Buying a Viper from across the country

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Ive been told, and have seen, that FLA and KY are the two most-likely States to have title-issues / odo issues, bogus CarFax, etc. EZ to 'launder' issues, esp in FLA.

Danny, Im happy to chat, near Cascade Locks 360-837-3937

Hi all,

I’m new here and in need of some advice. I live in Oregon and am considering buying a GenII GTS from a private seller in Florida. The seller has been super communicative and I’ll be having an inspection done prior to purchasing. Bottom line, I’m confident about the car’s condition and that’ll be further reinforced by the inspection.

What I’m struggling with is how I safely pay for the car and be certain I’ll receive the car and all of the necessary paperwork to transfer the title. Looking for advice from anyone who’s bought a car from out of state without going to handle the transaction in person.

Any advice/insights would be greatly appreciated.

[DannyG]

Are'nt you concerned about giving all your bank info to an un-sub? A scammer can have fun cloning your account if she has enuf info to wire you money.....

I definitely would not give my bank info to the seller. It would only go to his bank, who I would require to speak with directly. Regardless, it doesn't matter in this case as the seller declined my final offer and I'm not going to pay more for it. Guess my search continues!

As a side note, JonB, I'm in Bend, OR... Are you actually in the Hood River area?

[ViperJon]

Are'nt you concerned about giving all your bank info to an un-sub? A scammer can have fun cloning your account if she has enuf info to wire you money.....

Guess you’ve never done a wire transfer if you think some amateur scammer on the receiving end can access and somehow drain your account. They are very secure and kept private.

[ViperJon]

There is no way in hell I’m wire transferring tens of thousands of dollars. OP a road trip can be a great thing to do. When I bought my ACR I bought a one way ticket to where the car was the seller picked me up at the airport. I looked the car over liked what I saw, mostly just confirmed what the seller was saying, handed him a cashiers check for car and we went to the local DMV for a temporary transfer tag. 700 miles later the viper was home.

So you don’t trust him with a bank wire transfer but you want him to trust you and the check you might have printed at home. Lol. Guess trust is a one way street. At a minimum I would give the buyer the title and bill of sale and wait till the check clears before handing over the car and keys.

[FrankBarba]

Being a Transporter I run into this quite often. Bank Checks can be a scam. Certified checks can not
be checked on a weekends. I have often carried payment with me from the buyer to the seller. Works great.

[Viper vince]

So you don’t trust him with a bank wire transfer but you want him to trust you and the check you might have printed at home. Lol. Guess trust is a one way street. At a minimum I would give the buyer the title and bill of sale and wait till the check clears before handing over the car and keys.

When I bought my Viper. I did a wire transfer and it works great! When I paid off my house from the title company it was done in a matter of minutes. I would do a wire transfer.

[StrokerAce]

Yup. When I bought my Viper I was 3k miles away. Got the sellers bank info and sent a wire. Done....

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

I do bank wires almost daily. Several per week. But NOT with anyone who might be an unknown-person, or suspect in any way. Its a valid point: Be careful when giving all your bank-wire account info to a completely unknown person, esp outside USA.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

I definitely would not give my bank info to the seller. It would only go to his bank, who I would require to speak with directly. Regardless, it doesn't matter in this case as the seller declined my final offer and I'm not going to pay more for it. Guess my search continues!

As a side note, JonB, I'm in Bend, OR... Are you actually in the Hood River area?

Im on the WA side, downriver from Stevenson

[Vipes]

So you don’t trust him with a bank wire transfer but you want him to trust you and the check you might have printed at home. Lol. Guess trust is a one way street. At a minimum I would give the buyer the title and bill of sale and wait till the check clears before handing over the car and keys.

That’s just not how the world works. Risky AF to give title and sign that bill of sale before the check clears. The buyer can transfer title and register the car in their name with that then when their fake check bounces, they can now claim the car stolen since they own title now. You’re now trying to hold a stolen car that was once yours as leverage for nonpayment.

[ViperJon]

That’s just not how the world works. Risky AF to give title and sign that bill of sale before the check clears. The buyer can transfer title and register the car in their name with that then when their fake check bounces, they can now claim the car stolen since they own title now. You’re now trying to hold a stolen car that was once yours as leverage for nonpayment.

They're going to claim the car was stolen while you are holding THEIR bounced check to show fraud to authorities? Okie dokie.

[DannyG]

I appreciate all of the responses and feedback. Ended up going back to the seller with a counter offer but he has now decided the sale has become too complicated so he’s no longer selling.

I asked that he take it to a local CDJR dealer for a pre-purchase inspection that I’d pay for, and that we handle the sale through eBay for buyer/seller protection. I didn’t feel those were complicated conditions. Seems he just wants a traditional local sale now.

[Vipes]

They're going to claim the car was stolen while you are holding THEIR bounced check to show fraud to authorities? Okie dokie.

Yep, hot VIN = arrest first then ask questions later. The cop arresting you isn’t a judge and they get lied to 24/7 so they will prob tune you out and book you. A good attorney would hopefully be able to straighten it out but the whole ordeal would be a nightmare.

[Ross L]

Fly in , see it/inspect/ pay , 5 day road trip/ vacation home. Make some good memories.

[COI]

I appreciate all of the responses and feedback. Ended up going back to the seller with a counter offer but he has now decided the sale has become too complicated so he’s no longer selling.

I asked that he take it to a local CDJR dealer for a pre-purchase inspection that I’d pay for, and that we handle the sale through eBay for buyer/seller protection. I didn’t feel those were complicated conditions. Seems he just wants a traditional local sale now.

I probably would have walked from the sale as a seller as well if someone asked me to use ebay. I've sold many mid to high-end collectable cars and every one has been sold on bank wire. As a seller I would do nothing less. In every case a lot of information was exchanged between the prospective buyer and myself. It's my car and it will be my rules. I always told a prospective buyer right up front my terms. If a seller walked I was fine with it as there were always other buyers. In today's world it's pretty easy to do research on folks and you can quickly determine if someone is legit.

Good luck with your purchase - I'm sure you'll find a great car (all Vipers are great!).

[Steel Snake]

I am actually in a similar situation trying to work out how to complete a transaction across the country. I was hoping to find a solution that would eliminate my need to travel given the circumstances. Has anyone used a Escrow service to complete a private sale in a different states? The seller has a small loan that will need to be cleared as well, so working out the details has been a bit tough. The inspection of the vehicle is taking place with a competent inspector and firm, so I feel good about those conditions, but the hand off of the money, title and keys is proving a little harder to find a solution for that works for both the seller and myself.

Also, has anyone used a attorney to work out the details on a transaction?

[FrankBarba]

Do you have recourse for a wire transfer if the person is using an a different name ?

[C5Longhorn]

Have you thought about flying in, completing the transaction, putting it on a transport, and then flying home? That is how I purchased mine.

[kriskyk]

Contact a dealership to mediate the transaction, usual the fee is only around $500-$1000k and makes the whole experience seamless and secure for both the seller and buyer...

[gmattice]

I live in Orlando, I don't own a viper but I'm in the market to get one, I don't know how much help it would be but I'd be able to take a look at the car and send you whatever pictures you want

[StrokerAce]

I'm in Lakeland. Glad to look at the car if I can.

[02rt10]

I would walk away as a seller. I’ve bought and sold many cars over the years.
Fly in, look at the vehicle.. do wire transfer/pick up car&title and life goes on.

I appreciate all of the responses and feedback. Ended up going back to the seller with a counter offer but he has now decided the sale has become too complicated so he’s no longer selling.

I asked that he take it to a local CDJR dealer for a pre-purchase inspection that I’d pay for, and that we handle the sale through eBay for buyer/seller protection. I didn’t feel those were complicated conditions. Seems he just wants a traditional local sale now.

[Snake Eyes]

I just went though this as I just purchased a car in Ohio and I live in Washington. Unfortunately there has to be a level of trust if you aren't going to make the cross country journey and hand deliver the funds and then drive off with the car. I first did my research on the seller to the best of my ability to see if he was who he said he was. I then had a completed bill of sale executed prior to any funds being delivered. I also had him send me a picture of the title to verify there were no lien holders. I sent the cashier's check via certified mail that required a signature. Once he received the funds he overnighted the title to me. I had the car shipped about a week later. Fortunately everything went very smooth and he is a great guy who also happens to have a 15' Viper and and a 19' Lamborghini.

[Lawrenzo]

I appreciate all of the responses and feedback. Ended up going back to the seller with a counter offer but he has now decided the sale has become too complicated so he’s no longer selling.

I asked that he take it to a local CDJR dealer for a pre-purchase inspection that I’d pay for, and that we handle the sale through eBay for buyer/seller protection. I didn’t feel those were complicated conditions. Seems he just wants a traditional local sale now.

Maybe he'd take Bitcoin instead

[FrankBarba]

Haven't been to Oregon yet. If you decided to purchase let me know. We can help with Transportation.