Tips & Tricks for Buying a Car Out-of-State from Turner Motorsport
At Turner Motorsport, we are more than just a company that sells BMW performance parts and goes racing. We are a company of enthusiasts that have a long history of all things car-related. This awards us the unique opportunity to dig into that library of experiences that allow us to share with you our successes, mistakes, and tidbits of knowledge we have gathered over the years to hopefully offer a piece of advice that you need to pursue your own car adventure. This week, with our writer headed out on an unrelated expedition to purchase a car out of state, we thought it would be a good idea to talk about best practices when it comes to buying a car long distance, especially if it is from a private seller.
You may have seen some of our buyer’s guides about the E30, E36, E46, or E9X where we explain all the things you should do to ensure you make a good purchase. If you haven’t read those yet, go check them out since we won’t be talking about what to do when you’re inspecting the car. However, some of this will be related, as buying a car out of state involves a lot of prep work and investigation on your part to put yourself in the best position to successfully buy the car and bring it home. | | | | | |
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The Search
Now, most people who are going to make a trip to buy a car don’t have the funds to have the car shipped back to them. This is actually a good thing, since buying a car site-unseen is always a bit sketchy. Since our writer (me) will be driving the car back from a good ways away, no small amount of leg work was needed to make sure the purchase is more than a good deal, but also a good car that could get back home on its own four wheels. So, let’s dig in to find out what it takes to make a safe, educated, and successful purchase of a car out of state.
If you are like us, you habitually troll Autotempest, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and other online car listing sites that let you search for your favorite cars all over the country, or even, the world. Recently, an acquaintance of our writer approached him with a special request to find this specific car. Sadly, it isn’t an old BMW, but it’s still a neat car with significance to the buyer. The car in question is actually a 1990 Volvo 240 5spd wagon. Our writer’s friend grew up in one and learned to drive in it. Now that she is financially established, she decided it was time to find another one. Her only problem, though, was that she couldn’t find that rare combination of the wagon body style with a manual transmission. Enter our writer/ex-used car salesman.
The first steps he took were to identify what specifics about the car were important besides the manual/wagon combo. With the information he needed from the buyer, he jumped on the trusty internet car search engine, Autotempest, and began looking for examples within a day’s drive. Sure enough, he found the perfect car. A one-owner, low-mileage, 5-spd, wagon with full service history, a good (not great) ad, and the right asking price. The only catch: the car was in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is roughly 600 miles away from his house where he will fix it up and ready it for delivery to his friend. That, however, isn’t a big challenge to someone who knows how to navigate a car deal and set up the logistics of making the purchase. |
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First Contact
The next step after finding the car is to call the owner. If they only request text or email, make your initial contact and ask to speak with them over the phone. Better yet, ask if they can FaceTime or do a Skype video call so you can make a proper introduction. This case involved an initial phone call, which is important. The reason is simple: you need to show the seller a key piece of information. You need to show them you are a serious buyer. Coming from out of state, sellers can be wary since it may make them feel like there are too many obstacles to make the deal go smoothly. However, with personal contact and conversation over the phone at the very least, you are able to demonstrate your sincere interest in buying the car. That is absolutely the best practice for ensuring they take you seriously.
With contact made, our writer followed our advice on what to ask about the car. He was able to receive many more pictures from the owner that detailed the condition of the car, had the owner take a video of a cold start and idle, and learned all the service history. That conversation took place over a number of calls and texts, which again shows actual intent to purchase the car. He thoroughly investigated the VIN, coaxed all the negative pieces of information the seller had out of him and eventually determined the car was, in fact, the perfect one for his friend. |
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Planning, planning, planning
Once he had relayed that information to the buyer, it came time to make the actual plans to go get it. Here, you have two options. The first is to find a friend who might owe you a big favor and convince them to drive you to your destination, stay the night, and drive back with your purchase the next day. This has its benefits, as you can bring all your tools, jack, jack stands, and emergency supplies like a battery tender, jump box, fire extinguisher, etc. However, it will add a day to your trip that you might not have to spare and increases the cost since you will have to pay for the gas there and the gas back in two cars. Not wanting to take up his entire weekend, our writer chose the second option: fly one-way to the seller and get the car to drive back that very same day. This, however, is not without risks of its own. |
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Back-up planning
When buying a car out of state, there are no more risks than buying one in-state, but the consequences of those risks are definitely increased. This is where prep work and a contingency plan are key. According to the seller, the car is in wonderful mechanical condition and more than ready to make the 8-hour trip back without worry. This is good information to have to go into the purchase, but any number of issues can pop up, especially with an old car. So, a few back-up plans are needed. First, our writer made sure his AAA card was up to date. This can at least save him a headache if he ends up stranded somewhere between the seller’s house and his own. Second, he set aside some emergency money in case he has to get a hotel in the event of a breakdown somewhere and purchase a flight back home. Third, he notified a few close friends about the adventure and received their word that, in case he needed it, they would pick up the phone and be on standby to help out if a failure happens reasonably close to home. This ensures that whether the car fails immediately, somewhere on the road, or within a few miles of his house that he has a way to get back safely and get the car somewhere safe. To recap:
Have AAA.
