JBird3

Hey everyone -- new member here looking to purchase my first Corvette. I've searched my area (Colorado) for quite awhile and cannot seem to find what I'm looking for. I've got two options I'm currently looking at but I was hoping to hear things to do/how to proceed with buying a car this far away from people who have done it. If anyone has some helpful insight/advice I would really appreciate it.

If it's any help the two cars I'm looking at are:

http://www.discountautoutah.com/2002...9/Details.aspx

http://www.rtmotorsports.net/detail....PrefID=0&.aspx


I found the list of members who can check out cars in their respective areas so I'll try and send out a few PM's but I feel a bit odd asking as a new member. I've also read through the buying tips and those are great but I'm hesitant to try and set up a deal only to fly out and be disappointed.

MStateFan

Just 2 months ago I went thru the same process. Get plenty of pictures before you decide. Also you can get a good feel with a couple of phone calls to the owner. You should be able to tell if he is shooting straight with you. Above all take your time. Find the vette you really want. Walk away if you fly and it's not what you want. Good luck!

DSTURBD

Hey Jbird3,

Fellow Coloradoan here, live in Yuma. Got my present one from RC Automotive in Salt Lake City two years ago. Really standup guys, car was even better than described and price was very fair. They typically have a number of 'Vettes, along with Porches, Shelby Cobras, etc. Highly recommend them. Can't remember my salesman's name, but he was a young guy. I recently moved and don't know just where the papers are right now. Had me financed through America First Credit Union at about 9% before I even got there. Mine is a '99, black on black A4, Z51 Coupe and had 68K on it when I bought it. Have had absolutely no problems other than routine maintenance items in 20K since I bought it. Was also a nice "get to know each other" drive home after purchase.

Hate that I am blanking on his name right now, but just tell them I'm the guy from Yuma, CO who bought the black '99 two years ago and drove it straight home in a torrential downpour on a Saturday morning!!

I think their web site is RCAutomotive.com. They are on Mountain Ave (I think) in Salt Lake City. Can't recommend them highly enough. They opened early that day so I could come in and walk around my car. They were busy with their weekly sales meeting and still, the owner came out and gave me the keys and owner's manual and told me to feel free to interrupt them if I had any questions!!

Really stand-up guys and really high quality inventory. I couldn't be happier with my car. You might want to check it out.

DSTURBD

JaxEagle

I bought from a forum member and it worked out well. Your odds are very high that way. I'd search the for sale section. Forum members don't stand for bum deals here.

DSTURBD

Oh, and by the way, remember that if you do buy out of state, they don't charge sales taxes with the purchase. You will have to pay them when you register the car here in Colorado. No big deal, just won't be financed in with your loan.

DSTURBD

Vetteman Jack

Don't worry about being a new member and asking someone to look at a car for you. The people on that list volunteered to do it and will gladly give of their time to help someone out.

I bought my car back in 2009 - I lived in mid-Missouri and the car was located in New Jersey. I called and talked to the owner and asked a lot of questions, plus got a number of photos to get an idea what the car was like. It also helped that other forum members were familiar with the car and the owner and vouched for everything. After we agreed on a price, I flew out to Atlantic City with a check from my credit union. I figured that if things were not as represented, I could always nix the deal and fly back home - I would just be out the price of the airline tickets. Luckily the car was just what I was looking for and the seller (a fellow forum member) had described the car perfectly.

The advice to take your time and do plenty of research on the car before jumping into a deal is very good. Lots of cars out there. But don't be afraid to travel a bit if you find something that really sparks your interest.

black match box

Get the red 0ne.

703

I bought my car from a forum member as well. While it wasn't across state lines it was still a good hike (4hrs away). Just make sure to do your homework up front. Get a lot of pictures and a 3rd party inspection wouldn't hurt either.

bjones7131

Lot of miles on both cars. Fairly low miles was a big factor for me when I was looking. It is hard to pull the trigger on a vette because you never know what you are getting until it is to late. Take someone with you who knows vetts if possible. I took my brother with me who has a 72 LT1 car he bought new. I would also rather buy from an individual if at all possible. Make sure and check out all the little things, headlights, horn, seat mech, cruise control, etc. I know I didn't think to do all of this at the time but thought of it later, lucky everthing worked OK. The horn wouldn't blow on the drive back home and I kept pressing the horn button and it finally began to work so check the small stuff out. See if all the recalls have been done as well. Good luck

obnoxus

All 3 of my Corvettes were a plane ride and drive home..... find someone local ( there is always someone close ) to look at the car, or as said above, buy from a member.

