nile13

Not only have I done the disputes with PayPal (for several eBay items as the sellers are becoming completely crooked there), they have returned the money every time. Just look at their policies. They heavily protect the buyer.

Whilst there, also see how much PayPal allows you to receive in any given period of time. Unless you have a business account with them, I believe it's limited way, way below what a 993 would cost. On top of that, why would a sane person pay a 2.9% fee which will amount to $1000 or so to use PayPal to buy a car? In short, show me a single person who took PayPal as a payment for a car other than 1982 Chevette.

On the other hand, don;t kid yourselves, guys, thinking that a wire is bulletproof and can not be recalled.

Again, to summarize - a guy wants to buy a car site unseen (without even talking on the phone?) and pay via untraceable methods. I see lot of fun in that transaction.

95 NC 993

After 25 years in law enforcement I can assure you that the only safe way to complete a transaction from overseas is through a bank to bank transfer. Their bank to your bank and done in the presence of banking representatives during banking hours. If they charge a fee, cheap insurance. I recently assisted my collector car neighbor when he sold a $29,000 '89 Mercedes to an individual in Dubai using this method. A complete success. No worries. Anything else is an exposure to risk. If your buyer is on the up and up, then he will agree to this procedure. It's that simple. Good luck! I hope it works out.

vern1

Lots of good advice. He did send me a phone number and I am going to call him in the morning. If I get an actual answer I will insist on a wire transfer. How can they recall a wire transfer? If not by wire transfer what else is there? These days it sounds like to only way to do a deal is if the buyer shows up with a stack of $100's....

Thanks for the replies

x50type

Ask him why he wants a left hand drive car when the drive on the other side of the road!

He could get one much easier from europe and/or UK.

Ed Hughes

Where was it stated what country the buyer is in? Not all countries "overseas" have RH drive cars. Most of Europe is LH.

TMc993

Post #5 - I agree purchasing site unseen is unusual but he is in London England and I get the impression that cars of this vintage are much more expensive there.

x50type

Ed Hughes.

fyi

Post #5 - I agree purchasing site unseen is unusual but he is in London England and I get the impression that cars of this vintage are much more expensive there.

Ask him why he wants a left hand drive car when they drive on the other side of the road!

He could get one much easier from europe and/or UK.

nile13

The moment UK is mentioned regarding car buying you are 99.93% assured this is a scam.

However, email the guy and tell him that in a happy coincidence you will be in London on a business trip next week and willing to meet him there for a discussion. See which part of the world he will end up in next week if he replies to you at all.

911Dave

How so?

DJF1

I had 3 "buyers" all from the UK supposedly, wanting to send me more money for the car, asking price etc... I emailed all of them that I would rather have them give the money directly to my relatives in London and never heard back from them
Obviously not all buyers from the UK are scammers, but seeing that scammers are usually English speaking and the UK the only English speaking country in Europe, odds are stacked against legit buyers...

The bottom line is that if you are a legit buyer, there will certainly be more involvement, questions etc in the sale than buying the car unseen. It just does not make sense for normal people to do otherwise.

Just my 02

Gunter

Aside from the transaction fee, PayPal has THE worst exchange rate from US to CAN $. I expect that applies to any other currency conversion.

Even though the CAN$ is well above par, my recent transaction with PayPal requiring conversion was a nasty surprise, a real rip-off.

PayPal's conversion rate is far worse than their transaction fee; Disgusting!

nile13

Experience plus common sense.

But just think about it. How would a LHD car be used in UK?

JimPA

Likely the same way a RHD car would be used in North America: infrequently and with caution. There's a rare LHD vintage BMW E28 Alpina currently for sale on another board. It's owned by a UK collector who imported it from Germany a few years ago. But, there's a story to support the situation and a lot of open (and favorable) dialogue about that particular car.

A LHD car going to a RHD country raises legitimate questions but isn't a definitive red flag. Suggesting the use of Paypal for a high value transaction raises more questions. Get the initial deposit via wire transfer and, if that works, the balance should be sent the same way. Other options aren't worth the risk.

nile13

To me it's an absolutely definitive red flag. Again, from personal experience. And, again, both myself and Danny above gave an easy way to check the legitimacy.

911Dave

Just because it's being shipped to a port in the UK doesn't mean that's where it will be owned and driven. Its final destination could be anywhere. For example, it could be a British importer purchasing a car for a client in Dubai. Or, the buyer could be in France and he wants to pick it up from a port in Southampton and drive back home. For whatever reasons, maybe it's cheaper for them to bring the car into a UK port.