Help needed with advice on a long distance purchase.

chris,I would go to the regional threads and go to the state the car is at and ask if anyone there would help you on this and maybe they can go with you and make sure the car is sent to you after the sale is completed and your gone,we all here on ferrari chat are here to help one and all,I'm sorry I can't help you,I'm up here in sacramento

 

Cant drive the car? Cant leave the facility? Cant put it up on a hoist? Can you start it, or is that taboo too? I sure hope the seller is offering the car at a reduced price.

 

Is the car in the northeast?

 

Can you at least run the engine? If you cant run the engine, you will know absolutely nothing about the car. Outside of bodywork, the engine is the single most expensive part of the car.

 

as many threads as you have had running on here, i would make damn sure you buy one you can drive. i dont care what the price is, but the car as you describe it is not going to be what you are looking for.

i think i have had 2 or 3 308's since you started " looking ".

go find one you can drive, buy it, and sort it out. all of them are getting old, and all of them are going to have issues.

if you are that worried about stuff breaking, then you cant afford it just yet. period.

oh yeah, do a search for transport, there are a bazzillion threads. i use Demoise Trucking, and have used them to move cars all over the country. they are excellent.

 

Ok. I was going to offer assistance if it were in the northeast.

 

I'm not seeing anywhere that the original poster said he couldn't drive the car. In reality, a competent buyer could do an inspection, drive the car and make a reasonable decision. I would imagine we are looking at a car at best in the high 20k range. Am I the only 308 owner on the planet that didn't have a PPI. I agree that an inspection is a very good idea, but in reality many of us have purchased many cars without a PPI.
Ever had one done on a 2001 Ford?

 

good luck in your search, be careful, but not "too careful" .

they aint getting any cheaper!

 

If you can arrange it at least get one of the mobile mechanics to give it the once over. I would never buy a car without a PPI which would always include a compression test, a reasonable drive, wheels off inspection etc, The body and interior may well be unmolested but the diff, gearbox, valves and rings could all be crap. A dollar spent on the PPI and the effort to get one done should be your first priority. I would hate to read how you bought this car that looked perfect to later find out you had to spend 20k on rectifying a heap of problems before you could enjoy it.

 

I have bought 14 Ferraris, 2 Lamborghinis, and 6 Rolls Royces all without any PPI's. With enough knowledge and research, my gut feeling never let me down, so I have been very lucky. In most cases, real nice cars are never molested and probably babied more than the wives!!
Good luck with your search.

 

Hi Chris,

Once you have done your homework and know this guy is legit, I would not hesitate to pay him in full prior to delivery, put yourself in his shoes, he won't want to release the car until it is paid for. I know that when I bought my cars on Ebay, I was able to check the sellers in and out, and once I felt comfortable, the money was sent.
I still would have a local guy check the car out for you for if you have any doubts about the seller.

 

When I bought mine, I was in VA and the car was in NM. I flew out, checked it over with a checklist provided by FoW (what they use for their used car checkouts), and gave the seller a deposit (IIRC - it was a LONG time ago!). I flew home with a large suitcase full of documentation, books, spare parts, and even the NM license plate he had on the car ("308 xxx"). So I knew it wasn't going anywhere else. Transaction was completed the following week.

I guess I'd recommend that, once you've looked it over and driven it, if you feel it's the car for you, leave a deposit (get a receipt!), and take as much as you can that "belongs" with the car.

When I've sold cars long distance, I let the car go once it was paid for, but held the title until funds cleared. Once bank confirmed the funds, I signed over the title and sent it certified mail. Something you may be able to offer to put you and the seller on the same page.

Good luck!

gp

 

I have never bothered with escrow, once you have a "good feeling" about the current owner and the car, send $5K deposit to hold the deal until you get there..inspect it then give them the balance..

No way would I expect a seller to part with the car and documents without full amount in hand.

Worst case is you return home without the car as you handle the actual shipping..

Martin in Miami could be trusted to handle things, IMO, if it's "that far" south.....congrat on finding something.

 

IMO the title is the only real proof of ownership and most states recognise the title as prima facie proof of ownership, as well as most banks. More and more states will no longer accept a bill of sale, you need the physical (and unaltered) title card. If you meet at a bank to tranfer funds, the bank can notarise a bill of sale from the seller so you know the person selling the car is who he says he is. A call to any state DMV will usually get you verification the car VIN and owner listed on the title match. Even if the seller is not the person so named on the title, as long as you have a notarised bill of sale stating the seller has a right to sell the car, and you recieve a clear title, your should be okay. But on a car costing many thousands, if the title is from another state and the owner listed on the title is different from the seller, you would be wise to contact the listed owner and ask questions.

But dont expect me to be showing up with a suitcase full of $100 bills to buy your car. I will bring a certified cashiers check made out in your name, and the transfer will probably take place at YOUR bank. If we agree to a price below the amount on the check, your bank can give me back the balance, either in cash or in the form of another cashiers check. I will check the title and registration through the state DMV the title is from, and I will recieve a notarised bill of sale from YOU. Unless of course you will accept my personal check. But while I dont terribly mind taking a $1000 car home without a title and a promise I will recieve it later after my check clears, I would never in my life hand over a personal check for a large sum and not recieve the title in the transaction. It takes 10 minutes to stop at the bank and have them issue a cashiers check, its almost rediculous for any buyer to show up without previous purchasing arrangements having been made. This includes that I take the time to call YOUR bank and make sure they will accept a cashiers check from MY bank, or to make other arrangements like using a wire service.

It should be noted that in some cases and in some states, a cashiers check can be stopped payment on. In cases where you do not trust a cashiers check, have the buyer wire funds to another bank or make other arrangements. But because of what has been discussed with using an escrow service, as a seller I would never accept that service. You wont get my car until I get the money. Period.