unstressed

I'm looking for a pre-owned Vette (00-01) and the selection in San Diego is dismal (I'm pretty picky to make matters worse). For those of you who bought used from another state, how much hassle was the transaction?

Was there a smog issue?
License Plates?
Getting the title from the owner when they still owe money on the car?
Lein settlement?
How do you ensure your not flying out to see a pile?
What suggestions do you have, and what bit you on the **** that you missed?

I'm thinking about talking to the Vette Net guys, and I'm sure there will be many people with great experiences with them, how about some of the not-so smooth transactions, if there are any.

:chevy

C5inWV

I feel your pain.
I bought my first Vette in Oct 2001, right after 9/11 events. The airport was a mess (D.C. to Philly.) I got to the dealer in Philly to see the "perfect" vette with 11,000 miles on it. I almost walked away from the deal when I saw the driver's seatbelt latch was broken and I heard the whine of the fuel pump. They assured me all could be taken care of by my local GM dealership, but they didn't have the parts for me in Philly. On the way home I discovered the "service tire monitor" warning, and I realized why the salesman had been so eager to always reset the computer when we test drove it. The car was GM certified, so I kept it and took it directly to my local GM dealership for repairs. I now know that dealers balk at repairing warranty work, because it doesn't pay for them. They had the car for 3 weeks and only fixed the seatbelt and incorrect lugnuts. I got fed up and had the tire sensor monitors replaced on my own. I made the other repairs locally and kept all receipts.
I took them to court and got ~ 3X what I originally asked for, but I waited a year for that money. I shared the $ with the attorney 50/50.
You can get a good deal but my advice is:
1) Be prepared to walk away.
2) Insist that all repairs be done before accepting the car.
Buying from an individual could be better or worse, but if (when) I do it again, I will stay overnight in the area and sleep on it.
Good Luck.
:crazy:

J R C

Great advice ... trying to buy something from a "non salt" environment if at all possible myself so will keep these things in perspective at all times. After all with the exception of '97's there are a lot of C5's still running around and the market prices are dropping fairly quickly (good for those in the market not for those who need to or want to sell)

imagewizard

I am actually in the same process . I am also looking for a 00-01 vette and haven't had much luck looking in my own state for the criteria that I have . However, I noticed that you had mentioned that you live in San Diego. Well , I came across an ad for a 00 vette in the San Francisco area with 13,000 miles on it for 31,000. In my findings that is a pretty reasonable price for that many miles and the options that it had. I have actually spoken with the owner and he said that it was immaculate. I unfortunately still have cold feet about the car since I live in Kansas. Since it is your own state I would see if he still has it for sale and check it out. Here is the link.
http://www.usedcorvettesforsale.com/...uery=retrieval

Anyway , good luck... And let me know if you come across something similar in the midwest.


[Modified by imagewizard, 3:32 AM 2/28/2003]


[Modified by imagewizard, 3:34 AM 2/28/2003]

HummelS

Hi, neighbor :seeya

To answer your questions:

[1] CA smog cert is not generally a problem for the 00/01 model years; if it's an '00 or earlier, it needs to either have the CA emissions option or 7500 miles minimum to be legal; if it's 01 or later, they are all CA-legal. If you bring a car in from out-of-state, it does have to go thru smog test. (You do need to be a little careful of modded cars, as some inspection places are pretty strict on the visual inspection; i.e., the car must have original or CARB-certified equipment.)

[2] Once you have the title, bill of sale, and smog cert, you just take those to the DMV, pay taxes, title, & registration, get the plates, and off you go.

[3] If there is a lien on the car you decide to buy, arrange to have certified funds made out to the lienholder AND the owner - you can do split funding if the lien amount is less than the selling price of the car, but you should make sure that the lien pay-off is conditional on you getting title to the car.

[4] Pictures, pictures, pictures - we always try to get tons of hi-res photos of any car we're trying to sell. Not a 100% guarantee, but you can usually get a feel for whether it's the "real deal" or a PoS. Some deals, my buyer has been comfortable to take a car sight-unseen, and some folks just have to go touch the car. Either way works: airfare is cheap if you plan ahead! (Also, we have access to independent inspection services that will give you a report for $100 or so.)

