Yep. The only parts I consider hassle are the payment part. Everything else is enjoyable. I've never been to Florida, and yes I won't have time to take a vacation there, but at least I get to drive around in an awesome car.

 

It looks like this is the route I'm going. If I get pulled over for any reason, at least I have the title, insurance, and bill of sales. That should at least be enough for the cop to say "ok you didnt steal this car".

Unless the seller trusts me enough to mail me the title..

 

Dude...

I can't believe I read nearly every thread whew! Obviously, at this point you realize that your not moving lots of cash like that. It must be a wire transfer.

The reason it needs to be a form of cash such as a wire transfer is because even bank checks can be made to appear real, and can end up returned as insufficient funds nearly 60 days later. And then they remove the money from person's account who cached the check. This is used in some of these money laundering schemes.

Check with your state's DMV, do they issue temporary tags? I would bet so with the proper information such as VIN. Then you put your state's temp tag on and you pay your state's tax. You'll have that handled before you depart.

Fly Southwest. It will be more reasonable and safe.

With the VIN you can order some check including a Carfax if not already and determine it has no issues. With the title he'll sign it over to you.

What is your bank, do they have a branch here we have nearly every flavor. To complete the deal, do it at the bank his or yours, and the bank provides the money from the transfer you make, and you sign and notarize the paper work. Be sure to get a standard bill of sale written and signed.

Insurance, you should have already consulted your agent with the VIN of the car and they will have already composed a policy for it as an add or replace. You'll have insurance automatically on your present policy.

Stop going in thousand different directions. Focus.

From Orlando, it is about an 1 hr plus 20 to the Gainesville area. The turnpike is very close to the airport and that you'll take to I 75 to Gainesville.

Only take enough cash to travel with. Some Florida counties tend to think people traveling with lots of cash are suspects in drug dealing.

Maybe his bank and yours are the same. If not wire him a $1000 to hold the deal. That way you pre test the process for the balance.

Enjoy the purchase. It's not good to stress so much.

Do you have pictures of this potential vehicle and/or the specs - details on it?

 

C5s arent rare there are plenty out there. If you can find one an
hour from your home then forget it..

 

It is not about trust....ask yourself this question, would you mail your title to a stranger?? It is about common sense. I purchased mine from a forum member also, just took the cash and did the deal. Stop worrying all will be ok.
Good luck.

 

You'll get the title when your wire transfer the total amount in his account and he is satisfied.

You don't need it, just the VIN. You need the VIN for your insurance agent, you'll need it for a temporary tag (might need mileage too). That's really it.

 

I'm worrying too much!

I just got off the phone with the seller. He said he can get me a temp tag (I already asked IL's DMV and they told me I have to get it in FL, a-holes...). If not, I'll just bring my plates down.

I think I might just fly to Gainesville directly. He said the airport is like 15 minutes away. And even if I go to Orlando, after he picks me up, I still won't get to his house before 5. (The flight to Gainesville at earliest arrives at 5, whereas Jacksonville/Orlando are like 1).

He's ok with cash and I'm going directly to his house. He's a 53 year old year gentleman with a family. I don't think there's any problems here.

The car seems nice. I already checked carfax and GM service history. It has what I want: HUD, sports memory seats. In addition, it has Z51, and 3.15 axle. So it looks like I found a good deal. He even said he replaced the tires with expensive ones, Eagle F1 I think. And I know they have to be brand new. Because the car only has 29K miles. He seems like an honest fellow, as he tells me tons of stories. He has both remotes, owner's manual, keeps it in a garage. I don't think this can go wrong.

 

I already put down $2000 deposit. I did it after he showed me pictures of the title with his name/address clearly on it.

I might send him more money but I still want to hold a good amount until I see the car in person..

My bank does not have branch in FL, and his bank does not have branch in my city (I'm sure up in Chicago they have every bank possible).

I've already gotten a quote from my insurance agent.

