Charlie Edwards doesn't like to admit it, but he lost a lot of money buying a car online because he didn’t do his homework.

“I did not like it happening to me, and I don’t want to see it happen to anyone else. So, if it means I have to swallow a little pride, I will do so,” said Edwards.

Edwards and his wife Sharl found a used 2007 Honda Pilot on eBay this past September, but they would have to fly to Texas to get it.

“My father-in-law, who lives next door, purchased a car on eBay. And my brother-in-law purchased a car on eBay, so with that I felt pretty comfortable and confident that everything would be OK,” said Edwards.

The going auction price for the Honda was thousands less than blue book value.

The Edwards' figured the flight to Houston to pick up the vehicle and drive it home was worth the money they would save.

So they bid nearly $20,000 and won the auction, then flew to Texas to pay for the car without a test drive, title search or hiring a mechanic to inspect it.

They bought it based on what they had read online.

“I saw the car. It appeared to be fine,” said Edwards.

The Edwards said they inspected the outside of the car carefully because it was listed online as "salvage."

In red letters, the eBay ad said the car had exterior body problems that were all "replaced and repainted" and that "original Honda parts were used."

The ad also said "this Pilot runs and drives great and is ready to go."

All that information was supported by rebuilt affidavits given to the Edwards by the Houston seller.

So despite what they now admit were serious red flags, they handed over a cashier's check for more than $19,000 and began their 2,000-mile drive back to Belfair, Washington.

They only got as far as San Antonio.

“We drove in that car together, that 180 miles, and we heard wind whistling, we heard noise, things flapping around. That’s when we knew something wasn’t quite right with this car,” said Edwards.

“We wondered what that was. We thought it was a mud flap on the driver’s side tire area, just flapping around, so we were going to have that looked at too when we had the oil changed,” he said.

They had planned to have the oil changed anyway, just in case, before their long trip home but learned, when the Pilot was put up on the hydraulic lift at a San Antonio auto shop, that the damage to their car was much more extensive than listed in the eBay ad.

“The tie rods were bent, the motor mount was loose and it was crooked on the car itself. The gas shield was pressed up against the gas tank,” said Edwards.

"Was this stuff listed on eBay?” KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy asked.

“No, there was no listing, nothing at all on the listing about damage underneaththe car,” Edwards replied. “They sent us off in a death trap with no conscience.”

According to the San Antonio repair shop, the car was too dangerous to drive.

The repair shop’s invoice revealed "the underbody of vehicle looks like the frame was pulled in order to bolt up the sub frame. There are other concerns with this vehicle, but there could be more damage."

A laundry list of the problems was also included.

And when Charlie Edwards finally did a title search online for $30, something he now admits he should have done before even bidding on the car, he found out that the car had been totaled.

According to Autocheck, a vehicle title reporting company, the Honda Pilot wasn't a salvage vehicle, but a junk vehicle with a serious title problem.

The car had been disqualified by Autocheck, which could "indicate serious past damage or other significant problems."

“No one in their right mind would bid on something like that,” said Edwards.

John Bigelow agrees.

As an auto dealer in Denver for 27 years, Bigelow said he would never bid on a salvage vehicle but said he did bid on a BMW from the same Houston dealership with similar results.

“The dealer I bought it from totally misrepresented the car in the sense that it had been damaged. Undisclosed,” said Bigelow.

Bigelow has since posted the lone negative review on the Houston dealership's eBay page, including his phone number, and said there are other disgruntled customers out there.

“I’ve had other people call me from around the countryside stating that cars they purchased were not as represented either. And all of them complained of damage to the car, whether it was unsafe, or put together and it was not disclosed. That’s what I’ve heard,” said Bigelow.

Which is why Bigelow said, that despite what it says in the online ad, you should never buy a car without having it inspected by a mechanic that you hire.

It’s a lesson the Edwards' learned the hard way.

“Buyer beware. Do your homework before you buy on eBay,” said Edwards. “Do a title search, and before any money changes hands, make sure that you have an independent inspector, who has no interest in the outcome of the sale, do an inspection,” said Bigelow.

Charlie Edwards wishes he had done all these things before bidding online.

But how do you hire an inspector if the car’s out of state?

AAA said they can refer people to a reputable mechanic where the car is located.

Meanwhile, eBay told Clancy that it agrees that the seller misrepresented the vehicle, so its insurance company will reimburse the Edwards the nearly $20,000 the couple lost.

The Houston car dealer, however, told Clancy he still stands by his ad.

The Edwards ended up leaving the car they bought in Houston and had to buy a brand-new one, at a different dealership, to drive home.