Before going into the details of finding a car on the internet, I want to make it very clear you need to be very careful. The internet is full of scumbags looking to steal money from unsuspecting victims. If you understand the scams beforehand, know what to look for, and follow the safe practices outlined in this section, you have nothing to fear with the greatest tool available to you for finding that exact vehicle you are looking for.
More details on protecting yourself on purchasing a car online can be found in “Chapter #9 Purchasing the Classic Car”. These points below should be red flags when viewing a classified ad online.
Main rules to Follow
1) If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is – This is the first golden rule. In the early days of TimelessRides.com scam artists would post a Mustang GT500 and other insanely beautiful cars for $3000 or some ridiculous amount. TimelessRides.com, along with most other leading collector car classified ads sites police their system and remove suspicious ads, and something like this is an immediate red flag. The scammers must have caught on because now the prices reflect 50% to 75%of the true value of these high end cars, and can fly under the radar for monitoring. BE WARY OF TOO GOOD OF A DEAL.
2) NEVER send money via wire services such as Western Union or MoneyGram - eBay does not endorse these services and has warnings all over their site about using them. Using a bank to bank transfer, paying in person, or using an escrow service are the safest ways to purchase. More about the transaction process and safety steps can be found in Chapter #9.
3) DO NOT SEND MONEY BACK from a cashed check - Scam artists use others to cash their fraudulent checks, and as the check is going through your bank (and will not clear), you have already mailed the cash back to the scammer.
4) Scam artists use “stories” to make the great deal seem real – They don’t always post it in the ad, but in the first email response they will mention they are selling at a great price because they need cash fast, they have moved, or are deployed overseas. NEVER buy from someone who is not at the same location as the car itself, PERIOD. Being away from the car is a “cover” for “I don’t actually have or own the car”.
5) Bad spelling and grammar should also be a warning sign - Granted some of us may not be the best writers or spellers, but most of these scammers are based outside the U.S. which is why they tend to try and use money wire services. If you see this, it’s best to ask more questions and be cautious.
You should not be intimidated by the above information, most sellers online are honest people looking to sell their collector car. You may need to ask the right questions to get the real truth that pictures and words cannot convey, but they are usually not outright thieves. The scammers are usually easy to spot, sticking out like a sore thumb wanting a speedy transaction with no proof they actually have the car in their possession. Unfortunately uninformed buyers are still getting ripped off.
Sites to Look At
eBay.com – Did you know eBay sells more cars by 9 AM than most dealerships sell in a year? What makes that statistic even more incredible is the fact that eBay reported this back in 2006. At any one time, eBay has over 1000 Corvettes and nearly 1200 Mustangs for sale. If you are using the internet to find your next collector car purchase, eBay needs to be a site you frequent.
Because there are so many details to an eBay auction, I have created a separate chapter just for eBay (Chapter #5 - Finding a classic car on eBay), which includes some great tips and "inside knowledge" of collector vehicles being sold on eBay.
Craiglist.org – I was a skeptic for the longest time about Craigslist being a good site for finding classics, but I know a few sellers that move most of their inventory through craigslist. If you are looking for a cheaper classic that is not in great shape, this is a good place to start. It may be harder to find cars in very good condition however. Ease of use isn’t the best either, as it’s impossible to sort by year and model, you can only search by a search box. Deals can be had on craigslist however.
There are many great websites out there to shop for classic cars, and as long as you follow this guide and protect yourself online, you shouldn’t have any problems.
In my opinion, some of the best websites to search for cars and trucks:
www.classiccars.com
www.autotraderclassics.com
www.oldride.com
www.hemmings.com
www.eBay.com
www.timelessrides.com
Chapter 3 - Classic Car Dealers