Southwest does not fly the route I have to go. And I have a $100 coupon for United, which is what I'll use.

 

It's exciting and it will probably take quite a few miles to wipe the smile off your facing as your heading down the highway. If he's sporting for tires and they are not on GY F1-EMT or Mich PS2 ZP, both are exceptional, the latter is the ZR1 OEM tire.

I think you've done your homework and you'll be fine. I'd be worried still about that much cash. I wouldn't let it out of my sight that's for sure. Sure you don't have a bank branch in FL? Gosh these things are national these days.

Sounds like a really sweet deal, the guy sounds genuine so I wouldn't worry. Is it a 6 speed or auto? I've got the Z51 I like it's responsiveness the best. If it is anything like mine it was a perfect buy.

Enjoy and give yourself a margin until you are more familiar with it. Be an awesome trip home, hope the weather holds up during the trip.

Yeah just saw the other post... GNV definitely not SWA. GNV is not a bad airport, I use to fly corporate types in for the Gator's games.

Your fine with the money. Just be careful with the balance. Too bad about the banks, that would make it real easy. If he doesn't have a bill of sale you might find one on the web print it and take it with you. Signed over title and bill of sale your good to go man.

 

Weather would be my biggest concern. I refuse to try to drive on snow. I've seen videos of C5's in snow...

He said the tires are like GY F1, but he said he doesn't think it's runflats. He said they are quiet and holds the road well.

It's an auto. I'm a newbie at manual and I don't wanna ruin a beautiful 6-speed. not to mention, I remember seeing the cost to replace clutch. When I drive a manual I definitely burn the clutch a lot because I stall sometimes and I focus on not stalling...

As for the flight. I found a flight that goes to Gainesville directly for the same price. It does have to connect a few times but I'll be there by dinner time. I haven't flown for like 8 years though, so I have a question.

There are several flights, and 2 options. I'm flying from Springfield to Chicago (1HR), then either from Chicago to DC/PA or Chicago to VA. DC/PA are on big planes like Boeing 757, while VA flight is on a small jet. I called my mom and she said don't accidents usually happen on smaller planes? I mean I know flights are very safe (more safe than driving anyhow), but I'd imagine flying on small plane is better because it's not as noisy/crowded. What do you frequent-flyers think? Again I have not flown in 8 years...

 

Fair weather in East TN the rest of this week and the weekend. Enjoy the drive.

 

Woot! I think I do pass TN on the way. I'm not familiar with interstate highways but I checked the route. I know I start off in Florida on I-75 and then I-24 later.. I think it goes FL to GA, then TN, then KY, then IL. It's going to be crazy...

Anyone want to create a list of C5 brothers along the route that may be able to assist me if I get lost?

 

Here's a great link for weather forecast: http://snowday.hostelox.com/

They provide information for the Farmer's Almanac.

Small jet, probably means a Regional Jet. I looked at that run and they are farming most of that out, your either on a United Express or something operated by US Airways. I didn't see that route, most were to Ohare and then to Charlotte and on to Gainesville. Going to be a very long day. Both of the carriers I saw at Gainesville operate using regional carriers. You should be fine. The RJ's are much like the early DC-9's, two engine short body jet.

 

Be careful in GA. Observe the posted limits. If you have to go through Atlanta I'd suggest right straight through not the by-pass. I did both and got through much quicker going straight through. I bet you'll be going right by the Nashville area, a few mile detour and you can stop at Bowling Green KY and visit the Corvette Museum and maybe get a factory tour if they are operating again. I did a similar trip two years ago, except I continued on up KY after BWG and hit the interstate headed west to STL. It was a really great drive. You can almost make BWG from GNV in about 11 hrs.

Get a few pictures of your new baby at its birthplace. Join and become a member too.

Radar detector will come in handy if you have one. Nice to know when they are watching you.

