Any advise on out of state vehicle purchase?

[Concrete Helmet]

For the last couple of months I've been internet shopping for my next toy which is going to be a late model,2010-2014, Shelby GT 500. This car will not be for daily driving, just a weekend cruiser. What I've discovered is that Florida flat out sucks for finding one of these vehicles at a low mileage, and rational price point. Other areas out of state seem to have sellers both private and dealers who are in touch pricewise and have more inventory in the less than 10,000 mile range. The problem is these areas are so far away I wouldn't be able to do a face to face transaction.

Years ago I sold boats to customers all across the country and never encountered any problems during these transactions. However those were new boats and not used high performance cars. I have decided that despite usually getting a better price from a private seller, I am not going to go that route. My in laws got taken a few years back trying to buy a car for their daughter from a private seller through the internet.

Has anyone on here ever done anything like this and if you have what advise can you give??

 

[G 2]

My last 3 vehicles I've purchased have been from out state and bought them without seeing them. However they have been a year old with very low mileage and from dealers. Haven't had any problems with inspections or transport.

Personally I don't know if I would buy a high performance car more than a year old that I can't personally see or drive first, due to concerns about it being abused.

 

[78]

Buying a car out of state is relatively easy with the internet. Use Auto Trader or CarsGuru or some other search engine to identify what's out there, or find a local wholesaler. There are more than you realize.

I was looking for a Porsche Cayman GTS a year ago and spent hours on the internet searching. I finally found two cars I liked, both at the same New Jersey dealer. Bingo. Worked out a deal and had the car transported to Florida for under $600.00.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Buying a car out of state is relatively easy with the internet. Use Auto Trader or CarsGuru or some other search engine to identify what's out there, or find a local wholesaler. There are more than you realize.

I was looking for a Porsche Cayman GTS a year ago and spent hours on the internet searching. I finally found two cars I liked, both at the same New Jersey dealer. Bingo. Worked out a deal and had the car transported to Florida for under $600.00.

Thanks 78, I've been on Car Gurus mostly but forgot all about Auto Trader, I'll check them out. How did you handle the transaction if you don't mind me asking? Did you use an escrow service or directly wire the funds? Thanks. Ironically one of the GT500's I've been eye balling is in NJ, the other is a 820HP beast that is located in NY....

 

[LagoonGator68]

I always trust used car salesmen....

 

[78]

Thanks 78, I've been on Car Gurus mostly but forgot all about Auto Trader, I'll check them out. How did you handle the transaction if you don't mind me asking? Did you use an escrow service or directly wire the funds? Thanks. Ironically one of the GT500's I've been eye balling is in NJ, the other is a 820HP beast that is located in NY....

It was an untitled car. It was a lease purchase from the Porsche dealer. Trust is a factor when buying from a private party. Most sellers are going to want you to wire funds and trust them for delivery. An escrow service can protect you.

That's a badass machine you're buying. Good luck.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

It was an untitled car. It was a lease purchase from the Porsche dealer. Trust is a factor when buying from a private party. Most sellers are going to want you to wire funds and trust them for delivery. An escrow service can protect you.

That's a badass machine you're buying. Good luck.

Thanks, I wish I could stretch my allowance far enough for a Porsche like yours but I doubt my fat ass would even fit into one .
I'll probably go with a dealer. I've already had a guy try to sell me a car located in Houston but wanted the money sent to London England so I'm kinda freaked out about private sellers. Car dealers get a bad rap from a lot of people, but these days most of that happens because they tend to have dumbasses working there. The owners and management of large factory based dealerships don't really want the hassle and bad reputation from selling someone a pos or getting bad CSS reports from customers. So I'll probably pay a little more but hopefully it's a safer transaction.

 

[LagoonGator68]

I'll never buy another vehicle without personally inspecting it. Dealer in Arab, Al sold me a flawless 1 year old Escalade that had cock fighting, pit bull or knife gouges in every tire....said he didn't notice it.

 

[78]

I'll never buy another vehicle without personally inspecting it. Dealer in Arab, Al sold me a flawless 1 year old Escalade that had cock fighting, pit bull or knife gouges in every tire....said he didn't notice it.

You're taking a risk when you buy a pre-owned car without personally inspecting it or having it looked at by an independent mechanic. I picked up a 2014 Subaru WRX while vacationing in Boone, NC, last Christmas season, but the car had only 13k on the odometer and drove tight. I didn't feel I needed it inspected by anyone else but myself. Anything older or with more miles, I'd probably want a second set of eyes to look at it.

 

[G 2]

Buying a car online is easier than ever. It is easy to find an inspection service in the area of the the car you are buying. If the car is in warranty then the visual inspection will be the most important since mechanical issues will be covered under warranty. You absolutely want your inspector to the check for signs of an accident. Carfax's are very unreliable for performance cars since I these owners will pay cash to keep the accident off their record. Also low miles is no guarantee it hasn't been wrecked. Many people crash their new high performance car <5000 miles because they're being stupid with it before they're used to what it can do.

If there isn't a warranty then you will definitely want a comprehensive inspection and hopefully the inspector will give you a guarantee on his work. I also recommend you taking it to your dealer as soon as you can when you get the car. My wife's M5 they found a bent control arm which the dealer argued was a result of an accident although there was zero evidence the car was in an accident. They ended up covering it under warranty but it was alot easier to deal with because it had been a day after delivery.

