Brandon10

Hello everyone, I'm brand new here, and currently working with another member to buy their LS400. I will not name them to be polite. I need some advice on exactly what the title says. We live on entire opposite sides of the country from each other (car in Cali, buyer in PA) and have been working this over for coming on two weeks, and it has been made clear through our email chain that i wasn't going to just pay outright with nothing on my end. Now that it has come down to working out the sale, we cannot agree on anything. She doesn't want to use an escrow service because it would protect me, not her (escrow.com), she seems reluctant to send me the title and bill of sale, which upon receiving I'd mail her a cashiers check, she instead expects me to deposit the funds into her account at her banking chain, and then receive the title and everything all at once weeks later. Now I could be wrong, but I didn't think it was "crazy talk" to ask to consider the 2nd option, as talking with my coworkers and family I thought it would be the easiest, safest way to handle this. What is everyone else's opinion on this? Am I being the hold up here because I don't want to deposit the funds with nothing on me end? How have you done it before, if you have experience doing this? Please, give us some input!

TLDR;
-buying car cross country
-buyer wanted to mail title and upon receipt mail out the previously verified cashier's check
-seller wants buyer to deposit funds directly into their account before receiving anything their end
-buyer thinks that isn't a safe internet cross country car sale and needs advice

Brandon10

Additional information:
-Car is essentially being bought sight unseen. I have extensive pictures and a VIN, that is it.

mmarshall

Welcome to CL, Brandon.

Sounds to me like neither one of you trusts the other one.....a not-uncommon situation with strangers dealing with each other on the Internet. Also, since you say she (presumably) is a CL member, even if she is not publicly named in the post and has her privacy protected, she can still read it and see that you are nervous or apprehensive about the situation on your end. You could (?) ask for a statement from her in the mail, signed by a Notary-Public (a state-licensed official with the power to make documents official), promising to send you the required title and paperwork upon the money receipt, and/or a likewise-signed promise from you to send the funds if you get the documents you need. But, even over and above that, and getting the funds/paperwork issues straightened out, I'd think twice about buying a car sight unseen...especially one that old. I'm sure there are plenty of used LS models for sale locally there in PA where you live (perhaps even some Certified ones with a good warranty)....you don't necessarily have to buy something from 3000 miles away.

Also, unless you live and drive in the comparatively level areas in far-southeastern PA around Philadelphia, or in far-northwestern PA around Erie, you are likely to have to deal with a lot of hills, mountains, and steep grades throughout the state (indeed, some of the steepest grades I've ever seen on public highways have been in PA and WV...more so than with newer highways built in the much-higher Rockies). So, with any LS you buy (or any other vehicle, for that matter), make sure the brakes and transmission have had regular service/repairs and are in good condition.

FatherTo1

Doesn't an escrow company protect both sides??

Is your bank a national chain? I live in California and I believe either Bank of America or Chase has branches in both CA and PA. May I suggest the following (based on how our recent private sale went inside a bank):

1. Even though you can afford to pay for the car in cash, go ahead and finance it through Chase for instance.
2. Have the seller go to a Chase bank. The bank's loan officer can help prepare all the paperwork and will inspect the vehicle as part of the loan requirement.
3. Chase can provide the seller the check and the seller can provide the title to the bank on the spot.
4. Chase then holds the title for your loan. You can pay off the loan immediately without penalty (and a few days' interest maybe) and be sure the bank will send you the title.

My larger question is how can you guarantee the car gets shipped to you? I'm not sure if the bank can help with that. Alternatively, others have flown out of State and driven the car home. Perhaps get a Southwest credit card and use the bonus points to get a free roundtrip ticket. Yes, it will still cost you time and possibly 1-2 days of missed work but you'll get a great roadtrip out of it and become very familiar with the car. Best of luck and hope all works out for you.

Brandon10

Marshall, thanks for getting back to me! You're right about the distance, and what not, however I haven't really been able to find any good examples with all their service records, which is something I was really hoping for in purchasing this vehicle.

Also, about the no names part, I just didn't put it in there because I don't want to possibly mess up future sales for this person, because I potentially just don't know what I'm doing.

FatherTo1

To piggyback on what mmarshall said, I do wonder why you're buying a Cali car. I live in Cali and wanted to stay local, but every other State had LSes listed for less. I've learned from others that Florida typically has cheap LSes in great shape, especially rich neighborhoods where senior owners rarely drive them and keep them garaged. Naples, Florida is often mentioned as one of those safe havens for well-cared for, seldom-driven, high-end luxury vehicles. Hope this helps.

