Buying across Country

[Aaronhl]

So I live in CT and most things are available in the Tri State, however once in a while you gotta go pretty far for something like a boat or car...

What I am trying to figure out is how you guys would arrange to buy a car halfway across the country to ensure the Private seller gets the payment and you get the car+the title back to your house ??

[Frank Molé]

send a deposit,then whoever picks it up give them a cert.check if all good seller gets check,pick up person gets all paperwork..

[David - WI]

Rent a car, drive over and check out the "new" one... if it's what you want, turn the rental back in and drive the "new" one home. If not, take the rental home.

[JPEROG]

Flights are cheaper then potential mistakes...

Joe

[Aaronhl]

send a deposit,then whoever picks it up give them a cert.check if all good seller gets check,pick up person gets all paperwork..

you are obviously a reputable towing service but is that common practice, seems like a few I talked with in the past only want to pick up when ready, they don’t want to be part of “the transaction”

[Shaun K]

So I live in CT and most things are available in the Tri State, however once in a while you gotta go pretty far for something like a boat or car...

What I am trying to figure out is how you guys would arrange to buy a car halfway across the country to ensure the Private seller gets the payment and you get the car+the title back to your house ??

Frank does this daily, best at what he does. Period

[DangerNewb]

you are obviously a reputable towing service but is that common practice, seems like a few I talked with in the past only want to pick up when ready, they don’t want to be part of “the transaction”

Frank has handled two purchases for me using this method.

[CDave]

I bought my current car from a used car dealer out of state.
I went to my bank and got a certified check and mailed it to him. I arranged a transport to go pick it up and that was that.
All went well for me. Only problem is the truck driver was from some eastern Europe country and his command of English wasn't great.

This is the car I bought.

[DangerNewb]

I bought my current car from a used car dealer out of state.
I went to my bank and got a certified check and mailed it to him. I arranged a transport to go pick it up and that was that.
All went well for me. Only problem is the truck driver was from some eastern Europe country and his command of English wasn't great.

This is the car I bought.

I'll add that a benefit of Frank handling the check, is he can do a quick look over of the boat and trailer and consult with you if you really want to make the purchase. The two he handled for me were small enough $$ that I had not personally laid eyes on either.

[Frank Molé]

thanks all, means a lot to me.....

[Aaronhl]

I bought my current car from a used car dealer out of state.
I went to my bank and got a certified check and mailed it to him. I arranged a transport to go pick it up and that was that.
All went well for me. Only problem is the truck driver was from some eastern Europe country and his command of English wasn't great.

This is the car I bought.

How did you trust the seller they would still have the car available when the truck driver showed up?

[DangerNewb]

How did you trust the seller they would still have the car available when the truck driver showed up?

Would want to have a signed purchase contract for sure. I prefer for the money to change hands when the product changes hands.

[CDave]

How did you trust the seller they would still have the car available when the truck driver showed up?

I bought the car from a Used Car dealer/lot. Before calling them I did a search to make sure they didn't have bad dealings in the past.
After talking to them on the phone about the car, we finalized the terms of the sale and I mailed them a certified check through the USPS. By using USPS to mail the check, if they tried to rip me off it is a federal offense and the federal government would be on that persons butt.

[Aaronhl]

I bought the car from a Used Car dealer/lot. After talking to them on the phone about the car, finalized the terms of the sale and I mailed them a certified check through the USPS. That way if they tried to rip me off it is a federal offense and the federal government would be on that persons butt.

Another guy DangerNewb said get a purchase contract so like a bill of sale showing their name and the VIN number would be a good think to have to prove their fraud?

[CDave]

Another guy DangerNewb said get a purchase contract so like a bill of sale showing their name and the VIN number would be a good think to have to prove their fraud?

Sounds like good advice.
How ever you buy it I would mail the check through the USPS and make sure they have to sign for the envelope. That way if there is a problem it becomes an interstate crime and the FBI can get involved, AFAIK.