long distance purchasing...

[Anomaly]

The recent thread on what appeared to be a great deal on a V9 Roamer has piqued my interest: Under what conditions, if any, would you make a long distance purchase of a bike? In the extreme, a sight-unseen purchase?

[Scout63]

I’ve bought several bikes long distance from NY, NM, NC, pending from Toronto.  All of my experiences have been good. I would do it again, and probably will.

[LongRanger]

As have I, many times (both as a Buyer and a Seller). No issues.

[Anomaly]

I’ve bought several bikes long distance from NY, NM, NC, pending from Toronto.  All of my experiences have been good. I would do it again, and probably will.

With what kind of "intel"? E.G., Phone call with seller and photos? Local set of independent eyes? I've bought cars (beaters by anyone else's standards), totally sight-unseen, but never for the kind of money involved in the bikes that tempt me...

[Ncdan]

I have bought bikes in the past from several states apart with positive results.
I think the main thing is when interested in buying a bike that you know you are going to have to ship or invest a lot of money and time into getting it home is this.
Always immediately make contact with the seller by Phone! If they are reluctant to talk to you by phone discontinue your pursuit for doing business with them immediately.
If someone is offended that I am asking questions that is obviously meant to check them out then it’s obvious to me that something is wrong, or at worst,  could be.
Usually you can tell after a few conversations with someone if they are honest however not in every situation, I did say “usually” and not always.
Personally, the moment I’m not comfortable with them, it’s over.

Dan

[Motormike]

Timely subject, seeing as how I just made my very first long-distance, sight-unseen motorcycle purchase.  An Ebay purchase of a Ducati located in Denver.  So far, everything seems legit.  The seller has my money (wire transfer) and is still in contact with me via numerous texts as we set up shipping arraignments.  High risk, by my definition and a bit of an impulse buy.  I'm a net seller these days, and of the last three bikes I've sold, I've been lucky enough that two of the buyers were close enough and willing to spend two days on the road to drive to my location, pay cash, and trailer the bike home.  That's the easy way.  I've sold a 2005 Ducati Multistrada to a buyer in Arkansas that has been a colossal headache.  The buyer made a quick deposit using Moneygram, and then took forever to come up with the remaining balance.  But he finally did, so I mailed him the title.  The shipper is supposed to show up next week to collect the bike...fingers crossed.  These types of transactions are a logistical headache.  The seller in Denver almost backed out when I told him it would be a month before my shipper could pick up the bike.  I would treat an out-of-state, sight-unseen purchase the same as a trip to Las Vegas: Never risk more than you are willing to lose.

[sdcr]

I’ve bought and sold motorcycles and parts long distance many times. I did get burned about 5 years ago. I advertised a
“Wanted to buy” ad on one of the BMW forums, for a hard to find item. Received a response within a few days, and my first tip off, was that it was priced at a slight discount. Since it was the only response, and the seller knew about the item, and provided pics,I proceeded with the transaction. Second red flag, was a request for a postal MO, made out to specific female name. After I sent the money order to a. Florida address,  communication stopped. Long story short, I never got the item, and lost the $$. As others have said, I should have made phone contact, not just e mail.

On the other hand, sold several motorcycles, always spoke directly to the buyers. Some of these transactions, we learned that we had common acquaintances in the motorcycle community. These sales always went smoothly.

I agree that clear, transparency between seller and buyer is the most important aspect of long distance selling, or buying. If any red flags pop up, move on.

[blackcat]

I purchased my 1000S sight unseen from the MGNOC classifieds in 1995. Sent the guy a check to Wisconsin and hoped for the best, bike arrived a week? later.

Same with the CX from Georgia, sent a check. It was a mess but I knew that from the rattle can black paint job, but it started right up.

The 03 LeMans was from a now defunct dealer in Kansas City, bike was a floor model so it had some minor scratches but I was OK with that as it was the last of the Rosso’s and I’d just lost the eBay win of a Nero though I actually won the bike but I was at the Blue Ridge rally and when I got back home to pay for the bike the guy(another now defunct dealer) wouldn’t accept payment.

