Would you ever buy a used car online from a dealer without looking at it in person? I am still trying to find a new car but cant find anything I like close to me.

I found another Lotus Elise I like, but like 700 Miles away. I would rather just buy it and ship it then go pick it up. Ive also been looking at the C7's and found one pretty cheap IMO because it has been in an accident, but no frame issues according to the Car Fax (this one makes me nervous, not sure how the repairs were) but again its like 1200 Miles away.

I don't want to drive/fly to take a look at it to go naw I'm good. I feel its a waste of my time and money to do so.


But, I don't want to get the car and go WTF was I thinking lol.


I knew people like 5-10 years ago who bought cars online out of state, but they always picked them up.

Never without looking at it, unless it's a rare project car and you already know you're going to be dumping tons of time and money into the thing already.


See if you can find someone reputable that's close and will go check it out for you. Even if you gotta throw em 50$ or something to make it worth their time.

Yes and no.

A lot of used car companies are killing it with second hand warranties in my area.
They will offer you 1000 mile coverage after purchasing the vehicle or a two week grace period to return with no penalty or questions. Some will even offer you a 24 month warranty through them depending on the year and the mileage but it all depends. Be careful with websites that use CarFax because often times they can report an older CarFax to keep it on file and after you leave the dealership you find out the vehicle was in another accident you didn't account for while negotiating.

For this situation I don't think I'd buy it without looking at it first, but there are definitely some scenarios where I'd take the risk without looking at it.

Excuse any typos, on mobile.

Carfax doesn't mean shit lol. My old roommate has been in two accidents (one required frame work to fix damage), both accidents combined cost more than the car was worth new, and neither of them show up on carfax.... worked out for him because he got good trade in value lol.

This post was edited by Epicexecution on Nov 7 2017 05:33pm

Just imo - I'd find the local Carmax and have them ship it to me. I would NOT buy a Lotus online, sight unseen. Quite frankly, I'd not buy a Lotus unless I had it inspected by a certified mechanic.

Sometimes spending $200 or so on a 1-way plane ticket can save you thousands of dollars in the long run. Also, sometimes individuals are willing to assist with travel costs if you are going to travel to them.

If you can have it shipped to a dealer (or Carmax) close enough to you to drive to it, then I'd do that.

I have a buddy who knew a guy that flew helicopters. He called a dealer within range and basically asked them if he could land a helicopter near their dealership. Let's just say that they were EXTREMELY helpful lol.

This post was edited by Victim on Nov 8 2017 06:44am

Ill check out the carmax idea. Ive only been there twice, once to get a quote on a car, the other was years ago but I thought they were heavily overpriced.

They can be overpriced but alot of times they'll give you the fairest offest on a car too