[5] If you buy long-distance and elect to have the car shipped, transportation will almost always take a while (week or so), once the deal is done. (It will also cost more than the cheap ticket (see #4) and a nice drive home.)

Good luck, & drop me an email or call if I can help. :cheers:

geck

I have done this twice in the past 4 years. Once I purchased a 93 Ruby Red anniversary vert from Mershons Corvettes. I did this without seeing the car in person. Last December I purchased my current C5 a 02 Mag Red oak/oak 6spd vert from Corvettes of Houston. Did not see this one in person either. It pays to be a forum member as a number of guys who lived near the two dealers stopped by to eyeball the cars. I paid to have both vettes transported with the understanding that if I didn't like what I got they were not comming off the trailer. My my most recent experience with Corvettes of Houston went unbelievably well without a hitch and the vette was better than I expected. Talk to Matt at COH. He will answer any questions that you may have. Also check out the website. Thats how I found my Magg Red. Good Luck. :cheers:

Cajun99

My current white FRC and previous red FRC were both bought out of state from an individual and both were Forum members :cheers:

Red FRC: Spent quite a bit of time on the phone discussing the car and "sizing" up the owner "attitude" towards Corvette ownership as I am extremely **** about Corvettes and wanted one from an enthusiast and not just a one-time owner who really didn't appreciate it and just wanted to get rid of it (I wouldn't trust how well he had taken care of it). Turned out he was more **** than me!! Received boatloads of digital photos of nearly every inch of the car. We settled on a price and I flew to New Jersey in winter with a bank draft for the total. He met me at the hotel the following morning with the car and I was stunned. The car was even nicer and more perfect than the pics. We headed to his Dodge dealer and did an "in & out" with his clear title for a Viper he wanted. The dealer handled the transfer paperwork and gave me a 30-day temp tag for the two day ride back to New Orleans. The car was perfect for the ride home and I was thrilled. Received the title about ten days later and paid the sales taxes when I registered it here. I couldn't have been more satisfied with how things turned out. Eight months later I wrecked the car :cry :cry and went back on the hunt.

White FRC: Pretty much the same insofar as talking to the owner by phone, getting pics and carrying a bank draft but flew to Tennessee this time and the car was exactly as I expected. He and I went to his bank with my draft, which they verified, and paid off the car. Then we headed to his BMW dealer with the title to do an "in & out" on an M3 convertible. Once again that dealer gave me a temp tag and handled the paperwork. Ride back was flawless and several days later I received the title and got it registered here in Lousyana. I've had this FRC eight months now and it's been perfect other than a tire sensor crapping out and I'm thrilled everytime I drive it.

Overall I have no problem buying from an individual across state lines. Just do your prepwork before you leave. I would be much more hesitant to deal with an out-of-state non-Forum related dealer though as I basically just don't trust anything dealer's tell me over the phone. I would feel better, but still edgy, dealing with an out-of-state Forum dealer. I've seen both happy and unhappy folks here that used Forum dealers.

Good Luck with whatever you do :yesnod: :cheers:

sbmrinaldi

I have done this five times in the past two years and have had good luck. Like the others are saying, cover all your bases on the condition of the car first; get pics, etc.. If there is a lein on the car make sure you at least talk to the bank and hear everything first hand. If the car is finianced locally, do the deal at the bank, in person. If not get on the phone with the seller and talk directly to the bank, find out the payoff and details on how they handle the title, etc.. I then went with the seller to a Mail Boxes Etc., and mailed payment overnite for the amount needed to release the title. I received a copy of everything, had the number and contact name of the lein holder and had a bill of sale. I then went and got a temp tag until my title came in and then I could pay the taxes and officially get plates. It really was a smooth process and I have never had a problem. Any questions email me and I would be glad to help. sbmrinaldi@yahoo.com

gtragitt

I would consider Steve at the VetteNet a very valuable resource. Please give him a call. He already responded to your post.

