Hey all I've posted here a few times with a few problems that I've had. Well yeah I guess I'm happy I bought a '97 Black GXE without ever seeing it on Ebay, did CarFax, dealer was great, had about 78K miles on it paid 7600 with shipping from CA to NJ. Car runs great just some squeaking in the rear which I will get checked out. Car idles about around 700RPM no hard starts etc in the morning got it checked out from a local mechanic and he said never been in an accident I figured that reading it from the CarFax report. But I was curious would you guys do what I did buy a car like that off Ebay without ever seeing it, or driving it, just going by pictures and positive feedback from the dealer?

 

Gasp! I would never!!!!

Personally I think it's all up to the buyer, but I like to know what I'm about to get, how it drives, paint condition etc.

Glad yer happy with it though.

 

I would never do it. Way too much of a risk for something that expensive. I have seen some really bad used cars. ie. older engine in a newer body.

 

Grr... I get a sick feeling when you say that . But the thing is I saw many, many pictures of the vehicle and I figured people buy Bentleys, Porsches, BMW's, Lamborghinis online unforeseen how wrong could I go with this?

 

you have ***** the size of coconuts for doin that.

 

people buy bentleys, porshes and lambo's online through dealers, qualified sellers and also lay down thousands of dollars on balloon payments and downpayments to insure the safety, quality and reliability of such a car. Think about it, you just bought a car off ebay....i can buy socks off ebay too. I hope you see my point.








people will sell anything to anybody no matter what condition its in or what it might be without a second thought.

 

I was also very satisfied with the dealer that made a world of difference too and a lot of other people that bought many cars of the same dealer were also very happy so I seemed pretty confident. But I'm not to car savvy what should I look out for in terms of things that might be wrong with the car?

 

Exotics are alittle different story. If it's a late model, they are rare. Most of them have super low miles. If you are in a market for one, you probably have money to burn. If you have money to burn, I'm sure you could easily take a quick plane trip out there in your personal jet to check it out before paying.

 

But then why are there hundreds upon hundreds of listings of imports and domestics I'm positive many of the buyers rely on pictures and the interaction with the dealer. Look at the price too 7600 shipped no problems other than a squeaking noise in the rear. I couldn't have gone to wrong now could I have?

 

hey buddy, no need to get defensive. All we are saying is if hundreds upon hundreds ( your words ) of people sell cars on ebay, at least a few have to be stinkers, if not MORE. You may have got a good deal, but im sure there has been some people that have been completely screwed. You said you got a carfax thats excellent, but some people dont think quick enough for that and they get salvage titles, rolled back miles, and unreliable cars every day at a WALKIN dealer.

food for thought

 

You are just lucky I guess. I don't know about you, but I haven't seen any honest used car dealers in my life. You just got your car. Come back in 6 months and let us know how the car is.

 

No I'm not getting defensive at all sorry I came out like that but yeah I mean I did all the homework necessary and the dealer went through a lot trying to satisfy as this was my first time and all. It's just that I really liked the price and all and I figured it'd be a great buy which in the end was but I'm not sure what could go wrong I mean I did get it checked out mechanic said nothing wrong with it but if you guys have any other tips or advice I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

 

Yeah I mean you guys know better so far its been 2 weeks car has been great I will keep everything posted. I also made sure to get an extended warranty for added piece of mind. What do you think might have a potential of going wrong?

 

It's a done deal so enjoy your car. I wouldn't worry too much about it since your mechanic already checked the car out.

 

My tip: puntuation, proof-reading.

but i hope you like your car and like NV said, come back in 6 months and tell us how it works, and we hope it works perfect.

 

My mom bought a cherry *** '98 BMW 528i for herself(gave me the Max) and to tell you the truth, its the nicest used car ive ever seen. The paint is glossy, the rims are perfect, and it was nothing but dealer serviced(BMW stamps the service manual). The redwood interior isnt faded, and the clutch and shifter are smoother than a babys ***. All we had was a **** load of pictures, and a dealers guarauntee. But hey, some people get shafted.

