When it comes to buying cars, especially vintage automobiles, sometimes the perfect vehicle isn’t in your own back yard; it’s halfway across the country. Unfortunately, with instances of internet scams on the rise, buying a car long-distance can be daunting. How do you know it’s the real deal? There is also the matter of transportation: once you have purchased the care, how do you get it safely to your location?

Moving Your Vehicle

When you buy the vehicle you will have the job of moving it to your location. One of the easiest ways to get it from point “A” to point “B” is to fly out and drive it back. But if it’s far away, if you don’t want to put the mileage on the car, or if you simply don’t have time for a cross-country drive, then your only option is to arrange transport.

Since transport is so important, you should start thinking about it, even before you actually buy the car.

There are several companies that offer auto transportation services at reasonable prices. However, you should not base your choice solely on price. After all, if it was important enough to go across the country to find the car of your dreams, then it’s important enough to find the right transport.

Your best bet is to go with a trusted and established transport company, preferably one with a national presence, than an independent or freelance driver. For one thing, large companies have established offices where you can file a complaint if something goes wrong. With an independent driver, you might not have any way of contacting the company because the driver is the company. Larger companies are also more likely to have a strong web presence, like www.unitedvanlines.com, where you can get clear information on rates, coverage areas, as well as any amenities that they might offer with their auto transport services.

However, even if you go with a large company, you should always do your homework and check with the Better Business Bureau to see if they have any complaints. You can also look for testimonials, and even call the company for referrals and information from current customers.

Lastly, make sure that you arrange the transportation yourself; don’t leave it up to the seller. Otherwise, you will have no control over the choice of company, and if something goes wrong then you will have to go through the seller to get it resolved.

Making the Purchase

There are several steps you need to take before you seal the deal on your new car. Remember, what you see on a service like Craigslist or EBay, may not be what you get. Also, whether you are buying the car from the dealer down the street or a dealer across the country, you need to check it out to make sure you don’t have any unpleasant surprises when you get it home.

Research the Vehicle and the Seller

Have the seller send you a photo of the VIN, the body tag, the engine number and any other identifying numbers on the car. You will want to use this information to run a search for service records, the maintenance history and, most importantly, the owner history. Make sure that the name of the owner matches the name of the person selling the car. Make sure the seller also has a valid title for the car.

You also want to get the owner’s information and make sure that his name and his address corresponds with his phone number. You can also use the map service with Bing or Google to make sure the address actually exists.

Check the sites like Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds, or Hi-Bid to determine if the asking price is within the acceptable range.

If you are purchasing from a dealership, check the Better Business Bureau for complaints.

Get the Car Inspected

Just because you’re hundreds of miles away doesn’t mean you can’t inspect the car. The inspection will tell you things that photos can’t. If you know a good mechanic in the area, you can hire him to do the inspection for you, or you can hire an inspector from a company like Automobileinspections.com. You want to have a pre-inspection done before you make an offer. If the seller isn’t willing to let one of your people inspect the vehicle, walk away.

Put Everything in Writing

Make sure that you have a legal purchase contract that states all of the terms of the deal, including the payment terms, and how long the vehicle will stay on the seller’s property after the sale. Ideally, you will pay for the vehicle when you pick it up, but there could be circumstance where that is not possible. The last thing you want is to make the purchase, and then find out that the seller has sold the vehicle to someone else because you didn’t have a legally-binding contract.

Get the Car Insured

Once you purchase the vehicle, you will need to insure it, even if it’s going to stay on the seller’s property for a little longer. Once you buy it, it’s your responsibility. If something happens to it while it’s on the seller’s property, their insurance might not cover it.