Ebay Motors

memo7600

Has anyone bought car from ebay ? If you haven't I'd say don't bother it.They usually sell wrecked cars.I bought one and ended up spending 1400 pound for just repair. and had to buy a new engine.Also,their customer service is not the best one in the world.They don't give a damn about you and your issue.Stay away if you can.

davetrousers

So what you are saying is, from your bad experience every person selling a car on ebay is dodgy?

sparkie17

I bought a car from ebay over two years ago - a Mazda 323. Never had any problems with it. It has passed its MOTs with flying colours. I think you were just unlucky.

Little_John

Sounds like someone bought a lemon. You must remember it is your responsibility to check the car out before buying it, just like if you went to a 2nd hand car sales place and that it isnt eBay that are selling the car it is the seller who is useing ebay to sell the car.

Inactive

Buying a dodgy car isn't peculiar to eBay, you can get them anywhere, just turn up, don't take an expert with you, don't do any checks, kids stuff really.:rolleyes:

eBay don't actually sell cars BTW, so nobody has bought a car from eBay.

valleymatt

As several people on here have already mentioned, it is not the fault of EBay if you buy a duff car. The same could happen whether you purchase a vehicle privately or from a garage forecourt. The onus is on the buyer to not part with any cash unless they are satisfied that the item description is accurate.

Having bought and sold several cars and motorbikes via EBay, I have only had one bad purchase over the years (which was more my fault than the sellers). Firstly, you need to know what you're looking at, and what areas to pay particular attention to. No-one can force you to hand your money over if you believe the vehicle to be different to its advertised description. That's why it's far better to look at a vehicle, and even test drive it, BEFORE you commit to bid.

If you are willing to bid without seeing/inspecting, then you should always be prepared for a few blemishes (even though you don't always get them, it's best to be prepared). If you are in any doubt about this, then do not bid and stick to a local garage instead.

Personally, I prefer to only bid on vehicles within a 10 or 25 mile radius of my home address. To do this you need to click on the 'Advanced Search' link which is next to the main search box. When the page has loaded, you can enter your search criteria, for example 'Ford Focus'. Next you need to scroll down to the area titled 'Location' and you should see a sub-heading of 'Items near me'. Tick the box and change the distance to your desired radius (I use 10 or 25 miles), and then type your postcode into the space provided. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on 'Search'. You will then only have items within your desired radius displayed. This is a useful tool when searching for anything. If you have any large or heavy items you wish to buy you can search this way to find them locally and then collect in person (saving on costly p&p charges).

I recommend using the advanced search option, especially when bidding on vehicles. That way it would be easier for you to view and test drive before you bid and end up with a lemon!

Happy Bidding!

Robin_hood_4

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I bought my current car on ebay 2 years ago, and am absolutely delighted with it. I bought it for 4K below book price, and its been the best car I've ever owned in terms of reliability.

One piece of advice. I was wary of buying a car on ebay, so paid for the full AA inspection. This came back 100% ok, which gave me confidence to buy. Basically, you should treat ebay purchase as you would with a normal 2nd hand car purchase. At the end of the day, it's just the same as buying a car from Auto trader, or any other car mag / site.

tashamarie70

:cool: i think its wrong to say dont bother as im thinking of selling my car on ebay pref for a quick sale but there nothing wrong with my little renult laguna !!

memo7600

tashamarie70 wrote: »

:cool: i think its wrong to say dont bother as im thinking of selling my car on ebay pref for a quick sale but there nothing wrong with my little renult laguna !!

Does your Renault still have an engine ? I mean is it still running ?

cuteusmaximus

FWIW - both times we bought 2nd hand cars off ebay they were lemons.
The second started leaking fumes into the cabin on the drive home. Seller wouldn't take it back, but was outraged that we left negative feedback.

Never again.

valleymatt

If it's peace of mind you're after, then you should really try and stick to trade sales that come with a warranty. The majority of problems with second hand cars could be easily spotted or dealt with if you know what you're looking for, but if you don't, trade dealers rely on their reputation and should do their uttmost to give you a good deal.

Best of luck!