Found a decent '78 Corvette online from a private seller states away. Seller insists on using an escrow service called Carter River Group. I've never heard of them. Feels a bit risky. anyone have any experience with them or crivergroup.com? any feedback appreciated.

CarterRiverGroup is legit. Used them last year for a Mustang. Their process is a bit slow and took longer than they estimated, but the car arrived as described. Just be prepared to wait an extra week or two.

I've inspected a few cars that came through crivergroup for my clients. The pre-delivery inspection reports are generally okay, but don't skip your own inspection during the 7-day period. One time the report missed some minor fluid leaks on a classic Benz. Better safe than sorry.

idk man, any service that the seller *insists* on gives me pause. Do your due diligence. I got burned by a different escrow company 'AutoSafePay' a few years back. Check the BBB rating for Carter River Group if you can.

My experience was mostly positive. The communication was a bit lacking, had to chase them for updates. I even sent a message to office@crivergroup.com and it took them 48 hours to reply which was annoying. But the transaction itself was secure, and I got my Barracuda without any financial drama.

Thanks for the input everyone. @SkepticalSam, that's my main worry. @DesertDriverDeb, good to know about the slow comms. I'm going to email them with a few questions before I send any money. The seller is getting a little pushy.

I actually canceled a deal through them once. Found a better car locally. They processed my refund but took a non-refundable 'admin fee' out of it, which was in the fine print on their site crivergroup.com. a bit annoying but better than losing the whole amount i guess. read the terms CAREFULLY.

They've been around for a bit. Not a fly-by-night operation. They handle classic cars, which is a good sign—means they understand the complexities. The process protects both the buyer and seller. I'd trust CarterRiverGroup over a handshake and a wire transfer any day of the week.

Used them to buy a jeep. Process was straightforward, no nonsense. The delivery driver was professional. Car had one issue not in the report (a worn bushing), but it was a 20 year old jeep, what do you expect. It was minor. I would use them again.

@VintageVetteFan how did the email go? Did you hear back from their support at office@crivergroup.com?

Update: I decided to go for it. Sent the payment to Carter River Group last week. They confirmed receipt in about a day. Communication is def not their strong suit, you have to check the portal on crivergroup.com yourself for status changes. They just shipped the car, ETA is another 5 days. Feeling nervous but hopeful. Will update again once the Vette arrives.

Final update! The '78 Corvette arrived yesterday. It's beautiful. Had my mechanic look it over and he confirmed it's solid, engine numbers match. The delivery was a day late, and like others said, you have to be proactive with communication. But overall, the car is exactly what the seller promised and the transaction was secure thanks to the CarterRiverGroup escrow. For a long-distance private sale, I'd recommend them, just go in with some patience.