Looking for advice for long distance purchase

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bctlex

bctlex

10 Year
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Threads
12
Messages
670
Location
Bluegrass state
Hello,

Just thought I would ask for advice from anyone who had done this before - I see a few people who had travel to purchase their car. Was wondering if anyone wouldn't mind sharing how they do it. Not a lot of choice of 100 series in KY or states around, so I think I have to take a time off work and travel to get a decent one. I am starting to plan this in my mind, and come up with a few questions.

Sorry in advance for dumb questions here, but this is all new to me.

- Obviously get a PPI before traveling long distance. So I think I like to go this route. I am thinking to use carchex.com. Seems like a good company. If everything looks good, then get a one way airplane ticket or one way rental car. Anyone travel by bus anymore? Bus seems to be the cheapest way - definitely not the fastest.
- Do you bring a stack of cash? Cashier check or certified check? I am a bit hesitant bringing cash, travel long distance, and then meet a stranger. But it seems that the few seller I spoke with insist on cash transaction.
- Assuming I get a rental car from the airport to the seller place, or just drive a rental car one way from KY, after purchasing the car, I am unsure what to do with the rental car. Now I have two cars and one driver. I wonder if the rental car like Enterprise would come and pick up the car.
- Other advice? Anything I should pay attention to?

Thanks
Chris
 
I recently looked at purchasing a car out of state and I have purchased cars out-of-state before.

Most recently, I looked at a Mercedes E350 blue tech in New Jersey, one-year-old with 14,000 miles. It was at a secondhand dealership and I put a deposit on it. Called lemonsquad.com and had inspection done for $150. I found out the car drove great with no noise and passed all checks except it had been in a massive front end collision. They save me about 5 to 10 grand and a lot of headaches. The Inspector used a paint depth gauge to determine new paint had been applied to the front.

I recommend negotiating a price on the car, filling out a DMV bill of sale and putting up a small deposit via PayPal. Call lemon squad.com or any inspection company whom you trust, and have them inspect it. Fly or drive to your destination, I prefer taking a taxi to the site, take a look for yourself and pay via cashiers check. Best thing to do is go to a local bank and draw the cashiers check or have it on you and deposit it in his account there. I would not do cash. Lastly, there are car escrow companies, if the exchange concerns you.

Good luck!
 
Maybe mud members in the area of the vehicle could also check it out for you.

I traveled out of town once for a vehicle. I rented from AVIS and asked the seller to meet me at their nearest AVIS so that I can leave the rental and drive off in the "new" vehicle. It's also safer since it's a public location if that's a concern.
 
I've bought out of state twice and sold to someone out of state once. In all cases, we met at the airport. That way, if the car doesn't look right, you can turn around and book a flight home with minimal time wasted.

Both of the cars I bought were from a dealer so the logistics may've been a little easier. All negotiations were done and a deposit was placed via credit card before I flew anywhere. With the Land Cruiser, the salesman picked me up at the Wichita KS airport and I drove it back to the dealership. I liked the truck so I handed over the check, spend a few minutes in the finance office signing paperwork and was on my way. 800 miles later, I was home.
 
I bought mine out of state but had some factors working for me, mostly that the seller was a Mud member and was willing to hold the vehicle for a couple days for me after an initial visit and test drive. I flew back on a Southwest miles flight to actually pick up the LC.

When it came to actually handing over cash, we went to a local branch of my bank together and I withdrew the cash and paid him. At that point all of the inspecting/test driving/negotiating was already done. Drove the LC back home from there.

The Mud connection really reduced the sketch factor. You might not have this luxury but it could be worth it to hold out a little longer for something to come up here. Not that we're all angels or anything, but at least there's some context and a little less of that anonymous weirdness that you get on Craigslist.
 
What I can add here is when I'm paying cash for a car and it's time trade the dough for a (clean) title, I meet the seller at a branch of my bank to do the swap. My main bank account is with one of those nationwide "too big to fail" banks. My bank gives complimentary notarizations to customers. It's a safe place and you can get it all done in one stop. Just make sure you know what your state requires in titles, paperwork and notarizations and have that all in order before you go to the bank and grab the cash. Sellers seem to like it too, as they can get real money as well as get it all done conveniently at one time.
 
