Buying a lotus off of Ebay
Discussion
Hoping someone can advise me on here.
I'm currently keeping an eye on the classifieds for a Lotus Elise and one has come up for auction on Ebay.
Having never purchased a car on ebay I'm wondering if there are any pitfulls I should look out for as I wouldn't want to lose out on such a substantial amount of money.
The seller has a perfect history and feedback but what concerns me is a £250 deposit to be paid at the end of an auction and he states "payment options are bank transfer at a bank or cash, full cleared payment must be received before the vehicle will be released"
I suppose I'm worried incase the seller isn't genuine and has a good albeit fictitious account and the car might not be genuine.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
I'm currently keeping an eye on the classifieds for a Lotus Elise and one has come up for auction on Ebay.
Having never purchased a car on ebay I'm wondering if there are any pitfulls I should look out for as I wouldn't want to lose out on such a substantial amount of money.
The seller has a perfect history and feedback but what concerns me is a £250 deposit to be paid at the end of an auction and he states "payment options are bank transfer at a bank or cash, full cleared payment must be received before the vehicle will be released"
I suppose I'm worried incase the seller isn't genuine and has a good albeit fictitious account and the car might not be genuine.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
I bought mine off Ebay. Just go along and have a look at it and if you like it, make an offer. Its what I did and got a decent buy. I think most people on Ebay use it as a good way as advertising a car rather than being 100% bothered about it going all the way to the end of the auction. If it looks like a decent motor and youve got the cash ready, id go along, get it checked out if needed then make an offer. They can only say no. Selling cars on ebay/ autotrader or anywhere will ensure you get correspondance and visits from all manner of idiots.
If someone serious comes along with the cash waiting to buy it, Id think your hand would be snapped up.
Re not getting ripped off. As above, visit the seller at his home address, and exercise the same caution as buying a motor from anyone privately. I paid cash and took the car away after HPI check and pre sale check from a Lotus Specialist.
If someone serious comes along with the cash waiting to buy it, Id think your hand would be snapped up.
Re not getting ripped off. As above, visit the seller at his home address, and exercise the same caution as buying a motor from anyone privately. I paid cash and took the car away after HPI check and pre sale check from a Lotus Specialist.
Go and look at it, and buy it as you would any other car. Carry out all the same checks and you'll be OK.
If you're worried about the deposit, just go and collect the car when the auction ends, and take the buyer to a bank to sort out the money.
To be honest, I wouldn't even consider the eBay side of things - you can't really pay by Paypal when the costs are £££££, as the fees would be astronomical, so cash rules.
Just don't buy it blind.
If you're worried about the deposit, just go and collect the car when the auction ends, and take the buyer to a bank to sort out the money.
To be honest, I wouldn't even consider the eBay side of things - you can't really pay by Paypal when the costs are £££££, as the fees would be astronomical, so cash rules.
Just don't buy it blind.
I bought mine blind on ebay.
Ebay cars is explicitly exempt from the "you are entering a legally binding contract" thing and anyway it was described in detail and the auction would immediately be void of anything was not as described. If anything hadn't matched the description, I would just have walked away, nothing lost except my expenses getting there.
I met the seller at his home and looked over the car; then went to the bank with him, withdrew the cash and signed the car over; then we walked to his bank and paid the cash in. You need to warn the branch in advance if you intend to withdraw that sort of quantity of money, though.
Ebay cars is explicitly exempt from the "you are entering a legally binding contract" thing and anyway it was described in detail and the auction would immediately be void of anything was not as described. If anything hadn't matched the description, I would just have walked away, nothing lost except my expenses getting there.
I met the seller at his home and looked over the car; then went to the bank with him, withdrew the cash and signed the car over; then we walked to his bank and paid the cash in. You need to warn the branch in advance if you intend to withdraw that sort of quantity of money, though.
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 19th June 09:22
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff