• Evaluate Collector Cars

• Find Collector Cars on eBay Motors

• Buy Collector Cars With Confidence

Evaluate Collector Cars

Evaluate Collector Cars

Buying a collector car online can differ from buying a car at a live auction. Several simple steps can help ensure you have a positive experience purchasing your dream car.

• Decide how much you want to spend on a collector car: Deciding how much to spend on a collector car is probably the most important rule of all. If you put more into a car than you can really afford, you'll end up spending your time thinking about how to sell it and get your money back rather than driving and enjoying it. When you put together your budget, include transportation costs plus another 10% of the final price to fix the little things that you’ll discover need fixing (there will always be little things).

• Know when to spend more on a collector car: Prepare to spend a little more than some price guides might recommend if a car has special features that appeal to you. Preferable colors, engine options, or an especially nice restoration can all factor into a higher price. Also, if a car is geographically close to you, factor the amount you save on shipping into your bid.

• Make sure you can fit into the collector car: In general, people are bigger now than they were in the 1950s and ’60s, and you might find you're just too tall (or too wide) for some classics, especially European sports cars. For example, if you stand more than 5'10" tall, your head will rub against the Targa top of any Ferrari 308 or Ferrari 328.

• Research a collector car before you bid or buy: Do your homework before placing a bid or buying a collector car, especially with American muscle cars. Making sure the car has its correct engine and transmission (and the paperwork to back it up) can make a huge difference in price. It takes some time to research VINs and engine numbers, but the information is out there. The collector car seller should be able to provide you with the engine number. If they can't, consider a different seller or car.

• Find a collector car seller you trust: Sellers should answer your questions quickly and fully and provide additional pictures when asked. For example, if a car has a rebuilt engine, the seller should be able to tell you who rebuilt it and provide available receipts. If a seller seems vague or doesn't respond in a timely manner, keep searching. There's always another car. To feel more secure, you can also contact other eBay Buyers who purchased a car from the seller (view the seller's Feedback from buyers and use the Contact Member feature in their Member Profiles). Get any information these references can provide. Ask how the seller represented other cars and if the descriptions turned out to be accurate when the car was delivered. Establishing phone contact with the seller can also help you get a sense of his or her character. When you decide to do business, keep a record of any email dialog you have with a seller so that you have something to reference in case you find a discrepancy between what you paid for and what you receive.

From the start, remember to look into buying the car you really want. Buying a collector car successfully requires a partnership between your heart and your head, with your heart picking the car, and your head making sure it's a good one. If either of these partners raises a red flag, keep searching until you find a collector car that satisfies both.

Find Collector Cars on eBay Motors

Find Collector Cars on eBay Motors

Once you know what collector car make and model you want, go to eBay Motors, click Passenger Vehicles, and start shopping on eBay!

• Categories: Use the Categories list on the left side of the page to narrow listings by car make or model.

• Passenger Vehicles Finder: The Passenger Vehicles Finder on the left navigation bar allows you to narrow listings by make, model, year, and transmission type.

• Search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words by entering keyword terms into eBay's Search box. You can also search using the Advanced Search feature on eBay Motors or search within categories by using the Search by eBay Motors Category option, which allows you to specify make, model, and year range as well as other options specific to vehicles, motorcycles, and parts. If location is important, try searching by distance in miles or ZIP code.

• Compare: Mark the checkbox next to each car item listing that interests you and click the Compare button to view and compare auction and product details side-by-side.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Collector Cars With Confidence

Buy Collector Cars With Confidence

Hundreds of collector cars on eBay Motors will likely interest you. When trying to select the right one, get to know exactly what you're buying, research the seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal can help protect you.

As with all major decisions, in buying a car, you will want to conduct your own due diligence to make sure you get full information and the best advice possible.

Know your purchase

Many sellers put a lot of time into creating their listings, making an effort to ensure they include all the information buyers need. Carefully read the details in listings for the car(s) you consider buying and carefully review available photos. Before placing a bid or buying an item, be sure to:

• Have all your questions answered. If you still have questions after reading the listing and reviewing the photos, contact the seller using the Ask seller a question link in the “Seller information” box in the top right corner of every car listing. Also request additional photos if you want to see the car from a particular angle that isn’t shown in the photos included in the listing. If you have more questions than you can address in email, ask for the seller’s phone number and call him or her. Some sellers even include their phone number so you can call them directly. Just remember that you need to actually bid and buy on eBay to be covered by eBay protection programs and pay with PayPal in order to be covered by PayPal protection programs (see "Buyer protection" below for more details).