 

Hey, the best way to do a transfer like this is to use an escrow service like Escrow.com. I just bought my C5 this way. I live in Pa and the seller was in Delaware, and they had a lien on the car. I set up an agreement on Escrow.com and the seller agreed to conditions. I then sent the money to Escrow.com(by wire transfer). You then either pick up the car or have it delivered. Upon receiving the car you have X amount of days to accept the car(in the agreement), you can deny it if something is wrong (ex: no motor). Once you accept the car, escrow will send the seller the money for the car. This does cost about $200 extra but it simplified things IMO. They can also take care of transferring the title, plates, and registration (additional fee and paper work) and they can arrange to pay off the sellers loan first if there is a lien against the car (so you know it truely gets paid off). The only downside is that it took 4-6 weeks to recieve my new temp plates & registration (mostly due to the 21 days it took for the seller's bank to release the title). I got around this by having the seller sign over their registration to me and a bill of sale when I picked up the car, so I could prove I owned it before I got the PA paper work.

No matter what you do make sure your protected. No "deal" is worth risking that kind of money. Good Luck and enjoy the car!

 

yeah if you like all that!!! ... seem like this guy he is buying it from is not on the up and up... I want CASH only is kinda suspect!!

 

I believe you are correct. I think the route I got from mapquest was striaght through Atlanta, and I think it either passes or gets close to Nashville.

I just got a call from a buddy, and he said he wants to come with me on the way back. He was originally planning on going to Orlando or something, and he said he could go down there a couple days before I leave, and just come back with me. He'll pay me some gas money and we could share a motel room. I don't feel safe if he drives though (his license is suspended, I think for DUI)

I think I'll just keep the cruise on 70 to be safe. I don't know the roads and I don't feel comfortable speeding on highway because by the time you see a cop (or your radar goes off) it's a little late. I generally don't speed anyway. But I have to prepare myself for this because apparently it's hard to not speed in a C5 (from reading people's posts... and all the threads about "I GOT ANOTHER TICKET, IT'S THE THIRD ONE THIS YEAR") .

Thanks for all the help. I think I'm good to go now...

I just checked all the stuff for airlines. Apparently all you need is a driver's license and ticket # and you can check in online now.

I'm confused about what I can bring though. It says you may bring a carry-on luggage AND a "personal item" which they used "purse, laptop, etc." as example. Does that mean I can bring my laptop in a laptop case along with another carry-on luggage for my clothes and stuff?

 

The mountains after you leave GA are pretty kewl. It's all four lane and more. You might look, making BWG your stop then head directly north till you hit the interstate and head home. You'll enjoy the museum.

Gas at 30 mpg plus on the highway I think you'll need maybe three tanks if that.

Drury Inn at BWG is great. Excellent breakfast in the a.m. There is a parkway out of BWG due north to the interstate, lots of rolling hills through KY.

Yes no problem on the lap top, just take it out of the case and put them both in a bin. Don't be surprised if they ask you to remove your shoes, nearly all of them do that now. So consider the shoe's you'll wear. Anything else throw into your check in suit case and it will be fine. If just a carry on, no problems. No knives or stuff like that, or liquids etc. That's why these days I check it all and just take my laptop with me and throw my tickets and junk in the laptop case. A few things like maybe a flash light might be handy and a AAA card. Cell phone coverage is really good so not problems there.

We want lots of pictures posted from your trip.

 

I had a similar situation when I sold my 97. The purchaser had cashier's check which could have been fake and he didn't want to leave without the title. We went to my credit union and the manager worked out a deal with his bank where the check was cashed and money sent to my credit union on that day. If you work out something like that ahead of time you can have the safety of a cashier's check and the flexibility of cash.

Bill

 

My shoes? I am going to feel offended!

I don't think I'll need anything more than a small carry on thing.. just a set of clothes, toothbrush/toothpaste, shaver, etc...

I'll bring my camera for sure. Did you really think I was going to bring a knife to an airport? lol.

Thanks for the tips.