Buying a car sight unseen...

[mudski]

So we are madly looking for a car for the daughter. What she wants is a king or dual cab ute, Navara, Colorado type thing, with a tray not a tub with some fruit. But the type of car is not why I'm here.
We've found a gem, but its on the Gold Coast. The seller has sent a lot of pics, his communication to both me and my daughter is impeccable, and has uploaded two 8 minute youtube vids. The car has been taken care of, the accessories on it are not your cheap Kings stuff. Every "bolt on" is quality, It looks real good. The car is too hard to pass up really.

The seller has offered to drive it down to Melbourne, if we offer his asking price, which even at that is still pretty reasonable considering what is around and what we have seen.

The issue is, he wants a deposit, 10% I think, only fair on his behalf, but this kind of sets the alarm bells going.

So other than flying up there myself. Whats the safest way to do this to ensure we don't lose our deposit, if this is not legit?

Cheers.

[jay see]

Maybe a local mobile mechanic, get him to do an inspection. At least you know someone have actually seen and touched the car.

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[rusty_nail]

Give me a.bell.mate

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[Plasnart]

Mate this would be my plan:

1. Find somewhere in SE QLD to potentially store the car for a few weeks.
2. Fly up personally. If you don’t like it fly home. If it’s a good thing and all legit, negotiate a deal to cover your airfares if possible, buy it, do the paperwork and take it to your storage location and fly home.
3. Fly back on a Friday evening after work and drive it home by Sunday pm.
4. Expect big hugs from the daughter. :)

He could be totally legit, but what rang my alarm bell is that he offered to drive it all the way to Melbourne for free to sell it to you. If it is such a great vehicle why would he offer to do that? It should sell itself in his local region.

I don’t trust anyone online any more when it comes to $$$.

Good luck mate I hope it all comes good for you.

[Cremulator]

I agree, the fact that there is an offer to drive it to you sounds a little suspect.
I have freighted a car from Perth to Melbourne and it cost about $800, but it was purchased from a used car dealer.

For piece of mind with a private sale, I would get a 100 point inspection done, if it's all ok then fly there and drive it back or freight it and fly home.

What you really have to consider is this: would you be happy spending $x to fly up and make sure it's legit in person, or potentially losing $x to a scammer and starting again.
If those numbers are close to each other it'll cost you the same whichever choice you make [emoji6]

[Pete49]

Be very cautious as scamming is rife and a good scammer will do all that you mentioned and more. I would ask if its ok for a mate to come round to look at it, this will be the cruncher. My BiL tried to buy a car there but kept getting told 'yep its good' 'ok what's the address' and it all went downhill from there. Take into account most say GC but often mean Logan or other outer Brissie suburbs. Hope its not but beware.

[mihit]

Hell. Y'all got me worried now. The hell's gone wrong with the world??

But thinking about it, A 20 hour drive for free is a bit suspicious, Unless he's way over priced it.

And if you "sell" 10% of a car 10 times...

How does he want payment? Actual bank account? Bitcoins? phone cards?

Not sure if there's an escrow service locally that you could employ...

[mudski]

Thanks to everyone.
I’m confident this guy is legit. I just spoke with him, he gave me is physical address, did a street view search and the address matches the photos given. When I said I will fly up he was happy to even pick us up for the airport.
He has also agreed to knock off $1000 on the asking price. Without handing over a deposit.
If he was sus, I think he’d be wanting money up front.
My daughter even spent time stalking him on all media sites and with good success, everything he’s been talking about on his pages and what he’s been doing to his car/s, line up with what he’s currently shown us.
Not locked in but we’ll be probably be flying up Saturday morning, if we are happy, we buy it and drive it home, if not. We walk away and fly home and look for another car.


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[rusty_nail]

Thanks to everyone.
I’m confident this guy is legit. I just spoke with him, he gave me is physical address, did a street view search and the address matches the photos given. When I said I will fly up he was happy to even pick us up for the airport.
He has also agreed to knock off $1000 on the asking price. Without handing over a deposit.
If he was sus, I think he’d be wanting money up front.
My daughter even spent time stalking him on all media sites and with good success, everything he’s been talking about on his pages and what he’s been doing to his car/s, line up with what he’s currently shown us.
Not locked in but we’ll be probably be flying up Saturday morning, if we are happy, we buy it and drive it home, if not. We walk away and fly home and look for another car.


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gonna be an awesome daddy daughter road trip

[Winnie]

Good idea Mark, I'd hate to hear about you getting ripped off on the 1% chance.
Will be a very fun trip for the two of you!

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[jay see]

Good luck with everything mate, not everyone is a scammer, I had a smooth transition when I brought my clubsport from central NSW. Similar thing flew up checked it out was everything that he said it was paid him 1/2 cash 1/2 cheque and drive it home..

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[MB]

Pretty-Please do Double check structural chassis rust from up that neck of the woods Mudski-Family Brother [emoji120][emoji120]
A bit late here, my apologies, but recently passed back down that coastal area homewards bound and was astounded by the amount of nature-strip parked up rusty utes that were clearly utilised for Salty boat launching [emoji848][emoji120][emoji120]


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[mudnut]

Double check the VIN numbers and engine numbers. Remember what happened to Cuppa and the Oka he was going to get.

[MB]

Here’s hoping ‘Seller’ doesn’t ‘rushed’ know something like an accidental deep deep water launch BooBoo that may haunt a Mexican in time to come [emoji22][emoji120][emoji120]


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[MB]

FWIW: Flew all the way to WA (3,000km ish) years ago to secure a GU converted twin cab custom uterous for my then Mrs’s horsey needs. Only took 5 minutes of chassis inspection after days of verbal & text guarantees prior to departure Prick was Full of Shit!! [emoji2959]


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[mudski]

Double check the VIN numbers and engine numbers. Remember what happened to Cuppa and the Oka he was going to get.