Photo’s can be deceptive nowadays due to photoshop etc. so keep that in mind. When in doubt ask for closeups and look for those touch ups.



My CX frame needs to be repainted and the gas tank has a small ding from someone braille parking their car.  Without disclosing that information, the buyer wouldn’t be happy with their purchase. And no touch ups to that photo.

[Bulldog9]

Long distance sight unseen is always the roll of the dice. Depends on the vehicle in question, price and seller. I've bought and sold, mostly without regret. The way I figure it, if I buy sight unseen I have to be willing to assume loss.

I bought a 1200 Sport and Convert sight unseen from WG Members, without hesitation or issue. ZERO regrets. Not that i trust any muldoon, but the two individuals are true gentlemen and comrades in the Guzzi family (in other words known trusted members).

[Dukedesmo]

I live in England and bought my LM2 from Italy, however it was from a friend of my Brother-in-law (my Sister lives in Italy) and so I knew it was genuine etc. and I combined the viewing/buying trip with a visit to my Sister's house so didn't buy unseen.


I then got it shipped as I didn't think riding a 35yr old bike that hadn't been used or serviced for a few years 1,000 miles through several countries to be a good idea, plus it would have cost me at least as much as shipping - as it happens I did have a piston to valve 'incident' 500 miles into my ownership which would have been a major PITA had it happened halfway through France...

[sdcr]

....
. I’d just lost the eBay win of a Nero though I actually won the bike but I was at the Blue Ridge rally and when I got back home to pay for the bike the guy(another now defunct dealer) wouldn’t accept payment. ....

Blackcat,

Just curious what his “excuse “ was? I thought that EBay wins were pretty much an iron clad deal.

[80CX100]

With what kind of "intel"? E.G., Phone call with seller and photos? Local set of independent eyes?

     For a long distance deal, definitely lots of photos and phone calls, but even then, ask for receipts, some people are extremely good liars. I bought one bike long distance and was assured that the mint low mileage V11 had new tires on it, they looked brand new when I picked it up.

     I later discovered the tires had 17 yr old date codes.

     I was once hot to buy a vintage guzzi, extremely unique, never sold in NA, that had apparently been restored, by imo, the most respected vintage guzzi expert I know of (a member of wg) and had the receipts to verify the work.

     Due diligence, I contacted the mechanic who had done the work and had to jog his memory with a photo of the extremely rare paint scheme. Ultimately the bike hadn't been totally restored as represented; most of the time and money had gone into repairing serious unseen corrosion issues, including the threads in the frame swing arm pivot.

     I passed on a beautiful looking bike, and I think I dodged a bullet.

     From experience, a word of caution on picking up a long distance bike. My introduction into guzzis involved picking up my CX100 approx 500 kms away. I used my small trailer, towed by my 1998 GMC 2500 3/4 ton which had been relegated to plow duty and running fine for years.

     The rear end in my truck blew up as far away from home as possible. Even with a major discount, my tow bill home with my new guzzi was over $860. I lucked out on a backyard mechanic for the truck repair, with a junkyard rear end deal for a little over $500, but it was still a painful learning experience

      I later recalled a mechanic warning me to keep an eye on a slow leak in my rear diff cover, which I had been; but a long extended highway run, was the final poison pill.

      All that to say, follow up what intel you can get, and cover all possible bases.

      If the bike makes your heart go pitter patter,,, git at err 


       

[blackcat]

Blackcat,

Just curious what his “excuse “ was? I thought that EBay wins were pretty much an iron clad deal.

Technically he was right, I responded to him when I realized that I had won the auction and told him I was at the rally and would send him a deposit on my return home. I sent him the deposit and he returned it sayin I was late. I appealed to eBay but he was technically right. He was a real jerk about the whole thing and in the end I was quite happy with the Rosso and regrets selling it to this day. But at the time, it seemed redundant to have the Daytona and the Rosso.

[Guzzistajohn]

Never bought long distance, but I’ve sold 2X. Both buyers called and thanked me for my honesty after receiving the bike.

[SIR REAL ED]

I've been thru several long distance sales and purchases with no problems.  However I would not buy or sell without an extended phone call with the buyer or seller.  Anyone who does not want to talk on the phone is an immediate red flag!!!  Avoid at all costs!

