the person will not adjust the price good luck.

 

I just bought my evo out of state and I contribute finding a great car to my conversations and emails back and forth with the seller. He was very detailed on explanations of maintance, performance mods, and overall knowledge of the vehicle. I also requested a lot of pics and videos so, I could see the car in action. You'll need to ask a lot questions and I recommend making a list out before hand so you don't forget anything. Hopefully you'll be able to get a good idea of how the seller cared for and represented the vehicle.

Then there is always the third party option. You could contact a dealer/shop of your chosing for them to go over the car ahead of time. It will cost you a little extra but, gives you some piece of mind.

Make sure your confident in your purchase and if anything doesn't seem right just walk away. Either before or there on site. Its only a couple hundred dollar plane ticket if you back out and not a 20k lemon.

 

There are inspection services that can be used to look at the car for you.

I personally bought my evo from a guy in Florida, and never even looked at it. I would not recommend doing that, but it was very low miles and I had been talking to the guy for over a month about the car.

 

In the past I would go online and find a shop that's reputable near where the car is located. I would then make sure that shop has the capability to perform a leakdown and compression test on the cars they inspect. I would then call them and let them know the situation and that I will be paying with a credit card over the phone. I would then tell the seller to call them and make an appointment that works for them and that you'll be having the car inspected.



EDIT:

I would then have the shop fax me the results so I can look them over and show them to other mechanics/techs for their opinion.

 

I live in GA and bought my car from a guy in FL. I exchanged a ton of emails but what convinced me that this guy wasn't a dirtbag was when he showed me all the little things wrong with the car up front. They were minor and I probably wouldn't have noticed them until weeks or months later. Also I did what I do to people who apply at my business, check their Facebook.


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Really useful information, thanks lads!

 

this should be done no matter where you get the car. whether it's a 30 minute drive or a flight across the country, always get a reputable shop that specialized in the car (or at least is very good with a similar car) to look over it and give you their opinion on it