dotnetdude

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

hadokenuh

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.

Simi_MDX

moose66

Without at least the bare minimum down they will accept, the dealer will not hesitate to sell that vehicle to the first person showing up with funds. That is unless you sign something stating otherwise in lieu of the deposit.

hadokenuh

Even when you put down a deposit, a dealership can make a "mistake" and sell the car to someone else. That's not uncommon.

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).