My Import Story, Part 3
We left off with a successful bid on a car! Congratulations! You now own a car that's on a different continent!
Photo of Rex at the auction
And the big reveal! I personally bid on and won a 1994 Subaru Impreza WRX! Meet Rex!
So, you own a car, and probably want to get it checked out. There's a few ways to do this. Some auction agents (J-cars, for instance) encourage you to get the car checked out before bidding on it (and charge for each car you get checked out). Not a bad idea. The problem is that some of the cars are super parked in, and can not be driven, so there are potential transmission problems. Auction agents that do the 'check out your car before purchase' often send the car straight to the ship... good and bad.
Mark's photo of the car
Mark at Brave Auto, on the other hand just doesn't let you bid on crap. Once you win, he brings your car into his shop and give it a very good once over, sending you about 100 photos of your new car. These photos are a little more representative of what you'll be receiving. He'll point out any knicks, dings and dents, and document them with photos. These are for your peace of mind, and for insurance purposes. Here's all the photos I got from Mark. Incredible completeness.
From here, you need to pay the rest of your money. I forgot to mention how to send money at the deposit phase. The best way, bar none, is Ken at Payline FX. He's courteous, and gets the best rates. If you're a credit union member (I am...) you can transfer money via Credit Union Direct, your CU's web interface. Super simple. There's a few hoops to jump through, you need to fill out a bunch of paperwork to prove you're you... but it's worth it.
That's it for this post. Next week, shipping and receiving!
November 2nd, 2011 - 22:02
Nice ride! So I guessed wrong. Very blue.