Purchasing a car.......need help

[Guest Anonymous]

I would like to purchase a 2002 that is a good distance from me 5hrs. I want the car, but I want to find out how I can purchase the car and not have to drive there and back.

1. How can I make sure I get the title?

2. How do I get the money to the guy without having to pay 3% with paypal?

3. How do I get the car shipped to my door for a small payment?

4. Has anyone done this?

Thanks

[billw]

I would not buy a car sight unseen. Pictures just don't tell the whole story. I'm far from an expert on these cars, but when I bought mine I followed the advice from this board "to go look at it". The first three cars I went to look at were not as advertized and I drove/flew away with the cash in my pocket. At the very least see if there is someone on the board nearby that can check it out for you.

Bill

[CutteRug]

7) Ask owner if his username is "pureaudio" or "cutterug". If so, drive home immediately.

Har har.

[Hammer03]

But, before #9, buy a AAA membership, and a pull strap.

If you don't pull the trigger, celebrate the road trip.

Welcome.

Or, if it is less than 150 miles from you, just use AAA to bring it home for you.

Or modify #1, to find a friend with a truck and trailer you don't mind spending 10 hours with

[Pinball81]

I recently bought my '02 from a guy 5 hours away (I'm in Indy, he was in Detroit). He was a BMWCCA/PCA member, and I had a huge level of comfort/confidence in him and the car after talking with him and emailing for a week or two. So, I rolled the dice and bought a one way ticket. Upon arrival, all was as promised. As to your questions: pay with cash or cashier's check and don't leave without the title. Make sure you sign some kind of Bill of Sale to document the purchase. I've bought 3 cars out of state, and all have gone smoothly.

Good luck!

[Gthielen]

NEVER buy without seeing/driving it...or having a professional act as your surrogate. Photos are incredibly deceptive. If there is no one that inspects cars in that area, I recommend calling the local BMW CCA chapter president and asking for local vintage BMW specialist in the area to help you out.

It will be the best hundred bucks you ever spent.

Best,

George Thielen

74 Inka

75 R90s Daytona Orange

03 330i ZHP sadly, not orange

[Pinball81]

NEVER buy without seeing/driving it...or having a professional act as your surrogate. Photos are incredibly deceptive. If there is no one that inspects cars in that area, I recommend calling the local BMW CCA chapter president and asking for local vintage BMW specialist in the area to help you out.

It will be the best hundred bucks you ever spent.

Best,

George Thielen

74 Inka

75 R90s Daytona Orange

03 330i ZHP sadly, not orange

Agreed, NEVER commit to buy without seeing/driving. Always have a way out... either be prepared to get in the car and drive home or buy another one way ticket back... be prepared to leave empty-handed if the car isn't as expected.

[Jim_75Sahara]

George said it best. I should have done that. BUT I have learned a lot about deferred maintenance-type problems since 2003! When I have permission to get another car, Geo. is gonna get a call from me!!

[Guest]

The AAA recommendation is a good one, not just for the towing. They will help you A LOT with the bill of sale, registration, title, temp tags, insurance, etc. for out-of-state purchases. Obviously, you'd have to be there in person, but calling first to find out how cars are bought and sold in that particular state will be less frustrating than calling the DMV. Oh, and free maps....

[Guest]

The AAA recommendation is a good one, not just for the towing. They will help you A LOT with the bill of sale, registration, title, temp tags, insurance, etc. for out-of-state purchases. Obviously, you'd have to be there in person, but calling first to find out how cars are bought and sold in that particular state will be less frustrating than calling the DMV. Oh, and free maps....

[thehackmechanic]

There are ways of doing all three of the things you're asking, but it's all about risk. If you're hell-bent on not driving out there, there ARE 3rd parties who will handle escrow purchases, allowing a transfer of money and title. But that misses the point, which is that, when the car arrives, you may still feel like you've been taken, and really it'll be your own fault for buying something sight-unseen. If it's an eBay purchase, then at least there's the veneer of protection eBay is supposed to provide because it's supposed to be "as advertised," which accounts for all the scum-sucking eBay ads that say as little as possible (ie, if you say "no rust" and the buyer finds a dime-sized rust spot, then the car is not "as advertised," but if you don't say anything about rust...).

So, really, if you're absolutely decided that the proposition involves buying it without seeing it in person, then you've set yourself up for a risky proposition, and your wanting to 1) make sure you get the title, 2) not have to pay PayPal fees, and 3) have the car shipped "for a small payment" are incidental to your not seeing the elephant in the room of risk. And maybe it'll work out ok and you'll post photos of the car here and we'll all go "wow! Good grab!" But there are far more stories floating around of people whose sight-unseen purchases were less than they'd hoped.

Many years ago, a BMW CCA member named Steve Diamond called me out of the blue asking me to look at a Z1 (yes, a Z1) that was for sale in the Boston area. I didn't know him from Adam when he called, but by the time we were done talking, I knew him pretty well in the way that two car guys share that rapport. I checked out the Z1. He bought it. I even helped him pass papers on it and convinced Roundel editor Yale Rachlin to store it in his garage for a week while Steve arranged for transport. So the folks who advised you to try to find someone in the area are right on the money.

Good luck.