Buying cars online and shipping them

[the_franchise]

Has anyone ever bought a car online through ebay motors, etc. and had it shipped to them? I'm wondering on average what the shipping prices would be? I live in MN, and I have seen some nice stuff in CA, NY, and FL. The wife would never let me fly down and drive it back, so the only option is to ship it. Are we talking possibly $1000's of dollars where it wouldn't be worth it, or are we talking about only $100's of dollars where a good deal found would still be a good deal by shipping it? The only reason why I am asking is because all the sites I have seen for shipping price quotes require your name, address, phone #, etc. and i don't really want to give that out unless I need to.

Also, anything to look for if I ever did go down this route? Any suggested shippers to use? Any horror stories? I have posted in this forum just because it will be a Q45, and you guys have been rockin' with data for me so far.

[rsiwicki]

just shipped my 69 vette that I bought from Philly to Miami. Cost was $1,200 fully insured. It will be at least $500 to make it worth their time because I was going to have the vette shipped from Miami to Orlando but at $500 forget about it and drove it up there with a smile on my face. At most $1,500 seems to be the limit. It will take several days/weeks for them to pick up your car and then deliver it. All depends on their scheduling...I had to wait over 2 weeks for them to pick up my vette but they had it down here in 2 days as I was the last stop on their list. Unless it is one hell of a deal...look around a little bit longer for a locally good deal...at least you know what you are getting before it arrives since your wife got you stuck at home. Tell her that "we" need a vacation from the cold north and fly somewhere south where just by chance there is a car you are interested in....that might work

[maxnix]

I can't imagine buying a car I never saw. When I bought on my Q45 across country, I flew there to see it before I closed on it.

The drive back was magnificent once I got out of the NE.

Maybe the Mrs. needs a lighter touch on the reins?

[HashiriyaS14]

Maybe the Mrs. needs a lighter touch on the reins?

No offense, but

And I thought I was on lockdown.

[gloucester Q]

hey, used das auto shipping once--i think they have state-to-state quotes on their website. can't remember exactly but want to say it was between 5 and 800 to ship a car from florida to here (new england).

[Q451990]

I would absolutely never buy a car sight unseen. When I bought Q2 I flew there with a certified check in hand... drove the car - did the deal - then shipped home. My recent purchase of a G35 involved a drive to West Palm Beach for the deal... even though it was new. Even had them put the car on the lift to make sure everything was undamaged from shipping.

Incidentally I used DAS for my shipping on Q2 and they scraped the fuel lines off of the car. I'm not saying they're bad - all shippers have issues - but they were bastards to deal with on getting it fixed. Be sure you're fully insured by whoever ships the car. Seems like the cost was between $800-$1000.

BTW, Franchise... where is that 90Q? I don't think I'm in a position to house another car right now, but I would sure like to see it go to a fellow NICO-Naut. Maybe a link to the ad?

Heath
Modified by Q451990 at 1:03 AM 2/6/2006

[Jesda]

Say what? Heath bought a G35?

[JedCoop]

I bought my 3rd Q on eBay.... sight unseen.. and it went very well.Used DAS to ship, when the car arrived it was fully detailed, no damage.

The car was shipped from transit point to transit point, so it was cheaper, took a little less time, and saw less handling. One of the odd things about shipping a car is the handling. If it is being delivered on a route that requires moving it from truck to truck, that is bad. But you have little control over that.

As far as the car, the seller was first class- I checked his references more than the car (almost). I'd do it again, but NOT with a random eBayer (as long as the price was right, too)

When I shipped my car I had it covered by my auto insurance company instead of DAS with $100 deductable. My insurance company is a breeze to deal with, and leave them hassle with DAS if there is money to collect from them.

[Q451990]

Say what? Heath bought a G35?

Yep... actually the wife bought it, but I contributed some to the deal for now

I'll post a new thread as soon as I get a chance to take pictures. It's a new 2005 sedan black on black...

Heath

[96Qowner]

I bought my 3rd Q on eBay.... sight unseen.. and it went very well.Used DAS to ship, when the car arrived it was fully detailed, no damage.

When I shipped my car I had it covered by my auto insurance company instead of DAS with $100 deductable. My insurance company is a breeze to deal with, and leave them hassle with DAS if there is money to collect from them.

This is VERY important, if you're going to use a shipper. I learned two lessons when I bought my car our of Louisiana and had it shipped to me:

1) Don't even THINK about using any ol' unproven shipper - use one that's been okayed by others, and pay what it takes - don't try to save a couple hundred bucks.

2) Get it covered by your OWN insurance.

My shipper got it here quickly and directly, complete with a fist-sized gouge in the roof from a chain that had been slapping it for hundreds of miles. I was told to get two estimates and send them. Meanwhile, the company "went out of business" (changed their name) and stuck me with the damage.

There are horror stories all over the net about shady shippers. Sometimes they truck your car all over the country for weeks, sometimes they lose it, sometimes they damage it. Think it over carefully.