Buying trucks unseen and having them shipped

I'm contemplating getting a newer truck. The one I want is kind of a unicorn in general, and the low inventory isn't helping. I can only find like 8 in the entire country that check all the boxes and they're all 2000-3000 miles from me. I'll keep my eye out for models close enough to drive to and look at, but I'm curious for feedback from any of you who have done this. The truck I'm looking for would be a 2017 or newer, under 45k miles (hopefully under 30k), and eligible for factory certification, with clean CarFax and all that. Just looking for pointers, any recommendations on shipping companies, etc.

Thanks in advance.

 

I would not purchase a used vehicle, especially a truck, without seeing and trying it out.

 

Ditto.

Keep looking for something closer, or take a trip.

 

Sounds like:

 

Gonna echo the others; I wouldn't buy something sight unseen. Pictures never show the true details, people aren't honest (especially many salesmen), and its just too risky for me personally. Not getting to test drive is also a hard pass for me, even if some dealer did say it met all their expectations (not hard to do). Its a rough market right now for new and used vehicles; good luck.

 

You could post the city where the truck is located and there is a good chance a forum member who lives nearby will volunteer to take a look at it, drive it, and give you an unbiased opinion of it. I'd still rather see it in person, but the way things are today we may all have to start thinking outside the box.

 

This.

I did this a couple of times for members on a forum for another marquee.

As a neutral party, and not a 'known friend', I'm not crazy enough to tell someone to buy based on *my* view point, only to suggest that yes, it's probably worth being on your shopping list.

Or sending some photos/notes why they might want to pass.

I don't understand, with what you've listed, why you think it's a 'unicorn'. Is it the low mileage you seek? That will make it harder, but not a unicorn.

And as far as being 'eligible for factory certification', such a thing doesn't exist. If you're talking about a dealerships Certified PreOwned Program, either it will already have it (because it's at a dealer) or it won't. You're not going to buy it from an individual and roll into Toyota and get that CPO rating.

BTW, CPO is the dealer version of rolling the dice. They check out the vehicle, maybe fix a couple of small things or put a set of cheap tires on it, give it a spit shine and call it CPO. Yes, they'll fix certain stuff if it breaks, but their gamble is for every 50 cars they overcharge for that label that 1 car needs a couple hundred bucks of work. Like any other business, they are there to make money, and CPO is just another tool in their box. And it works really really well.

 

You could pay someone to check it out... professional ($$). If your communications with the buyer go well and you believe the truck is sound, could do a "fly-and-buy". Might not be that expensive depending on your airport situations.

 

I did this w my 2020 Tacoma , purchased in October 2020. I was looking for a dclb w a roof so I share your frustration w finding what you want locally. I’m my case, the truck only had 8k miles but had been used for towing. Now w 36k I likely need to replace the rear leaf springs and the car had horrible tobacco smoke inhalation which is now resolved. Overall I saved money on the purchase and the truck is worth more than I paid for it . The leafs aren’t a big deal to me bc I am going to do a lift anyway . I tell my story bc the truck only had 8k miles and I had a few problems. For the miles you are mentioning, I would see it before buying. I suppose the one exception is using a service like Carvana that gives you some time to get a refund. Good luck

 

I wanted to buy a regular cab Ram 2500 I found in Missouri. This was a new truck, so I figured I could order a new one locally if I really wanted. Later I found out the dealer added a lift and some accessories.

 

Locate a friend who lives in or nearby the location of the truck and pay him to inspect and drive the truck or maybe have him take to a shop for inspection

 

I JUST did this exact thing.

I too had a long list of check boxes I wanted, and with all the stuff I wanted (had to be Quicksand, Off Road, DC, LB, low mileage ect ect) there were VERY few out there to be had in the used marked, as I the factory around here is taking a "Market Value Adjustment" fee onto all their new trucks of $8000.............WAY to rich for my blood, so used it was.

The way I figure it, what I was hunting for was in a way a unicorn too, but only found 3 that fit the bill, all with under 9k miles, but that also meant that if I got a 2020 or 2021 it would still have some factory warranty on it, so that would help with the buying without seeing first thing.
I found a 2020 Off Road DCLB in Cali, but it was WAY too much for shipping, and they also would not budge an inch off the price, so after a continued hunt around the entire country I got lucky and found this Off Road DC LB gem with only 8,500 miles on it at a reputable dealership in Garland TX.




Not really wanting to go to TX, nor having the time off to do it, I got a LOT of shipping quotes from around the country, and settled on one that consistently fell in the top 3; SGT shipping. They got it up here for me across the 700+ miles for under $750 shipped to my door.

Not a perfect experience, but I would recommend it IF you have a vehicle that has low miles on it already, and some of the factory warranty left as well. Just make sure it has a clean CarFax, and has been regularly maintained. If its at a larger dealership, Id be much less worried than if it was a personal seller.

There are of course things that can go wrong, but if you do your homework, it can definitely turn out well, and get you the specific vehicle you want.

By the time you add up time off work, a 1 way plane ticket, gas to get back, headache of having something happen to it on the way back, it was DEFINITELY worth if for me personally. YMMV of course

 

When you are looking for a vehicle with specific options it's definitely worth considering.

I've bought two vehicles sight unseen and had them shipped to me. Both deals went well, but I did a lot of research and due diligence before signing anything. If you can't get someone to check it out for you then ask them for all the pictures and video of the truck.

Not getting to see and test drive it first is a risk for sure, but then again you could buy a vehicle locally and have issues with it too. There's always some level of risk involved so it comes down to how much you're comfortable with.

 

Thanks for the replies. I’m inching closer toward a flight to check out the one that checks all the boxes. It’ll be a 2800 mile drive home if I do it so we’ll be well acquainted with each other by the time I get it home if I go for it.

 

@DoubleRGirl might have some insight

 

without reading through all this, this is how i bought my bmw:

found it in ohio, had it sent to a bmw performance shop for a third party inspection
left a deposit
flew to ohio one way, with the plan of renting a car to get home in case it went south
found a couple things i wasn't happy with, renegotiated a little bit off, drove home

if you want more details my friend asked me to do an article about it:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/07/buy-dream-car-sight-unseen-internet/

 

That is the article I remember as well as part of the story from when I saw the car..yup

 

When I was looking for my new 17 Tacoma I knew exactly what I wanted and spent 4 months looking in dealership lots all over the East Coast from Georgia to Pennsylvania. Finally one turned up in Norcross Georgia. While I was talking to them another one turned up in Columbus Ohio which was only 130 miles away. I was in Columbus the next morning driving it home. Just wait awhile and keep looking. It will be worth it in the end. My wife thought I was crazy because I wouldnt take what was availiable. Its a keeper. No regrets for waiting.

 

Pretty much exactly what I did with my new Tacoma, only I had to comb the mid-west region for 4 or 5 months. Yep...........just keep an eye out and make looking around a secondary job and you WILL eventually find what you are after.

 

Every one of my vehicles I have traveled to purchase. My Land Cruiser was a true sight unseen, purchased on BAT, cost me $1400 to ship it from the east coast to Colorado. The others, I either did a "fly and drive" (with the option to rent a car and drive home if it was not as advertised), or for my wife's Jag, I had a friend go check it out for me in Tampa before I bought it and had it shipped.

OP, your best bet as some have already said, is to have a friend or TW member go check it out. Or just have the seller take it to a dealership for a PPI (pre purchase inspection).

I have to get this off my chest: you all use the word "unicorn" too loosely for a run of the mill Tacoma.