Buying sight unseen

[crackacoldie]

I have read, over the past few months, of many people getting burnt buying CTs, caravans or cars sight unseen.  Early this year, I brought a Jayco Expanda, sight unseen from interstate.  To help sooth my nerves and ensure that everything was kosha, I asked for anyone on MySwag who lived in the area to have a look for me.  Thankfully Alnjan,were very helpful with this. 

Moving forward, if anyone feels they wish to looks at something interstate, please do not hesitate to put a message up, I am sure you will always get volunteers.  In saying this, please do not hold those same helpful people to account if something goes wrong in the future, there is always a risk, however this idea may help to calm nerves.

Thoughts??

Cracka

[GeeTee]

yes the internet and digital photos (and sites such as Ebay etc etc) has, for some reason, given people some sort of (very foolish) confidence in buying sight unseen.

If your teenage kids laid out hundreds - or thousands - on something they had never inspected.... what would you say to them?!

It's a good idea to have another Swagger take a look at a vehicle... however, tactfully said, this can also be fraught with danger if the 'inspector' has little experience.  For example, in the mid-90s I asked a work colleague to inspect a car for me in Adelaide before I bought. This was a rare AWD road car and on my colleague's say-so, I paid the dealer by direct deposit. 

When I flew in to collect, I discovered it had a cut 'n shut corner/chassis put on it. The doors and one sill were misaligned by 5-10mm and there was a ripple in the roof from what was obvious (to me) a big front-end hit.

My 'learned colleague' had not noticed this.

Car cost me $15K.
Paid.
Owned.
Big lesson!

Hope this helps

[Bird]

with cheap airfares these days you'd be mad not to look yourself... I wish I'd have picked mine up in person.

but these days there is usually something close by if your willing to wait so you dont have to travel.

[GeeTee]

yeah I paid $59 to see my last Hilux...

But it's good if someone local (myswagger) can check to see if something is *junk* or before spending the $59...

[Bird]

yeah I paid $59 to see my last Hilux...

But good if someone local can check to see if something is *junk* before spending the $59...

true...
after looking at cars on ebay lately - with creative photography and thigns like "the first 2 photos are what it used to look like".....

[alnjan]

G'day crackacoldie,

Hope you are still enjoying your new camper.

Like you I don't like buying sight unseen, unless I can afford to throw that money away, which I can't.  When I was looking at buying my 80, it was in Sydney and got a mate to have a look for me. Have been happy with it ever since.  Mind you my mate was worried the whole time that on his say so I may have bought a lemon.  Sometimes that happens but without being in the game or pulling things about how is the average bloke going to know any different. 

We were more the happy to help carakacoldie out and have a look at the van for them, it makes sense you want to know you are getting what you pay for and to help make sure it is in the condition it is supposed to be, as you say just helps sooths the nerves.  Happy to help out as one day I might ask for the favour back.

[crackacoldie]

Pity I didn't catch you for a  or 10, will make sure it happens though, and yes the van is going great guns, albeit a lot less new looking after being to the cape.

  Cracka

[TheWilsons]

Great idea, wish I had put the question out there before we purchased.  I've also learnt not to be too trusting.

Forums like this are a great wealth of information and its fantastic that so many are willing to share their knowledge. I'm a mum who likes all things girly like fashion and makeup but I love camping equally as much. I have to say, I spend more time on this site than any shopping website, reading about all kinds of things from batteries to tyres....

[Bill]

We did it when we bought our AS.
Put a message up here and had two volunteers.
Someday I will be able to repay them for the favour.
We are still happy with our AS...
Bill

[Marcus73]

I'm another that purchased only after being looked at by another MySwagger. Couldn't be happier with it!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[GeoffA]

with cheap airfares these days you'd be mad not to look yourself...

Yep. We flew to Sydney for the day to look at the Coota before we bought it.
Did the deal over the 'phone during the week, and drove up and back the following weekend.

I definitely wouldn't buy anything major on the strength of a few pics.
I would ask someone to take a preliminary look, to work out if it's worth making the effort to inspect myself.

I couldn't ask anyone to accept the responsibility for the purchase.....that's just me.....

 

[Ynot]

Even someone new to camping with a rig local to them might need some help looking over a rig so don't be shy to ask. Two sets of eyes are always better than one!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[GeoffA]

Even someone new to camping with a rig local to them might need some help looking over a rig so don't be shy to ask. Two sets of eyes are always better than one!

Agree with that........

[bockstar]

We were fortunate enough to buy the Camper Trailer that we had previously hired.  It's Challenge C/T from the mob in Rydalmere.  At the time I was aware they cycled through their hire fleet so when it came up on the market, we jumped.  Best decision ever.