For shipping you can either go with who the dealer knows (almost never a good deal) or use a website like uship.com. You can pick your time frame and what you want to pay and open versus enclosed transport.

At the end of the day know that you are risking more hassles to save some money and decide if it's worth it to you. The other option is usually dealers will locate a car for you and handle all this but you will pay more.

 

[LagoonGator68]

Buying a car online is easier than ever. It is easy to find an inspection service in the area of the the car you are buying. If the car is in warranty then the visual inspection will be the most important since mechanical issues will be covered under warranty. You absolutely want your inspector to the check for signs of an accident. Carfax's are very unreliable for performance cars since I these owners will pay cash to keep the accident off their record. Also low miles is no guarantee it hasn't been wrecked. Many people crash their new high performance car <5000 miles because they're being stupid with it before they're used to what it can do.

If there isn't a warranty then you will definitely want a comprehensive inspection and hopefully the inspector will give you a guarantee on his work. I also recommend you taking it to your dealer as soon as you can when you get the car. My wife's M5 they found a bent control arm which the dealer argued was a result of an accident although there was zero evidence the car was in an accident. They ended up covering it under warranty but it was alot easier to deal with because it had been a day after delivery.

For shipping you can either go with who the dealer knows (almost never a good deal) or use a website like uship.com. You can pick your time frame and what you want to pay and open versus enclosed transport.

At the end of the day know that you are risking more hassles to save some money and decide if it's worth it to you. The other option is usually dealers will locate a car for you and handle all this but you will pay more.

So, how do you think the control arm got bent, which seems to me would be hard to do?

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate any advise. I'm narrowing down my list a little everyday and really want to do something in the next week or 2. Buying a Shelby can be a double edged sword because typically they are not a daily driver, therefore it is easy to find very low mileage cars out there. The bad thing is like G2 said, they are a performance based car that a lot of idiots buy to show off and or roll race with. I'll probably use an inspection service even if buying from a dealer.

 

[G 2]

So, how do you think the control arm got bent, which seems to me would be hard to do?

Could've been anything, pothole, curb, etc.

 

[playzwtrux]

Do you pay extra for the tag when buying out of state? Also, how are the taxes handled? Do you pay taxes in the state you buy in, to the state of FL, both?

I'm wondering because my mom is lives in FL, but is looking to purchase out of state cause it's cheaper. This is only wise if it's a good deal over all though, not just a cheaper vehicle.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Do you pay extra for the tag when buying out of state? Also, how are the taxes handled? Do you pay taxes in the state you buy in, to the state of FL, both?

I'm wondering because my mom is lives in FL, but is looking to purchase out of state cause it's cheaper. This is only wise if it's a good deal over all though, not just a cheaper vehicle.

You'll pay sale tax according to the state that the vehicle is registered in regardless of where it's purchased. If you pay cash from an out of state dealer they can register it for you if their state reciprocates sales tax, or you can sign a 10 Day Removal Waiver and register, at which time you'll pay sales tax.....If you finance the selling dealer must register and charge the appropriate sales tax......In other words there's no break in sales tax for buying outside your state.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

WTF...I looked into an escrow service and transport companies the last couple of days because against my better judgment I fell in love with a private owned car in Ohio. So I sent an e-mail to the owner through Autotrader last night and 2 minutes later I get an e-mail from "Verticlescope" who owns Autotrader that apologizes for a breach in their information security...e-mails, passwords and IP addresses have recently been swiped from them....

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Well a local stealership just got in a Black convertible with 10,700 miles, one owner, this past weekend. Problem is they won't budge ANY on the price of the car....none. I don't really have a problem with the price itself at $31,995 but they want $799.00 and another $199 on top of the selling price which is BS on a used car. I understand on new cars they have to get paid for freight of the vehicle and set up cost but a used car is already on the lot and all they really have to do is wash the damned thing and advertise it!!!
I've done the homework on transporting a similar car here and I would spend around $34,000 to $35,000 by the time I register and title the thing with sales tax. I've offered the local dealership as much as $34,000 out the door cash on the spot and they're still telling me $35,250.00..Pisses me off, yet at the same time I'm still very sketchy about sending $34,000 to someone I can't see or even look their car in person........What to do?

 

[78]

Well a local stealership just got in a Black convertible with 10,700 miles, one owner, this past weekend. Problem is they won't budge ANY on the price of the car....none. I don't really have a problem with the price itself at $31,995 but they want $799.00 and another $199 on top of the selling price which is BS on a used car. I understand on new cars they have to get paid for freight of the vehicle and set up cost but a used car is already on the lot and all they really have to do is wash the damned thing and advertise it!!!
I've done the homework on transporting a similar car here and I would spend around $34,000 to $35,000 by the time I register and title the thing with sales tax. I've offered the local dealership as much as $34,000 out the door cash on the spot and they're still telling me $35,250.00..Pisses me off, yet at the same time I'm still very sketchy about sending $34,000 to someone I can't see or even look their car in person........What to do?

Offer to meet them in the middle, take it or leave it. I think they'll accept.

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Offer to meet them in the middle, take it or leave it. I think they'll accept.

Thanks 78....they just called me and told me they just got a 2009 with 9K miles that they are willing to sell me for 33K out the door....but it's a Couple not a Convertible. I'm on my way to go buy a Shelby come hell or high water...

 

[Concrete Helmet]

Got me a car......