[techweenie]

Originally Posted by pmax

Similarly, we drove 3 hours to meet the seller, a private owner, for my 87 but treated as a fun excursion, it wasn't a chore. Great seller, great car. That was in 2014 (!).

Agreed ... seeing a car in person is still the best thing to do to avoid surprises. I presume most of the private sellers on BAT are one timers so a buyer still has to do the legwork to vet them, close the deal in addition to competing with every other buyer on BAT, and you waste all that effort if you do not win the auction, unlike before when you make the deal in person with a handshake, and you are legally bound for the fee if you do. So, the same work assuming you win the auction, angst, worry and an additional fee for the smart buyers like us (read ... more time than money ), no thanks. The old ways were better.

I inspected an auction car recently to see how closely the description matched the reality. As I left, I shook the seller's hand. But immediately counted my fingers after.