Anbody here live in Harrisburg PA that could check out a Mustang for me.

[Spence340]

Looking at a 2008 Mustang that I saw on Craigslist and I was wondering if anyone here lives in Harrisburg and might be able to take a quick look at it for me. I really hate the idea of buying something I have never seen in the flesh.

 

[07 Boss]

I bought a car from out of state. You can pay to have someone go inspect it and give you a report. There are different levels of inspection you can pay for too from a basic does everything work and look ok to taking it and having tests done on it. Can't remember the name of the company I used but was very happy with there inspection and report. I had the dealership up there take care of a few things before I purchased it. Shipping was another matter all together.

 

[pass1over]

I really hate the idea of buying something I have never seen in the flesh.

I feel your pain. I bought a kei truck from a Japanese auction site. Truck was located in Japan, had to wait a month+ after purchasing for it to show up, lol. First time I've purchase a vehicle without seeing it in person.

 

[tabstang]

Been there, done that, DON'T DO IT! if you can find someone you trust to check it out, OK maybe. My advice is, if it looks really good and you really want it, find a way to go see it yourself - and be prepared to walk away. Don't put money down. I've bought several cars long distance, and there's a very strong tendency to want to believe the best about a car you want, you have to be cold-hearted about it. Buyers remorse can last a LONG time if you make a mistake.

I paid for an inspection to buy a 05 GT convertible once, inspection was clean but when I got it the top was shot, couldn't really see that in the photos and the inspector said NOTHING about it. That wasn't cheap.

 

[20155h]

I bought a car 4 states away. Site unseen. I talked to the owner and while I knew the car needed some work, I ended up with something totally different. A rust bucket, inside and out. Timing chain was bad no telling what else was bad inside the motor. Bad battery. Flat bald tires. I lost money i had saved up. I knew I was taking a risk but the owner made it sound like all wasn’t so bad. I will never do this again. I believed the owner. There are those that are honest and there are those that are misguided. Guess which type of person I got the car from. I donated the car. I didn’t even try to resell it. It was that bad.

 

[richie9mt]

I have bought four cars online, three I inspected myself, and they were all good. I still have two of them. The last one, my 2006 Mustang, was from a company called Gateway Classic Cars in Indiana. They had the Mustang on consignment from a local customer. I looked at the pics online [106 of them], it was a Kentucky car with 87K miles, CarFax clear, and clean, and virtually rust-free. But the owner was asking too much (or Gateway was). But the salesman told me the owner would entertain offers, so I made one and he accepted. I had it shipped here (three or four states away). Turned out to be the best deal I've made so far. It's exactly what I wanted and seems all original.

I had joined this and another Mustang Forum and had a fair idea of what I was buying. I was an auto mechanic in the Marines and worked my way through college part time at a local transmission shop so I was not totally ignorant of mechanical things. Plus I'm an old fart and if I get stung, it's OK. I never planned on wallpapering my coffin with hundred-dollar bills.

I used to pass through Harrisburg on my way to Carlisle (8 1/2 hour drive) but I haven't been down there for ten years now. Great gatherings there.

 

[Spence340]

Yeah, I walked away from this one, some things did not add up and by searching the vin I found it had been on sale there since April. Something was wrong. Thanks for all the input.

 

[Ret]

Since I live up North in Snow country you don't find a lot of convertibles for sale. I too went on Craigs List (a first for me) and found my car. Unlike so many of you I am not mechanically inclined so took a knowledgeable friend along to buy the car. It was in another state so took a few hours to get there.

Bought the car, and even though my friend gave it a once over I did take it to my mechanic of 20 plus years. Car in great shape, plus had brand new brakes and tires.

Just too risky to buy a car sight unseen. As one of the posts pointed out; some people aren't honest.

 

[JamesTheGreat]

Looking at a 2008 Mustang that I saw on Craigslist and I was wondering if anyone here lives in Harrisburg and might be able to take a quick look at it for me. I really hate the idea of buying something I have never seen in the flesh.

You could try asking the current owner to take it to a repair shop if your choosing and have it inspected. However, in PA, cars are state inspected yearly for function and for rust holes. I live in MD and usually buy from PA as the cars and trucks are, on average, in better condition. In MD cars are only inspected when you first purchase and tag them. Then never again.

 

[Greg D]

Spence 340 - Good point about the VIN. Always get the VIN ahead of time and a letter stating the photos are dated and they're taken of the car with that VIN. There are people that will represent the car they're selling with pictures of a different car, or of the same car when it was newer.