Purchasing a west without viewing it

Mmartinphd · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 5:57 pm Post subject:

Bought mine off of eBay motors without seeing it, and do not regret! It helped that it was at a dealership and they faxed me 4 pages of maintenance records from the last two owners. Also they sent me 20 pics.

It turned out to be in way better shape than I expected. Just had a mechanic check it out to see if there was anything I missed and they found nothing!

Maybe I just had good luck, but life is good in my house.
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1987 Westy

Corwyn · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:07 pm Post subject:

WHERE - IS - THE - VAN? If we actually knew that:

- It might be sitting across the street from me.
- I might know the guy who is selling it.
- I might be able to go see it for you.

Some starting place - unless it's in a landfill . . .
_________________
'90 White Westy ("Needy")
Automatic, 2.2 WBX
Olympia, Washington USA

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~

Corwyn · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:08 pm Post subject:

Oh yeah - I bought mine off ebay too. Caveat Emptor
_________________
'90 White Westy ("Needy")
Automatic, 2.2 WBX
Olympia, Washington USA

"If anything's" gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there"
~ Captain Ron ~

srmpf · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:22 pm Post subject:

Captjon1959 · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:26 pm Post subject:

I did the unthinkable and purchase a vanagon on ebay with just a Carfax and some pictures. I used Paypal for the down payment and then used a certified check for the balance. It was a crazy thing to do, but there aren't many Westies in this neck of the woods and I had the fever. When it was shipped to me I had it inspected (I know I did everything backwards). Found out it had a bunch of issues but one of them was the transmission. I went back and forth with the seller and finally turned it over to the insurer for ebay purchases. If you by a vehicle on ebay and the motor, transmission or frame is defective and it wasn't revealed, then they will fight for you. I got a check for $2,000 to resolve the transmission problem and got the van cheap. I don't know that I'd ever do it again, but it ended up working out fine. I'm not suggesting you do this, but I was impressed that the ebay insurer came through. The shop that did the inspection also helped by confirming the transmission problem with the insurer.
_________________
1984 Westfalia Wolfsburg Edition
Former 1.9 L now Bostig Ford Zetec

highsierra · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:21 pm Post subject:

Terry Kay · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:43 pm Post subject:

Buying a Vanagon or any vehicle for that matter is like saying;
"I Do" without first testing the unit, or checking out how it drives.

Not a sound, lifes decsion.
_________________
T.K.
http://community.webtv.net/VanStuff/VanagonWestfalia

http://community.webtv.net/VanagonUsedParts/VanagonParts

"Ingorance Is A Powerful Tool If applied at The Right Time, Even Usually Surpassing Knowledge"
(E.J. Potter)

whynotvw · Samba Member Joined: May 04, 2004 Posts: 1035

I bought 3-4 vehicles sight unseen and for the most part it worked out great. Not everyone out there is there to rip you off. Do your homework and go with your good conscious. Have the person take a lot of photos. Ask if you can run a credit check on the seller. Smile

JPrato · Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 10:08 am Post subject:

We bought our Westy without personally seeing it. It was from the original owner, Carfax verified it was in the same location since new. (San Francisco area) We ordered an inspection to verify the condition and that the vin number on the dash was what it was suppose to be. I personally talked with the owner and discussed the history of the van and how he serviced it. My decision was based on all the components put together. A straight forward owner, great service (he had all receipts since new), the condition from the inspection pictures matched the described condition and it had a good price. We pulled the trigger and had it shipped back to New York. It was great experience. It wasn't fool proof, but we cut the risk way down by asking questions and doing our homework. A lot comes from the vibes talking to the seller. Do the claims, condition and known history match up? Is the price right? Too cheep is a warning flag to me. I would say it helps a lot to be knowledgeable with vehicles and know the right questions to ask. If all you know about vehicles is how to put gas in, start it up and drive you could get into trouble! You probably shouldn't own a 20+year old Westy either.
_________________
Joe

06 Subaru Legacy turbo (how am I gonna fit this sucker into the Westy....)
87 Syncro Tin Top project
84 Westy, 2.5L Subaru power
46 Cessna 140

hans j · Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 11:11 am Post subject:

I bought my syncro and caddy EV both without looking at them first. The syncro has needed a lot of work and it's rusty but I don't regret it for a second. I got good deals on both so it doesn't bother me much. Plus I do all my own work and have several parts cars to pick from. I guess I still have faith in humanity that people are still good.

The next car I want to buy is an Iltis, I probably won't have a chance to inspect it before hand either...
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1986 Canadian Syncro Westy TDI - 1981 VW Caddy ABA - 1980 VW Caddy EV - 2001 Audi S4 - 1978 VW Rabbit - 1973 VW T-181

bgoodell · Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 11:50 am Post subject:

I am trying to sell my Westy right now. One potential buyer asked for a reference. I gave him the name of a local VW mechanic I have dealt with so the buyer could check me out.
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84 Zetec Westy
86 Syncro Sunroof

joetiger · Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 12:00 pm Post subject:

I bought mine off of Ebay and they flat-bedded it from Kansas to Denver. They gave me an option to opt-out and let them keep $200 of my $1000 deposit if I didn't like it. Turns out I liked it!

On the other hand, I know of a woman who bought a gold '87 GL from Minneapolis and had it shipped over. It was rusted beyond repair; everywhere there was rust, they had SPRAY PAINTED it gold and had taken photos that did a great job of hiding the damage.

She had no recourse and ended up parting it out. It was with a mix of sympathy and happiness that I purchased my power mirrors from her.

Everything's a roll of the dice, I guess.
_________________
Joe T.
'85 Wolfsburg Westfalia Subie 2.2 "Tatanka"
"Old days come and go too soon
Old friends, heroes, lifetimes
Don't let a single memory fade away" --JB

Williamtaylor33 · Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 2:50 pm Post subject:

My best deal was bought sight unseen. I think you can tell Alot about what kinda van is for sale by having some good conversations with the seller.
Just recently though a syncro came up for sake in my area. I went with cash in hand ready to take home a new van. Yet I went home empty handed. Something just wasn't right. That gut feeling you get from inspecting a vehicle yourself is something you cant get on eBay.
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89 syncro westy
SS Radius arm and drop link sleeves for sale..

BoneMachine · Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 2:57 pm Post subject:

Captjon1959 · Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 6:15 pm Post subject:

How'd you know? I married my wife without taking her for a test drive as well. Both decisions have worked out just fine - you just have to be willing to work on things as you go. Good life lesson.
_________________
1984 Westfalia Wolfsburg Edition
Former 1.9 L now Bostig Ford Zetec

Terry Kay · Posted: Fri May 11, 2012 9:14 pm Post subject:

Oh Boy---

And I'll bet with no pre-nup either.

Atta Boy--
_________________
T.K.
http://community.webtv.net/VanStuff/VanagonWestfalia

http://community.webtv.net/VanagonUsedParts/VanagonParts

"Ingorance Is A Powerful Tool If applied at The Right Time, Even Usually Surpassing Knowledge"
(E.J. Potter)

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