Ebay RX300 bought: Ship or Drive

[II kings 9:20]

What would you guys do, I bought a 2001 RX300 off ebay last night from a dealer in Iowa. I can have it shipped for $750 or do a one way rental for $119, drive 550 miles Saturday and pick it up and drive home Sunday. I figure about 50 gallons of gas round trip for another $125, and one night in a hotel at $79 for a grand total of $325. I have the time to do it this weekend, also I get to inspect and drive the car before handing over any money. What say you?

[urbanchemist]

i say drive it. that way you can really get a feel for your new purchase and save yourself some money. lol and also a good excuse for a road trip. enjoy your new ride

[GoofyTimL]

You've got the time... saves money... an enjoyable drive home? What's to decide... oh, I know... renting an LX for the trip over! Might take a little more rental money, but... YOU KNOW it will be worth it!

[HEMEEE]

Definitely drive... but I look for any excuse for a road trip!!

[haas]

Send them any money,
We once bought a car in Miami , Audi I think..
We bought 1 way airfare anticipating a nice drive home.. This was from a high rated dealer no less. We told them we would pay them in person , they did not like that. We got there and told them we would like to look at the car first , they did not like that either..

All in all , we opened the trunk , looked in the spare tire well . It was full of sand and water,. I put some of the water on my tongue , it was salt water.
The car was a flood car.. We told em no way and they left us neg feedback. well worth saving the money we would have paid , but still lost about 2k $$ anyway.

Tell them you want to drive it home.. Go there and check all around . There might be a crap load of New Orleans masterpieces getting shipped all over the U.S..


Walter

[II kings 9:20]

Thanks for the input guys, should be an interesting trip. I have to pick up the car from Alamo at the airport Friday evening. Take off for Iowa no later than 3:30am Saturday to be there by 12 noon (they close at 2pm, have to allow for traffic). I'll drive, inspect and do the paperwork (most being FedExed today).The dealer/driver and I have to go 20 miles to Moline, IL to return the, ahem, Cavalier to Alamo, go back to the dealer to get the Lexus. I hope to roll out of DeWitt, Iowa before 2pm and drive until dinner, pick up some Powerball tickets, and find a Hampton Inn along the road. I have bought 3 cars sight unseen and had them shipped without any fraud, all three together cost less than this RX300. If I drive and the tranny fluid is brown and smells burned, I can drive my behind back home in the Cavalier. The money saved is $200/day in other words 40 cents/mile but could be way more if the car is a POC. If the Powerball ticket wins it won't matter .