Another suggestion. Use a network and find somebody to go look at the car before you fly. Steve probably has many contacts. Locate a forum member near the car. I am sure they would look at it for you. I would be happy to look at anmy cars in the Houston area if you have a lead on a potential purchase.


[Modified by gtragitt, 9:36 AM 3/2/2003]

unstressed

Thanks for the reply's everyone, I think I will use VetteNet along with searching the net. Where else was everyone looking, I check out autotrader.com weekly, and the for sale section here every few days. New is out, I just can't deal with the first year or two's depreciation.
:party:

BobG

Stressed...

I'll second the recommendation of Steve at the Vette Net. I've met him and his wife. He's a great guy, and he really loves vettes, and he's "local" to you, so that's a big help. His info is also right on about buying out of state.

I bought my '01 "used" out of state from an ad on the forum. It was in Topeka, and had been won on a game show. At the time, it was a fantastic deal $$ wise, but sounded too good to be true, as it had only 16 miles on it. So I flew out to KS with a check in hand, looked at the car, and bought it.

Some states, like KS, the plate stays with the person. I didn't know this, so I ended up driving all the way back to CA with no plates. I didn't get stopped, so I don't know how much trouble I would have been in, so sometimes ignorance is bliss...:) I don't know how you could overcome this with a private party sale, so do some homework in this area!

DMV went off with no problems. Since it was an 01, no mileage issues, but the DMV person still had to verify the mileage, vin and that "California" was specifically mentioned in the smog sticker. Other than the terrible sales tax hit, the process was very easy.

Good luck on the search..that's just the beginning of the fun.

Tim2K4Vert

I'm in the same situation since I can't seem to find what I'm looking for in CA at a decent price. Is it true that no matter who I buy from out of state (dealer or individual), I'll have to pay CA state taxes on the car when I register it?

HummelS

:bb Thanks for the kind words, guys.... :seeya

corvettenvy

Yes, when you register your car in California, you will have to pay sales tax on the purchase price. The only exception is if you have owned it for a period of time, I think it is 6 mos., and can show gas receipts in another state for that period.

Tim2K4Vert

Thanks corvettenvy, that's what I thought. I've never purchased a vehicle from anyone other than a dealer before so this is a new experience for me.

unstressed

Tim, kinda sucks that we can't find a good deal local. I'm also concerned that I'll buy a car, only to have the C6 be unveiled the next day and watch the C5 prices plummet, and have a huge selection to choose from.

This whole situation makes me nervous, 30+K for a used car, buying it from someone out of state, C6 around the corner.

I know if I don't buy soon, I'll do something else with the money, and a Vette is a lifelong dream.

This is how I feel, both :U and :) at the same time. Am i just ? :nopity


Now you know how I picked my username. :seeya


[Modified by Stressed, 10:52 AM 3/4/2003]

HummelS

Stressed: would a local car help? 1998 6-sp. in La Mesa.




[Modified by thevettenet CA, 11:09 AM 3/4/2003]

Charlie Hitt

I just sold my ZO6 through Steve at the vette net to a guy in San Diego. From a sellers prospective, those guys really helped. There are all the issues of selling a car to someone 3,000 miles away, like what get's sent first, the title or the money? Steve "middled" it, which is a relief. Steve helped set up transport for the buyer, and so on.
My car had very few miles on it, and it was bought site unseen, but lots of pictures flew around.
The little issues of making a clean transaction, the time consuming stuff, was minimized for the guy who bought it, and me, by Steve. I've bought, and soldv quite a few cars from around the US and had them moved. The Net guys helped, and they have good advice.
Back to looking for a mid year......

unstressed

Steve (VetteNet) I'd like to take this offline, I'll send you email with the particulars of what I'm looking for.

Thanks for everyones help :seeya

Tim2K4Vert

Stressed - Yep, it's difficult to find a good deal in CA. I paid too much for my first Vette last summer (bought from a local dealer) and won't do that again. If I don't find something in a couple of weeks I'll just have to buy something else and put my Vette on hold again.