Buying a used MDX from a dealer out of state. How do I mitigate my risks?
#1
Buying a used MDX from a dealer out of state. How do I mitigate my risks?
I found a 2015 Acura MDX in my neighboring state. It's the color I wanted and the price was decent as well. It's a certified vehicle with 26k miles on it. There were no pictures of it online as they had received it as a trade in only very recently.
I spoke to the dealer and told him that I am willing to fly to the dealer location and drive the car back if he can send me some pictures. He took some pics and texted them to me. They are not very detailed, but I didn't notice anything wrong with it. I asked them if they are willing to negotiate and they said they can lower the price if I pay them a deposit over the phone.
What are my risks with this purchase? I don't want to pay a deposit, spend time/money in going out of state only to find out that there's something wrong with the vehicle. Looking for opinions on what my risks are and how do I mitigate them.
Thanks
I spoke to the dealer and told him that I am willing to fly to the dealer location and drive the car back if he can send me some pictures. He took some pics and texted them to me. They are not very detailed, but I didn't notice anything wrong with it. I asked them if they are willing to negotiate and they said they can lower the price if I pay them a deposit over the phone.
What are my risks with this purchase? I don't want to pay a deposit, spend time/money in going out of state only to find out that there's something wrong with the vehicle. Looking for opinions on what my risks are and how do I mitigate them.
Thanks
#2
Burning Brakes
Best way to check the car out of state is to pay for a Pre purchase inspection for like $150.
After that, best way to negotiate is to work out the price and sign everything over mails and have it shipped to you at a part of negotiation.
I would not fly in and expect them to keep their words. There will be surprises and “mistakes” waiting for you. Dont put down deposit either. It will be a couple months to get it back if you dont want the car.
After that, best way to negotiate is to work out the price and sign everything over mails and have it shipped to you at a part of negotiation.
I would not fly in and expect them to keep their words. There will be surprises and “mistakes” waiting for you. Dont put down deposit either. It will be a couple months to get it back if you dont want the car.
#3
Yup...I would not buy a car sight unseen. The dealership has the upper hand selling you small defects for top dollar. On Porsches, you can ask a dealer to read out certain readings from the ECU. When I asked about it, they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about and after closer look at pictures, I found overspray under the car behind the bumpers. Would have been a very expensive flight to SF and then back without a car.
My friend bought a CPO Ford Mustang from a Ford dealership in TX. Sight unseen because he was going to do a custom car build. Car arrived visually OK, but it had 5K miles more than the paperwork. Dealership claimed it was a typo, but after getting lawyers involved, they settled for $0.75/mile.
At a minimum, I would hire a shop to do a PPI. If you are an OCD person, I would recommend flying out there for final purchase.
My friend bought a CPO Ford Mustang from a Ford dealership in TX. Sight unseen because he was going to do a custom car build. Car arrived visually OK, but it had 5K miles more than the paperwork. Dealership claimed it was a typo, but after getting lawyers involved, they settled for $0.75/mile.
At a minimum, I would hire a shop to do a PPI. If you are an OCD person, I would recommend flying out there for final purchase.
#4
Burning Brakes
Best way to check the car out of state is to pay for a Pre purchase inspection for like $150.
After that, best way to negotiate is to work out the price and sign everything over mails and have it shipped to you at a part of negotiation.
I would not fly in and expect them to keep their words. There will be surprises and “mistakes” waiting for you. Dont put down deposit either. It will be a couple months to get it back if you dont want the car.
After that, best way to negotiate is to work out the price and sign everything over mails and have it shipped to you at a part of negotiation.
I would not fly in and expect them to keep their words. There will be surprises and “mistakes” waiting for you. Dont put down deposit either. It will be a couple months to get it back if you dont want the car.
#5
Burning Brakes
Once you decide to buy the car (after a PPI), negotiating over the phone and email works just fine. Let them overnight the purchase agreement and stuff, then you sign them. Once everything is signed, you can either fly in to drive it home or have it shipped to your home for $700 (also negotiable).
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