Leave a small deposit ( a few hundred via Paypal), and arrange for an inspection by a national company, a dealer, or a local mudder. Once satisfied with the inspection, complete a Bill of Sale with VIN, buyers and sellers name and address, any specific payment terms and inspection exceptions, and you both sign (sign, scan, and email). Make sure title is clean, clear and available in the sellers name. In fact, have him scan and email you a copy along with the signed BOS. Make arrangements for a flight / car ride / bus ride there. A decent seller will pick you up at the terminal. Inspect the vehicle in person, then go to a local branch of your bank if possible and finish the transaction there. Or go to his bank and deposit the cashiers check you brought with you. Or use a mutual escrow service. Just be sure to cover transaction options with the seller in advance, unless you are bringing a wad of cash - which I don't recommend.

I have bought numerous cars and motorcycles this way. I have always had good experiences by following these steps.

By the way, I have never had to walk away from a transaction once I got there in person. But usually I have had multiple discussions / correspondence with the seller by then and developed a "feel" for the seller. If the seller in any way acts evasive, non-responsive, flighty, or suspicious, then trust your gut. I have bailed on a potential buy within the first day of interest, simply due to "weirdness" of the seller, and saved me a trip filled with probable disappointment.
 
Thanks guys! Really appreciate the insights here. Lots of great advice!
 
I recently purchased my hundred 600 miles from home. There is lots of good advice here. Especially like what Dog had to say. I realized after calling about probably 20 different rigs that I was more interviewing the current owner than I was checking out the car. I found private party to be a lot more honest then dealers. Especially used car lots. As far as the car goes though get a carfax and whatever maintenance records you can. This will tell you a lot about the car and the owner. If you get a bad gut feeling about something listen to it. Its probably for good reason. Don't get too excited about one rig. They are hard to find but not impossible. Another one will come up.

Oh, and have fun. My wife and I agree that going to get the truck was one of the funnest "adventures" we have had. :)
 
70 FJ40 said:
...I found private party to be a lot more honest then dealers. Especially used car lots. ...

Oh, and have fun. My wife and I agree that going to get the truck was one of the funnest "adventures" we have had. :)
Click to expand...

And I thought I was the one having problem with car dealer. I pretty much have decided to look for private party only.

Agree on having fun! Last time we looked for SUV, ideally I wanted LC or LX, but could not find anything after searching for a while, and I was getting desperate because my car was having problem. Ended up finding a good deal on sequoia, so we bought that on the spot. This time around, I can just be patient to find the right car, and enjoy the process/adventure a bit more.
 
Book a $$$ refundable return trip ticket. If the truck checks out, you're good and get your money back. Never travel with that much cash, most serious sellers will pick you up at airport and go to a bank. Assuming you've had someone check the truck out previously and left a (refundable in most states) deposit.
 
I bought an FJ80 several years ago out of state, not that far but about 400 miles. My wife went with me but we didn't want to drive back separate so we rented a car from Enterprise in our town and dropped it where we bought the Land Cruiser. I tried to do the same thing last year and they wouldn't let me drop it at the location I was going. Can't remember why but they wouldn't. The only thing I remember was the first one was in a major city and the last one was a small town. I think it had something to do with the smaller town Enterprise was owned by an individual. I'm looking at trying to buy another 100 right now and the one I have my eye on is only 150 miles away, thankfully. Good luck
 
I'm in Tennessee and bought mine from a seller in Long Island, NY. Looked a the dealer service records, which covered pretty much everything from time of purchase, and had a buddy who is a Toyota master tech check out a ton of pics. Very happy with the purchase and I got a pretty smoking deal. First time I saw it in person was when the transport unloaded it nearby...

I was nervous about it as it was my first long distance purchase of this magnitude, but it worked out nicely. Just do your homework.
 
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I was looking mainly for a rust-free vehicle with unbelievable maintenance records. I recently bought my first 100 series and RUST was the largest issue. I had the dealer take it to a Toyota shop, and they said that frame rust is an issue, especially when it hits the point of de-lamination (deep). As a result, I hit a point where I would call, tell the dealer I was series and had financing, but would not talk $ until I had 30 pictures of the underside. I went through 3 cars this way and ALL ended up with frame rust. The others were at dealerships that thought a $60K car was worth $20K a decade later. :bang:

When I found "The One", it was a native southern car (rare) that had been dealer serviced. When it got to the dealer, it turned out they had been the ones to sell and service the vehicle. It was something like, "Oh, this is the {fogot name} car, they are really nice people..." I had previously had two owners, one just a year (up north), and the second were literally an older retired couple. It's an open secret that dealers always tell you about "the little old lady" that previously owned the car, but in this case, it was true. :clap:

I used a procedure of the pictures, checking the carfax, and then having the dealership (or individual) take them to the local Toyota Dealership. You should also consider doing an iphone "Facetime" session - you could see the car, and ask them to show you key stuff. This typically cost me like $100, and I paid for 2-3 across the process. I wonder if you could get someone from this forum to go look at one that really works on them?

