Ever buy a car off eBay? (1 Viewer)

[glvsav37]

Was just cruising eBay and decided to look up a car I've been wanting to buy, being curious. Unfortunately I found one that is crazy attractive (car and price). It's from a dealership (prob a used car type lot) that is a decent way away from my house, so it would be a commitment to even go 'see' it.

Question...is it even worth it or are buying cars on eBay too much to deal with? It's strange bc I've never been an impulse type buyer with cars... Always a researcher and lots of shopping around.

But this one is so sweet it's got me thinking.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

I would never buy a car without test driving it.

 

[MikeIke]

I bought my 2002 Subaru WRX on eBay in 2004. It was from a private owner. I got a good deal on it and it's lasted me 10 years. I think the kid I bought it from ended up getting screwed because when we went to transfer the title, he's never paid sales tax when he bought the car. So he ended up paying like 2 grand to transfer the title to me.

But for me, it was a good deal.

 

[gameday]

Whenever you buy a used car on-line you need to get a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) from an independent garage. I've bought a Tahoe, Audi Q7, and a 1990 Porsche C2. In all cases the cars were perfectly represented and turned to be very good deals.

edit to add: you also need to get a Carfax, and research the seller.

 

[cstu]

I bought my 2002 Subaru WRX on eBay in 2004. It was from a private owner. I got a good deal on it and it's lasted me 10 years. I think the kid I bought it from ended up getting screwed because when we went to transfer the title, he's never paid sales tax when he bought the car. So he ended up paying like 2 grand to transfer the title to me.

But for me, it was a good deal.

The last car I bought the seller (a retired judge) asked me if I wanted the sales price down on title. I said no so he didn't. Saved me $2k since I told the DMV I paid $500 for it.

 

[Random]

I bought my 2013 SS 1LE off ebay. Car had 250 miles on it and $10K+ worth of mods. He was asking below sticker and it was the exact car I wanted and I would've done the same mods. Car was 7 hours away. After speaking with the owner (private party) and negotiating the price over the phone, I had a good enough feel to just go for it. It was a bit nerve racking and a nightmare to coordinate, but it all worked out. Couldn't be happier.

 

[Ignoramus]

I bought my 2002 Subaru WRX on eBay in 2004. It was from a private owner. I got a good deal on it and it's lasted me 10 years. I think the kid I bought it from ended up getting screwed because when we went to transfer the title, he's never paid sales tax when he bought the car. So he ended up paying like 2 grand to transfer the title to me.

But for me, it was a good deal.

The last car I bought the seller (a retired judge) asked me if I wanted the sales price down on title. I said no so he didn't. Saved me $2k since I told the DMV I paid $500 for it.

Huh. Round here neither one of those would have worked. If the seller doesn't collect the sales tax, buyer is responsible when it comes time to register. And DoT looks at fair market value, so you can't just claim you paid $500 for a $10,000 car.

 

[PIK95]

My dad bad has bought many cars off of Feebay, including Corvette's. He has been very happy with all of them.

 

[MikeIke]

I bought my 2002 Subaru WRX on eBay in 2004. It was from a private owner. I got a good deal on it and it's lasted me 10 years. I think the kid I bought it from ended up getting screwed because when we went to transfer the title, he's never paid sales tax when he bought the car. So he ended up paying like 2 grand to transfer the title to me.

But for me, it was a good deal.

The last car I bought the seller (a retired judge) asked me if I wanted the sales price down on title. I said no so he didn't. Saved me $2k since I told the DMV I paid $500 for it.

Huh. Round here neither one of those would have worked. If the seller doesn't collect the sales tax, buyer is responsible when it comes time to register. And DoT looks at fair market value, so you can't just claim you paid $500 for a $10,000 car.

I paid my tax when we transferred the title. But he also had to pay tax for when he had bought it. It was a strange situation, but I did indeed pay my sales tax.

 

[cstu]

I bought my 2002 Subaru WRX on eBay in 2004. It was from a private owner. I got a good deal on it and it's lasted me 10 years. I think the kid I bought it from ended up getting screwed because when we went to transfer the title, he's never paid sales tax when he bought the car. So he ended up paying like 2 grand to transfer the title to me.

But for me, it was a good deal.

The last car I bought the seller (a retired judge) asked me if I wanted the sales price down on title. I said no so he didn't. Saved me $2k since I told the DMV I paid $500 for it.

Huh. Round here neither one of those would have worked. If the seller doesn't collect the sales tax, buyer is responsible when it comes time to register. And DoT looks at fair market value, so you can't just claim you paid $500 for a $10,000 car.

The DoT asks you how much you paid for it and you pay it. There are a lot of reasons why you'd get a car cheaper than market value.

 

[Ignoramus]

I bought my 2002 Subaru WRX on eBay in 2004. It was from a private owner. I got a good deal on it and it's lasted me 10 years. I think the kid I bought it from ended up getting screwed because when we went to transfer the title, he's never paid sales tax when he bought the car. So he ended up paying like 2 grand to transfer the title to me.

But for me, it was a good deal.

The last car I bought the seller (a retired judge) asked me if I wanted the sales price down on title. I said no so he didn't. Saved me $2k since I told the DMV I paid $500 for it.

Huh. Round here neither one of those would have worked. If the seller doesn't collect the sales tax, buyer is responsible when it comes time to register. And DoT looks at fair market value, so you can't just claim you paid $500 for a $10,000 car.

The DoT asks you how much you paid for it and you pay it. There are a lot of reasons why you'd get a car cheaper than market value.

http://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle

Fees

If buying from an individual, a motor vehicle sales tax (6.25 percent) on either the purchase price or standard presumptive value (whichever is the highest value), must be paid when the vehicle is titled.

 

[Otis]

.

 

[Guest]

Whenever you buy a used car on-line you need to get a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) from an independent garage. I've bought a Tahoe, Audi Q7, and a 1990 Porsche C2. In all cases the cars were perfectly represented and turned to be very good deals.

edit to add: you also need to get a Carfax, and research the seller.

Nothing to add other than my BIL did inspections like this as a part-time job. He got to test drive some pretty cool vehicles. He knows his ####, and I think this would be a good idea especially if the vehicle is several hours away.