mchin said:
What, if any, research did you do prior to buying on ebay.
Well, I cheated a bit since the car was local. But I was ready to buy one that wasn't. Frankly, buying a car out of warranty is a gamble, and that $150 inspection may not catch something catastrophic that the seller wants to hide, such as rings, vanos, cracked block etc. Don't forget, a BMW dealer sold a repainted car as new, resulting in the Supreme Court's decision in
BMW of North America v. Gore. So you are always "buying the seller" rather than buying the car, i.e., is the person honest? If you buy a car off a lot, you know you're buying from a used car dealer who specializes in lying to people (my opinion). At least on eBay, you're more likely to buy from an honest person, and feedback helps too. eBay offers some protections, albeit limited, and if you pay with a credit card or Paypal you might get some more.