Brandon10

I thought it would, but escrow.com works based on this: I would send them the verified funds, she'd send the vehicle, I'd receive and verify condition, she'd be paid.
Except the refuses to send it without being paid, even though the funds are verified.. And I'm not going to pay for shipping and then not buy it, that's a large waste on my end...

FatherTo1

I really should have gotten all my thoughts out at once instead of multiple posts. How soon do you need a car, Brandon? Take your time and you'll find a better one closer to you. I searched five months and almost jumped on a few different listings but am glad I waited for the right one to come along (thanks to the support of members here). Member jrmckinley searched two years! Be patient, my friend. If it is meant to be then everything will fall into place naturally and you'll feel very comfortable with the purchase. TBH, this sale seems like too much work and not a right fit.

Brandon10

Here's my situation, and why I'm buying another car. I collect and build cars, and have 2 others. I have a 91 miata that isn't street legal in any way, as it's my drift/race car. I have a second '07 miata that I drive in the summer/nice weather, that I'd normally be pulling out right now, except I ran into some issues when going over the car this spring, and have discovered I need to rebuild the engine... Unfortunately this leaves me carless, which while isnt' the end of the world, isn't the most appealing option as a young person going into the start of summer. I've been looking for a little over a month now and all the local examples are either poorly cared for, or in decent condition, but have no type of service history records. I am a car person, and build my engines, however I don't want to work on my Lexus, I want to have a nice reliable, well maintained ride. I don't exactly like that it's in Cali either, but I look at it as it's the vehicle I want, so I guess I'm stuck with shipping. Which isn't hard, or a big deal, I have the finances for everything, it just needs done essentially.

FatherTo1

The last time a family member shipped a car from California to Missouri it cost $1000 in 2007. I'm not sure what the going rate is now, but PA is even further. Wouldn't it be cheaper just to fly out, inspect the car, and drive it home? Even with hotel stays it may cost less than having it shipped. Curious what you ultimately decide to do. Please keep us posted.

mmarshall

For a condition like that, you probably wouldn't need an LS (unless you just want something really big and cushy like that). There are many used ES models available, almost anywhere, that would probably fulfill your needs. The ES is significantly smaller than the LS, and has FWD instead of RWD/AWD, but is still quite comfortable by the standards of most sedans. Most of them have been virtually bulletproof, except for electronic (by-wire) throttle/transmission-shift issues in the fourth-generation (2001-2005) models and earlier versions with the 3.0L V6, which was sludge/gel-prone and easily damaged if oil-changes were not done religiously, by the book.

Good luck on getting your Miatas back in shape, BTW. Yes, they're cramped for large people (like me, LOL), but they can be a blast to drive....especially on some of those curvy PA mountain roads.

Brandon10

I've gotten loads of spam and couple real quotes after requesting a quote for southern Cali to central Pa, and they are all around $850-$950.

Brandon10

Thanks, I need all the luck I can get, since I'm rebuilding I'm slapping a turbo kit, forged interals, and going for 270-300hp ! As a former street racer (I have quite a story about getting stopped in my now nonstreet legal miata) I can definitely vouch for the northern PA roads, and especially the Poconos!

I am in the market for a 4 door sedan, as I have a nice sports car already, and I really like the boxy styles of 90s luxury cars. However I don't want a bmw, because everyone and their grandmother has had a bmw 325i e30. The ls400 drew me in because I actually don't see many around, and the few I do see are driven by older people, and they're renowned for their reliability(once you fix the dang leaky ecu capacitors). I kinda am looking for this next vehicle to become my true daily driver, not a seasonal daily, like my miatas, so I am looking for something I really like, and I think I've landed on the LS400. I truly wish I could find one closer with good service records but I have had no luck at all. I have spent an exceptional amount of time crawling ads for LS's and calling/emailing sellers about cars and just haven't had luck

Mike728

I just looked at her for sale thread. That car looks like it will need a ton of work. It has 182k miles and shows it needs a timing belt and head unit, at the very least. Use the money you would be spending on shipping and add it to your budget. There are much better options out there, in my opinion.

Good luck!

Brandon10

Thanks for the input everyone. After a night of muling over this, I think I'm going to take FatherTo1's advice about Florida. There's many advantages, mainly being that I can realistically fly there and drive back.

What is everyone's opinions about service records? Is it asking too much to want an LS with all it's service records, or even just the important routine maintenance ones from over the years? That seems to be the breaking point for all the nice ones I could find.