ebay OK?

[Miguelito100]

Hello guys (and gals),

I am looking for a Civic GX, and I keep seeing tempting deals on ebay. I have purchased many small items on ebay with no significant problems, but I am hesitant to purchase a car like that. The best buys (or scams) seem to be coming from dealers in New York state. Some of them are advertising on Criag's List, KSL, etc. well aware of the Utah tax credit available. Has anyone reading this purchased a car over e-bay from out of state and care to comment? Thanks.

[Adrian]

Re: ebay OK?

Hello guys (and gals),

I am looking for a Civic GX, and I keep seeing tempting deals on ebay. I have purchased many small items on ebay with no significant problems, but I am hesitant to purchase a car like that. The best buys (or scams) seem to be coming from dealers in New York state. Some of them are advertising on Criag's List, KSL, etc. well aware of the Utah tax credit available. Has anyone reading this purchased a car over e-bay from out of state and care to comment? Thanks.

I bought my first Honda Civic GX from ebay. I think it was in Wisconsin? It was about $4500 less than similar vehicles in CA at that time. Shipping was $800 with DAS (dependable auto shippers). The guy had a large feedback rating and it s 100% positive, so though I felt uneasy, I did it. Everything worked out perfectly. Next I bought a Honda Insight off ebay form Illinois, again all went well. After these experiences, I also sold a few cars on ebay, and all went well there as well.

There is an obvious risk in buying a car through ebay sight unseen. To make it more comfortable, you can ask for an independent dealership inspection, and verify by calling the dealership to make sure. You could also bid, then fly in to pay in person. If the car is not what you thought, don't pay. You'll be out of the flight $$, but that's a small potential downside. The potential upside is that most likely the car will be fine, you can personally take it to a local shipper, drop it off and fly home. If you plan a weekend trip to New York City out of it, you won't loose either way.

I think looking at prices US wide WILL get you the best deal.

[Miguelito100]

Re: ebay OK?

Adrian,

Thank you very much for your thoughts. This all makes good sense to me. Very helpful.

[CNGfamily]

Re: ebay OK?

I think looking at prices US wide WILL get you the best deal.

My first Ebay NGV purchase was for a '95 bifuel Sonoma pickup (8 years ago). I flew in and drove back and the truck was great for the five years I owned it. I just saw the guy I sold it to this weekend and it's still running fine (although he doesn't use CNG very often).

My recent 2008 GX purchase was *kind of* an ebay purchase... I actually bought the vehicle from a dealer that I learned about searching on Ebay, but the vehicle I bought wasn't actually listed yet. Being a newer vehicle with Honda warranty in place made me feel a bit better about the transaction and it was a better price landed (including $850 shipping to truck it) when compared to others for sale at the time.

Good luck

[wanpakumono]

Re: ebay OK?

I bought my first bi-fuel F150 from a seller on ebay. Read the information that ebay provides to prospective buyers about how to protect yourself. I would also make sure the transaction will include ebay's buyer protection. I also paid for a 30 day subscription to carfax as I was searching the net and found it very worthwhile. I found a few problems with some of the vehicles as identified though carfax and was able to avoid them. The f150 I ended up purchasing was exactly as described, and has driven great.

Several months later, I purchased another f150 through one of the sellers that advertized on this forum. Although his reputation appeared quite good, I have had many problems with this vehicle (including compuvalve although the seller claims it was working when he shipped the vehicle). I guess the lesson I have learned is do your homework to mitigate your risk, but take that into account when you make your decision to purchase this way.

[roadrunner]

Re: ebay OK?

I purchased my Bi-Fuel Expedition through an eBay seller in NY. Unfortunately I wasn't as lucky. The car was different than described, tires worn deeper, physically worse condition, barely working A/C... but the worst part, I flipped the switch to run on CNG... and nothing happened. The CNG system doesn't seem to work, although he described it in the auction as being fully tested. Buyer isn't replying, and is now selling under other accounts. I'm filling complaints, other buyers are filling lawsuits.
Anyways, I would recommend researching the purchases, talking to the sellers, etc. There is an element of risk to be aware of.
Just my story, I hope others have better luck.

[pro5utah]

Re: ebay OK?

I got my GX on ebay. It runs great. The paint job is absolute crap and if you breathe on it it scratches. But I got a killer deal for a 99 with 54k. However YMMV.

Just do your homework and don't expect a screaming deal.