• Run a vehicle history report: By running a vehicle history report on a used vehicle you intend to purchase, you can learn about the history of the vehicle, including accident reports or title brands such as "flooded" or "salvage."

• Get the vehicle inspected: An independent third-party inspection can validate a seller's claims about a vehicle's condition. eBay Motors recommends arranging a 150-point vehicle inspection through SGS Automotive.

• Consider additional costs: Remember to consider other potential costs such as title, registration, and state taxes. Once you purchase the vehicle, be sure to complete all of the title paperwork and pay any required taxes on the vehicle. Please note that this information varies by state and vehicle type. Contact your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office for more information on taxes, title transfer, and registration.

• Get delivery details. Calculate and include delivery costs into your final price. This may simply be the cost of driving across the city or state if the car is close-by or it may mean working with a shipping company that can transport the car from anywhere in the country. To learn more about shipping costs, ask the seller or contact DAS, an eBay Motors-approved vehicle shipping service.

• Track items with eBay Toolbar. Use the free eBay Toolbar to track items you bid on and watch. It includes Account Guard, a feature that indicates when you're visiting a verified eBay or PayPal website and warns you when you enter your eBay password into an unverified site, even if it looks like eBay or PayPal.

Know your payment options

Always complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay and PayPal protection programs (see "Buyer protection" below for more details).

Never pay for an item using instant cash wire transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know. Instead, pay with PayPal for amounts less than $2,000 (including deposits), a money order, or direct bank-to-bank fund transfer.

• Provide eBay with your credit card information: You are required to have a credit card on file with eBay if you bid more than $15,000 for an item. You will be notified that you need to provide this information when you bid. Allow yourself some extra time if you are bidding during the last minutes of an auction. Your credit card will not be charged; instead, eBay uses it to confirm your identity—a safety measure to help protect both you and the seller.

• Apply for financing: eBay, together with several top lenders, can help you get the financing that you need. Visit the eBay Financing Center to arrange financing before you bid or after you buy or to calculate monthly payments.

Know your seller

Just as important as researching your car purchase is getting to know the seller. Take time to research the seller so that you can feel positive and secure about every transaction. Key things to look for when evaluating a seller are:

• Positive Feedback. What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have? What do buyers and sellers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Sales history. Find out how long the seller has been a registered eBay user and look at the types of items a seller typically sells. It’s okay to buy a car from a seller who hasn’t sold one before — many of the car listings on eBay are from individuals selling their own car. If the seller’s feedback seems low, take the time to look at the Feedback details; sometimes a seller's Feedback looks low until you realize that they’re a car dealer and their Feedback count comes entirely from car sales.

• Terms and conditions. What are the terms and conditions of the sale? Are the terms agreeable to you? Sellers typically set terms and conditions, but you should make sure you agree with them. If not, find another seller/car or contact the seller to find out if he/she is open to your suggestions.

• Good communication. Once you’ve initiated communications with the seller, how is he/she communicating with you? Is the seller courteous and professional? Is the seller responsive? Once you bid on a big-ticket item such as a car, communicate with the seller through My Messages in My eBay. All legitimate Second Chance Offer messages will come through My Messages and not to your email address alone. Always contact the seller before accepting a Second Chance Offer, and never respond to any request to send money via Western Union or other instant cash transfer service.

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event a problem arises during your transaction, you can typically work it out with the seller. However, if you can’t, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection up to $20,000: Most cars purchased through eBay are automatically covered against fraud and material misrepresentation up to the cost of the car or $20,000 (whichever is lower) with eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection. To qualify for this safety program, complete your transaction on eBay with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer and see additional terms of the eBay Motors Vehicle Purchase Protection.

• Put down a deposit with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay up to $2,000 without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. Also, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. While $2,000 may not be a high enough limit for the full purchase price of most cars, it's great for deposits (many sellers require a deposit on a car within several days of the close of a listing).

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the eBay Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.