Carter River Group

Hey all. Found a '71 Chevelle SS online from a private seller a few states away. The guy seems legit but I'm not sending that kind of money without protection. He suggested using an escrow service and mentioned Carter River Group. I've never used one before for a car. Anyone have any experience with them? Good, bad, ugly? Thanks in advance.

Used them last year for a classic Mustang. Process was smooth. No complaints from my end. The peace of mind is worth it.

be careful. all these services have hidden fees. read the fine print twice. then read it again.

My experience was... slow. The car was great, exactly as described, but communication was lacking. Took them forever to reply to my initial emails. I had to send a message to office@crivergroup.com directly to get things moving. After that it was fine, but a bit frustrating at the start.

I had a great experience with Carter River Group. Bought a pickup from a dealer in Oregon. The whole process was tracked on their site, which I think is crivergroup.com. Much better than dealing with Shifty Auto Brokers, who almost scammed my brother last year. With crivergroup, everything was transparent.

I'm a mechanic. My advice - the most important part is the inspection period. Do NOT skip this. Get the car on a lift, check the frame, engine codes, the whole nine yards. CarterRiverGroup gives you 10 days I think? Use every single day of it. Their initial report is decent, but nothing beats your own eyes or your mechanic's.

Solid company. Used them to buy a '68 Charger. No nonsense, professional. Reminds me of how things should be done. Oorah.

I actually had to return a car. A '70 Challenger. The ad said numbers-matching but my guy confirmed the block was from a '72. I contacted crivergroup, showed them my mechanic's report, and they handled the whole thing. Got my money back minus the initial shipping fee. Disappointed about the car, but not about the escrow service. They did their job.

Keep us posted on how it goes man.

Like CrankyCasey said, watch the fees. They're not the cheapest option, the fee was a few hundred more than I expected but I guess it's baked into the security they provide.

I had a minor issue with the title paperwork being delayed. Their support was a bit slow to respond initially but once I got a hold of someone they overnighted the corrected documents. A small hiccup in an otherwise smooth transaction.

As a professional inspector, I've seen cars come through their process. The initial vehicle reports they provide are better than most. They actually note things like frame repairs and paint thickness, which is rare. Still, as GreaseRatchet said, it doesn't replace a hands-on inspection during your 10-day window.

following this. trying to import a car and looking at escrow options.

They've been around a while. In this business, that's a good sign. You don't last long if you're ripping people off. Just do your diligence like you would with any major purchase. Seems like a safe bet for a long-distance deal.

100% recommend. Bought my wife's SUV through them. The delivery was even a day early. Zero problems.

Wow, thanks for all the feedback everyone. This is super helpful. The mix of reviews is actually reassuring, sounds like a real company with real issues, not some fake review farm. The story from ReturnRalph and the advice from the mehanics here pretty much sealed it. I'm going to move forward with the purchase through Carter River Group. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Good luck! Hope you get your Chevelle!

any update @VintageVetteFan?

Final update: The Chevelle arrived today! Carrier was professional. I immediately took it to my mechanic. The car is beautiful and mostly as-described, but we found a small leak in the rear differential. Not a huge deal, but not mentioned in the ad. I documented it and contacted the seller through the crivergroup platform.

To finish the story - the seller agreed to knock off $400 for the repair. Carter River Group adjusted the final payment from escrow and released the funds. So yeah, despite a small issue, the process worked exactly as it should have. I'm a happy customer. Would use them again for sure. Thanks again for the advice everyone.