I should get into the whole eBay thing. People seem to make a LOT of money at it. Oh well

Unfortunately, you never know if you're getting a quality product. Don't put too much trust in car dealerships... most of them probably care about you less than the average private seller. At least most *people* IMO are honest, but dealerships simply want your money. Can you tell I generally don't trust The Man?

I bought my first two cars from local private sellers, and the next four "remotely"... a '69 Pontiac Executive, a '92 Chevy Caprice, a '98 Bonneville SLE, and my current '99 Olds Aurora. I always worked out the deal by mail, phone, or e-mail, and was willing to walk away if I showed up and the car was something other than what the seller told me (which never happened). Positive experiences and good deals overall!

The risks are about the same as if you buy locally. You're buying a used car, and there will always be something you'll have to look at. Even taking it to a mechanic will, alot of times, only give you a false sense of security, unless you really don't know what to look for or ask about.

It'* been my experience that individuals who sell their cars are pretty honest about it. You just gotta know the right questions to ask.

On both cars that I picked up, there was nothing that I didn't expect.

What questions do you ask? I have never gotten burned on a private car deal, but it always helps to get different view points on things to look for, ask, etc.

There is a LOT of money to be made on Ebay. You could sell just about anything. I have made a pretty good amount just selling whatnot. In one month I made over $700 selling stuff I had that I no longer used. That is not bad at all!!!

There is. However, ebay is starting to get a little out of hand with their fees to customer service ratio!

I've been disatisfied with thier customer service lately when issues came up with bad bidders (I posted it here a few days ago). It'* too bad too, because they've got the online auction marketplace cornered, hopefully they'll maintain their reputation.

I agree with scotty on the dealership bit. Bunch of ******* crooks Although, it seems that if you go into one of those places with a hard-*** attitude and tell THEM what the **** they're gonna do for you and how you'll leave in an instant and never come back if they **** you off, you'd probably come out of the whole experience better than if you tried to treat them how you'd normally treat a private seller I know what you're talking about too, TrueWild, but there are still a lot of people out there who are dishonest. At least when you buy in person and get a dud, you probably know what they look like and thus will know who to slug next time you see 'em I remember my dad said how he went to look at a Dodge Duster years and years ago. The guy told him it was in cherry condition. My dad went to look at it, and the ******* thing was half bondo! He threatened to beat the dumb ****, being as he had taken about an hour trip to get there! So, even with private sellers, ya gotta be careful. After all, their primary mission, like a dealership, is to sell their car Just my 0.02...

Oh, among the questions I ask is how it feels while driving, how much of the road is felt (they usually respond with some things they feel in the steering, which turn out to be suspension-related probs), or I'll ask oil usage, and for a pic of the engine bay. Things like that.

Bottom line is, they don't get money until I arrive and look at the car. I've always been prepared to say, "No, thanks" and walk away.

Boy, Krazy Kyle, let that be a lesson to me not to tick you off.

Lol, I've never been in a fight, if that'* any indication of my temperment I really am quite well-mannered, really, hehe. I don't really think I could get into a physical fight with someone unless that person was threatening my family. Then, watch out, because at that point you'd have 19 years of pent-up anger and emotion on your hands. And I'm 6' 1'' and 220 pounds, so pissing me off is, indeed, not advisable for one'* continuous good health :P