 

There are services available that give a very thorough inspection of the vehicle you want to buy. They are ASE certified and usually have additional experience. Lemonbusters is one of the companies.

More and more people are buying off of ebay. Ebay sells more vehicles than any other dealer or service in the U.S.!

I'd prefer to buy from an individual on ebay rather than from a dealer on ebay.

Prices on ebay are about 20% lower than what you will find at a dealership. That is a lot of money for relatively little risk.

 

Buying a car oon eBay can't be that bad. I sell them for dealers here all the time. You just need to make sure the seller looks like they're honest. Tons of pictures (I usually onclude 30+ of each car). Call and talk to them repeatedly. Make a salesperson go out at night with a flash light and read you the plate on the firewall that tells you whether it's SE, GLE, or GXE. That's how you know you got a dedicated team.

-Seth

 

I would buy a car on ebay only if it is within the the area so I can check it out first

 

i would do it on two conditions:

A: it had EVERYTHING I WANTED on it. For me, that would be a BLACK SE with black interior, low mileage, perfect paint, the whole nine

B: the dealer had a lot of positive feedback with selling other cars (like 100+)

being that u bought a GXE i can surely guess it doesn't have everything u wanted in a car so if i was u, i wouldn't have done it but looks like u may have lucked out...

 

It all depends who you buy from. If a dealer has over 100 positive feedbacks and great reviews from customers, then I would buy in a heart beat (provided what carfax and the pics say). But I have seen some BAD ones out there too. But thats true when you buy a car locally. Some people are just TOO scared to buy online. Need to learn how to take risk!

 

Hey, well you took a risk buying the car, just be happy that you got a good deal. Many wouldn't trust doing that because you can't really trust people. SO just stop arguing and be happy with your 97 maxima.

 

I dunno. My old boss bought a "previously owned" 2000 Dodge Viper on eBay from a dealer 5 states away. The thing was flawless, had nice mods already, and was 5k under bluebook wholesale after tax and shipping.

I wonder if he's wrapped it around a tree yet?

 

Thanks guys I really do appreciate all this feedback. Honestly one of the keypoints in making the final decision was the dealer itself. They were honestly some of the nicest people, you figure most people are nice only up to the sale, but even after the sale they continued to be of great help. She wanted me to be happy and realized that I had not seen the car so she did all she could to make rest assured the pictures probably 15+ were excellent, and the dealer was very honest as well. She told me where there was a scratch, where there was a dent etc. I've had the car now as I mentioned earlier for over 2 weeks couldn't be happier. But I pray to God that problems do not start arising. The only problem I have had so far was the squeaking in the right rear definantly will get that checked out though.

 

I found my 96 GXE with 44,000 miles on the ebayt last month. Lucky for me the guy was local and I looked at the car before I bought it. Everything looked good to me but I think it is too risky not to see what ur going to buy since it is such a large investment. If you are saving lots of money it might be worth it to fly out and drive it home if u like it.

 

this is what happens sometimes

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=177166

anu

 

a gal I work with bought a MB s500 off of ebay. She loves the car, took me for a ride in it.. pristine. She's had it for about 18 months or so with no problems. So I hope this makes you sleep better at night.

 

Hey i bought mines off ebay... i paid 3k for it...with 200k+ runs like a champ. but then again.. i drove 5 hours to check it out and test drive it...then bought it..retirement folks travelling car....

 

I would buy a car off of ebay no problem... But I would fly to get it so I can check it out before giving up my $$

 

i was just talking to my step dad about buying cars on ebay and he said he new someone who had recently done that and they were vey pleased. he also said they had the option to reject the car if they werent happy with what they saw at delivery. if i can still back out if i dont like it i dont see why its a bad idea.

just my 2 cents

hanniel