Would you drive 5 hours for...

[Palmer]

My family think im bonkers I usually travel between 100-150 miles for cars. Done in a day. Can never get it through to them that one of the cars I want isn't available "locally!" LOL7

Do have 2 really bitter stories about travelling to collect cars though....

[enzoneo]

I live in Southern Scotland and have bought cars from Edinburgh, Sheffield, Wrexham, Manchester and Reading all sight unseen and driven them back home no worries. If its what you want - go get it!

[Backhill1]

I generally always buy my cars down south, last one was Taunton and im north of Aberdeen over a 10 hr drive each way. Before that Leeds 7 hrs. Spec is usually better, save money, mostly motorway miles and not subjected to salt 10 months of the year hee hee.
I think the key is phone the guy and be honest about your situation and clear about all your questions up front ask for photos etc.

Based on the price of fuel to travel it has to be the right car at the right price, after a good haggle on the phone so its cleared up before you get there (obviously if you find something wrong that’s different and you negotiate or walk away).

If you’re someone that doesn’t like driving / prepaired to walk away it’s not right and don’t do it, if you can happily jump back in your car and walk away then its the way to go.

Sometimes if your travelling I think the seller thinks they have it sold hence I always clear up the bottom price for cash before arrival and say im looking at others in the area even if im not.

[doingitsideways]

I've had good and bad experiences with buying cars blind from miles away.

A 240 I bought off eBay from Southampton looked good but turned out to be a bag of nails.

I travelled down by train (after an almighty f-up with the tickets, ended up on a local service... Nearly 6 hours!)

The car looked ok so I bought it, to be honest if it had looked like a piece of cr@p I probably still would have bought it to avoid the train home!!

Something didn't feep right but it got me home, only for it to spit it's differential out all over the M60 2 days later, locking the axle at about 65... Which was exciting!

Fitted another axle and a couple of weeks later it thanked me by chewing up 1st gear.

It went after that!!

My point being that if the car was more local to me, I would have had more time to look over it properly and been in a mindset to be prepared to walk away if something was wrong. Having travelled such a distance it was a foregone conclusion that I was driving it home.

On the other hand though, I bought my 480 from Aberdeen off a forum member, from 6 pics.

That's turned out really well and I'm really happy with it

Swings and roundabouts I suppose!!

Steve

[gordonr]

i bought my bmw from the car shop in swindon , got the wife to drop me off at harthill services m8 scotland 8pm , bus to glasgow and overnight bus from glasgow to london
quick coffee and bacon sandwitch then jumped on a bus to swindon arriving at the showroom eventually 2pm the following day , test drove the 330d m sport and drove it home that night
probably got home around 8 pm if i remember right
a busy 24 hours

[940_Turbo]

I drove to Berlin once for 4 wheels for a 144S, and I've fetched cars back from France and Germany following late night Ebay misdemeanours.

I once bought two Citroen 2CVs from France and then wondered how the hell I was going to collect them. The solution was obvious; I looked on Autotrader for the cheapest Mercedes Sprinter chassis I could find, built a car transporter body in three days, hired a trailer, drove the whole thing to France and collected the cars.

The Sprinter had done 387K miles and never missed a beat.

[Palmer]

I can beat that Steve!!!

I was after a merc C250 at one point and saw one advertised on gumtree, looked fairly tidy. Gave the bloke a buzz asked how the "merc" drives, when was the "merc" last serviced, what are "mercs" brakes like etc. All tallys up so I hope in a mates car (funnily enough the same MX5 I came to pick the 940 up in!!) and drove 150 miles to his house. Knock on the door and a gentlebean of Asian persuasion answers and says he will get the key. Standing in the street I couldn't see the merc. He comes out and un-blips a E280 petrol auto... I was like... ermmm I came for the C250? His response... ahhh no that sold, though u were on about this one??

I told my mate to get in the car and drive before I happy slapped his turban off!! Return 150 miles empty handed.....


Another C250 related story... saw a champagne gold one advertised in Newcastle - rang the seller was fairly cheap so not fussed about it being serviced etc. I asked if it had rust, he said a little yeah. I thought to myself ahhhh an honest seller, everyone knows a 90's merc WILL have rust.

Due to insurance difficulties I brought my mate along on the train to drive it back on his traders policy. £35 for both of us bangin! I thought.

So I set off an walk to his house in my new trainers, then we walk to the local town and thus the train station (3 miles.) Now my feet were killing me at his house let alone the train station I was in feckin agony... but needs must! Hopped on train and got to Newcastle, walked around the station to the metro and hopped on that, went across Newcastle and this geeza picked us up and drove us to the car... TA DAAAAAAA

Holy crap on a cracker it could not of had more rust, all around the wings, doors, boot, bonnet. Covered and I mean CAPED in rust. Opened the passenger door and it nearly fell off it was rusty in the seams / sill. Nonetheless took it for a test drive, pulled up to a junction and went straight across... brakes work then!

Declined the car, and the £300 he offered to knock off (seriously it needed to be for free!!) and he returned us to the metro.

Scooted back across Newcastle, (Feet still in agony) to the train station. Now It was 35 for both of us to get there pre-booked with a window and table seat. Buying the seat on the station.... £178!!! In a cramped economy seat!! Needless to say I was pi$$ed. Got home and took my shoes off... ahhh my god blood everywhere! Rubbed half the skin off my little toes both sides! Still got the scars now.


BEAT THAT BITCHES

[doingitsideways]

Erm... Ok, you win!!

Bet you wish all sellers were as honest as me?!

Steve

[Palmer]

It would be nice but you did fib on one bit steve

"Need a valet"

Removing 3 tonne of rubble is not a valet lmfao

[DaveNP]

Would I drive 5 hours? Possibly.
My current car I bought through ebay from Leatherhead which is about 1h20mins from here, I had phoned the seller and felt pretty confident that it was a good car at a bargain price so it would be worth the trip. I also spent last Sunday afternoon driving to Evesham, about 1h30 to pick up a sound mixing desk bought on ebay, at £60 it was about half the market price so worth the trip and I enjoyed the drive anyway.
A lot would depend on the car to be bought, if I want to replace my car like for like there are two on ebay at the moment within 30 miles and 13 within 75 miles so there's enough reasonably near to make a 5 hour drive excessive, if it was a Volvo 262 that you really wanted then travelling Lands End to John O'Groats would be reasonable as in 3 or 4 years of window shopping for Volvos on ebay I've only seen 1 of them.
As has already been said you would need a strong nerve to be able to walk away (drive 5hrs back) if there were a problem when you got there, my brother in law ended up buying a heap of trouble because he'd won a bidding war then got a lift 3hrs away to pick up the car, he knew it was a heap (nothing like the description) when he got there but couldn't admit he'd made a wasted journey so he still bought it.