Buying a car from far, far away.....

As many of you know, I am in the market for a new (newer) car. I won't go into the WHOLE story for those who don't know it, but I (finally) decided against an LS, and for a 97/98 Mark VIII. This is mostly due to monetary constraints. I am already far enough in debt that for me to go another $15+ K in debt would be one of the stupidest financial moves that I could possibly make.

Anyway, now I am looking mostly online for a Mark VIII. There is really nothing in my part of the country for inventory. Even if there was, this area is so expensive, I'd probably be better off buying from another geographical location......preferably an area without snow.

My question is, how do you suggest going about making sure that a car is the one that I want to buy when it is on the other side of the country? Is it possible to hire an independant dealership/mechanic to go take a look at it, inspect it, etc.?

Also, what about shipping? About how much does it cost to ship a car cross-country? Any reputable companies and/or companies that I definately want to stay away from?

Thanks guys, your advice is gold.

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

Just buy my car.

$7999 OBO

www.mark8.org/users/sleeper/97mark8

high 13's...

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

I know there are companies that will go check the car for you but that won't tell you if cosmetically the car is what you want. Perhaps someone here at LOD may live close enough to go check it out for you.

I can recommed DAS, www.dasautoshippers.com I shipped a car with them from Arkansas to LI and it took only four days. I was able to track it's progress on their web site also. There are ways to save also... you can get door to door service but you can save $100 or more at each end by dropping the car off at their terminal and by picking up on your end. I oped to have it dropped off at the terminal but had them deliver it to my door since their terminal was far from here.

Another savings is insurance. Check with your insurance company and if they cover you while it is being transported it is FAR cheaper than the shipper's insurance. DAS pays the first $250 of your deductible if you use your own insurance.

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

I have bought 3 cars from far away. 2 cars were from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and my 1996 Mark LSC was from Houston. I live in Kansas City. I still have 2 of the 3 "far away" cars and I am happy with them. I sold the third and since I got a pretty good deal, I made a few dollars. I have found that used cars in KC are not as good and the "good" ones are overpriced.

The cars were all from our favourite auction site. The trick is not to pay anything down. I talked my way out each time. Then my son and I went there in person and looked the car over and drove them back home. We took the Greyhound but that was for an entirely different reason... adventure, you know. Southwestern has $70.00 tickets to Florida. So, each time we went sight seeing and turned it into a vacation. St Augustine, Savannah, New Orleans (before the flood) etc... you get the idea.

Had the deal not worked out, we would have walked away... nothing lost and we would have rented a car and driven back home; same vacation, just no new car but no dollars lost either. We have many good memories and pictures too!!

1996 Mark VIII LSC my far away car
1997 Olds Acheiva my son's far away car

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

All great suggestions.

My favorite... have an LOD member look at it for you before you get serious. I've done it twice.

Shipping is not as bad as it sounds but airlines cut great deals to popular travel destinations(FL) if the timeline is flexible.

Florida has got to be the most heavily populated area with Mark VIIIs.

IF I were you, I'd buy one of the best Mark VIIIs around, from right here - Max's prime Gen1, sleeper's modded Gen2 or the infamous Moose from Leo.

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

I've run into a problem. There isn't very much inventory what-so-ever where I've been looking, autotrader, etc. Also, I'm pretty picky about the colors on the second gens. I think certain colors accentuate the plankton filtering appearance of the front gills...er grills.

What colors do you guys like? I think I like black, white, and the pearlescent the best.

Will you guys keep your eyes open for me? I really need to find something quickly, as my car is really not doing so well.

Dave, I'd buy yours, but I really want something with less miles. Also, I'd love to drive your car for a day, but I don't think I'd like having 4.10's all the time.

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

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...Will you guys keep your eyes open for me?...
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What's your budget?

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

Trust me... you'd love having 4.10's everyday

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

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Trust me... you'd love having 4.10's everyday
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Ditto.

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

I bought 2 cars in the past week off of Ebay. Northern IN is my location. One was north of Chicago, and the other was in Pittsburg. I paid deposits through Paypal, that are refundable if the car is misrepresented.......and paid the rest in cash upon delivery. The Chicago company met me half way at the Indiana line, which was not bad. The car is a 97 Caddy Deville 76k miles and I paid $4500 for it, which is well under book. The headlights did not work and the check engine light was on. They swore it just happened on the way to deliver the car and would make adjustments. Turns out it was just a bad headlight switch ($100), and a bad O2 sensor ($80 a piece). When I informed them a couple days later, they sent me the switch and all 4 O2 sensors (although I only needed 1). So all in all, that worked out well. The Pittsburg car is a 1993 Mark VIII with 68k miles. I hopped a jet to Pittsburg, and drove the car back. The car was cleaner in person then I could beleive. I paid quite a bit ($4900) for it, but that was because it was in such good shape and with low miles. It was in better shape and had half the miles of the Gen 2's for sale around my area, that are also twice as much.......so I went ahead and bought it too. I did have a problem with some coolant loss, but it looks like it may have just been air in the system. Ticket to fly was $260 and 1 tank of gas.......I was home less then 12 hours later.

Do a net search. There are many mechanical shops that will check out a car for you......for a fee of course. People on Ebay do that all the time. Ebay is a good option because you can see their feedback and know if they are good or bad sellers. On guy had a 94 Mark VIII with 28k miles for $700 more then I paid for mine and it was in Florida, but his feedback was so bad on the cars he sold in the past........I opted to skip the chance.

Shipping, well it cost me $260 for a ticket and $35 in gas so that is $300 to fly and pick up. Coincidentally, I just sold my Mustang and had shipped it to Pittsburg a week earlier. The truck fee was $625. So that should give you a couple of options.

Always run a carfax, and be direct and to the point about the representation of the car. I told them if it wasn't as good as listed, I was not paying for it........and was getting my deposit back through paypal. Not only that, I would be very pissed that I spent money to fly/ship the car.........for nothing. It is somewhat of a crapshoot..........but even buying locally.......people cover up crap that you don't realize for a couple weeks sometimes.

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

I think if i were to buy a car over the internet, i'd rent a car to go get it. Just set it up with the rental company that you can either return it at your destination, or return it there. That way if the car is not as-represented, you can walk away a lot more cheaply than buying another plane ticket.

RE: Buying a car from far, far away.....

Hey guys, thanks for the responses.

Anyone in Florida?

I'll basically pay up to 10K, but if people are asking a couple K more, that's probably negotiable. I just definately want something with under 50 K miles.