Buying long distances?

[Upgrade+]

So most of the better deals I find tend to be long distances from me (NY). My question is, can you hire a company or individual to go inspect the car thoroughly in the state/area that the car is at?

[Yvette]

Ask one of member here I would gladly

[Nice Rumble]

There are companies that do it. Here is one in the Austin, TX area. $139

http://www.autopi.com

And this one in Portland, OR.

http://pdxinspections.com

West coast of FL.

http://www.autospectorinspections.co...n-florida.html

[///WeissBisBlau]

Yep, seen several people on here help out guys like you before. So where is your car?

[Harry Da Hamster]

I did the long distance thing with no third party company and i dont think i would be doing it again. Reasons why:

1) I hired a highly touted detailer local to the seller to inspect the vehicle for cosmetics and to do a basic test drive to verify it's in proper running condition. He assured me the cosmetic condition of the car is fine. Only concern of his was the headlights need to be buffed. It was the complete opposite. Car was very dirty, interior looks like it was never cleaned properly in the last 2-3 years with caked on and embedded dirt. As a matter of fact, the steering wheel was so bad, i bought a new one. After much cleaning with a steamer and brush on an orbital polisher, seats are passable condition but still not satisfactory to me. He also failed to recognize and disclose that the front bumper was repainted.

2) Seller had a payoff. Payoff needed to be paid in full to receive the title. I offered to bring a certified check. He said that was not good enough because it might take several days to cash due to being out of state. I offered travelers checks. He was still worried about the hassles of cashing a large amount of travelers checks. I brought $35,000 in cash with me from Hawaii to California. Talk about nerve wrecking.

3) Drove the car for a day then dropped vehicle off at shipper. Shipper inspected the vehicle at time of drop-off, everything checked out okay, and i flew back to Honolulu. After i arrived in Hawaii the shipper calls and asks what's in my trunk (goodies from Trader Joes). Can't ship with anything in the vehicle. So i scramble to find a friend with a friend near West Covina, Los Angeles, FedEx next day my valet key to him, give him my Trader Joes goodies, just so they can ship my car.

Major headache! Never again.

[RINTAXI]

Originally Posted by FNG

I did the long distance thing with no third party company and i dont think i would be doing it again. Reasons why:

1) I hired a highly touted detailer local to the seller to inspect the vehicle for cosmetics and to do a basic test drive to verify it's in proper running condition. He assured me the cosmetic condition of the car is fine. Only concern of his was the headlights need to be buffed. It was the complete opposite. Car was very dirty, interior looks like it was never cleaned properly in the last 2-3 years with caked on and embedded dirt. As a matter of fact, the steering wheel was so bad, i bought a new one. After much cleaning with a steamer and brush on an orbital polisher, seats are passable condition but still not satisfactory to me. He also failed to recognize and disclose that the front bumper was repainted.

2) Seller had a payoff. Payoff needed to be paid in full to receive the title. I offered to bring a certified check. He said that was not good enough because it might take several days to cash due to being out of state. I offered travelers checks. He was still worried about the hassles of cashing a large amount of travelers checks. I brought $35,000 in cash with me from Hawaii to California. Talk about nerve wrecking.

3) Drove the car for a day then dropped vehicle off at shipper. Shipper inspected the vehicle at time of drop-off, everything checked out okay, and i flew back to Honolulu. After i arrived in Hawaii the shipper calls and asks what's in my trunk (goodies from Trader Joes). Can't ship with anything in the vehicle. So i scramble to find a friend with a friend near West Covina, Los Angeles, FedEx next day my valet key to him, give him my Trader Joes goodies, just so they can ship my car.

Major headache! Never again.

omg this story is terrible!

[kstore]

i bought my car from an individual 1200 miles from me. Had him take the car to a dealer for a complete PPI. The dealer charged around 150 I believe. They did very thorough check and then sent me the final report. It seemed like it was even more thorough than the check BMW does before CPO certification.

[Upgrade+]

The car I'm interested in, is located in Raleigh North Carolina. I would ask a forum member that is near there but I'd be worried with what happened with FNG stated above. I like to put faith in most people, but with such a large investment I would have to be %100 certain with the individuals findings. That being said, I am open to the idea of having a trustworthy member taking a detailed look and report for me.

[Patrón]

Originally Posted by Upgrade+

The car I'm interested in, is located in Raleigh North Carolina. I would ask a forum member that is near there but I'd be worried with what happened with FNG stated above. I like to put faith in most people, but with such a large investment I would have to be %100 certain with the individuals findings. That being said, I am open to the idea of having a trustworthy member taking a detailed look and report for me.

If a forum member is willing to look at a car, that's great for visual defects but I'd spend the $200 and have a reputable Indy or dealership conduct a complete ppi

[ferrarif1]

I have bought two cars sight unseen. On one, I had a BMW dealer PPI and the other used www.aiminspections.com

Both were good experiences and I've found the key is to not be shy about asking a lot of questions or for specific pictures before sending over your money.

Both of these cars were purchased from dealers, not individuals so I felt like there was recourse if things did not work out as expected.

[s85e90]

I have bought many higher end cars sight unseen without wasting money on a PPI. If you're knowledgeable it's not a hard process

[lorinzo]

I suggest finding a BMW mechanic local to the car and hire him to perform a PPI.

I did for a car I was interested in. The sales guy was willing to get the car to and from the mechanic. Unfortunately, we could not agree on a price.

[ASBSECU E93]

Originally Posted by Upgrade+

The car I'm interested in, is located in Raleigh North Carolina. I would ask a forum member that is near there but I'd be worried with what happened with FNG stated above. I like to put faith in most people, but with such a large investment I would have to be %100 certain with the individuals findings. That being said, I am open to the idea of having a trustworthy member taking a detailed look and report for me.

Originally Posted by Patrón

If a forum member is willing to look at a car, that's great for visual defects but I'd spend the $200 and have a reputable Indy or dealership conduct a complete ppi

I'm in NC, but it's a little bit of a haul to Raleigh - Several active forum members in the M4 regional section that are located in/near Raleigh that might could help you out.

I am in the same boat - I have found a Q5 TDi thats about 5 hours from me...

[jblaze21]

I am in Washington state and recently bought a E90 M3 out of New York. I just had a PPI done at a local dealership there and the info sent to me. All checked out and I couldn't be happier.

Only problem is that it took about 8 days for the car to be delivered and those were agonizing days!

[OneSickM]

I am one of the people who is against buying a long distance car. You should know that what the other person would be looking for might not be the same as what you are looking for.

Simple scratches on the car to someone might be nothing but to me it is a big deal. I will never buy a car out of state again. I would pay 1k or 2k more and buy a car local to avoid all the headaches IMO.

[Beemdog]

Originally Posted by jblaze21

I am in Washington state and recently bought a E90 M3 out of New York. I just had a PPI done at a local dealership there and the info sent to me. All checked out and I couldn't be happier.

Only problem is that it took about 8 days for the car to be delivered and those were agonizing days!

Agreed, buying long distance can be effective for rare, mint-condition cars, but it takes a lot of fun out of the buying process. I would only do it on a very low mileage car that has a top-rated seller with a proven track record of doing remote sales successfully.

When you buy a car locally, you pay your money and you get to drive home with the car (hopefully w/smile on face)... when you buy long distance, you pay your money and then get to agonize over the truck shipping process for a week or two-- not fun!

[jeff@autocouture]

i would recommend a ppi at a reputable shop or dealership

its the best way to cover yourself