|
Having bought 2 and an LPG conversion from eBay I wouldn't do it again without seeing the cars. Photos cannot show the REAL condition of a car and the wording of ads are 'carefully' prepared. LPG conversions - don't bother 75% of the MPG, a smaller tank and therefore range, slow and smelly fill-ups and a multitude of installation problems. Main dealers are bad enough, never mind the lack of engineering knowledge needed to be a certified LPG installer.
|
Buying cars from Ebay is no problem, its whether you take the process seriously and inspect the car before you bid thats the issue.
If you didnt see the cars before bidding then your a fool. The only way Ebay differs from conventional car buying is how the final price is reached, the rest is exactly the same as buying a car via Autotrader, so if you neglect to inspect the goods, thats your lookout and its no reflection on the Ebay process, just on you.
|
Buying cars from Ebay is no problem, its whether you take the process seriously and inspect the car before you bid thats the issue.
I agree, buying blind on e-bay is no different to buying blind anywhere else.
E-bay gives the seller much more opportunity to go into huge detail on the history of the car than any other advertising mechanism. In my book it is okay as long as you inspect the car first.
|
|
Exactly my point - you need to check the car out physically before bidding which somewhat defeats the point of a (inter)national on-line auction. I am trying to tell people to act with caution - caveat emptor. Don't get carried away by the glowing reports of cars for sale by this mechanism. There are always ways around the feedback process too! Many auctions state that the bidder will be prosecuted etc to force people to pay for an item which has been 'carefully' described. This is also to protect sellers from timewastingf bidders, but as with any purchase, don't believe until prooved, statements like "FSH to follow". I am an ACTUAL active user of the site, not just an observer with opinions. Proceed with care people, physical auctions are dangerous enough, on-line autions more so.
|
We've just sold a car on Ebay - got a great response but also some time wasters.
The guy who "won" suddenly had to leave the country "for a couple of weeks" a day after the auction ended - I asked him to pay by Paypal and collect the car when he got back - that was the last I heard of him.
A second chance bidder came around to look at the car (was exactly as described) and offered less than half his last bid !
|
MVP - did you sell to the second chancer or re-list the car?
|
I've sold a couple of cars on ebay and am shortly going to sell another - all at the cheapie end of the spectrum. I take lots of good quality photo's, write a full and honest description including any bad bits then list the car on a thursday evening for the full 10 day auction to get maximum exposure. I've always managed to get good money for them.
I'm amazed that people can buy cars - even for just a few hundred quid without viewing them. The first car (rover 100) was listed as having dodgy suspension, serious rust and i'd lost the MOT certificate! Buyer paid via paypal shortly after wiining it, collected it the next day then promptly knocked the wing mirror off on my gatepost as he was leaving!
|
|
|
|
AS, sold it to a second chancer who turned out to be a realy nice bloke (it was a 26 year old 1 owner Merc that needed some TLC)
|
Bought a £600 405TD estate from Ebay without viewing it - photos clearly showed a well looked-after car, long ticket, and someone who lived in a decent house in rural Sussex. He was a gent and it's been a success, now had it a year.
|
My mum bought a StreetKa (I know, but she wanted one) off Ebay recently. They viewed and test drove it prior to bidding, ran an HPI check (came back clear), checked all the paperwork (V5 matched address of seller, everything present and correct) and won it for a grand less than the dealers were asking for the same thing.
3 months on she's still well pleased with it.
If you apply the same rules as you would when buying a car from any other source, it's fine.
Cheers
DP
|
|
Glad to hear of the success stories! I guess I'm a little too adventurous when it comes to these things, but it IS exciting!! ;-)
|
Bought my Xantia off ebay. It's hard enough to find the same model anyway but I also saved about 1K on the price. Needed some TLC but you don't a Hydro Citroen unless you're prepared to do the work and fix the faults.
---
Xantia HDi.
Buy a Citroen and get to know the local GSF staff better...
|
|
|
