Buying a car from overseas owner

spacekiwi

Hi, car on dd forsale 4500 euros,
Been messaging guy selling it and he says he is in states , but a garage is selling it on his behalf.

So my question is if i decide to buy vehicle, how am i covered?? Apparently he has pre signed log book and money is to be cash or bankdraft in his name and given to garage...and they will date change of ownership..
Should i request that garage seller accepts money and changes log book in a garda station with a guard as a witness??
Or is it a major risk to begin with??
Odd scenario and one i have never come across before..any help appreciated..

Buddy Bubs

spacekiwi wrote: »

Hi, car on dd forsale 4500 euros,
Been messaging guy selling it and he says he is in states , but a garage is selling it on his behalf.

So my question is if i decide to buy vehicle, how am i covered?? Apparently he has pre signed log book and money is to be cash or bankdraft in his name and given to garage...and they will date change of ownership..
Should i request that garage seller accepts money and changes log book in a garda station with a guard as a witness??
Or is it a major risk to begin with??
Odd scenario and one i have never come across before..any help appreciated..

send us the link to dd

bazz26

It's the same as any private sale, you have zero comeback. The garage is not selling it themselves, they are only acting as an intermediary on behalf of the actual seller. My main concern is if the sale is some sort of scam where you end up with no money and a stolen or no car. Make sure the person your dealing with in the garage is genuine and works there, the garage itself has a good reputation and is in business for a long time. If those are good then there is less chance of it being a scam as any decent reputable business would have too much to lose by being involved in a dodgy sale or scam. I'd also try and arrange some face time with the actual seller over zoom or skype to ask them questions about the car and it's history. Once you have established that I'd also ask them to show you their driver's licence on the call just to make sure the name matches that on the car's log book. Just use a bit of subtlety around it.

Thoie

spacekiwi wrote: »

Hi, car on dd forsale 4500 euros,
Been messaging guy selling it and he says he is in states , but a garage is selling it on his behalf.

So my question is if i decide to buy vehicle, how am i covered?? Apparently he has pre signed log book and money is to be cash or bankdraft in his name and given to garage...and they will date change of ownership..
Should i request that garage seller accepts money and changes log book in a garda station with a guard as a witness??
Or is it a major risk to begin with??
Odd scenario and one i have never come across before..any help appreciated..

If it looks like a duck...

Sounds like a total scam to me one way or another. If the garage are "selling it on his behalf", why is someone in a foreign country involved at all? The garage could just sell it as normal, keep some profit, send him on the rest if he's that friendly with them.

In my limited opinion, it's either a lemon that the garage don't want to stand over, there's something dodgy about either the car or the owner, or there's something dodgy about the garage.

Can you afford to lose €4,500 if it all goes wrong? If not, I'd walk away.

Atlantic Dawn

Will you be able to see the car before buying it?

spacekiwi

Yes, will be able to see car beforehand at garage...i will get name of garage and check out credentials and reviews, and will ask for a pic of license to verify name...
Someone told me that this is not too uncommon in the motor industry....but asling as logbook signed and then my new details are on it and dated it should be ok...and getting a reciept stating price paid on car and they are selling on behalf...its all just new to me is all..usually its all face to face with actual seller

spacekiwi

Ok, abit more to story...car is at a garage, but its not a car dealers type garage . Its a mechanical garage since 2008...
Apparently it was taken there to pass nct, which it did, and being sold by them on behalf to pay owner abroad.....

spacekiwi

Aside from getting a cartell report and a proper look at guys id, and its being sold on by a established mechanics garage,...should i be worried, or is it better to walk away??

punisher5112

Scam alert..... Scam alert....

Wouldn't touch such a story with yours.

bazz26

Story sounds a little bit risky to me. I'd just move on and look at buying something else.

dazed+confused

It's not impossible for this story to be true, but it seems unlikely.

BobMc

run a mile, too many risks

punisher5112

I'd actually believe it more if they were just selling the car....
Sounds like a way of dealing a bit and going down the private sale route so no come back like said previously.


If the car is really worth it as in a great deal and it's running right etc then but it but you want to be 100% on it is right.

Irishphotodesk

OP, have you tested the sellers story?

They say they are in USA, is the time of their responses consistent with someone in USA ?

Have you checked the IP address of their email server ?

biko

It could be something, or nothing.
Is it really worth the hassle?

Go look at the car at the garage, if you get any dodgy vibes move on to next car.

Car99

Sounds like the garage owner has an unpaid bill for the car and the owner has disappeared.

greasepalm

How many things will differ parts wise and steering on wrong side of vehicle.How long might you have to wait for parts?

Will your insurance cover you on that vehicle?

I would be playing safe and maybe avoid it and is there any foreign tax or import duty to add to the price?

Car99

greasepalm wrote: »

How many things will differ parts wise and steering on wrong side of vehicle.How long might you have to wait for parts?

Will your insurance cover you on that vehicle?

I would be playing safe and maybe avoid it and is there any foreign tax or import duty to add to the price?

Is the car LHD and on foreign plates?

Mjolnir

greasepalm wrote: »

How many things will differ parts wise and steering on wrong side of vehicle.How long might you have to wait for parts?

Will your insurance cover you on that vehicle?

I would be playing safe and maybe avoid it and is there any foreign tax or import duty to add to the price?

No one mentioned the car being an import lhd..... the mind boggles

Its not all that unusual for these situations to occur, get a report, get an inspection then decide.
There are several legit ways this situation can occur. If you like it and it checks out win win, if not walk away.
If the dealer is legit they won't risk handling stolen goods lads.

ratracer

I don’t think it’s unusual for a garage to sell a car on behalf of someone else, I’ve seen a few cars/ motorbikes advertised as such.

The owner could have many reasons for selling like this. Treat it the same as buying any second hand car, ie have your own mechanic check it out, if it’s NCT’d the mileage would be accurate and verified by them. I wouldn’t jump straight in and think it’s a scam.

greasepalm

Ahh reread first post again OWNER is in a different country not the car and wanting it sold and if buying the car would it have a warranty as thinking not?

Lurching

Car99 wrote: »

Sounds like the garage owner has an unpaid bill for the car and the owner has disappeared.

That doesn't add up if they have the log book.

Car99

Lurching wrote: »

That doesn't add up if they have the log book.

Shannon will send you a log book if you fill out the correct forms.

Wildly Boaring

There are other cars.
Why bother taking any risk.

KevRossi

Is the car unusually cheap for the year and make?

It's unusual, but not unheard of. Maybe garage is happy to do the work and sell it for him, but don't want to be stuck with warranty issues or with Revenue asking questions.

Best thing to do is stick up the link here and we can look at it.

mgbgt1978

Lurching wrote: »

That doesn't add up if they have the log book.

I thought the same too at first.
But then it kind of does add up when you look at the OP's mention of the garage being given the job of taking the car for the NCT.

mgbgt1978

In fairness, without knowing the Make, model, year, mileage and asking price it is impossible to make a call on this one.
If, as the OP says, the garage is trading for the last 12 years that should provide some confidence in buying the car.
Flipside is that if it is a decent bargain then surely the garage guy would have bought it by now and sold it on for a profit.
Which kind of points towards the garage taking a cut out of the deal.