FWIW: Flew all the way to WA (3,000km ish) years ago to secure a GU converted twin cab custom uterous for my then Mrs’s horsey needs. Only took 5 minutes of chassis inspection after days of verbal & text guarantees prior to departure Prick was Full of Shit!! [emoji2959]


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Will be checking these two for sure upon arrival.

Thanks.

[Pete49]

yep lot of flood cars up there. The body may be ok visually but its the wiring that goes a lot later.

[mudski]

Just rang AAMI to get cover on the new potential car. $3166.89 p/a!!!
What tha!


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[Plasnart]

Just rang AAMI to get cover on the new potential car. $3166.89 p/a!!!
What tha!


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What the????? How expensive is this car?

[mudski]

What the????? How expensive is this car?

$18K
Club 4x4 want $5180.75!!!

How in the hell is a young person suppose to get proper cover will premiums like this?

[Plasnart]

$18K
Club 4x4 want $5180.75!!!

How in the hell is a young person suppose to get proper cover will premiums like this?

Yeah well this is an old story, been around many a year for young drivers. Might need to do the old mum/dad ownership and insurance until they’re 25 or whatever it is when insurance comes down.

[mudski]

Yeah well this is an old story, been around many a year for young drivers. Might need to do the old mum/dad ownership and insurance until they’re 25 or whatever it is when insurance comes down.

Uhm no! Thats using us, with perfect driving records, and listing her as a second driver! My Patrol is insured with C4x4 for $1850 p/a for $62K coverage. Her car, covered for $22k under me with her as a second driver. over 5K! Bloody criminal!

Anyhow, I think we'll be in for a long night trying to get some sort of coverage. I do pity the younger generation with this though, I know it was tough when I was their age, many moons ago, but this is just taking the piss!

[Plasnart]

Uhm no! Thats using us, with perfect driving records, and listing her as a second driver! My Patrol is insured with C4x4 for $1850 p/a for $62K coverage. Her car, covered for $22k under me with her as a second driver. over 5K! Bloody criminal!

Anyhow, I think we'll be in for a long night trying to get some sort of coverage. I do pity the younger generation with this though, I know it was tough when I was their age, many moons ago, but this is just taking the piss!

Mate, if you’re paying 25% of the value of the mrs car per year in insurance you need to look around seriously. And 62k cover for the GU? I’m $750ish for a TD42T with C4x4 same year as yours I think, 2001.

[mudski]

Mate, if you’re paying 25% of the value of the mrs car per year in insurance you need to look around seriously. And 62k cover for the GU? I’m $750ish for a TD42T with C4x4 same year as yours I think, 2001.

Yes 62k. IT’s replacement value for the Patrol plus all extras I have put in. I’d rather pay more to know if the Patrol does get written off I am fully covered for the Patrol plus all the goodies in it. They valued my Patrol with no goodies, at the time, for 35kish, they asked me for replacement value of every single mod/ item in the car. Which came to 62k all up. Mind you at the time of agreement the policy was only $1200. It goes up every year…


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[Plasnart]

Yes 62k. IT’s replacement value for the Patrol plus all extras I have put in. I’d rather pay more to know if the Patrol does get written off I am fully covered for the Patrol plus all the goodies in it. They valued my Patrol with no goodies, at the time, for 35kish, they asked me for replacement value of every single mod/ item in the car. Which came to 62k all up. Mind you at the time of agreement the policy was only $1200. It goes up every year…


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Insure your car for what you could sell it for, and save on insurance mate. You’re paying too much. Anyway it’s really none of my business.

[MB]

I thought Young Lass was merely driving Youzelvess to & from Bingo [emoji22]


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[mudski]

Well we flew up Saturday morning, landed at Brissy at 8am. The seller picked us up, went back to his place, looked at the car, yeah a few niggly things that will need attention but that comes with buying any car.
Paid the money and drove away.
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/images/imported/2023/06/13.jpg

2 1/2 hours just to get to the NSW border thanks to a shut freeway and the Gold Coast traffic, which makes Melbourne traffic look like country town traffic, worst I have ever experienced.
Anyhow, made it to Bulahdelah, about 200ks north of Sydney, stayed the night and then made a B line for home some 1100ks away.

The Nav drives really well. More power than I expected. Quite comfortable.
I spent yesterday fixing a few things, that would be picked up for a RWC. Jut about to finish and I spot the 3inch exhaust was cracked almost right around. So I removed the section, cleaned up the area and attempted my very first stainless steel weld with the mig. Lucky I had stainless welding wire. Welded up fine, not a pretty job due to me welding more than I probably needed too. But it’s all fixed.

The daughter is absolutely over the moon with her buy. She can’t wait to get in and drive it and make it her own.

Cheers.


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[BrazilianY60]

Congrats on the Nav!
What is a B line?

[rusty_nail]

Congrats on the Nav!
What is a B line?Another way to say a straight line. The b is for bee(insect) [emoji1787]

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[mudski]

Also it was a double demerit point weekend and I couldn't believe how many NSW "P" plate drivers, who are restricted to 90 kph speed past me when I was sitting on 110 kph.

[Rossco]

Nice she looks like a beautie. . . Bit better than my first s#!tbox. . . [emoji1787]

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[mihit]

The daughter is absolutely over the moon with her buy. She can’t wait to get in and drive it and make it her own.


Pink paint, tassels and pony stickers? :p

[BigRAWesty]

Very nice. Glad it all come together.

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