...seeing the car in the metal?
I know it's a silly thing to do - and I've mocked others for doing it - but it is very tempting sometimes.
Have you done it? Did you come unstuck?
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Yes,
But it was a motorbike.Bought it on it's 3rd listing with no reserve. Seller only posted 1 photo, but for £1400 i got a 1995 Honda CBR1000F, FSH, Heated Grips,Alarmed, Datatagged, Recent front and rear tyres,Baglux tankbag and harness.Bike had 27k on the clock and had not been used since 2001, seller was mid 50's and had been the only owner.
I've since owned it for 18 months, put 5K on it, and last Spetember was offered 2K for it.
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I bought my current car via ebay although the person i bought it off was a member of the car club i belong to so felt a lot more reassured by that. Don't think i'd by any other car off there though without seeing it.
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Yeah, I bought a Toyota Starlet from a woman in Glasgow. I initially bid thinking I was bound to be out-bid, but I was the only bidder so travelled to Glasgow from South Wales to collect it!
A cracking car that I sold for a profit, but only after picking it up did I notice it was once a driving school car (the bar without the pedals was still on the passenger side floor).
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Bought an Audi A8 unseen off ebay. Probably not the sort of car to buy unseen. Turned out to be the most immaculate and best looked after A8 in the country. I'm still running it.
On the other hand, bought a Kangoo more recently. Vendor had not mentioned the world's worst re-spray into a different colour, it had done 5000 more miles than stated, clutch was on its way out and there were lots of dents. Ended in a big argument when I said I wasn't going to buy it.
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I've bought two, both bangers. First one was £360 and OK for the money, second was £620 and great for the money. One or two things were not mentioned on car #1 that I was mildly annoyed about, but #2, a 405 TD estate was exactly as described, perhaps better. I always budget for some repairs on my banger purchases though, and factor that into the price I'm prepared to pay.
The 405 needed the front suspension sorting, but for the overall condition/price I'm still driving a good car, and I saved time by not traipsing around to see a car in the Trader that's got issues. If a car on Ebay hasn't got 6-8 pics showing all the panels, engine bay, interior and dash then I don't bother looking further
There was a third (£440), but the blue clouds of smoke on start-up were not mentioned in the Ebay ad, so when I saw it, I walked. The buyer couldn't argue, and tried to pretend he knew nothing about it, but we both knew he'd tried a fast one and failed.
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I bought an old run about for £700 from a guy on ebay. He had decent feedback and seemed genuine on the phone. The car was exactly as described and he included several photos in his ad, as well as all the bad points / faults with the car, which thankfully were only minor. I've been pleased with the car, drove back from Halifax to Essex without fault (other than running out of screenwash!). So would I do it again - yes, but only if it was a cheap car and if the seller seems genuine.
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I bought a 1994 Nissan Primera 1.6L off Ebay without seeing it for £160.
It had 200k and there was one photo in the listing. The car drove very sweetly indeed, and I drove it to Belgium and back without any problems.
Sold it 7 weeks later for £30 back on ebay. Sounds like horrendous depreciation, but far cheaper than hiring a car for 7 weeks!
I would do it again. Having browsed many car listings, you get an instant feel for what is dodgy and what isn't.
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I havn't,but I know someone who has.I drove a friend of mine to Reading on Friday,from Leeds,to see a Trafic camper.It was pretty much as described apart from falling apart rear anti sway bar bushes,which suprised me as the MOT was still warm.We got a discount for that and the value of six months tax.Insured it over the phone and she drove it to Leeds,pleased with the deal.
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Bought a Porsche for over £50k without seeing it. Just had a Porsche inpection and was described as perfect. Bid on the understanding that if it wasn't as described I'd walk away.
The car was perfect so it was bought.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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I've actually sold 2 vehicles via E bay .
Both deals went well. I made very sure to describe each vehicle as accurately as poss, I mean it's not as if you're limited with your description is it?
The way I see it is that 9 times out of 10, any misdescription is an honest mistake.
A lot can be gleaned IMO by reading feedback.
H
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I bought my current car on ebay without seeing it. Before I showed any interest I checked the sellers feedback and what other items he was buying and selling. If another car had recently appeared in his list of lots I would not have bid as he would have possibly been a dealer.
The photos of the car looked excellent and the description was pretty accurate with a couple of minor faults that I could live with. I also telephoned the seller to ask some more questions. The answers were immediate and friendly, plus with a little bit more history than the description.
As the Fiat Marea Weekend was fairly scarce car and being the large engined turbo diesel estate car with just about average miles, the choice became did I want to buy this one or wait for another to come on the market. The car was roughly half the price compared to say a Mondeo estate of similar age and milage.
Because of the distance we arranged to complete the deal half way between us. If the car was not as described I would not have completed the transaction, this was made clear on the phone before bidding.
Having now owned the car for nearly 2 years, it was fairly accurately described. As soon as I obtained it I fitted a new battery and new tyres, had a service and MOT. The only non routine expenses I have so far incurred has been a new clutch and glow plugs. In the near future I shall have the injectors removed and cleaned and new discs and pads fitted. I assume that any car of this age will need the occassional replacement part, but compared to the deprecation on a newer car, it is still very affordable.
It is my plan to keep this car for another 2 to 3 years, may be longer (unless I come into a lot of money).
Looking back do I think I was wise? I think I should have run a car check on its background as I believe it has has a small amount of body repair that has been very well completed. Maybe I was just lucky, I seem to have a nice reliable car that did not have the poor electrics associated with many Fiats.
Would I buy from a car unseen from ebay again? Possibly. But then I might either use an auction buyer or go to a car auction myself. All secondhand cars have an element of risk when buying them as you will never find out what is wrong with them or why they are being sold.
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Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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