Buying a car remotely

[Purplepassiongsr]

Hi Guys,

I know it has been discussed before but wanting to get some opinions from those with experience buying vehicles remotely and sight unseen. I understand the risk in getting something misrepresented but am more concerned with the logistics aspect. How do you safely transfer the funds while protecting both parties? I've heard esgrow account but are there other options ? Any special conditions to be specified? How about transportation companies ? Any good ones, ones to stay away from? These are my initial questions any help is appreciated.

[Dave7CDMTYPER]

It helps if the person you're buying from is a relatively well known/trusted user on a forum (like ITRCA or HT). Then I think you can have a little more confidence. You have to have an intuition too, to feel if it's legit. It's the best when the seller is super helpful and responsive. I bought an ITR from a guy on HT in Canada. It was a rare opportunity and I decided to go for it. He was very responsive and easy to deal with.

I used a shipping company called TFX. They were great. They specialize in shipping across Canadian border.

I've heard in US a good company is Passport. My dad has used it to ship vintage cars.

[coolhandluke]

We have a great community on this site. It isn't uncommon for someone to inspect the car prior to purchase, or do a FaceTime call with the prospective buyer, etc. If close, I'm happy to check out a car prior for another community member. I only ask for a beer at Expo.

I have a US-based shipping rec.

[boostjunkie33]

It helps if the person you're buying from is a relatively well known/trusted user on a forum (like ITRCA or HT). Then I think you can have a little more confidence. You have to have an intuition too, to feel if it's legit. It's the best when the seller is super helpful and responsive. I bought an ITR from a guy on HT in Canada. It was a rare opportunity and I decided to go for it. He was very responsive and easy to deal with.

I used a shipping company called TFX. They were great. They specialize in shipping across Canadian border.

I've heard in US a good company is Passport. My dad has used it to ship vintage cars.

No ITRs here....just rusty hype r’s.

[aklackner]

I’m actually in process of getting a shell I bought from NH to SoCal.

Transport was a major headache for me since it was a private seller (who I didn’t want to saddle with a bunch of extra demands), in NH and not convenient for large transport trucks, and the car didn’t run.

From my limited experience so far this is what I understand:

Truckers are going to call the shots, then brokers, you basically get to make requests.

The more flexible you can be with pickup window and location you can accommodate the better position you’ll be in. Plan to have whoever will release and recieve the car available (and mobile) for a couple days around target dates.

Don’t ask for quotes right away (More on this) but make some calls and find an agent who is responsive and that you like (ABC shipping was about as straightforward as I found, and has been fine so far, car was picked up & should be delivered 12/22)

Pretty much all of the transport companies are actually brokers that put jobs into the same system and drivers bid on them.

Transport companies have little relationship with the drivers who actually take the jobs and will have you sign releases for any liability.

Quotes: Since all the jobs go into the same system and trucks pick up the route at the price they want, multiple agents putting the same job into the system will more or less guarantee a higher price. Truckers will go for the higher price first.

Pickup/delivery: For various reasons trucks may not be able to or want to pick a vehicle up at a residential location, many contracts will give them flexibility to arrange at an alternate location of their choice so being ready to move the car will make things easier and lower cost.

Contract: the actual commitment with a specific truck, this may not happen until a few days to a week prior to arranged transport.

Deposit: this probably won’t be refundable, so try to find someone who doesn’t require anything until the car is picked up. with a balance due on delivery, generally in cash.

This is not authoritative by any means but a distillation of my own specific experience and research.

Cheers and good luck

[coolhandluke]

That is a good recap of my experiences. I'v shipped 5x cars now and I learned along the way. I can share my contact, as I have had bad experiences with other major carriers.

[Purplepassiongsr]

Thanks for the insights guys, truly helpful. I may end up taking a flight as the seller isnt willing to support a partial payment until after delivery. Side bar: Anyone have a contact near Orlando that can help with inspection? Will pay for your time and support.

[touringteg]

I just wanted to comment on this since I just sold my 1994 Toyota Supra on Friday and it will be picked up by the shipping company tomorrow.

One thing I can suggest is for the seller to make cold start up, walk around and driving videos and upload to youtube. It's surprisingly easy and gives the buyer some peace of mind. As a buyer I recommend a third party inspection at a shop you find not one the seller recommends. The buyer needs to do the research here.

In Canada Hansens is one of the most popular transport companies. They transport for dealerships in my city. Many cars are going east to west or vice versa. They end up on a train which stops at major cities. Victoria to Toronto is about $1600 CAD plus taxes. About the same for Victoria to Montreal.

In my case the buyer flew out to inspect and drive the car in person. He made the purchase in person and the vehicle remains in my garage until the transport company picks it up. The buyer actually wanted it to be stored at a local shop but couldn't find one to store it on short notice with the Christmas holidays. They were worried about me taking off parts prior to shipping. I'm going to take another video right before it leaves to show the condition is still the same.