[DeTomaso] NPC: Buying a car out of state - help!

[Himes, Terry (397C)]

Brent,

I've bought both my 2005 Nissan Xterra and 2007 Jeep Wangler on eBay.  I got a great price and a great car both times.
Xterra was in Houston, TX and the Jeep was in Phoenix, AZ.
Here's what I did;

1. NEVER bid or buy until someone has inspected and test-driven the car.  eBay offers mechanic's in the area for
     you to contract with. They will give you several, and I strongly suggest you call several. Be prepared to ask them
     questions that prove they are legitimate mechanics. The questions may seem stupid to us, but if they hesitate,
     fumble for an answer, or just fake it... hang up immediately. Ask several qustions. 
2. Make sure they can do a thorough inspection of the car AND take it for a test drive.
3. Make sure they produce a detailed report. The Houston guy I worked with sent me a 5-6 page of detailed report.
4. Car carrier?  I contacted a Car Carrier and told them I had a vehicle to pick up in Houston. I wanted to reduce costs
     and was in no hurry, so I asked them to notify me when a carrier was passing thru Houston with space available. 
     They called about 2 weeks later. The Xterra was picked up and the driver called me when he was within a day of 
     drop off. The driver was very nice and dropped the car off the day he said he would.  $400.
5.  eBay protects you. They have a reputation to protect so they are very sensitive to any bad deals. I do most all my
     business on eBay and have never had a problem that wasn't solved satisfactorily. 

If I think of anything more, I will let you know.

Terry



I asked an alleged mechanic in Houston "What function
    does the coil perform in an automobile?"  He was dead silent for about 1 1/2 minutes, then I said 

"A Purple Heart proves you were smart enough to hatch a plan,
 stupid enough to try it and lucky enough to survive!"
 
Terry W. Himes 
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dawn Spacecraft Team
Juno Systems & Software Team
TGO Sequence Lead 
Phone: (818) 393-6261
Cell:     (818) 653-8213
thimes at jpl.nasa.gov
🇺🇸
 

On 1/17/19, 8:22 AM, "DeTomaso on behalf of Brent Stewart via DeTomaso" <detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com on behalf of detomaso at server.detomasolist.com> wrote:

    .All,Quick question for those that have purchased a car on ebay or BaT, etc - what is the best way to ensure you don't get taken?  Hate to wire a bunch of money, then I have no money, no pink slip, no car..Do you have to just blindly trust the seller?  Or is there a better process?  Really could use some help with this one....Thanks for your advice!.brent.