Is Ebay safe to bid for a Corvette

[Stan_Morrow]

I've been shopping around for a Corvette. I've been looking at the years (1970-1975) Corvettes. While doing my homework, I stumbled upon Ebay Motors. Is Ebay a good place to bid on a car? I question this because you cant actually see the car in person, or take it to a mechanic to get it checked out. My other option (I would rather) just drive around till I see a Corvette for sale. But chances are in my area (Missoula, MT) that you just wont find a Corvette Stingray sitting around with a For Sale Sign. What should I do?

 

[6 Shooter]

Stan . . .

Welcome to

I had a friend of mine buy 1 off e-bay and it worked out fine.

Where have you been looking for a 70-75 StingRay?

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Welcome to CACC Stan!

I personally would not like to buy a vehicle I have not seen, test driven or taken to a mechanic for inspection.

There are many good eBay purchasing experiences, but I also hear of bad experiences and I think those stories have put me off eBay for major purchases.

Check out the used car magazines, and if you see a likely vehicle, I'm sure you could ask a CACC member in that area to take a look for you. This would give you a non-biased opinion, as they would not actually be shopping for it for themselves and overlook flaws in the heat of the vette shopping experience!

Happy shark hunting!
Heidi

 

[MoeJr]

I know of some people who buy Vettes and other cars off ebay and have had good success. Looking at their feedback helps determine what kinda person they are. I say if ya see one ya like go for it!

 

[TAC]

I've been shopping around for a Corvette. I've been looking at the years (1970-1975) Corvettes. While doing my homework, I stumbled upon Ebay Motors. Is Ebay a good place to bid on a car? I question this because you cant actually see the car in person, or take it to a mechanic to get it checked out. My other option (I would rather) just drive around till I see a Corvette for sale. But chances are in my area (Missoula, MT) that you just wont find a Corvette Stingray sitting around with a For Sale Sign. What should I do?

If you're interested I have a friend with a yellow '76 T-Top for sale. Not sure of the price. He doesn't have to sell...just needs to make room for the ZR-1 and C5. It has the higher HP 350 and oak interior IIRC. Missoula's only 500 from Seattle!

 

[Stan_Morrow]

Yeah I've been looking at about a 1970- to 1975. Reason is the Horsepower of the 1969 to 1973... (Did they kill the big Block in 73?) About the 1978 I dunno.. Is the engine # Match? Looking kinda for a earlyer model. Yeah Ebay is good? Just scares me with the amount of money involved. Anyone have good experience with Ebay?

 

[Tim73454]

I got ripped for $2855 for an engine on eBay so be carefule!!!1

Check out this 72 BB. I think they are asking 21,500 for it.

http://www.restoremyvette.com/html/cars_for_sale.html



Tim73454

 

[Stan_Morrow]

Thank you 6 shooter and 78SilvAnniv. I like to hear about the pros and cons.. Im trying to study all about the Corvette "Stingray" before I buy. And are looking forward to joining the ranks of Corvette lovers out there.

 

[Tom73]

If you do buy a car off of eBay, set it up where you pick up the car and take the money with you rather than sending money ahead or sending payment and having car shipped. That way you can at least take a quick look at the car. If you don't like it you can walk away and only be out your transportation. (If you are in Calif, don't bid on a car in NY). Sure you will get bad feed back on eBay if you walk away but that is better than paying $10-20K for a rust bucket.

So, only bid on cars in your area. If possable go see the car before bidding.

tom...

 

[rpounds]

I bought mine from Ebay, but I was fortunate enough to be able to drive the car before bidding. The seller was only 10 or so miles from me . . .

 

[TONY TAT2]

Bought all mine in person,i really dont like buying"USED" stuff without seeing it up close.

 

[Homer]

Stan,
Anyone legitimately posting on EBay should be sensitive to the potential buyers concerns. I would suggest arranging a "contingent" purchase, or contact and pay a local (seller's area) Chevy dealer to inspect then send you a report on the car.

 

[MoeJr]

Last year for Big Block is 74. Any L82 350 from 73-80 will run low 15's with a good tune. Don't let the HP ratings fool you. That 180 HP 76 L48 is not that much slower than the 69 350/300 HP. Same cam just lower CR. Just my .02

 

[jim coulter]

Hey Stan, try corvette trader online, I saw a 70 on there for 12,500 that was in Canada (Alberta- not sure where that is, but think its up north of you). I think it was a small block though, but I didn't look at but a few, so there could be more. Go to www.corvettetrader.com and check them out.

 

[chevyaddict]

Seasoned Ebay Car Buyers

Hi there! Welcome to CAF!! Jerry and I have bought quite a few cars off of EBAY. The main things we look for are quick response e-mails to questions, feedback, detailed photos ( and their willingness to send these to you) and of course, the location. East coast cars are always plagued with rust somewhere, even if the pics don't show it.

The biggest problem we have had with ebay is that different people have different perceptions and if you are buying from someone who has a different perception than you, this can become a problem when the final sale occurs. This is why we always demand a lot of photos. The two cars we have sold on ebay we had upwards to 80 photos available to send to people. The cars we got burned on were ones that didn't have photos or the people perceived the car in better condition than it was. We bought our 67 chevelle convt and, although we are happy to have it, we really did spend too much for it AND travelled all the way to Tennesee from AZ to get it!!

So again, request plenty of pictures and if they are forthcoming in their responses then that is good. If they are vague - AVOID!!

 

[klb76]

I got my corvette off of Ebay... like everyone said make sure you get alot of pictures and make sure you talk to the seller in person... in my own opinion Ebay was a HUGE hassel and a very stressful experience, I bought a bad shape corvette in florida and had it shipped to PA... but on the flipside of that, I got a great deal and even with shipping I paid substantially less then I was expecting to pay.... I would recommend buying some other lesser priced items to get in the swing of the whole Ebay thing, then when the right car comes by buy it...

klb

 

[Eric]

... looking forward to joining the ranks of Corvette lovers out there.

I think you've already joined the ranks Stan - I loved them for 30 years before I finally got one.

My wife's daily driver Malibu was purchased via eBay and it was painless. However, the car was local to boot so that helped.

 

[84Vette]

Hey good thing online here is if you find one and talk really nicely to people here they might go check it out for you!!

 

[chevyaddict]

Yea - find one here in Tucson or close by and we will check it out for ya!! (as long as it isn't a 65, 66, 67 covt project car - otherwise you'll risk losing out!!):L

 

[intex99]

To add another internet option is Yahoo Classifieds.I 've bought a 80 and an 81 off it.Also bought a 77 just before last xmas but car was vandalized before shipping company got there so if you do buy one online check to make sure they keep it secure until you have it picked up.I had a heck of a time getting money back and finally took another car from the guy to get my money back and will still lose on the deal.You can email seller for their phone number and ask as many questions as possible or even have seller fill out a questionaire type deal and sign it and fax it for ya.If car is not as described you can contact Ebay and they might be able to help you out some.Like everyone else says look at the feedback and even email to some other buyers and find out if they are happy.I have done that many times and you would be surprized as some responses after they had the product for awhile.Their feedback would not have been so nice!
The main thing is take your time and find what you want and the closer the better.Ask the seller before auctions end if you could look at car and then decide for sure if you ended up as the high bidder!
Good luck!!!!