buying a car on ebay...opinions
Turbo Mini Forums

Just wanted to get some of your opinions dudes. I'm looking for a new car at the minute, been to look at a couple this weekend but they were sheds. I know i'm not going to get a minter for the money i've got but i've seen a nice one on ebay.

the chap says there's some bits of surface rust in a couple of places and for it to be mint the body could do with a lick of paint. The only trouble is the cars down brighton way, which is 200 miles from here so i cant check it over before i bid.

Would you risk buying a car you hadn't seen?

Its got a years test on it which makes me think its gotta be fairly solid...

I've bought two of our minis off ebay, sight unseen.

Happy with both, but then only spent a few hundred quid on each and both no MOT etc, so you don't expect much.

There is a lot of risk involved if you are spending thousands.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

It really is a tricky one, I have bought 2 or 3 cars off ebay now, sight unseen. However, they were more modern stuff that I was fairly sure would not be rotten and require major work. With Minis as we all well know they are a slightly different kettle of fish, with even the latest cars rusting away merrily.

If I were you, I'd either hold out until something more local turns up, or bite the bullet and take the train down there with the cash. If its any good, buy it and drive it home, if its a bag of shite, oh well it has cost you the train fare for a day out at the seaside........

Yeah and also, its not much more to get an "open return" ticket ive found to certain places, just incase its not as described.

And if stuff isnt listed on the auction dont be afraid to barter down the price or just say no, i went to scunthorpe once to get a mk1 golf which was a right dog. I even asked him on the phont before "whats wrong with it tell me evertything" and he said, well theres a tiny bit of wear on the drivers seat. The photos of it must have been 10 years old, the seats were completely knackered, it was held together by rust and it ran crap.

I walked away and alerted ebay and had no problems.

Previous Engine: 1040cc Morespeed engine, 1275 turbo head T2 Turbo Mirage Manifolds Megajolt
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I have bougth two minis on Ebay now. And Im sitting in Norway, buying cars in UK. The first one was okay, and I have to wait until Sept. to find how the other one looks:)

Just waiting for the chap to get me some pics of the rusty bits.
at the minute i'm thinking of going for it as there's a lot going for it. Mk2 tax exempt, lovely standard interior, 2 piece front, decent engine (that'll get swapped out for my turbo anyway) white with a black roof and black grp2's.

I have bought 2 cars on ebay one was my mini. and the other was a 76 mk1 cavlier coupe.

We have all overlooked a good plan here-

Surely there is someone on the forum who lives close to Brighton that can go and take a look over the car for Bud????

i'd be extremely grateful if there was someone.

The cars in worthing, west sussex...which i think is just west of brighton?

Yeah I'm debating buying a car too. I was thinking on a Renaultsport Clio 182 but you can't get those in Northern Ireland. Don't fancy a trip over to the mainland only to get disapointed and come home empty handed.

Miniminor: What do you do with car until you pick it up in september??

www.shag.no

i drove down to birmingham to check over the 216gti i bought a couple of months back, tbh, like mr fenton says, with newer cars its a much safer bet, but for classics and old nails, it can go either way.

i once had a right nail, but on the digi cam it looked mint. photos can be deceiving.

personally id rather spend/waste £40 on a train journey than £400 on a car...

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

i know there is at least one person on this site that lives close to there... hopefully he'll see this....

Pete

And on the 7th day........... God created turbochargers!

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

I recently bought an old tow car from ebay, My theory was if I got there and it was shit (not as described) I would of told the bloke to stuff it...

But then that is risking your feedback rating....

I brought a metro off ebay for the engine, I deliberately brought a car that was a fair way from britsol on the grounds that if I could get it home then the engine is probably OK, if not I'd get the AA to tow me back to the seller.

Sorry for not reading the whole thread so I'm not sure if my point is valid.

If you can get someone else to look for you, perhaps someone near there from here?

We won and went to collect a Mk1 golf once. It was terrible and nothing like described. He got really upset about it, but he had lied in his ad, he has to keep to his contract of sale too.

yeah i agree, at the end of the day if it's not what it was described as then there aint no way i'll be parting with any pennies.

tbh the chap seems very genuine though and has mailed me close up pics of the affected area's and they do look ok, just need treating soon before it sets in properly.

I think i'm going to have a bid on the car, just hope it doesn't go over my budget.

Edited by Nick on 20th Jun, 2006.

The difference there is that our Mk1 man said the car was pristine and amazing bodywork, and the old chestnut 'the first to see will buy'.

So if they're telling the truth it might be worth trusting him. Gut feeling.

gut feeling says get it while i can.

I'd post a link for it up but i dont want dangerous to outbid me on it, he usually buys everything i'm watching.....lol

On 20/06/2006 00:35:32 bud666 said:

gut feeling says get it while i can.

I'd post a link for it up but i dont want dangerous to outbid me on it, he usually buys everything i'm watching.....lol

I've seen the future and tbh its Pie