Has anyone on here. Ever bought a vette from anyone on eBay? So briefly. How did you handle everything? It has to be shipped to me, in Indiana from Florida, at my expense how did you choose a shipper, the car isin Hiealeah Fl. Thanks for any info also is there any specific numbers in the vin that. A person could check for the 35th anniversary edition

 

I bought my 94 vette on ebay, while living on Long Island, in NY. Was fortunate enough that the car was also located on LI - just worked out that way, didn't restrict my search geographically. I did a carfax check and based my decision to pull the trigger on the report and the photo's which showed what appeared to be a cared for car. I paid the deposit via paypal and then got a certified check for the balance, which I did not hand over until I personally saw, inspected and drove. Also ensured clean title was in hand.

Have you considered flying to Florida, inspecting the car and driving home? Probably not much difference in cost vs. getting a shipped - plus, you will get to know your new baby pretty well, pretty quickly.... and have some real fun in the process.

 

I bought a 66 from Hialeah FL and used a shipper based there. I wasn't very happy with their service. Sorry I don't remember the name of it, but it was a few years ago.

 

The two best shippers are Reliable and Exotic. Whatever you do, don't try to go with the cheapest you can find. You'll end up dealing with a broker who will farm it out to the first person who will take the job. I would have to go see the car first though some here have reported success buying a car unseen.

 

I would request a BILLION photos and do a search of surveyors to inspect the car for you. The extra expense may save you a BUNDLE if its fishy. Flying down is a good idea.....maybe you can find a Corvette shop there to look it over for you. The previous suggestions are great too. BE CAREFUL ! ! ! Good luck

 

I bought my vette from a guy on ebay 2 years ago. I'm on Long Island, he was near Syracuse, ny about 300 miles away. I asked a lot of questions, and exchanged direct e mails. Lots of pics and history. After I won the auction, we exchanged phone calls 3 or 4 times. I drove up to him 6 hours, to see and drive the car. I had placed the ship request on uShip. The shipper agreed to meet me at the cars location, about 2 hours after my estimated arrival. As we came back from the test drive, the shipper arrived, I gave the seller cash, got the title and then loaded the car. Drove back the 6 hours and the car arrived a 1/2 hour behind me.
I know not all goes this smooth. You have a greater distance. Maybe you can get a forum member to test drive car check it out, and help with final shipping?

 

You need a snapshot of the SPID label in the console on the lid. You need a snapshot of the "certification label" drivers door. The option Z01 is the 35th and would be on the SPID. Both the SPID and certification label should display the same VIN. You could confirm the balance of the build with the SPID label also. Not all 35th are the same.

 

Bought mine from ebay only thing it was 70 miles from my house. Went and made the deal face to face. The seller did not misrepresent the car in any way.

 

so, I should not send him the money, then he releases the car to a shipper he recommened, has a clean carfax, no problems

 

Check the shipper with BBB. Do an internet search to see what you can find out about them.

 

Flying down and driving home with it after inspection and test drive would be the way to go. I bought a truck in Dallas when I lived in Alabama but it was at a dealer not an individual. I won the auction and flew to Dallas to inspect and drive before I signed paperwork.

Try and contact a Corvette Club in Hialeah. Do a Google and contact the club President via email and ask if the 35th is known to him (maybe a club member), ask if he knows someone who will look at the car for you and verify all the seller has provided. I did this once for a Forum member with a C5. I didnt do much, just checked for leaks and obvious damage. The owner gave me a ride and all was well. I reported back to the buyer that within my limited knowledge the car was what the seller was representing.

As far as a shipper, the advice given to stick with a known carrier with good reviews, not necessarily the cheapest one. Not saying you would not have a good experience with a broker but all things considered I would go with a known entity.

Good luck with it and enjoy your new car!

 

If the car in question is the one in Ocala which sold for $19K recently that would be different. I wouldn't have any qualms about paying for it and having it shipped up. I would definitely go with Exotic as the shipper though. Exotic is who Roger Judski of Roger's Corvette Center in Orlando uses exclusively. You might even call Roger as he likely knows the seller and probably knows this car.

 

I have a couple of neighbors who have had positive eBay buying experiences. One purchased a red '76 Stingray (can't remember where it was from). The other purchased a '95 Viper from California. Both paid around $2K for shipping. Both sellers provided plenty of pictures. Not sure if this helps, but if you do your homework, you can have a good experience on eBay. Good luck!

 

Hard to tell from your post but it sounds like you already won the bid. If you did you are going to have to pay him before he releases it. I bought mine of Ebay. I have several other pictures taken besides the ones that were already posted. I also talked to the owner a few times. hope all works out for you. Most of the time there is no problem...

 

I bought a Red 1990 coupe on ebay from a guy down on his luck. He had lost his job and was selling off his treasures so it was a bittersweet experience since I felt so sorry for him.

There were just shy of 2 dozen photos on ebay of the car so I had a good idea cosmetically what I was getting into. I did a Carfax(r) check and there were no recorded accidents so I bid and won the auction subject to an inspection.

