General Advice For Purchasing A Vehicle Using The Web

[Back East Don]

I recently just went through the process of trying to buy another Toyota RV. This deal ultimately didn't work out but that is not the point of this post.

There are plenty of posts about what to look for in buying one and having gone through mine, already know what to look for and what questions to ask about the physical condition. This post is about the buying process. There are lots of scams out there today and no end of people looking to take your money from you. Here is my advice on some key things that help me.

Linda recently mentioned in a post that one scam is just there to collect cell numbers. The ad will ask you to text them. Call, don't text. I know, they'll have your number anyway. Not too worried about that personally. I use a google voice number to place the call. If you get a person, start asking questions. Any person selling anything they own is going to know something about it unless they are a dealer. If they are a dealer, easy enough to ask for their business name and look them up. Size up the person you are talking to. This part is pretty strait forward for me. You get a sense of who you are dealing with right away. Then you just have to ask, do you want to continue the dialog.

Ask the seller to send you an email. I have a simple email address that is easy to convey over the phone that forwards to my main email. Ask them for a photo of something you want to know more about or better yet, ask for the Vin. Sometimes I wait before asking for the vin but more on that later.

Now I have a phone number that I know goes to somewhere. If I haven't already, I can do a quick web search of that number which can give me a whole host of information starting with some sites that report scam numbers called but also geographic information regarding the number. If it is a business number that comes up in the search as well. It can be surprising how much info just a phone numbers alone has produced.

I also got the seller to send me an email. Now I have both an email and phone number. In looking at buying this last RV, I searched both the email address and phone number. I confirmed the sellers first name, got his last name, found some of his interests and hobbies, found his LinkedIn page and even some forum posts dating back to 2006. It is pretty scary how much information most put out on the web and what is available through a simple search. I spent all of 5 minutes looking. Sorry in advance to those sensitive about privacy. There is none.

Ok, I've confirmed this is a most likely legit seller, now what? Get the vin number. If the seller says they can't or won't, I'm done. Explain to them why you are looking for it. Take the vin number, spend the $20 and run the vehicle history report. I found the date of original sale from the dealer new through the last registration. All the major events that occurred came up in the report including the accidents, the possible total loss and the sale at salvage. The seller was upfront about the tagged title but what if this happened in a state where they don't have to tag the title as rebuilt? The report also gives the state and title number for the current registration. Many state have a process that with the owners name, vin and title number, you can contact them to confirm.

I get that some of this will not sit well with some. If I am doing business with you or for instance hiring you, better believe I am looking you up. No different in my book than reading a restaurants reviews. I also expect the table to be turned on me as well in similar situations. In my work I've undergone more background checks that I can count. This is the world as it is.

In the end the seller took a deposit from someone else. It was the right deal at the wrong time for me and I was upfront with the seller about that. I told him to treat me like a tire kicker as this decision would take discussion with my wife and some soul searching on my part. That is another component in dealing with others. Be honest about your intentions.

I really don't need two RV's right now and was only thinking about a couple years from now when I will. Even with everything possibly negative I found about the vehicle, I still think it was a very good deal. I had decided last night that I would pass. Had my personal circumstances been different and didn't need to mull it over, I could have landed this fish with little doubt. Seller has taken a deposit from another buyer 4 days later. Last bit of advice. You snooze, you lose.

I'm guessing the opinions on this are going to be mixed.

[Skydancer2992]

Good info. Googling the email address and phone number often reveals other ads and sometimes different prices for the same camper.