Buying a Car on eBay

sassy165

Could anyone give me some advice about buying a car on eBay. It looks OK; It sounds OK; but?
I thought about having it inspected but this costs in the region of £150 - £200. I would, of course, go and see it before making a final decision and placing a bid but please, please I need advice.

Do you know anything about Fords? Some people say leave them alone, but I have had a couple that have been fantastic.

Thank you

Moneyfornothing_2

Go and see the car BEFORE bidding (as you would any car purchase) so that you know exactly what you are buying.

Fords (or frauds ) are fine if you take them for what they are.
Cheap to buy, cheap to run, parts easily available (as spares are needed that often they can mass produce!) and VERY common as in you can guarantee to see at least 10 of the same make, model, colour & spec. on a 5 mile drive.

sassy165

Thank you for your advice.

I was told the problem was with the bodywork rusting?

SandLake

Is there any safeguards when buying a car on Ebay, if the car is declared to be in A1 condition and you discover a fault, do you have any rights. If the seller declares that it has never been in an accident but you discover it has, do you have any recourse?

trigger_mike

i've brought a few cars of ebay and never had a problem, if the car is'nt as discribed when you go to collect then refuse it or try for a discount as it's fraud, look on https://www.autotrader.co.uk to get an idea of the price of the car first as well and stick to your budget, don't get carried away.
As for Fords, cheap to buy, cheap to repair and cheap to run, I've had many Escorts and Fiesta and the like and never had a problem, How much do you want to spend?, any Ford before 1998 will be starting to show signs of rust, mainly scabby wheel arches and sills.
Also check out the feedback, if the feedback is poor and he's a trader then steer clear, go by your gut instint, if it looks genune and sounds genune then im sure it be fine.

superscotsman

sassy165 wrote:

Do you know anything about Fords? Some people say leave them alone, but I have had a couple that have been fantastic.

Thank you

There is only one problem I have found with second hand Fords: they are so popular that getting a Ford at a bargain price is very difficult. For that reason - and that reason alone - I have never owned a second hand Ford. I have driven hired/borrowed Fords and found them entirely satisfactory.

Because the Japanese use the total quality management system, I nowadays only buy Japanese vehicles.

muffle_2

I've sold a car on eBay and had no problems, but it was only £170. Depending on the value of the car you may want to pay for the inspection. E-mail the seller at least 24 hours before the auction saying that your bid is subject to satisfactory inspection on collection.

sassy165

Thank you all for your advice. I have already emailed the seller thro eBay and asked for an inspection prior to bidding. The vehicle is a 1998 Ford Finesse 1600 estate, the BIN price £1200, which looks to be OK when compared with vehicles I have seen in local garages/paper.

SANDLAKE you can pay £6.99 for a check on eBay to eliminate or otherwise the possibility of the vehicle having been in an accident, theft or the subject of an outstanding hire purchase agreement.

onesocklizzie

I bought a car on ebay a year ago. There were numerous faults that only a mechanic could spot - the seller was a mechanic (and also, an undisclosed dealer)!! I ended up taking him to court and it was a very stressful situation so I urge you to approach with caution, having said that, the majority of ebayers are genuine sellers so you might bag a good'un. Good luck

sassy165

I thank you all for your advice. Having taken it all on board I have discounted the idea of purchasing a car off eBay.

Having said that I am sure that most of them are reputable but I cannot take the risk that the one I deal with is not.

billie19

sassy165 wrote:

I thank you all for your advice. Having taken it all on board I have discounted the idea of purchasing a car off eBay.

Having said that I am sure that most of them are reputable but I cannot take the risk that the one I deal with is not.

I have my car on ebay at the moment.

With 158+ feedbacks at 100% I'd like to think of myself as a reputable member, but I have had loads of hassle from 'interested buyers' questioning the mileage and service history etc of my car.

Some of these people are quite rude with the questions, which there is no excuse for.

I have invited any inspection on my car before bidding.

Therefore you would think that people would treat the sale in the same way as say finding it advertised on Auto Trader.

I always check the feedback, previous items sold etc of sellers before I make a purchase - ie if they are advertising as private sales and they have sold xxx cars in the last three months, then something is amiss.


Please don't let the few dodgy ones put you off buying your new car.
Just do your homework first.....

Good luck.

Billie19
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