I live near Cincinnati and the car was in Detroit so I rented the cheapest car I could get with the idea that if things went well I would drop the rental off and drive the 'Vette back otherwise, if the car was a beater, I'd drive the rental back.

Once in Detroit, I inspected the exterior for damage and paint problems and looked the interior over closely for tears, plastic scratches and so on. I removed the floor mats so I could check to see what shape the carpet was in under the mats. I verified that the jack and spare tire were present as well as the owners manual. I inspected the maintenance history paperwork - incomplete as usual but still useful.

I inspected the engine compartment for general condition, felt the engine to make sure it was cold and then had the owner start it. I watched the throttle linkage as he started to make sure he wasn't "helping it" get started. As it started, I listened for bottom end noises which would indicate bad main bearings and for top end noises that would indicate valve train problems or water pump issues.

I had him stop it, went to the rear and had him restart it so I could check for oil smoke on start up.

The owner and I took the car to a nearby Car-X and I paid the manager $25 to put it up on a lift so I could check for frame repairs from an accident, the state of the exhaust system and for evidence of fluid leaks. I also checked the underside of fiberglass areas I could reach with an inspection mirror looking for built up areas of fiberglass which would indicate collision repairs.

I have an old Auto-Xray scan tool (which works with the OBD-I system as well as OBD-II) and after the inspection on the lift, I hooked the scan tool up and had the owner drive back to his house while I checked for historical codes and monitored the parameters on the scan tool. Using the expected scan tool values chart in a borrowed Factory Service Manual, I compared the readout to what should be happening and everything was as it should be.

As we drove along, I checked the radio/CD/tape player, the AC/heater, the headlight retract motors, power windows and power seats, windshield wipers, etc.

At his house, I did a rough check for a dead/low compression cylinder by holding my hand next to the muffler outlets and feeling for pulsing as the engine idled. I then checked all the interior and exterior lights and I pulled the PVC hose, looking for smoke. I inspected the serpentine belt for wear and checked out the hoses for cracks etc.

I then got in the driver's seat and we went to a nearby mall with a big parking lot. I did what amounted to a low speed slalom so I could check how the car tracked, if the brakes pulled and to see how the clutch felt. I listened for bad wheel bearings, rear end/universal joint clicking and checked for steering rack problems as I did sharp turns.

Lastly, I purposely placed the car in 5th gear, finessed the clutch/throttle to get it moving and then checked how the engine acted under load as we accelerated - a good check for bad plugs/ignition problems.

A ride down the Interstate completed the check out: Acceleration, De-acceleration, transmission synchronizer check, cruise control operation, wind noise, and so on.

After that, with the car checked out, we went to a notary where I gave the owner $8,500 and he signed the title over to me. It was a bargain since the car was in pristine shape and continues to be now (2013) - 4 years later.

If a person is careful, buying a car on ebay is not really any different then buying it anywhere else. You have to get a Carfax printout, do your homework on the model you are considering (this forum is a great resource), do a VERY thorough pre-buy inspection, and not get taken in by looks alone.

 

WOW, Im going to print this off if I buy another car, thank you for sharing, really helpful, thanks to all of you

 

fly down, drive it back. Also, just because the car is in florida doesn't mean its a southern car. Have fun, drive it back, takes two days.

 

well, , got my 88 yesterday, I asked and I got good answers, suggestions, I could not get away to go down there, talked to a corvette club member just north of Miami, he did not know of anyone available, so,its mine, a few things he did not tell me about, one it takes both feet to slow it down even have to put it in neutral, heater even blows cold, thermostadt, im hoping, power seat on drivers side will not move front to back, works otherwise, drove it about 15 miles home, very careful, mostly rural, seems to run good. other than what I mentioned above kinda happy with it, any suggestions on above post would be appreciated, thanks again

 

It IS possible the brakes are not workign as they should, BUT if this is your first C4, note the following:

1. if you are used to driving a vehicle whose brake pedal requires only a soft touch to activate the brakes, the C4 will feel very different. In order to provide good 'feel", the pedal does take noticeably more effort than that in many cars. I have changed vehicle frequently over the years, and have thus driven a lot of them, and when I got my current C4, I was surprised at the additional pedal effort needed comapred to ANY other recent car or truck I've driven

2. Because the foot well is so narrow, it is VERY easy to touch the gas pedal when braking. I did that a couple of times righty after getting my C4, and did not realize it, as the engine did not rev (because I was also applying brake!). This results in greatl reducing braking capability! You have to get used to that narrow pedal spacing.

But, to be safe, I would have the brake system inspected by a pro, like a brake shop. It's possilbe the pads are way worn, and/or the brake fluid has gotten way too old and there may be corrosion in the brake system as a result.

Do NOT take a chanc eon bad brakes. It can kill you and/or others.

Jim G

 

your brake problem sounds like a bad booster. There is no way that you should need both feet or to throw it into nutral to slow down.