Purchasing "sight unseen"

[GR346]

Just wondering what other people think about buying a car without actually inspecting it physically first...

Currently looking at a car thats up north, a bit too far to fly up for and have a look at but still very interested. Have been talking to the owner for almost a week now and he has been all to happy to take dozens of pictures for me so I can see the parts Im interested in.

The car is absolutely spotless and will come with a roadworthy done on day of sale for "peice of mind". I am also getting a member from here to check it out for me as another set of eyes.
I will obviously do the VIN check but is there anything else people would recommend in this situation??

[pandooo]

i have done it many of times although they were relatively new cars with low kms also had to check no finance owing. But in saying that it doesn't cost much to jump on a plane these days

[Hi Octane]

I dont buy anything from anyone that i cant see the white of their eyes.

[SilverVH]

Depends on the car and the price.

If buying un-seen, assume the car is the biggest piece of s#%t there is and if it is still cheaper to buy and potentially repair then it is a good deal. Anything better than the biggest piece of s#%t is a win for you.

If you are unsure still and it is a car that is hard to come across or worth a considerable amount, then it is worthwhile stepping on a plane to take a look.

[GR346]

cheers for the replies - Its more a time constraint rather than money
Im having doubts about it to be honest which is a bad sign, I figured the member from here can fill me in a little better when he checks it out tomorrow

[macca33]

cheers for the replies - Its more a time constraint rather than money
Im having doubts about it to be honest which is a bad sign, I figured the member from here can fill me in a little better when he checks it out tomorrow

I bought my Senator 300 sight unseen - had the owner send me heaps of pics and history via email though. Until you see it in the flesh, however, you cannot be 100% sure. A bit of time and cost for a flight may save you plenty in the long run.

cheers

[dogsballs]

i bought my car unseen from WA, but checked out by someone. was a stupid low price and exactly what i wanted. they even dropped at depot etc. was in much better condition than the person suggested. so win.

[GR346]

Have just spoken to the member from here and he is checking it out in 30. He has put together a list of things to go over and is going to email me another bunch of pics and a "report" then give me a call so Ill see what he says.

[LSavvy]

I bought my GTO seen from about 20 meters away, didn't sit in it or drive it, vehicle belonged to my wifes boss and I knew the history and owner.

But a vehicle from someone i don't know I would check it right out.
Also there are plenty of "repairable writeoffs" up north at the moment from flood damage etc.
http://www.carhistory.com.au/products/ (veda), could save you some coin with a simple search.

Anything else? If it's to good to be true...... you know the rest!

[Hi Octane]

Where "up North" not sydneys west i hope.

[LSavvy]

Well there too I guess..... buyer beware anywhere I suppose!

[Phillshz]

I bought my car "sight unseen". It was from Port Macuarie Holden. Found it on carsales.com on a saturday,rang and left a msg. They rang back monday morn,i requested a heap of pics and they said it had only come in on the friday and they didn`t have any. They took a heap and sent them via email the next day. Car looked like new and was low km`s for it`s age (51k) with 12 mths rego, new front brakes and rear tyres and knowing how holden`s used car system works,it was defiently a good clean low km car. Talked the Mrs into it as it was a bit above our agreed price range (even after haggling the salesmen down a few times and a tank of juice as the clincher) placed a deposit over the phone and drove up on the weekend to hand over the cheque.

The car on sight was clean but had some stone chips on front of bonnet and a small dent just above the middle of the grille on the bonnet that didn`t show up in the pics. They let me put it on a hoist and go right over it (they lent me a lead light too),then took it for spin,gave them the cheque and drove it out the gate.

Not something i would normally do but i had missed out on 2 other identical cars as i was beaten to them by the first person to inspect them,so i had to act quickly on this one.
Cheers Phill

[LBY00T]

I have done this from the other side - and sold my old VU sight unseen to a bloke in WA. I think you just need to trust your instincts, and if the guy/girl sounds decent and is willing to help you out, then it might be worth the punt. As has been said - get it REVS checked, get lots of pictures, and getting somebody to look at it for you are all the right things to do. Where abouts is the car? I think if its coming from a dealer it is very safe, but obviously private is a different thing altogether.

If after all of the above you are undecided, either bail out or bit the bullet and look at it. If its only a $5k car versus a $50k it will also be different.

All the best with it mate,
L

[SUPERH2377]

I bought my vn LE wagon sight unseen my wifes family was looking for a car for me they live in BENDIGO so I rang up the dealer worked out a price went to the bank got a cheque and up we went took it for a quick spin and handed over the cheque and got a brilliant car.
Ihad been looking for over 18 months it was traded in on a new land rover 4wd they had it only 2 days , her family was driving by and spotted it how lucky was that that was about 17 years ago

[Mick1]

Have just spoken to the member from here and he is checking it out in 30. He has put together a list of things to go over and is going to email me another bunch of pics and a "report" then give me a call so Ill see what he says.

Hope he's a picky c*%t, there the ones u need when doing it unseen!

If its a high price rig then