I'm looking for some advice on possibly buying from a distance. I've been searching for a 69-73 vette and I've stumbled across a 73 that looks to fit my criteria. The problem is it's located in north carolina and I live in new england. I'm probably not ready to jump on this, but it did make me think about what I would do to research a car from a distance.

What have people done to inspect a car from a distance? Have people had luck hiring someone locally to check the car out on their behalf? What about transporting it back?

 

First, welcome to the insanity There are many threads discussing this topic. Best thing to do is get to know someone here on the boards that could go look at it for you. There are also services that will go inspect cars for you but will they be Vette experts, not sure. As far as transporting a vehicle to you, there are many good carriers out there, again do a search as this has been discussed many times with members offering reviews of carriers they have used. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

The car inspection services that you pay $250 for or more only take pics. They don't ask the owner to remove any part fo the interior to inspect specific known rust areas or the birdcage issues which only take 5~10mins and is very simple to do saving you potentially $$$ for repair needed later. As far as mechanical inspection that will need to go to mechanic for items like compression check, etc. unless you are really lucky to find a forum member to do this and the seller is willing to let a stranger without a business license preform a few simple engine health check tests such as the compression.

 

I'm not too worried about engine health. My plan is for a complete restoration which, in my mind, includes an engine rebuild. My main concern is having someone that can check the known areas of rust and maybe know enough about the numbers to confirm that the engine and transmission match. If someone is advertising a "numbers matching" car, I want to be sure it is true so I don't pay extra for something that isn't true.

 

I would be very cautious here.

Many people who offer these service have, uh, varied levels of expertise. Many are nice car people meaning well; others are people who believe they are qualified to do consulting.

I will say that very often my experience has been that my assessment of, "mint," "no rust," "nice," ""driver," "needs paint," etc often varies wildly from other people's opinion. While that doesn't necessarily make me right, it DOES cause me problems buying according to someone's "say so."

If you ask someone to check the numbers for you, and they say the numbers match, and then it shows up at your door with obviously restamped numbers and poor broach marks and pad... what do you do next? Whose fault is that?

Getting an opinion from a spotter is a nice early step, but I absolutely, positively would NEVER buy a car until I got on a plane or took a long drive and looked at it myself. And I bought my last '69 after flying from the midwest to New England, so the distances you are discussing are not different.

If it goes bad, and you didn't look at it, it's your fault.

 

i have sold several classics, forget about buying one sight unseen...i wont even SELL one to someone who has not seen it....JMO

 

do not buy it sight unseen...
know your requirements, know what 'numbers' means, know how these cars are faked, do you require a 'no hit body'? original engine?, what about heads, carb, wheels, trans, rear end, born with color??

even if you don't have exact requirements, understand that rust makes these cars nearly worthless and will only trade amongst the unknowing...

if the car is priced as original with no rust, you better confirm that it is and that it doesn't.

i would not go so far as refuse to sell to a buyer that didn't see my car, but I sure would put extra clauses protecting myself in the sale contract along with a lecture.

 

Doesn't matter where you live, the car you think you want will likely end up being far away. Have the seller email all the important high resolution flash photos (VIN plate, windshield pillars, engine pad stamp, transmission case stamp, rear kickups) that confirm what you need to know about this particular car, in order to progress to the next step...the time and expense of a trip. Bring along or hire a local expert if you are not, drive or at least ride in the car if it runs, inspect it on a lift and most importantly...be prepared to return home without the car! Any less effort and you are only kidding yourself.

I went from Miami to Oregon to buy mine, spent 3 days and a few bucks to get there. Some things about the car were better than expected, others not so much. Pulled the trigger anyhow and though I don't regret it, the car has ended up requiring much more work than I originally anticipated. Don't worry, whatever you end up buying will also. My dad always told me that anything can be fixed...it just takes time and money.

 

Hi t79,
I feel as though you can hire someone to look at the car for you.
This person has to do Corvette inspections as a business so he has references.
He has to be very familiar with the year car he's looking at for you.
You have to explain to him, and he has to understand, what you'e looking for and what your plans for this car are.
It's really buying an insurance policy.
Regards,
Alan

PS: FR posted a lot of what I was thinking while I was typing!