My first car was from Ebay so there is some buyer protection there,,,,,, coincidently the second and current Vettes were from AirForce Colonels,,,,,,, all great experiences.

Plus a nice road trip is a great way to get acquainted with your new purchase !!!

Just go in with the mindset that your not afraid to get on another plane and go home if its not right

JBird3

Thanks for the advice so far everyone... I really appreciate it and please keep it coming. It seems like a lot more people have done it than I thought. I'm just a bit nervous as they are higher mileage with multiple owners. I sent a few PM's out to guys in the area so hopefully I can get them looked at before I make a decision to head out to see one!

ArtGle

I live in Boston area, bought from a guy 200 miles away in Connecticut.
Sent me VIN and MANY Pictures.
Car Fax gave good information.
Had it ramp-trucked home by local company $$$$$ But worth every penny.
Happy as a clam here.

acroy

I just bought my first Vette (C5) a couple months back, out of state, 1000 miles away, flew in and drove back.

Actually I've done this several times over the years with various cars.

The key for me has been to spend some time on the forum, get to know the cars a bit, decide what you really want, and wait till 'the one' pops up. Do a little background research on the seller on the forum (look at old posts, attention to detail, etc) and jump in with both feet.

You won't regret it! I took my time.... 7 months this time, almost a year last time.

Good luck!

andrec10

IN NY they charge you the tax when you register it......

jdot

That's what he said....

TWOBUELLS

I've bought two out of state Vettes from forum members Oregon and Missouri , flew in and drove home to Pennsylvania. To make the money transaction easier and safer , I opened an account with the sellers bank and deposited the funds into my new account. The day of the transaction we met at our now common bank and transferred the money from my account to his.
Worked like a charm and I closed the account about a month later.
This works well when paying cash.

racebum

there's no way i would buy a 100k mile c5 without seeing it in person, on a lift and doing my inspection. there is a night and day difference between a well taken care of and maintained car and a driven...and driven car especially with that mileage. actually it's not even 100k, i found some at 60 and 80k that were beat too. i did wind up buying one with 90k and it was in great shape. the owner is everything and condition is all over the place with the c5. i have a car with no leaks, no rips, no issues, no rattles and it's a nice used car. i can't tell you how many i looked at that had issues, some the owners tried to hide. leaking seals wiped off. incorrect wiring under the hood, obvious demodded cars, frame impacts, worn synchros, i remember a lot

o2bnkc

Unless you try to buy something in Kalifornia and try to drive it out of there. To do that, you must pay Kal. sales tax. I guess they get tired of screwing their own taxpayers, so they figure they'll go after others that want to do business with them. I bought one in Stockton, Kal. and had them drive it up to me in Nevada. That's the only way to get out of paying their high sales tax. Have it delivered. I flew to Scottsdale, Az. and bought one and drove it back. What a blast! My first Corvette!

Samjax777

Just a question to go along with the post...how are you guys going about the actual purchase of the car in regards to funding? A lot of sellers are "cash only", and while it's easy enough to drive from my area (Tampa) to maybe Orlando (100 miles) with $20,000 cash, it's quite another thing to carry that much currency on a plane trip to an area 1000 miles away.

I suppose a cashier's check would make sense, but I've been seeing a few cars for sale where the sellers says that cashier's check will be accepted, but the buyer would have to wait until it clears before the car was released.

My bank (SunTrust) is pretty much in Florida only...unlike Chase or Wells Fargo; which are pretty much everywhere. Maybe open an account with them and do it that way?

bjones7131

I took cash, counted it out on tailgate of my truck with wind blowing 100.00 bills around. I had a bunch of the new 100.00 bills, we must have counted it 4 times. Take a paper wait, lol