Any proponents for buying sight unseen?

[84Impulse]

Hey guys. Considering doing this, but on the fence! Car's photos look amazing(altho pics can lie!). Its currently in-shop getting freshened up by current owner. Its a two owner car, current has had it since '88 and has been garaged its whole life. Any thoughts other than "you're crazy"!!
Thanks =)

[Helirich]

Why not go and look? Even if it's far away, I assume it's not cheap. Pictures do lie. I will say the price could make differnce, but if it's not a steal, go look.

[Josh]

A plane ticket or a road trip to see the car is far cheaper than paying to repair unknown issues down the road I speak from experience.

This is not really valid with project/basket case cars anymore unfortunately as they seem to sell very quickly. With these sub 15k cars (ish) they seem to sell within a few days barely any time to act.

[84Impulse]

Why not go and look? Even if it's far away, I assume it's not cheap. Pictures do lie. I will say the price could make differnce, but if it's not a steal, go look.

Thanks Helirich. Just feelin a little lazy for a 3hr flight and then drive 1 hour, and back, but then again, buyers remorse would be far more painful than the hassle of traversing round trip! Thx again..

[84Impulse]

A plane ticket or a road trip to see the car is far cheaper than paying to repair unknown issues down the road I speak from experience.

This is not really valid with project/basket case cars anymore unfortunately as they seem to sell very quickly. With these sub 15k cars (ish) they seem to sell within a few days barely any time to act.

Thanks, Josh! Very true. Owner's asking $50k, and sounds very level-headed and polite over phone, as well as older. Car appears to be in exc condition. I notice that the leather interiors in these cars often look pretty damned haggard, but this one looked astonishingly good.
Thanks again for your input!

[Mark D]

I'd be on a flight ASAP to go check it out. For 50,000 you have a lot to lose if the car turns out to be not as shown in the photos. There is a good chance you'll find some issue with the car that would help you negotiate the price down to cover the cost of the plane ticket anyway. If the car is significantly worse than you expected, then you'll still come out ahead in the long run by not buying a basket case.

As a point of comparison, for a BMW I was interested in a few years ago I rented a car and drove 17 hours from Wisconsin to Virginia so I could take a look at it in person. Everything checked out so I dropped off the rental car in VA and drove the BMW home. This was for a car I paid 5,000 for but wanted to be sure it wasn't a rust bucket.

[84Impulse]

I'd be on a flight ASAP to go check it out. For 50,000 you have a lot to lose if the car turns out to be not as shown in the photos. There is a good chance you'll find some issue with the car that would help you negotiate the price down to cover the cost of the plane ticket anyway. If the car is significantly worse than you expected, then you'll still come out ahead in the long run by not buying a basket case.

As a point of comparison, for a BMW I was interested in a few years ago I rented a car and drove 17 hours from Wisconsin to Virginia so I could take a look at it in person. Everything checked out so I dropped off the rental car in VA and drove the BMW home. This was for a car I paid 5,000 for but wanted to be sure it wasn't a rust bucket.

Thanks Mark! Excellent points. Yourself, Josh and Rick have convinced me to fly out there!!

Been pretty lucky w the first two cars I bought unseen. First was flawless, second, Bmw X6, was anxiety ridden since the owner didnt disclose enough cosmetic issues. Front tires bald, electrical burning smell, resprayed quarter panel (!). All turned out ok tho, but its awful to have a car in your immediate posession that is far outside of your expectations. The sting is almost as bad as female rejection!! 😂

Anyway, thanks againand keep u guys posted

[Mark D]

Thanks Mark! Excellent points. Yourself, Josh and Rick have convinced me to fly out there!!

Been pretty lucky w the first two cars I bought unseen. First was flawless, second, Bmw X6, was anxiety ridden since the owner didnt disclose enough cosmetic issues. Front tires bald, electrical burning smell, resprayed quarter panel (!). All turned out ok tho, but its awful to have a car in your immediate possession that is far outside of your expectations. The sting is almost as bad as female rejection!! 😂

Anyway, thanks again and keep u guys posted

Let us know how it goes! It sounds like you've found a nice car, hopefully it turns out to be everything you're expecting. If anything, the peace of mind you will have seeing the car in person first will help start your ownership off on the right foot.

That's not to say that you can't buy cars sight unseen, but for something like a DeLorean where the whole point is to enjoy the car, it helps to take steps to keep the experience positive.

[MrChocky]

This advice is probably too late for you - I'm betting you buy that car. But for anyone else, I recommend going to see as many cars as possible, *especially* if you know they aren't suitable, so you know what you're looking at when the right car comes up.

[Helirich]

Thanks, Josh! Very true. Owner's asking $50k, and sounds very level-headed and polite over phone, as well as older. Car appears to be in exc condition. I notice that the leather interiors in these cars often look pretty damned haggard, but this one looked astonishingly good.
Thanks again for your input!

At 50K, go look. I'm sure it's pretty good, but at that price, it's worth looking at. One thing I will say about old cars. Low Mileage is not king. On a forty year old car, I would rather see 80,000 than 15,000. Good luck!