[kthelen]

This morning I came upon a craigslist ad for a car in Raleigh I'm interested in. Private party. The price is right, and it presents well enough in pictures. I anticipate needing to make a commitment ($) fairly soon if I want to be its next owner.

But, as someone who's seen his share of "loose gooses" and "Bondo buggies" that were plenty shiny from 20 feet back, I'm hesitant to pull the trigger on something I haven't seen in person - and even worse if I end up writing a check and hiring a hauler (east coast to Minnesota is quite a trek, especially with my busier-than-usual schedule right now).

I figure getting a reputable local party to look it over might be the next best thing.

Anybody here from the Raleigh, NC area? If so, are there any mechanics, shops, dealers, etc. that you could recommend for this sort of thing?

And, in general... any advice for someone considering buying a car cross-country?


--Keith

[marxjunk]

my advice..fly in look at it..if its good, buy it..deal with shipping..

if not..the flight is cheaper than having a bad surprise..

theres cheap flights everywhere right now..just a simple google is $131 round trip...

[kthelen]

That was my first thought, actually. But I doubt it'd be there in a month (which is about how far out I'd have to schedule to get a cheap flight). If I went this weekend, it'd be $571 for a round trip ticket. Pretty steep to check out a $6K car.

And, of course, if I did that, I'd be inclined to do something crazy like buying a set of cheap tools and trying to solo it the 19+ hours home... because, hey, I'm here now, why pay another grand to ship it?

[Chris65LeMans]

The extra $400 may seem like a lot now, but wait until you’re replacing the floors and quarter panels.

[tempest1964]

Are there any inspection companies in NC? My brother, who lives in Ohio, recently had an inspection done on a car in Minnesota. I think it was about $350 for a pretty thorough inspection

[West Coast GTO]

I paid an inspection company to evaluate the 73 TA( former Pontiac event judge) I bought from Maryland while living in California. I also flew to Maryland to actually drive the car and make the deal with the seller. Both were money well spent.

[poncho-mike]

I live about 10 miles south-west of Raleigh. I have the rest of the year off, I could probably take a look at it for you.

Mike

[steve v]

What car are you looking at, the '69 GP?
If so it's 3 miles from my front door & I did look at it today.

[1965gp]

Man it’s a small Pontiac world isn’t it?

[kthelen]

Originally Posted by steve v

What car are you looking at, the '69 GP?
If so it's 3 miles from my front door & I did look at it today.

I was trying not to draw extra attention to it, but yes :-)

What were your thoughts? Seemed a bit ominous that he said "it's a northern car" in the ad... rusty?

[marxjunk]

i bought a car in Jan of this year..it was 5k...pic after pic..old guy seemed reliable and honest..lived in the woods..11 hrs 1 way...

i sent a deposit...and went to get it..every day, i wish i would have flown in made the deal..i would have never bought the car..thats for sure...but..there was enough stuff there, and enough receipts that i did ok...but i should have flown in....i will never do another like that...thats for sure...never

[marxjunk]

if he didnt buy it..it must not be worthy..i looked at the pics...seems like a screaming deal, if its what it appears

[shaker455]

Originally Posted by kthelen

I was trying not to draw extra attention to it, but yes :-)

What were your thoughts? Seemed a bit ominous that he said "it's a northern car" in the ad... rusty?

PM Steve V for his phone... best to get the whole deal

[steve v]

Keith, pm sent w/contact info.

[694.1]

:

[poncho-mike]

The ad says it was a northern car and I talked to the guy briefly this afternoon. He says it doesn't run and has rust on bottom. It is hard to tell anything about it without looking.

Mike

[Douglas Willinger]

Originally Posted by poncho-mike

The ad says it was a northern car and I talked to the guy briefly this afternoon. He says it doesn't run and has rust on bottom. It is hard to tell anything about it without looking.

Mike

Have the seller do some smartphone videos of the car, including the more rust prone areas and have such for the car's doors' opening and closing to help ascertain body integrity.

[kthelen]

Talked to the seller. It's a lifelong Minnesota car (just arrived in NC within the past few months). 'Nuff said.

I'm waiting to see camera-phone pictures from around the bottom - hopefully tomorrow. But I already have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to see: rust and mud.