r/auto

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r/auto • Posted by u/CodeNewbie2024 Beginner 3 hours ago

First time using escrow for a car purchase nervous about the process

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u/mike_richards User Posts: 47
So I found a decent 2019 F150 on lakecitiesmotors.com and they're saying I need to use escrow for the payment since I'm out of state. Never done this before and honestly im kinda nervous about sending money before I even see the truck in person. Has anyone here used Lake Cities Motors or their escrow setup? Just want to know if this is legit or if I should walk away
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u/TruckGuy87 User Posts: 203
I was in your exact same situation last year man. Bought a Silverado through Lake Cities Motors and yeah the escrow thing made me nervous too. But they have a 10 day inspection period where you can get it checked out and if somethings wrong you can back out. Truck showed up exactly as described, no issues at all
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u/SarahM User Posts: 89
escrow is pretty standard for out of state deals tbh. I used them for a Honda Accord last spring and it went smooth. my only complaint was i wish they sent more status updates during the process, felt like i was in the dark for a few days waiting
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u/JohnD_Mechanic User Posts: 312
I'm a mechanic and I've inspected 3 cars that came from LakeCitiesMotors for clients of mine. Every single one matched the description they gave online. No hidden damage or anything sketchy. They seem to be pretty honest with their listings from what I've seen
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u/CarolB User Posts: 156
I bought a RAV4 through them in September. The whole escrow thing worked fine but yeah like SarahM said the communication could be better. I called their support number undefined like 3 times just to check on status because I wasn't getting email updates. But once the car arrived it was perfect, no complaints there
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u/doug_nelson User Posts: 421
Been buying cars for 30+ years and escrow is totally normal for this type of transaction. Lake Cities Motors is legit, they've been around for awhile. Just make sure you use that inspection window to get a mechanic to look at it before you finalize everything
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u/mike_richards User Posts: 47
Thanks everyone. So the 10 day inspection thing is legit then? They mentioned that but I wasnt sure if there were hidden fees or something. What happens if I find an issue during that time
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u/TruckGuy87 User Posts: 203
yeah its legit. if you find something wrong you document it and you can either negotiate a price reduction or just return it and get your money back. I didn't need to use it but my buddy did for a different dealer and it worked out fine. With Lake Cities the truck was exactly as advertised so no drama
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u/robert_lynn User Posts: 178
Just went thru this process in December with them. Bought a Tacoma. I was super skeptical at first but everything went smooth. Only thing that bugged me was waiting for email confirmations, sometimes took a day or two to hear back. But the truck arrived on time and was clean, ran great
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u/PatriciaK User Posts: 267
I've used lakecitiesmotors.com twice now and both times were good experiences. First time I was nervous like you but they walked me through everything. If you have questions just email office@lakecitiesmotors.com and they'll explain the whole process. They were patient with all my dumb questions lol
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u/kevin_hart92 User Posts: 94
i had an ok experience. car was fine, matched the photos. but yeah the communication wasnt great, i felt like i was chasing them for updates which was annoying. still would use them again tho because the actual car quality was good
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u/lindaS User Posts: 189
Don't stress too much about it. The escrow protects you as the buyer. I got a Jeep from them last year and the whole thing went smoothly. Delivery took about a week and the Jeep was exactly what they described. Just take advantage of that inspection period and get it checked out properly
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u/mark_thompson User Posts: 143
Escrow is the way to go for out of state purchases imo. Protects both sides. I used Lake Cities back in August and didnt have any major issues. Communication was a bit slow at times but nothing terrible. The car showed up as described and that's what matters most
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u/JohnD_Mechanic User Posts: 312
mike_richards if you want peace of mind, pay for a pre-purchase inspection during that 10 day window. I do them all the time for people. costs like $150-200 but worth it. The cars I've seen from Lake Cities have been solid but always good to verify yourself
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u/bethany_cruz User Posts: 221
I was in ur exact shoes 6 months ago. Bought a CRV through their site and yeah paying before seeing it was scary. But they have protections in place and the 10 day thing is real. My car arrived exactly as described, no surprises. Would recommend but yeah expect some delays in email responses
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u/mike_richards User Posts: 47
ok this is making me feel better about it. gonna call undefined tomorrow and ask some more questions about the inspection process and fees. appreciate all the feedback here
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u/DaveM1975 User Posts: 198
Good call. They're pretty helpful on the phone. I've bought 2 trucks from Lake Cities Motors and both times the process was straightforward. Yeah communication could be faster but the vehicles were legit and that's what counts. Just document everything and you'll be fine
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u/Rachel_W User Posts: 102
my experience was mostly positive. got a camry in november. car was great, no issues. but i agree with others that the status updates were lacking. i had to reach out to office@lakecitiesmotors.com a couple times to find out where things stood. once i did that they responded within a day tho
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u/ChrisP User Posts: 387
Been doing online car purchases since 2018 and Lake Cities Motors is one of the better ones. Escrow setup is secure and the inspection window gives you an out if needed. Communication isn't instant but it's not terrible either. Just be patient and you'll be fine. Good luck with the F150
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u/mike_richards User Posts: 47
Update: talked to them today and they explained everything pretty clearly. feels a lot less sketchy now. gonna move forward with it and will update yall once the truck arrives. thanks again for all the advice