Kinda of freaking out. Just purchased my first VX on ebay. Now what...

[Osteomata]

Thanks to all for the quick replies. An active forum is a solid indicator of the closeness of any community.

JoFotoz, yes, thats the one. And thanks for the shipping lead, I'l check into it.

Gussie2000, I did an experian background check, very clean. The care is apparently located in Delmar, NY. Not sure where that is.

- Jack

[Gussie2000]

Ok,let me check the google map to see how far.

Cheez;Sorry my friend,the VX is 5 hours away.

Delmar is a small city near albany upstate NY.

[pbkid]

congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the family/addiction

now make the trip to moab with the rest of us in may

great way to get to know some other VX'ers and get ALL of your questions and curiosities answered...

[Riff Raff]

OSTEOMATA--- Welcome to the "Proton Family"!!!

I too, bought my Proton on eBay last year. Here's what you need to do:

"DO NOT" SEND ANY MONEY VIA PAL-PAL (very dangerous); Rather, Send money only via "ESCROW.COM" (this is really important)!!! ESCROW.COM is the only recommended way endorsed by eBay itself to conduct an eBay vehicle monetary transaction. Go to "ESCROW.COM" and read-up on the whole process. Normally, the "buyer" (you) is responsible to pay any escrow fees. It's very cheap, as a $7,500 purchase price only costs about $125 Escrow Fee (well worth the peace of mind of not possibly getting ripped-off).

Regarding shipping-- I had my VX shipped by D.A.S. (Dependable Auto Shippers). They are also endorsed by eBay as the best auto transport company. D.A.S. is by far the cheapest and the largest auto shipper in the USA. They also have multiple "drop-off"/"pick-up" terminals located throughout the USA (very nice feature, and saves you money by using an authorized D.A.S. terminal point). Last year, it only cost me $850 to ship my VX from Chicago, IL to Tacoma, WA. D.A.S. takes great pride in their business, and my VX arrived without a scratch. Plus, you can call their toll-free number and actually "track" the shipment via the assigned tracking number while it's in transit (very cool). You will know exactly where your VX is at all times!!!

I absolutely "DO NOT" recommend flying out there to pick-up the VX and driving it back home. The total combined cost of Air Fare, Hotels, Food, Gas, your Personal Time, and resulting Lost Wages/Vacation Time, etc is absolutely not worth it. It's way, way cheaper just to have the VX shipped by D.A.S., and gives you total peace of mind.

So there you go--- Use ESCROW.COM as the "conduit" to conduct the money transfer. Use D.A.S. (Dependable Auto Shippers) for auto transport shipping.

Again, welcome to the Proton Family!!!

[VehiGAZ]

Cheez;Sorry my friend,the VX is 5 hours away.

Five hours from NYC to Albany?!?! It's only 150 miles! Gussie, you should buy my supercharged VX - yours isn't fast enough.

PS - I hope your exhaust work goes well...

[tom4bren]

You're in luck. New York to Miami should be on the major trade routes. I had mine shipped from Mo to VA and it took about 3 weeks since it wasn't on the major routes.

[VX KAT]

As another newby to the addiction- welcome!

I agree with RiffRaff- Use DAS- Dependable Auto Shippers. www.dasautoshippers.com Plus you can get a good solid quote online w/o even contacting them. Mine was right on the nose.

I made shipping inquiries to several "on-line" operations & was flooded with emails trying everything to get me to sign up. They promised the moon and it was all bunk....WATCH OUT FOR THESE CROOKS. :madp: I'm STILL getting email solicitations from one of them! I was "quoted" like $450 multiple times....NO WAY, stick with the credible shippers, otherwise, they hold your car hostage until you pay for the sudden "additional" charges that arise. If it sounds to good to be true.....

Like RR said, DAS is the officially sanctioned shipper on eBay. They did take care of my vehicle 100%. You can save some money by having it delivered to one of their "terminals". I drove about 75 miles to p/u my VX, saved about $75. OK, it was a wash with gas for 2 vehicles for 75 miles, but like Y33trekker said, you WANT TO DRIVE IT NOW! Plus they have this really cool tracking system so you can look at Google maps and it shows you exactly where the truck is....for us Type A's who were anxious to get their car!

I shipped mine from Virginia to Arizona 2 months ago over xmas time for $995. You can pay more for a closed transporter if you want.

[Osteomata]

Making progress: Payment arranged. Internet quote received from DAS. (Thanks for that recommendation). Seller has agreed to drop the car off at the local DAS point.

Seller and I have clarified two points that were a little unclear from the ebay ad:
1) The VX has minor front cladding cover damage (this was clear in the ad) Turns out the seller already obtained a new front cladding, but he will not have time to install it. So I get both, the damage one as attached, and the new one thrown in the back.

2) The VX does not have a back seat. I misread the ad to indicate that the owner had it, and that it would be available. Not so: we have no idea if the original owner still has it. Looks like this thing will be coming without a back seat. How hard, and how expensive, will that be to replace? 2001 black/grey.

- Jack

[4X4 UFO]

Osteomata,
The back seat is easy to install. Many owners have their back seats set up where they can be taken out or replaced in a few minutes. Also, many owners never use their back seat, so they may be interested in selling one to you. You might start a "wanted to buy" thread to see if anyone is interested in selling.......
Welcome to the addiction!

Randy

[Y33TREKker]

Well, the fly and drive suggestion was something of a joke made in good fun, although from past responses, it has turned out to be a cool experience for a few people on this site who have chosen that method of purchase, myself included. And depending on the person and their particular situation, the distance involved, etc, it doesn't have to turn into that expensive an adventure either, but everyone is different so to each his own. Speaking only for myself though, the most descriptive word in that last sentence for my fly and drive purchase experience was adventure. I personally thought it was a great way to begin ownership, and had a great time, so to me it was worth the $$$.

[VehiGAZ]

1) The VX has minor front cladding cover damage (this was clear in the ad) Turns out the seller already obtained a new front cladding, but he will not have time to install it. So I get both, the damage one as attached, and the new one thrown in the back.

It's like a 30 minute job to completely replace the front cladding. You'll need a Torx screw-driver (don't recall the number, but it's a common size) and a socket wrench (10 or 12 mm I think). Do a little search-and-read here first to learn how to disconnect the small round marker lights. I think they twist to unlock and pull out the back side of the cladding. This is easier than disconnecting the bulb wire harness, IIRC.

A good while-you're-in-there concurrent project is to refinish the headlight lenses if they need them.

Good luck!!

[Mark B]

Congrads, another VX in Florida.
I bought my VX on ebay about 3 years ago.
Best Vehicle I have ever owned.
It was in Davie Florida. I drove from Tampa Bay area and picked up.
It was purchased from the original owner and in excellend condition.
Welcome to the club.

[circmand]

You're in luck. New York to Miami should be on the major trade routes. I had mine shipped from Mo to VA and it took about 3 weeks since it wasn't on the major routes.

I had a Jensen Healey shipped from Houston right after the hurricane to Bullhead City AZ I had the car 5 days after I hired the company. Yeah that was extreemly lucky they had 4 going to Vegas from Houston the next day so they picked it up the day after I called and then were here in 3 days.

[tom4bren]

"they picked it up the day after I called and then were here in 3 days"

You sir, are 1 lucky MoFo - obviously I'm not.

[circmand]

lucky at cars

unlucky at every other godamn thing:bwgr::bgwp: