Buying a E30 without physically being there

[325e '87]

Patience is another option. I see you in Upstate SC and with all of the BMW people in that region there's tons of E30s running around all over the place there, so if you afford to just sit tight for a little while, I'm supremely confident a good one will turn up close to you before too long. Here in Atlanta there's also lots of cars, which are much closer to you than CT!

Yeah, it took me hawking CL for 6 months to find a garage kept one owner down in Gainesville, fl. I was driving it home 8 hours after the guy posted it up.

[TAC]

I live in Idaho and sold my iX to someone in New York.

The cheapest way to ship the car will depend on the route and you'll just have to call individual services to get quotes.

My dad is a realtor so we were able to use his electronic signature program. You have to do it right, but there are great electronic signature programs that will work. I think the one we used was called Authentisign or something. Make sure you write out a thorough Bill of Sale. I just sent the title through the mail.

The most important part of course is payment. I created a new checking account with a different routing number in my bank specifically for the transaction and tested everything the day before shipping the car with a smaller amount of money. I FaceTime'd him to show the car on the truck ready to leave and he sent the money then.


EDIT: Also, I had made a video of the car that went over all the issues I knew as well as a short test drive. In addition to that, I had talked extensively with the buyer answering questions and sending photos. Make sure you get as much info as possible!

Hope this helps some.

[tonytones]

send me vin # let me know if you want me to run an autocheck report for you.

[wolfador]

I found mine on autotrader classic from a dealer. Talked with them a bit and they shared some more pics. Since it was a dealer they were able to take CC over the phone and I setup shipping with https://www.aceconnectautoshipping.com/ (they sub the job out to other shippers instead of handling it directly) but everything went great.

Of course it was only a 1K deal so if something happened I wasn't too worried.

Car was in NJ and I'm on the opposite side of PA was able to get the car picked up within 5 days after purchase (including weekend) and was at my door in one week total.

[Aleman]

I live in Philly and bought a car in Orlando after seeing it in CL there. I flew to Orlando, inspected the car, and handed over cash upon seeing it was all good. I personally would not part with my cash unless I personally inspect first or a very trusted friend did it for me.

[Julien]

Get a forum member to check it out for you

[bellerto]

I never have in the past but only because I have been lucky enough to find what I was looking for locally. I do search for cars nationwide all the time though and if I find something Im serious about buying Im definitely taking a trip to inspect the car and transact in person. Depending on the car and how far I have to travel I may consider the road trip back home as well.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[jgilber0]

Insist on a PPI or show up and buy it in person. Too many risks otherwise. These cars can look great and still have a lot of hidden issues.

[Lugnuts]

Bought my car sight-unseen. Going in person would have meant a 4 hour flight, which didn't suit. Seller sent me lots of photos of the suspect areas, engine bay, wheel arches etc. Then had 2 PPIs done. One was mobile so they drove to the seller, emailed me the report (all of which turned out to be true), then asked the seller to drive it to a close garage that also offered PPIs. Their report was a little..."salesy", but still mostly accurate. Agreed with the seller to use an escrow service. They drove it to a local company that specialized in car transport. The transport company also sent me lots of pictures of the car, for their/your records. You will have to decide on suitable escrow terms if you go that route, ie, funds released when car is handed to transport company, or when you take final receipt etc. From memory, the seller posted the various bits of paper work to me via registered post. I returned them using the same. On the whole, it worked out fine...no dramas. Bear in mind I was dealing with a pretty tired 30 year old stock E30, so I wasn't asking for kid gloves at all points of handling...