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Would you purchase a bike sight unseen?

  • Thread starter Thread starter samboss260
  • Start date Start date
I bought my '82 GPz1100 sight-unseen, all the way across the country, because they don't exist here, and I wanted THAT BIKE.

I wanted one for 30 years.

I saw it on EBAY, get 'sold' for $5k, then it re-appeared, because I guess he was running up the bids, and I made a deal to have it shipped to my door from Florida.

Yes, I paid too much.

Yes, I did have to put some serious coin into it.

But my grin hits both sides of my helmet when I'm out riding.
 
viperg said:
Yes, I just purchased this late winter a 79 GS1000SN in CA from the original owner. He actually interviewed me first to pre-qualify me as a buyer. Not did I have the money, but why did I want the bike? When he asked me; "why do you want to own a GS1000SN?" I knew I had a good seller and the bike turned out far better than he described. We did several face time live video conversations for the bike inspection, start up and test ride along with a number of high res pics. I found a shipper 10 miles from the sellers house and had the bike delivered 4 days later.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind word Sean(viperg)! appreciate it. haven't heard from you in a while, but i did tell you i would leave you be for a while to do what you have to do with the bike. i hope is is coming along well, and close to being completed! give me a hollar soon. are you taking it to the show in Indy next month? like to hear from you when you have the time. i'm working my tail off right now!
 
just bought one from miami area and shipped to ohio for my brother.
wired the cash and waited for over 30 days for delivery..
it all worked out...326 miles on the bike and all is happy :)
 
Just sold a Bandit that way a few hours ago. Shippers are due here shortly. Buyer has seen one photo, the one in my sig (which now needs updating). Buyer's getting a really nice bike.

OTOH, I do have a reputation here. For better or worse. So I'm not exactly an unknown entity.
 
Bought my V-Strom sight unseen from a guy in Michigan through an ad on the ADVrider.com Flea Market.

I talked to him on the phone, and saw four photos. That weekend, I drove north with a cashier's check and a friend to drive my car back and rode it home.

I knew the bike wouldn't be perfect and that was perfectly fine, since I paid a rock-bottom price. I was quite happy with the transaction overall.
 
I bought a GS550ES off and ebay ad in 2003 for $1,100, shipped. The bike came from Vermont and was delivered via freight truck to my house. It was from a dealership, so I wasn't too worried about getting ripped off, but he had put it in a motorcycle shipping crate, so the driver, myself, and one of my neighbors had to slide this big assed, 500 lb. box down a makeshift ramp of 2x6 es to get it on the ground.

I was a little disappointed in the bike, it definitely looked better in the pics than in person. I won't say I got ripped off, but I probably would have offered him a couple hundred less than I paid for it if I had seen it in person first.
 
Not a bike but I did buy a truck. Ebay. Asked the seller to send me pics of the worse areas of the truck. He did better than that. He gave me his password to his picturetrail account so I could see pics of the restoration process. Must have had at least 500 pics. I've tried to access his account since but I'm assuming he changed his password.
It was a good deal and I've been offered almost twice what I paid and turned it down.
Had it shipped to my driveway. Cant remember how much to have it shipped but I'm thinking it was around 500 bux.
Still own the truck today.

390643013.jpg
 
Sigt unseen means that you have not seen it in any way.
I would never buy something without seeing it in person.
 
JEEPRUSTY said:
Sigt unseen means that you have not seen it in any way.
I would never buy something without seeing it in person.
Click to expand...

Exactly on point. The original question said "Sight unseen". That means no photos, no nothin'.

"Did you ever buy a bike without viewing it in person?" is a whole 'nother question.
 
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I have never bought a bike sight unseen, that's just a recipe for disaster.
 
Bought Simon's GS750 in Ohio sight unseen. UNfortuntely due to circumstances beyond my control still haven't seen it. :mad:
I think it will turn out OK. :D
 
850GT_Rider said:
Exactly on point, Daniel. The original question said "Sight unseen". That means no photos, no nothin'.

"Did you ever buy a bike without viewing it in person?" is a whole 'nother question.
Click to expand...

I have bought 60, give or take a few, bikes in the last 3 years. The only bike I actually had to commit to before seeing it was the GS850 I ride now. He was going to list on CL, ect unless I said I'd take it. Now I could have backed out when I got there I suppose but he shot straight with me and I gave him the parts bike price he was asking for it after it had sat for 2 years. One of my best purchases I have made.

A couple or three months ago I got a got a call. Guy wanted to sell his KZ250 and I was looking for twins at the time. $800 bucks, 580 miles on the odometer with title, one owner. He was a farmer, older, and had no way to take pics. I did say I would take it at $500, guess I gave a semi-firm /firm commitment so he would hold till I get make the trip. Bike was a disaster in every way and needed everything. Been dropped 30-40 times in barn, tank, seat, everything a mess. Last time I make a drive, trailer in tow, without some kind of picture unless the damn thing is free!
 
JEEPRUSTY said:
Sigt unseen means that you have not seen it in any way.
I would never buy something without seeing it in person.
Click to expand...

Well, the OP responded to all the stories of people buying from internet pictures only as if that's what he meant.

I doubt if he meant "no pictures, not seeing it, only going on the seller's verbal description", because, quite frankly, I don't think anybody who could figure out how to boot up a computer would be stupid enough to do that.
 
I bought my first 1100e on ebay in 1990. It had a few issues that weren't mentioned. The first and most glaring was the fact that it was an E and not an L. I got it cheap for that very reason. Buyer beware. I still have the bike and, in fact, changing the RR as we speak.
Richard
 
rwnielsen said:
I bought my first 1100e on ebay in 1990. It had a few issues that weren't mentioned. The first and most glaring was the fact that it was an E and not an L. I got it cheap for that very reason. Buyer beware. I still have the bike and, in fact, changing the RR as we speak.
Richard
Click to expand...

I think you have a typo there.
 
1999, sorry. I've had it a while.
I didn't know it was an E until the truck dropped it off. In retrospect, I'm pretty happy about it.
 
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I have bought a couple bikes without seeing them, and two more I committed to before I set out to pick them up (8 hours away, each way) and I have been absolutely satisfied with every single deal.

Only wish I had more cash flow to hit up Vmass' sale on skunk parts and then I would be a very happy camper!!!
 
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