Bank details for deposit

Catonthemoon

Herzlos said:

That really sounds fishy. If he's had another offer, why is he willing to hold the car until January with just a deposit?

Throw in the mix that he's too far away to for you to see it, it's sounding the the setup to the common escrow scam where later he'll offer to ship it to you and get you to send the money to a safe 3rd party. You pay, then both vanish. That's assuming he doesn't just vanish after the deposit. 

If you want the car, book a flight to go see it, buy it, and drive it home.  If booking flights isn't enough to show the buyer you are serious, then walk away. 

I'd also be doing a reverse image search of the photos he's provided to see if they came from an owners club or another listing, and a look on streetview to try and confirm the house actually exists. 

Also, I wouldn't be looking at buying a car until you're already in a position to pay for it (at least having finance arranged) and somewhere to store it. A serious seller isn't going to want to deal with the hassle of a buyer who isn't actually ready. 

Thank you. Some very sound advice. I’ve done the reverse image search…nothing untoward!

Your last paragraph- what he’s offering to do actually really helps me out because it gives me some time to put those 2 things in place (storage & financing). I have the cash to buy outright but I’m considering another option which will take a few weeks to finalise.

MOT history shows all minor advisories which were rectified immediately. If any rust/corrosion, do you think that would get a mention on the record?

Finally, finding another model like this with such low mileage would probably be very difficult, hence my feeling that I should just go for it.

Herzlos

MOT's are a very basic test of roadworthiness, without being able to remove anything from the car, so it'd only pick up on rust that was serious and obvious. 

Does the MOT history also reflect the mileage?

Does the registration plate match with the area i.e. it's WH58 xxx or WH08 xxx?
Can you get him to send you photos of some MOTs or invoices and use that to figure out where the work was done? If the MOT is from a garage on the mainland then it's definitely dodgy. 

It still feels a bit off but I can't place it.

Catonthemoon

I had a slight reservation when I came across the ad on eBay… only 3 photos! One of the car having just been washed, the other 2 in a picturesque location! I mentioned to the seller that I found this a little unusual as most people include several photos to show off what’s on offer. Don’t know how many he had in the Car & Classic ad. Anyway, I could be overthinking it.

When I did ask for more photos (ie cockpit, engine bay), these were sent over immediately.

Herzlos

What was the timestamp on the photos? Did they match what you were asking for?

It could well be genuine, but I'd still recommend physically seeing the vehicle at the V5 address before handing over any money. 

Catonthemoon

Herzlos said:

MOT's are a very basic test of roadworthiness, without being able to remove anything from the car, so it'd only pick up on rust that was serious and obvious. 

Does the MOT history also reflect the mileage?

Does the registration plate match with the area i.e. it's WH58 xxx or WH08 xxx?
Can you get him to send you photos of some MOTs or invoices and use that to figure out where the work was done? If the MOT is from a garage on the mainland then it's definitely dodgy. 

It still feels a bit off but I can't place it.

The reg plate check tells me that it was first registered in NW England. If the 2nd or 3rd owner bought it and took it to the IoW, why would that be cause for concern? Doesn’t that happen all the time?

Herzlos

Catonthemoon said:

The reg plate check tells me that it was first registered in NW England. If the 2nd or 3rd owner bought it and took it to the IoW, why would that be cause for concern? Doesn’t that happen all the time?

It's just looking for hints that it's legitimate or not. A car registered on IoW and being sold from there is more likely than a car registered in NW England

On it's own it's it's no big deal, cars do move around especially older ones or with online car purchasing. My last few cars were registered about 200 miles away. 

Catonthemoon

Herzlos said:

What was the timestamp on the photos? Did they match what you were asking for?

It could well be genuine, but I'd still recommend physically seeing the vehicle at the V5 address before handing over any money. 

Where can I find timestamps? I’ve looked at the pics he sent me via eBay & others which were via text - I can’t see that info anywhere!
Thank you.

Grey_Critic

One thing is certain if it is a con you will not get your money back OR any sympathy. We are told not to pay by bank transfer unless we are 100% certai9n that we know it is sake. Your posting your question here tells us you are suspicious.

 You have been warned Your choice Your money Your Problem 

Herzlos

Catonthemoon said:

Herzlos said:

What was the timestamp on the photos? Did they match what you were asking for?

It could well be genuine, but I'd still recommend physically seeing the vehicle at the V5 address before handing over any money. 

Where can I find timestamps? I’ve looked at the pics he sent me via eBay & others which were via text - I can’t see that info anywhere!
Thank you.

If you open it in your phone gallery there will be info option somewhere that should have a date and time in it. 

That'll hopefully be able to tell you if the photo was taken after you asked or not. 

mikrt

Dodgy AF. Red flags all over. Who covers their car anyway by the way?