I'm thinking of purchasing a car in Freehold, Nj which is about 230 miles away from NE Massachusetts.

http://www.volkswagenoffreehold.com/...cff4e62a30.htm

Would any members care to share any of their experiences and/or advice? A quick search showed one thread, but I would like to know the steps that you took and things you would look out for.

After some online research, I figured these would be the steps to take -- correct me if I'm wrong:

Negotiate price (on paper)
hire pre-purchase inspection
establish financing / negotiate some more (on paper)
fly/drive to other state for final test drive before signing any papers

I listed negotiation first because I don't want to waste the money on an inspection if we can't agree on price.

Sorry for the long post. Any thoughts?

 

Oh god.

 

I've always paid cash for my cars, but you're going to have to drive down there twice. Once to look at the car/sign/finance and once to bring the plates to drive home

 

Book a hotel room close to the dealer. Buy car in morning, drive s**t out of it to check for problems. If anything does show, you're close.

 

how profound...

 

Pretty much do what you mentioned.

- Negotiate price (but make sure that by flying out, you have to realize that they might try to keep the price constant since you're already there
- Pre-purchase inspection
- Check papers before signing, ask when you'll get the title transfer to your state
- Fly over if inspection is fine (and starting price is within your spending range), test drive, fall in love, buy

Remember that sales tax will be according to wherever you register your car (NE Massachusetts, payable when you register/transfer your title).

 

Sorry to butt in but I am also purchasing an out of state car and want to know if there is a fee to transfer the tittle from one state to another? Besides the sales tax.

 

I think that all depends on the state, and some states can give you temp plates immediately. I drove away same day when I bought my Z in PA back to MD.

 

I'd suggest get your financing in line first to see what you can afford or what the bank would give you.

I can't tell if these cars are new or used but there was a note about 0% financing. You definitely want to check into that.

If the car is new, I don't see the point of a pre-inspection.

 

Sounds like a good plan. Never heard of a pre purchase inspection. So you would pretty much find one in that state or just find a reputable one in your state and they will drive over there?

 

I ended up purchasing a 370z instead -- mileage: 30k 2009 magnetic black, touring w/ sports package, leather and alcantara.

I still got a pre-purchase inspection from a reputable shop for $35 w/ a report. The mech. tried to pick it apart, but couldn't find any issues w/ and and stated it was a clean car.

I'll be picking it up this weekend.

 

Nice. Was it from the same out of state dealership

 

Actually, no. I decided to be more patient and look for something around here.

I spoke to a dealer that had a red 370z and he gave me some really good advice for purchasing out-of-state, but alas, I decided to find something in Mass. instead.

I've already done a lot of research and picked out some performance parts

 

I bought my last Z out of state. My brother, and other friends have all also bought cars out of state. If you do your homework, you will be fine. But most importantly, don't be afraid to not buy the car. Plan a way home, just in case. I know you are buying locally but I posted this anyways for others who may be considering it.

 

My next car may very well be out-of-state, so any advice is good.

 

I've bought my last two cars out of state. Both were good experiences. Just do everything that the OP mentioned and make sure you get a carfax from the dealer or just buy one yourself.

I've also make them send me videos of the car starting up and showing the dash for any CEL. If it's an automatic from a cold start for them to put it in first and reverse to see if the transmission does anything funny. That's just my two cents on what I've done.

I'm in the market for a 350z now and it will be more than likely out of state when I buy it.