David Swann / dswann@starbulletin.com

When buying or selling
a set of wheels, don't
forget the Internet

---

By Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
slopes@starbulletin.com

Don't ask me how, but for about five years, I'd managed to ignore a hideous blotch of bondo residue on the hood of my car. I just never got around to sanding and repainting it, I suppose. Sure, there were a few dings and dents here and there, and yes, I probably should have taken it for a wash a little more often, but that required an extra passenger to sit in the back seat with a bucket to catch the streams of water that always managed to somehow leak through the soft top.

The dust-ridden dashboard stayed cloaked in dirt through most of the time I owned my car, mainly because I never seemed to have a wet cloth handy.

Still, my Isuzu Amigo was great to me. Not once in my six years of ownership had it ever conked out or made weird noises or required a costly trip to the mechanic's shop. With an amazing turning radius, it managed to squeeze into tight premium parking spaces outside my apartment on Ala Ilima Street in Salt Lake and saved me a lot of block-walking over the years. But when my insurance company declared it a total wreck after a pickup truck broadsided my car one October evening, I didn't argue or fret. I simply resolved to find a ride as reliable as my trusty old Amigo.

I recalled the pre-owned Saab 9000 I purchased in '92, which at $5,500 seemed like a steal at the time. Unfortunately, I'd overlooked the costly repair bills I'd be paying for every six months or so.

Once, a friend convinced me that the 1978 Porsche 924 I was considering was not only a steal, but a guaranteed chick magnet as well. Problem was, I never got to test the theory; the engine froze up on me 10 days after I'd paid the dealership two grand in cash.

I wish I'd heard of Carfax back then. Carfax.com, the 5-year-old Web site that promises a vehicle history report on nearly every used car registered in the United States and Canada, has saved consumers untold dollars in recent years. This resource, which was once only privy to auto dealerships, is now available to the public via the Internet. For $19.99 it gives you an unlimited number of reports over a two-month period. Simply enter a vehicle's VIN number, and in an instant, Carfax will tell you whether an auto's been salvaged, flooded or rebuilt or whether its odomoter has been rolled back or rolled over.

It probably saved me a considerable chunk of change when I discovered that a car I'd had my eye on at a local lot actually had 135,000 miles on it instead of the 35,000 it was advertised at. It also gave me the confidence to do what I once would have been considered unthinkable: I bought a used car over the Internet.

Buying a car online long distance is not for everyone. Can you imagine trying to return it and get your money back? And there's nothing like getting behind the wheel and taking the car for a real-time test spin. But at the very least, it offers a way to comparison-shop and puts a little power into the hands of the consumer. And a lot of Hawaii auto dealers have Web sites that will let you search for makes and models and price ranges (see accompanying information box).

IN JUST OVER a year, eBaymotors.com has grown into one of the 'Net's top auto sites, raking in over $1 billion as a platform for car sellers across the world to unload all manner of major machinery, from useless clunkers to high-performance roadsters, celebrity-owned vehicles and movie prop cars. It was while browsing eBay Motors that I happened upon a marvelous sight.

It was a glinty charcoal-gray 1993 Isuzu Amigo XE -- basically the same year, make and model as my old ride, but with a chrome trim, hard top and 13,000 fewer miles. The fact that it originated in the San Francisco Bay area (which would save me another grand or so in shipping, compared with freight charges from the East Coast or Midwest) made it an intriguing prospect. The opening bid started at a reasonable $3,000, and Carfax gave the vehicle a clean bill of health.

But was I really willing to make such a huge purchase over the Internet with an anonymous seller? I wasn't entirely sure I was, so I mulled it over before checking back the next day. It was still there, in all its chrome-trimmed glory. I let another day pass. No bids. Against my better judgment, I let it go for a third excruciating day. Yet, still no bids.

This is where eBay can get interesting. The auction site's "Buy It Now" option, when utilized, allows the seller to make a deal on a firm price before bidding begins. Once a bid is placed, however, the "Buy It Now" option is void and a vehicle which once went for a mere $3,000 could escalate to whatever bidders were willing to pay for it. In this case, the owner would allow a lucky eBayer to "Buy It Now" for $4,000. Could I afford to wait a few more days to pick up a steal at $3,000 or so, or were there other potential buyers out there waiting to outbid me at the last possible moment? Should I undercut them all by purchasing the Amigo outright at four grand?

What the hell, I thought. Let's get back on the road. I'd never forgive myself if I let this one slip away. Thus, with a few mouse clicks, I was the owner of a 1993 Isuzu Amigo XE. Done deal. The seller's name, I would discover, was Elaine. A dental assistant and recent grandmother living in Alameda, Calif., Elaine purchased the second-hand several years ago when she became involved with a local animal shelter and needed enough cargo space to haul several cat cages around town.

She had enjoyed making a small profit on eBay in the past by purchasing items at local thrift stores and estate sales and posting them up for auction, and had even sold a few motorcycles for a computer-illiterate friend of hers with tremendous results. Yet a $4,000 deal was by far her biggest transaction. Factor in shipping (Elaine was gracious enough to drop the car off at the Matson shipping facilities in Oakland), and the grand total became $4,835. Thanks to a $2,000 check given to me by my insurance company however, my cost was just under $3,000. Best of all, there would be no monthly payments to worry about.

"The great thing is it never stalled on me and really, the shell itself cost me a grand," she said when I called her to thank her for her help with the transaction. "I think when you calculate the many years of use you'll get out of it, at the end of that time, you'll think, 'Wow, that was pretty cheap transportation."

So far, so good. I've been driving it around Oahu for about a month now with no problems and I even get a compliment thrown my way on occasion. You see, unlike with Amigo No. 1, I now find myself concerned with my car's appearance -- I've even set aside a special compartment to keep handy that dustcloth I never bothered to use.

Check out isle auto dealers on Web Many Hawaii auto dealers have Web sites that allow people to do comparison shopping for pre-owned cars with search factors including age, make, model and mileage. This means you don't have to drive all around the island in search of the car of your dream, when you may not have the wheels to get around in the first place. To make sure you don't bypass the car salesman, however, prices are not always listed. Here are a few places to start: >> www.budgetcarsaleshawaii.com >> www.aloha-hyundai.com >> www.aloha-kia.com >> www.cuttercars.com >> www.mckennaautomotive.com >> www.newcitynissan.com >> www.SaturnHonolulu.com >> www.tonygroup.com >> www.tonyhonda.com >> www.tonynissan.com >> www.tonyvolkswagen.com >> www.windwardauto.com You can also check out starbulletin.com/classifieds for classified listings, or bid until Saturday on the likes of a 2002 Suzuki Aerio SX, 2002 Honda Civic LX two-door coupe, 2001 Suzuki Katana (note that the reserve has been met on both each vehicle) and other auto packages through the Star-Bulletin's Bidding Advantage program. Bid by phone at 529-4800 or online at bidding.starbulletin.com

Click for online
calendars and events.