thanks for all the quick replies. I decided to pass for now. If he contacts me and is willing to do business the way 99% of people do it, I might still buy it. I'll be glad to bum a ride to OH and hand over a check and drive home in the Mini. Otherwise, good luck to him finding a buyer who'll turn over funds and walk away on trust alone.

 

As a quick aside, it is very common for servicemembers to order up an American spec'd car for delivery in Germany -- especially a car from a European manufacturer. These days, it's Mini's and BMW's, and they can often be had for a good price, with good options and quick delivery. The cars are then registered with the S military, not the local nation, and have an American registration for their American specs and are often either shipped back by the military or, for some like Volvo, shipped by the manufacturer. A good clean Mini from a servicemember who bought it in Europe should be no better or worse a car than from anyone else, other than a reasonable expection or assumption that the guy or gal legally drove it at 100-120 mph from time to time....

 

As the guy above stated. I bought my MINI here in Europe (where I still live) and it is a US Spec car. I do dive my car much faster than I would in the US because it is legal to do so. I also work with the military and can tell you that it is possible that the guy is trying to get quick cash but I would still be weary about buying a car sight unseen.

 

Don't worry about this part of the deal, just the EBay part. This is exactly how I got my car. I was in the USMC stationed in Stuttgart, Germany and bought it there. To bring the car back to the US it has to be US specs to make it through customs. The only difference between buying it from Germany and here is that we saved at least 2k - 3k on the price. We paid about $25,900 for a '05 DS/B MCS with premium, sport, cold, nav, park distance control, and leatherette.

If he's in the military, especially the Army since they are all over Germany, then he is most likely telling the truth about how he got it. PM me if you have any ?.

You could also ask for his unit information and contact someone in his unit to check him out. Keep in mind that if he's still active duty then he would be easy to track down.