Usually during the phone call you will get a strong sense of certainty whether you should make the deal or not.

As any long term soldier or law enforcement officer will tell you, "Always just your gut!!!"

Your Spider-Sense is a highly developed protective trait.  Listen to it!

[ray bear]

Im in Australia and bought my first sight unseen Eldorado from Power Motors IL back in 88,  my first CBX1000 from a museum in Kentucky , sight unseen  and my second CBX from Belgium ,sight unseen in 99. All turned up in a fair and serviceable condition . However although I had good experience I would not do it again.  One of the principles I worked on was If the bikes a pig its purchase price was low enough that I could break it and get my money back for its sum of parts.  Ray

[motogoro]

I have purchased 5 Guzzi's on eBay.  One was local.  4 were "fly & ride". 
Of the five, two sellers were known Guzzisti. 

The first trip was actually an overnight bus ride to western PA. 
Three were flights to east coast states. 
Rode all four home.  Had a glitch in each trip.  Balding tire in the rain, loosened ignition switch connection, failed starter, tank suck/external fuel pump vapor lock.  Always an adventure. 
Have I been lucky?  Probably.

[roadventure]

The recent thread on what appeared to be a great deal on a V9 Roamer has piqued my interest: Under what conditions, if any, would you make a long distance purchase of a bike? In the extreme, a sight-unseen purchase?

I, too, have bought bikes sight-unseen and had a shipper transport to my home.  Both were good experiences, even though I was nervous the whole time.

Have you considered seeing if someone here lives near where the bike you want to purchase is located?  I, among others, would probably be able to visit the bike and report back to you.

[Kiwi_Roy]

I knew I was going to work on a project in NY State, I also knew there was going to be a Not a Rally in Colorado so I searched Craigslist for a Guzzi in Denver, found a 98 EV that looked ok and paid for it up front. I diverted my return flight via Denver and picked up the bike. I was a little disappointed by the condition it had obviously seen much of its life outside but I was committed.
First of all I noticed the loud fuel pump then riding over the mountains it would run out of steam, just bog down.
When I got to the rally at the KOA in Ouray I set forth to find out what was the matter, I found the fuel filter was blocked up solid starving the injectors.
I back flushed the filter with the fuel inside it and got about 40 cc of fine rust in the bottom of a pop bottle.
From Ouray on back to British Columbia the bike performed flawlessly. (the pump was barely audible)
I took about 4 days on the return journey and by the time I got back I was pretty familiar with the bike.
This EV proved to be a really good investment, I would buy another only with the later ECU and perhaps I would be a bit more stringent in checking it out first.
Later on Patrick told me about this models tendency to plug up the filler moat drain, I figured the tank had taken in so much water when it turned to rust it had nowhere else to go but plug the filter.

[jpv7]

I've brought 3 Ducatis across the border into Canada.  2 new, 1 used. 

The new purchases were bought just across the border in Buffalo, but totally worth it - the first was 1995 900SS/SP that I saved about $2k cdn on.  The second was a 2007 Monster S2R1000 - I brought it across in 2007 on the only day that the Canadian dollar was worth slightly more than the US dollar!  What a deal!  3K savings.

I also bought a used 1995 Ducati 916 from Michigan.  Much farther away and trickier to complete.  It was the deal that I should have walked away from.  I had all the paperwork and Title at the border before seeing it.  Then I saw it and was disappointed.  My instinct was to just forget it, but I had bought a very capable tech with me who is also an optimist...

Long story short, the bike ended up needing an engine re-build and a bunch of other stuff, costing me some $.  The good part was that my optimistic friend ending up helping me with the re-build...lol

[krglorioso]

I bought three distant Guzzis ('03 Stone Touring, '04 Stone Touring and most recently an '04 Breva 750, all from members of this forum and/or MGNOC.  If anything, all three were better than the seller's descriptions. 

