Kinda of freaking out. Just purchased my first VX on ebay. Now what...

[Osteomata]

Hi, I probably should have made my first post on these forums in the "Introduce Yourself" thread, but I have a couple of specific areas/questions about which the combined wisdom of the assembled might provide some guidance.

I just bought a 2001 VX on ebay. I have not paid yet, the auction just closed within the hour, and I need to move some money around in order to back the paypal price. I will also need to arrange shipping from New York to Florida.

So my questions:
1. The seller has a 99.2% positive rating with over 400 sales, including some vehicles, so it sounds safe, but should I ask for anything else before transmitting the money?

2. I have never shipped a car, but I did get an online estimate before bidding. Any advice about working this process?

3. Any general advice to make this transaction go smooth?

I am about as thrilled as I could be to joing the VX owner community.

- Jack

[Rubicool]

I was sooo close to bidding on that.........congrats and good luck! Still looking for mine

[rowhard]

Well, can't give you any info on buying a VX on ebay, but as far as shipping goes, don't go with the low ball bid, it will just sit on the board. Of course, if it was earlier, you might luck out with the new yorkers shipping their cars to Florida, but that is from my one time experience of shipping my VX from Virgina to Washington state. And welcome to the addiction

[JoFotoz]

Congrats...that must be the Proton with 35,000...

...good price !

A few tips

If the seller will agree , put money in an agreed escrow account till ya get the vehicle and it meets the stated condition.

Try this guy for a shipping quote....Joshua Tel:- 1-714-450-0156.
He shipped one for me from Atlanta to San Diego for $700...tell him Jo in San Diego recommended him.

Be prepared to get addicted to owning a VX!!!


Now we return to your scheduled broadcast of the Oscars!


jo

[Gussie2000]

Hi OS !

Welcome to the addiction.

You should check the search link to see if the previous owner was/is a member of the board based on the last 4 VIN numbers.

A carfak/experian auto background check wouldn't hurt either.

Where is this VX located ?

If is located within the NYC area i can drive by & do a "CSI" overview for you

[Y33TREKker]

Oh, just fly to NY and drive it back. I mean, what better way to acclimate yourself to VX ownership than by driving all the way down the eastern coast while getting stared at the whole way? Besides....you know you want to.

Don't know that much about shipping vehicles, but maybe someone on this site from NY will chime in and offer to help with some of the details on that end?

Anyway, welcome to the site, and allow me to introduce myself as the owner of your VX's neighbor as it rolled down the assembly line. My '01 Ebonys' VIN# ends in 939. (OK, so maybe that's not actually true given the weird serial numbering system Isuzu used between '99 and '01, but that's the story I'm going with.)

[Y33TREKker]

Don't know that much about shipping vehicles, but maybe someone on this site from NY will chime in and offer to help with some of the details on that end?

If is located within the NYC area i can drive by & do a "CSI" overview for you

Missed it by THAT much.

[Osteomata]

Thanks to all for the quick replies. An active forum is a solid indicator of the closeness of any community.

JoFotoz, yes, thats the one. And thanks for the shipping lead, I'l check into it.

Gussie2000, I did an experian background check, very clean. The care is apparently located in Delmar, NY. Not sure where that is.

- Jack

[Gussie2000]

Ok,let me check the google map to see how far.

Cheez;Sorry my friend,the VX is 5 hours away.

Delmar is a small city near albany upstate NY.

[pbkid]

congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the family/addiction

now make the trip to moab with the rest of us in may

great way to get to know some other VX'ers and get ALL of your questions and curiosities answered...

[Riff Raff]

OSTEOMATA--- Welcome to the "Proton Family"!!!