Have emergency funds ready to go.
Tell your friends where you are going, what you are doing, and to be ready for a phone call in the event of an emergency.
With emergency plans in place, a green light from the buyer, and contact with the seller made, the final piece of the puzzle comes into play before physically going to get the car. Working with honest people makes this easier, but if you behave transparently and honestly, most folks you do business with will as well. Most. In this case, the seller gave his word that when our writer sent confirmation of his flight in the form of a picture of his ticket, he would remove the ad from the internet and hold the car for him to go get. This is also important, as you don’t want to book a flight to go get a car that might sell. Since you won’t be able to just drive and get it that day, it is critical to have the seller hold the car. Now some won’t do this, but with the picture of a plane ticket in your name provided to the seller, they are more than likely willing to remove the ad since they now have a serious buyer with money already invested in purchasing their car. Remember, they are, at the end of the day, trying to sell the car. If they now have a sure thing, especially with a one-way ticket that virtually guarantees your purchase, they can confidently de-list the car and assume the sale. We, however, with our contingency plans and shrewd negotiation skills, will NOT assume the sale. |
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Be ready to walk (fly) away
Even with an out-of-state purchase, while it may be exponentially more inconvenient to do so, you need to be prepared to walk away. As honest as intentions might be, if the car is not as expected, develops a problem, or has any undisclosed title/other issues, you need to walk away. Don’t feel trapped just because your plans fell apart and you feel like you have no way home. Remember those emergency funds for a hotel room and a flight? You still have that option in your back pocket. This also allows you to perform the time-honored tradition of negotiation.
If you notice, at no point has our writer discussed the sale price of the vehicle. As an ex-car man, he never talks numbers unless he is in person with the seller or buyer with his hands on the car. Certainly, bring the full asking price of the car with you in a secure payment method, but don’t think that is what you will have to pay. As we have mentioned in our buyer’s guides, you will still do a full inspection, test drive, and conversation with the seller upon your arrival at their location. This is where you reiterate the issues the seller has already disclosed, point out any flaws you find, and then repeat them all to the seller before making your initial offer. With the car in front of them, and you there with cash in hand as a serious buyer, when you point out any additional flaws, you de-value the car in the seller’s eyes. You aren’t being rude or crass, but you are cementing in their mind that the car is maybe worth a little less money than they advertised. |
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Negotiation
After your inspection, test drive, and reiteration of any issues they mentioned and/or you found, you can now make your actual cash offer. Be fair. Don’t try and lowball the seller and think you can use the fact that you are ‘stuck’ there if you don’t buy it to your advantage. You can, however, use the distance you traveled and effort you invested to pad your wallet a bit. With the de-valuing process and your time/money already invested, you can make a realistic offer that reflects the condition of the vehicle. In our writer’s experience, sellers don’t always take the first offer, but will usually counter with an offer lower than they listed originally. If you are happy with the counteroffer, don’t take it instantly. Don’t say anything other than ‘let me think for a second.’ Walk back around the car. Sit in the driver’s seat, put your hands on the wheel, and pause. The seller may lower their offer a bit if they think you are on the fence with their counter, but that is not always the case. If they don’t, and you are still happy with the counter-offer, get up, look the seller in the eyes, and shake his hand.
Congratulations! You just negotiated a car deal that began hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles away and closed it in person. However, you aren’t done yet. One thing you should do before you leave is to ensure the state in which the car is located does or does not require a notary public to sign over the title. It goes without saying you should ensure there is a title to the vehicle as well. Now, you just have to fill out the back of the title with the seller, have it notarized if that is necessary, and ask politely if you can mail their plates back so you can drive the car home. If all goes well, you should have the car in your name and ready to drive back. Once again, congratulations on your new purchase! |
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Summary
Now, let's go back over everything in summary:
Find your perfect car on the search engine of your choice
CALL the seller
Gather all VIN information, title information, notary information, and vehicle history from the seller
Confirm your plans with the seller, purchase a plane ticket if applicable, and ensure the listing is removed and the seller will hold the car until you see it in person
Have the FULL asking price ready if you are willing to pay that much for your chosen car. If not, be ready to walk away. Buy a round-trip ticket if you need to. Most airlines will allow for cancellation with a small deposit up-front that you can use just in case
Set up your emergency plans, set aside your cash, and tell your friends/family where you will be and when
Arrive at the seller’s location and conduct a thorough inspection, test drive, and de-valuation process
Buy the car or walk away after negotiating a price you are happy with
Drive home safely
Enjoy your new car
After a somewhat lengthy, but easy to orchestrate, affair, you should have your new to you car! This, of course, is more applicable to private sales, but any used car should be treated the same. Remember, dealerships generally won’t hold a car for you, despite what they say, and will likely tell you the car is still there until you arrive after a long trip and then tell you ‘sorry, it just sold this morning!’ Then they will try and land you on a car they do have that you may not want. That’s just how they are, speaking from many personal experiences. With all this information in your pocket, you should feel confident that you can easily set up, negotiate, and close an out-of-state car deal while having a fun adventure centered around your favorite hobby. Now go out, armed with your quiver of knowledge arrows, and get that car you desperately want, no matter how far away it is! |
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