Ralph

[Shorty]

I have found most everyone in MGNOC and on Wild Guzzi to be honorable. It's a small pond, but it is worldwide, with a lot of knowledgable folks onboard. Buying from people on this forum is usually a good proposition. Or, find someone local on WG to inspect the bike you are interested in. Shucks, they may even store it for you if you intend to come get it when the weather clears, etc. You may find a local dealer who will look the bike over (thereby proving it exists and has the proper paperwork.) For a small fee, they may store the bike until your shipper arrives. Be a good egg, and if someone offers to go inspect or store a bike for you, offer them gas money or some gratuity for their time. GOOD LUCK!

[Anomaly]

Have you considered seeing if someone here lives near where the bike you want to purchase is located?  I, among others, would probably be able to visit the bike and report back to you.

Just to clarify, the bike that prompted me to start this thread had been sold by the time I posted the initial post. I hesitated when I couldn't get the seller to agree to a phone call (previous communication was all by text messaging (yuck)). To be fair to the seller, he may have been closing the deal with the eventual buyer when I was trying to set up a call. But, it didn't feel right to me.

[Bisbonian]

I bought my first Guzzi, 1200 Sport, new from Moto International based solely on email traffic having never ridden a Guzzi before. I sent him a check via registered mail and he shipped me a motorcycle; zero drama.

I bought a KTM 640 Adventure from the same area from a private owner, having never seen one in person. This is a somewhat rare bike, and this was the closest I could find that was in my budget. I flew up and paid him cash, then rode it home. It broken down on the way home but thankfully the shop manual that was included in the sale allowed me to perform a roadside fix and make it home; unfortunately this was to be a common occurrence throughout my time with that bike.

I bought both my current car and my V85TT from out of state dealers, due to the lower cost. My car is a 2017 Chevy Volt (bought used) and I saved over $1k by flying to Los Angeles and driving it home. I saved $2k by flying to Austin and riding my V85 home.

So for me, finding rare stuff is a reason for a long distance purchase as well as getting an overall lower price that makes it worthwhile.

[sdcr]

Ralph,

I recall recently, that you “almost” bought a set of saddlebags from me. The glitch there, was the extremely high shipping cost from Pa.

I bought three distant Guzzis ('03 Stone Touring, '04 Stone Touring and most recently an '04 Breva 750, all from members of this forum and/or MGNOC.  If anything, all three were better than the seller's descriptions. 

Ralph

[Dilliw]

I've bought more vehicles from a distant than local going back to the early 2000s.  It's the only way to get what you want.   Want a Tenni Griso?  You'll have play the long distance game.

[berniebee]

My one and only Guzzi was bought at a distance, with only a single pic and a few emails. It was a three day journey back and forth to pick it up. But it was obviously in excellent condition:




Seriously though, the bike was honestly and fairly represented by a long time member here. I would say that probably the safest bet is to buy from an active member in a bike forum.

[Moparnut72]

Question, how do you register a new bike bought out of state? Any where I have bought a new vehicle the dealer has refused to give me the MSO. It is hard enough to buy a vehicle in Nevada and get it registered in Cali. There is some back and forth even thouggh the two states work together. Nevada collects the sales tax for Cali but generally not DMV fees although my Nevada dealer will do it but it goes through a separate company. Doing that way is easier but it takes over a month to get the plate. But if I were to buy a bike, say from Ohio or Ct, how do I get it registered in Cali?
kk

[cappisj1]

Call the guy, you can see through a lot more BS on the phone.

The last two bikes I bought were out of state. One call is all I needed to feel that I could trust them. I did ask for a video of the Eldorado running.

As I type a response on a forum saying that texting and email are not real great ways to communicate.

[LongRanger]

It’s no problem to register an out-of-state vehicle in Colorado. Go to any emissions testing facility and pay them $25 to officially verify your VIN. Take the VIN verification, the title, and your proof of insurance to the DMV in your county, pay the taxes, title, and registration fee, and you’re done. You walk out with the plates.

California is stricter with OOS vehicles. I believe they need to be CARB-certified (“50 state certified”) and have at least 7500 miles on them. Your DMV website probably lists the requirements.

I bought my Cayman from a dealer in NJ and had the car shipped. The dealer collected CO fees and taxes as part of the sales transaction, obtained the CO plates on my behalf, and delivered the car with the plates and registration intact.