Be picky! I know there are only a hand-full out there, but keep looking and take the time. You are better to pass for something better then get a rust-bucket or something with major issues.

Good luck!
 
I Just drive my newly purchased 2000 lc with 225k miles home to wisconsin 1850 miles from vegas. Was a lot of fun.

Ask for a ton of pics and ask a lot of questions.

Make travel plans for return trip in case the vehicle is not what you are looking for. Dont settle and good luck.
 
Lots of good advice here. One thing to be sure...

If you're uneasy about the car once you see it in person then don't hesitate to walk. You might feel pressure to buy it once you've gone through all the hassles and your 1000 miles from home but listen to your gut.

I flew to Illinois from San Diego on a one way ticket to pick up my perfect rig and it was. Except the rust was much worse in person than in the pictures and my heart sank. The difference in rust in CA vs the East Coast is huge and although the dealer was honest in their assessment (for their area) it didn't fit my criteria. I felt a lot of pressure (not from the dealer) to complete the purchase because they held the car for 3 days, pinged my CC but did not charge it for the deposit and picked me up from the airport.

I finally gathered the courage to tell them I wouldn't buy it and they were not mad at all. They actually felt bad that I had travelled so far and would go away empty handed. Quality people. They let me book a return flight on their computer and drove me to a hotel near the airport.

It's the best car buying decision I ever made. A few months later I found the rig I was looking for in KS and drove it back to sunny San Diego.
 
DomSmith said:
Lots of good advice here. One thing to be sure...

If you're uneasy about the car once you see it in person then don't hesitate to walk. You might feel pressure to buy it once you've gone through all the hassles and your 1000 miles from home but listen to your gut.
Click to expand...

The above may be the most important thing OP. Bought my last 100 from MS and my wife's Sequoia from OK this way. The 100 and Sequoia were both from mud members who had a ton of pics. Cashier's checks were used in both transactions. When a buyer insists on "cash" a cashiers check from a bank is generally what is understood. Not stacks of 100's and if that is the case then the price should be greatly reduced to reflect that and I would have a VERY uneasy feeling... Mainly people say "cash only" to avoid people asking about financing the car.

As far as a rental car I would not go that route. The seller has met me at the airport where I took the reigns and drove the car a bit for a brief shakedown and then we would find a nice place to handle the business transaction from there. In the case of the 100 the seller had his family in their second vehicle pick him up and we parted ways. I flew in to Mississippi that morning and was in the drive way of my house in South Carolina later that night for a quick 1200mi round trip LOL. If this is from a dealer I would imagine it being even easier for them to accommodate you. Just be sure and hash out all the details before hand.
 
One thing about cashier's checks. The scamming on that has been a serious problem. When I bought my LC, the credit union sent me a cashier's check made out to me and the seller. I signed it and gave it to him. Almost as an afterthought, he asked if I'd go to his bank with him. Good thing I did, as they asked for ID from both of us. Then they said there would be a hold for a few days until it went through.

It's definitely not like the old days when one could sign, show ID, and walk out with the cash- no questions asked.
 
Number6 said:
One thing about cashier's checks. The scamming on that has been a serious problem. When I bought my LC, the credit union sent me a cashier's check made out to me and the seller. I signed it and gave it to him. Almost as an afterthought, he asked if I'd go to his bank with him. Good thing I did, as they asked for ID from both of us. Then they said there would be a hold for a few days until it went through.

It's definitely not like the old days when one could sign, show ID, and walk out with the cash- no questions asked.
Click to expand...
I found my perfect LX about 400 miles away. Original owner offered a 5% discount for cash. Pics of car and dealer-generated service history and Carfax showed no issues, owner paid for a PPI at a dealer which showed no problems, so I was relatively certain I'd buy her.

I drove up with a neighbor who's employed by the Idaho State Police. Both of us thought it a good idea to bring along Samuel Colt as it was a weekend and I brought a "wad of cash".

No problems whatsoever and I'd do it again in a second.

Steve
 
So I found a green 98 LC about 3 hr away. The ad was posted on Saturday, and I drove 3 hr on Sunday afternoon to see. Good thing I went there on Sunday because the seller was telling me people from 7 hr away was calling her and asking to buy. Not really ideal time when I was checking the car because it was in pouring rain, but it look pretty good. Seller was this great couple, who was very helpful and pointing out the scratches etc even in the rain.

Going to take a day off from work so I can pick the car up this Friday, so another 6 hr drive to do. OMG, its unreal. The finish line is near after months of searching...
 
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