[Marcus73]

In my case I really didn't have much of an idea what I was looking and had been researching different brands for a while. I found this site while looking and after more research found one that would suit my needs due to good feedback from owners of the same. I posted on the MySwag mail and luckily had someone from here that was far more knowledgable than I, offer to take a look. I got a call from D4D giving the nod that all was good, rang the owner and organised it from there. My trailer only 4mths old and only used once, so maybe if I were to look at something older I'd like to have a look in person. All in all I had a very good experience with my current trailer and most of that is thanks to the people on MySwag.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[D4D]

As stated above I am happy to check out campers for people in my area.

On the flip side, build threads are good for selling. The guy who purchased my Goldstream read the build thread and realised I was anally retentive and it was a good camper. He was in NSW and I was in VIC so he transferred a deposit and paid the rest when we met in Wodonga.

[Bird]

I couldn't ask anyone to accept the responsibility for the purchase.....that's just me.....\

Yep agree... .
Everyone has different ideas of "spotless" and "excellent condition" or "needs a LITTLE work"

[Brumbypt]

I friend had his 80 series in my work shop the other week. He bought it site unseen from qld. It was in terrible condition. They are or were a struggling family thinking they bought a bargain.

Trouble is they think the vehicle has been in a flood or similar.
So be very careful



Peter,
 Tapa talker

[Lori]

We sold our Prado sight unseen to a nice couple in QLD. They arranged for it to have a professional inspection done on it by a company that specialized in that kind of thing. They got a nice report, complete with photos.
After seeing the report and being happy with the findings, they booked flights and come down to collect it.

Incidentally, later that day I put an order in for our camper.... No longer had a car capable of towing it though!

[GeeTee]

I friend had his 80 series in my work shop the other week. He bought it site unseen from qld. It was in terrible condition. They are or were a struggling family thinking they bought a bargain.

Trouble is they think the vehicle has been in a flood or similar.
So be very careful



Peter,
 Tapa talker

That is sad (in more ways that one!).
But a better result than if they paid top dollar for it...

 

[deepop]

Yep, as said.   I flew up to QLD about 5 years ago to look at  100series that was advertised there.   looked great in all the photo's but was covered in bog (well painted though) and the bonnet and guards were all out of place.   He had mentioned that it had been in an accident but was professionally repaired.   later found out that it was a repairable write-off - bad, bad, bad.   

Dodged a bullet there.

Finally bought my 'cruiser in Nowra.
Good points:-
1.   Was at the Toyota dealer.
2.   Paid a deposit only over the phone to hold it until I flew up and had a look at it.
3.   Personally inspected it and found out it's history, including the full service record.
4.   Then took the risk that everybody has to eventually and actually bought it.

Drove it home and have been happy with it ever since.

Does this mean I caught a bullet this time?   Hope not!   What's the opposite of dodging a bullet?

[MarDon]

Have heard lots of unfortunate outcomes from people buying sight unseen. Sounds like for the seller though it's always a great outcome for them!

With saying that, we bought a Jayco Expanda sight unseen a few years ago, from Brisbane, (we're inFNQ), payed them extra to deliver it for us, loved it, till we sold it 3 years later, to a couple from Sydney, they bought it from us sight unseen, then drove up to get it.

Bought our CYT sight unseen, had it put on a transport company and again, loved it, was actually even better/bigger in the flesh than the photos.

So I guess it a bit of a lucky dip out there...but I think we would be unlikely to do it again, it is nerve-wracking, and you really do have to trust people and your instincts, which certainly doesn't always end well.

Dee.

[AKB]

We bought our last car from a private buyer sight unseen from Queensland - First time we laid eyes on it was when it was unloaded in our driveway.

We normally would have had it professionally checked out BUT it was still under extended factory warranty and with the Porsche Extended Warranty you have to have it come into the dealer and have it checked before they will extend it - this had happened in the last month and we got a copy of the report direct from the dealer.   

Because the vehicle was financed - a finance company representative also went out and confirmed the vehicle exists and there was nothing glaringly obviously wrong about it.

We did think about flying across but really couldn't see what that could achieve - It wasn't the cost it was the 5 hour flight lol

Cheers

AKB

[McGirr]

Bought my second hand camper from ebay. It was a member who was selling it on here also.

Never have a few drinks and think I will put in a bid. Someone will bid higher for sure. A day before the auction was finishing I was still the highest bidder. Bummer !!

In the end I won the Auction. Oh well I needed a camper. Got it shipped up and its been great.

Mark

[fishfinder]

I was looking in Tassie for a 4wd for a mate in the gulf I looked at 6 different vehicles told him 3 were good but to also get an inspection so if turns out to be a dud it was not from my inspection - got fed up with him  not making a decission and told him to buy new, in which he did