I too, bought my Proton on eBay last year. Here's what you need to do:

"DO NOT" SEND ANY MONEY VIA PAL-PAL (very dangerous); Rather, Send money only via "ESCROW.COM" (this is really important)!!! ESCROW.COM is the only recommended way endorsed by eBay itself to conduct an eBay vehicle monetary transaction. Go to "ESCROW.COM" and read-up on the whole process. Normally, the "buyer" (you) is responsible to pay any escrow fees. It's very cheap, as a $7,500 purchase price only costs about $125 Escrow Fee (well worth the peace of mind of not possibly getting ripped-off).

Regarding shipping-- I had my VX shipped by D.A.S. (Dependable Auto Shippers). They are also endorsed by eBay as the best auto transport company. D.A.S. is by far the cheapest and the largest auto shipper in the USA. They also have multiple "drop-off"/"pick-up" terminals located throughout the USA (very nice feature, and saves you money by using an authorized D.A.S. terminal point). Last year, it only cost me $850 to ship my VX from Chicago, IL to Tacoma, WA. D.A.S. takes great pride in their business, and my VX arrived without a scratch. Plus, you can call their toll-free number and actually "track" the shipment via the assigned tracking number while it's in transit (very cool). You will know exactly where your VX is at all times!!!

I absolutely "DO NOT" recommend flying out there to pick-up the VX and driving it back home. The total combined cost of Air Fare, Hotels, Food, Gas, your Personal Time, and resulting Lost Wages/Vacation Time, etc is absolutely not worth it. It's way, way cheaper just to have the VX shipped by D.A.S., and gives you total peace of mind.

So there you go--- Use ESCROW.COM as the "conduit" to conduct the money transfer. Use D.A.S. (Dependable Auto Shippers) for auto transport shipping.

Again, welcome to the Proton Family!!!

[VehiGAZ]

Cheez;Sorry my friend,the VX is 5 hours away.

Five hours from NYC to Albany?!?! It's only 150 miles! Gussie, you should buy my supercharged VX - yours isn't fast enough.

PS - I hope your exhaust work goes well...

[tom4bren]

You're in luck. New York to Miami should be on the major trade routes. I had mine shipped from Mo to VA and it took about 3 weeks since it wasn't on the major routes.

[VX KAT]

As another newby to the addiction- welcome!

I agree with RiffRaff- Use DAS- Dependable Auto Shippers. www.dasautoshippers.com Plus you can get a good solid quote online w/o even contacting them. Mine was right on the nose.

I made shipping inquiries to several "on-line" operations & was flooded with emails trying everything to get me to sign up. They promised the moon and it was all bunk....WATCH OUT FOR THESE CROOKS. :madp: I'm STILL getting email solicitations from one of them! I was "quoted" like $450 multiple times....NO WAY, stick with the credible shippers, otherwise, they hold your car hostage until you pay for the sudden "additional" charges that arise. If it sounds to good to be true.....

Like RR said, DAS is the officially sanctioned shipper on eBay. They did take care of my vehicle 100%. You can save some money by having it delivered to one of their "terminals". I drove about 75 miles to p/u my VX, saved about $75. OK, it was a wash with gas for 2 vehicles for 75 miles, but like Y33trekker said, you WANT TO DRIVE IT NOW! Plus they have this really cool tracking system so you can look at Google maps and it shows you exactly where the truck is....for us Type A's who were anxious to get their car!

I shipped mine from Virginia to Arizona 2 months ago over xmas time for $995. You can pay more for a closed transporter if you want.

[Osteomata]

Making progress: Payment arranged. Internet quote received from DAS. (Thanks for that recommendation). Seller has agreed to drop the car off at the local DAS point.

Seller and I have clarified two points that were a little unclear from the ebay ad:
1) The VX has minor front cladding cover damage (this was clear in the ad) Turns out the seller already obtained a new front cladding, but he will not have time to install it. So I get both, the damage one as attached, and the new one thrown in the back.

2) The VX does not have a back seat. I misread the ad to indicate that the owner had it, and that it would be available. Not so: we have no idea if the original owner still has it. Looks like this thing will be coming without a back seat. How hard, and how expensive, will that be to replace? 2001 black/grey.

- Jack