 

I just purchased (two weeks ago) the yellow 1980 in my avatar photo from 650 miles away (in Georgia from Indiana) - here is how I built up confidence from a distance:
- Multiple emails exchanged with the seller - ask for pictures of specific areas of the car known to be problem spots. I received 3-4 emails loaded with pictures so I had a very good idea what I was getting into (i.e. no frame rust in critical areas, new suspension and brake components, newer tires, no fiberglass damage, decent driver-quality paint, but needs the entire interior redone)
- Ask for copies of receipts for work done in the last couple thousand miles. No guarantees, but much greater confidence that items do not need immediate attention when a specialty Corvette shop has their name and reputation associated with the car.
- Call the seller and talk with them on the phone - you can usually tell alot about the person through a few phone calls, whether they sound trustworthy or not. I found my seller was a Corvette lover, but not an enthusiast, so I clearly knew more about Corvettes than he did. When I explained some of the common problems, he agreed some of them existed on the yellow car, but confirmed others did not. He was also more than willing to provide photo documentation for everything I asked about. Again, no guarantees but builds your confidence in the car and the seller.
- With a photo of the VIN and proof of ownership, you can do your own homework (carfax, registries, etc.) to confirm you are being given honest information.
- Hold the car with a small deposit if you are not getting any 'red flags', until you can check out the car yourself (assuming you can travel to it.) Leave yourself an 'out' that you can walk away without buying if you find serious problems when you inspect it for yourself. (Note: a buyer who will not give you this 'out' is one of the 'red flags' to watch for!)

All this was done over a period of four weeks. I was cautious and took my time until I was satisified I well understood what I was getting myself into.

I took a gamble on 'my' car: I flew down and drove it home. The PO had not taken the car on any long trips, but drove it locally on a regular basis. The chassis photos, descriptions and receipts of work done gave me confidence the car was roadworthy. I closely monitored coolant and oil temps and levels, and had no problems during the 11 hour trip. Gutsy, but a carefully considered risk.

Hopefully this helps a bit - good luck on your purchase regardless of the distance!

 

Thanks all for the advice. I'm still not sure what I would do if I really find a potential distance sale. Luckily I'm not desperate to buy my project car, so I will take some time to see if I can find it locally first. Otherwise, I'll have to put some of this advice to use.

 

find the local corvette club offer a donation to the club .some one will help you.

 

I did something similar to what indydoug did. I live in Jacksonville Fl, and bought my car from Denver CO. Traded emails with the previous owner, phone calls and sent him a deposit once we agreed on a price if the car was as represented. I flew out, it took about 15 minutes to verify the car and do the purchase. The car hadn't been driven more than about 500 miles in the last couple of years. I drove it home in two days...1800 miles. A great trip!!

 

Travel to North Carolina and see the car for yourself.

It's nice there this time of year.

 

I'm not sure I would ever buy a car I hadn't inspected myself. When I bought my '73 a buddy happened to live in the town where it was located. The first thing I did was have the seller send me a ton of photos. Then my buddy did the initial inspection. I made a tentative deal with the seller and then flew out for the final inspection.

Get initial photos from the seller and then ask him to take other photos that you specify. If he is not willing to do this, walk away. I asked one seller to take photos of underneath the car around the trailing arm pockets. He made excuses as to why he couldn't. BS! That's not good enough.

If you don't know anyone you trust in the area, see if an NCRS judge lives in the area and offer to pay them to inspect.

Above all, be willing to walk at the smallest red flag. There are plenty of cars out there but good ones are harder to find (and worth the effort).

DC

 

+1. I haul cars and give people that ask me this question this same advise.

 

Does anyone have a good list of questions and picture locations for a perspective sale? I may have found a solid project car. For the right price, it may be worth the risk of a long distance purchase.

 

See if you can find a copy of this. I've heard it may be out of print. Covers all C3s.


Michael Antonick also has a C3 Buyer's Guide.

This is a good overall look:


Knowledge is power. The more you know about these cars, the better off you are.

Good luck with the hunt.

 

I am going through the same situation.... I was wondering though when you drove the car home...Did you have any sort of tags...and did you get it insured before you left?

 

Where in NC is the car located? If it is nearby I wouldn't mind taking a look.... of course you get what you pay for.