Buying a ZL1 from out of state

[rednecks70]

Hey everyone! Decided to take the plunge and buy a ZL1, of course the one I want (year, color, options, etc.) is 1,000 miles away. I have been researching mobile auto inspectors and most of them have bad reviews, can you anyone suggest a company they had good luck with?

Also, was considering having it shipped but between the prices ($1,000 plus) and bad reviews I may just fly out to the dealer and drive it home. Anyone have a shipping company they recommend?

If I do decide to purchase it and drive it home are there any concerns?

Thanks for any help you can provide. I'm really excited to get a ZL1, I've had performance cars all my life but never had anything supercharged.

[SS Performance]

It's best to spend the money on a plane ticket rather than a questionable inspection company & shipping company.

As far as driving concerns just check ALL the fluid levels. Including the trans & diff.

If its a dealer they should have a lift. Ask them to put it on the lift so you can inspect the under carriage and check the fluids. They might not want to sighting insurance issues but you can usually talk them into it if they want to make the sale.

Good luck
Craig

[JB'sZL1]

If using a courier, make sure they have good insurance coverage. Also, a 30 day warranty from the seller. Else, fly out, inspect and rive home.

[Bigtime53]

If you dont mind me asking what year did you buy? Tell us about it please.

[rednecks70]

Originally Posted by Bigtime53

If you dont mind me asking what year did you buy? Tell us about it please.

I haven't actually purchased anything yet, I'm trying to get the dealer down in price.

I'm pretty much limited to 2012 or 2013 due to price but I really like the looks of those years anyhow so it's a win.

Also, does the LSA lose performance after a certain amount of miles? I did see a few below my price range but they had 80,000+ miles on them.

[Cheap Guy]

The only time I ever got burned buying a car out of town was when I used an inspector. It was CarChex. When I flew out to get the car I assumed all was good and it was late so I couldn’t do an inspection myself. It broke down on the way home and later I saw the car had been in a wreck. When I went after the inspection service, per the contract all they were obligated to do was refund the inspection money. Lesson learned.

[RobZL1]

I picked mine up from a fellow forum member and drove about 700 miles home. He actually picked up a Z06 a week afterward and drove about 700 miles home, too. (Funny side story- he got his car from a dealer about 20 minutes from my house.)

I actually bought my previous car from about 600 miles away and drove it home, too. That purchase was from a dealer.

Both transactions went very smoothly. You can learn a lot about a car by asking specific questions and asking for specific high-res photos, even when it's at a dealer (including undercarriage photos). Plus, it is a fun ride and great chance to get to know the car when you drive it home.

I'd say go over lots of questions and photos, cut a tentative deal if it seems right, put down a deposit to hold it, fly in there and drive it home. Worst case is you get there and need to fly home with no car because it was misrepresented or you find something you don't like on a test drive or during in-person inspection.

There's a little risk involved for sure, but if it's on a dealer lot it's at least in decent mechanical condition.

[Deputy347k9]

Couple years back I found the exact Camaro that I wanted, problem it was in Dayton, Ohio and I am located in Coastal North Carolina. Like you I also researched the idea of having it shipped to me. Bad reviews and cost prohibited that idea. I decided on flying to Dayton, thought the Camaro only had 4K on the clock I got the chance to personally inspect the car. Satisfied I handed over a check and away I went. For the next 4 or 5 days I visited family and friends in Alabama and Tennessee. I had such a great time and enjoyed every mile as I still do.


My recommendations; grab a flight and become acquainted with your new ride! You only live once.

[JB'sZL1]

Originally Posted by rednecks70

Also, does the LSA lose performance after a certain amount of miles? I did see a few below my price range but they had 80,000+ miles on them.

No. But I would be wary of high miles as stuff is prone to start going by then...and you don't know how it was driven or maintained for that 80,000+ miles.

[rednecks70]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I may have lucked out...a friend of mine who does restorations has a cousin (who owns an auto shop) that is only 45 minutes from the dealer and is willing to look at the car for me.

Hey Cheap Guy, your experience is exactly why I'm concerned, how many miles were on the car? I was thinking of getting AAA in case I have issues, this car has been on their lot for a couple of months. Even something simple like a run down battery is going to make the trip difficult.

Overall it sounds like most of you have had good luck so I'm going to pursue this car and hopefully it works out. I have never driven a 5th gen so I'm going to a dealer near me for a test drive on Tuesday, the local car is out of my price range and not the color I want, I just want to see what it's like to drive a 5th gen ZL1 before going any further.

[Rob10CamaroSS]

Your going to LOVE the Gen 5

I just used Montway Auto Transport and have to say I have never been happier with a transporter. Total transparency from your first phone call till your car arrives. Constant Emails and updates, An Agent is assigned to you from start to finish with a direct phone #, and you also have the Drivers name and # (and talk directly with him once they have your car).
https://www.montway.com/
(224) 220-0221

[lbls1]

Whatever you decide, you should visually inspect it first before handing any money over. Dings, chips and roadrash, scratches, etc. magically disappear in photos. You also want to know in general what kind of shape the car (is really in).

After you decide to buy it, its up to you to ship it or drive it. Unless you use a good amount of paint chip protection, expect more chipping when you drive it a good distance. Good luck.

[ZEN357]

I would definitely fly out first to inspect it. If it's at a dealership and you don't want to drive it back, I'm sure they have connections of transportation services to haul it back home for you. I bought a 2018 Challenger from Enterprise Rent-A-Car recently and they took car of hauling the car from Arizona back to the Ohio Valley. All I had to do was pay the transfer fee.

[Cheap Guy]

Originally Posted by rednecks70

Thanks for the replies everyone. I may have lucked out...a friend of mine who does restorations has a cousin (who owns an auto shop) that is only 45 minutes from the dealer and is willing to look at the car for me.

Hey Cheap Guy, your experience is exactly why I'm concerned, how many miles were on the car? I was thinking of getting AAA in case I have issues, this car has been on their lot for a couple of months. Even something simple like a run down battery is going to make the trip difficult.

Overall it sounds like most of you have had good luck so I'm going to pursue this car and hopefully it works out. I have never driven a 5th gen so I'm going to a dealer near me for a test drive on Tuesday, the local car is out of my price range and not the color I want, I just want to see what it's like to drive a 5th gen ZL1 before going any further.

I don't recall exactly how many miles were on the car - this occurred over ten years ago - but the problem again was with the person hired to inspect the car. If I had taken my time and maybe flew out a day earlier so that I could have had time to do my own thorough inspection, I would have caught fairly obvious stuff that the inspector SHOULD have caught. For example - the door sticker was missing, which can indicate the car was repaired after a wreck. Sure enough, the door had been replaced. Carfax won't catch that stuff if someone repaired it off the books. I also later found out the engine wasn't original. If you just hire some anonymous inspector, you don't know what their credentials are - hell, they might have been in cahoots with the dealer as far as I'm concerned. Like I said, lesson learned, and if you don't have time to fly out and check it yourself OR have someone you trust do it, you might want to think long and hard about buying something long distance.