Selling a car to a person in Germany

Selling a car to a person in Germany

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Discussion

Black_mamba

Original Poster:

313 posts

208 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Good evening

I'm selling my car to a buyer in Germany. I haven't met them, but we have spoken on the phone and via email, they sent an 'agent' to view/ test the car and we've agreed a price, I'm just waiting for the funds to arrive into my account before releasing the car to the'agent' so he can deliver the car to Germany. My question for the collective is how do I deal with the V5, the part relating to export seems to refer to me taking the car abroad myself. I was planning on sending all the paperwork off with the car (inc V5) and writing a letter to the DVLA explaining the sale and give them the address of the new buyer etc. Strangely the car is a RHD Porsche...(I think their plan is to register it in Germany, then bring it back here on German plates whilst they are working here for a period of time)

BertBert

18,955 posts

210 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Exactly right.

Snowdrop_

223 posts

104 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Serious?

Black_mamba

Original Poster:

313 posts

208 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Snowdrop_ said:
Serious?
indeed I am, although a bit odd, buyer is a motoring journalist. Car won't move from my garage until funds are in the bank and stashed.

Black_mamba

Original Poster:

313 posts

208 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
BertBert said:
Exactly right.
Cheers Bert

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
You are correct.

However. The fact that an "agent" is involved would set alarm bells ringing.

Snowdrop_

223 posts

104 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Roo said:
You are correct.

However. The fact that an "agent" is involved would set alarm bells ringing.
That was also my thoughts...

Black_mamba

Original Poster:

313 posts

208 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Snowdrop_ said:
Roo said:
You are correct.

However. The fact that an "agent" is involved would set alarm bells ringing.
That was also my thoughts...
Agent might not be the best description. He is a friend of the buyer, nothing more, who knows a bit about the car I was selling, I am delivering the car to his home address here in the UK once funds have cleared and will get a receipt from him and photos of me dropping the car off etc, I'll call the buyer to let them know the car is in the possession of the friend. I know what you mean though, I wish it wasn't so convoluted.

Roo

11,503 posts

206 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
How is he paying for it?

Black_mamba

Original Poster:

313 posts

208 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Roo said:
How is he paying for it?
Bank Transfer.

marshalla

15,902 posts

200 months

Tuesday 25th August 2015
quotequote all
Roo said:
However. The fact that an "agent" is involved would set alarm bells ringing.
Not sure why. The classic "agent" scams involve either a fake escrow arrangement or an overpayment with cash to be handed to the agent for "delivery charges/handling fees". This doesn't seem to match either of those.

It doesn't sound much different to the situation where a PH member asks another member to view a car at the other end of the country for them, then arranges payment by bank transfer before getting it picked up.

JMGS4

8,734 posts

269 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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I'd advise removing the registration plates and putting it on short time export plates (I assume these are available in the UK). Send ALL the paperwork to the registration authority by registered (secure) post.....and only give them the car after you've received the monies.

kiethton

13,883 posts

179 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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Not necessarily dodgy, did this with a guy from NZ for my old 335i

He called, we emailed a bit, he had the car inspected by the RAC, paid by bank transfer. It was then collected about 2 weeks after payment (and after if moved funds around) by a motor trade driver to take to Southampton and that was the last I saw of it frown

Stevie_P

562 posts

176 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
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I'm not sure how much you're selling the car for but wouldn't it be better if he transferred funds to his 'friend' and then said friend gave you cash?

I sold my motorbike a while ago to a chap from Holland.

He came to pick it up with a bundle of cash. The cash went into my bank account via a trip to the bank BEFORE the bike was released.

Granted this may be a hassle if there's many thousands involved.


Snails

915 posts

165 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
quotequote all
Stevie_P said:
I'm not sure how much you're selling the car for but wouldn't it be better if he transferred funds to his 'friend' and then said friend gave you cash?

I sold my motorbike a while ago to a chap from Holland.

He came to pick it up with a bundle of cash. The cash went into my bank account via a trip to the bank BEFORE the bike was released.

Granted this may be a hassle if there's many thousands involved.
I did a similar thing with a chap from Sweden. The guy buying the car used a company that imports cars to Sweden. He transferred the money to them. They then sent somebody (who lived in the UK) to collect the car with the cash. We went to the bank together with the cash, it was all checked, paid in and off he went with the car.

Black_mamba

Original Poster:

313 posts

208 months

Wednesday 26th August 2015
quotequote all
Snails said:
Stevie_P said:
I'm not sure how much you're selling the car for but wouldn't it be better if he transferred funds to his 'friend' and then said friend gave you cash?

I sold my motorbike a while ago to a chap from Holland.

He came to pick it up with a bundle of cash. The cash went into my bank account via a trip to the bank BEFORE the bike was released.

Granted this may be a hassle if there's many thousands involved.
I did a similar thing with a chap from Sweden. The guy buying the car used a company that imports cars to Sweden. He transferred the money to them. They then sent somebody (who lived in the UK) to collect the car with the cash. We went to the bank together with the cash, it was all checked, paid in and off he went with the car.
I'm happy with a bank transfer, its a lot of wedge to be done cash. Just waiting for it to arrive in the bank before doing anything else

The Flying Ox

400 posts

172 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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BertBert said:
Exactly right.
Similar. I sold my car to a guy from Denmark and had to write to the DVLA to explain that the car was no longer mine and had been bought on the UK mainland by a non-UK resident who intended to drive it home.

Stevie_P

562 posts

176 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
Black_mamba said:
I'm happy with a bank transfer, its a lot of wedge to be done cash. Just waiting for it to arrive in the bank before doing anything else
That's fair enough then. Bank transfers are safe enough for the person receiving the money.

Stickyfinger

8,429 posts

104 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
quotequote all
Stevie_P said:
That's fair enough then. Bank transfers are safe enough for the person receiving the money.
Take care.

The amount CAN be hidden by a trick.

A cheque is paid in for an amount just short of the total with the remaining as cash, the records show it all as cash until the cheque part get refused due to lack of funds and you are left with the remaining 150 euro.

You need to get the bank to confirm they have revived ALL of the funds and not just electronic notification of "cash paid in"

A trader I supply to had this happen to him, I had talks with the bank to confirm our supply to him of the product.


Edited by Stickyfinger on Thursday 27th August 10:00

CS Garth

2,860 posts

104 months

Thursday 27th August 2015
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One quick suggestion: make sure the funds are deposited by bank transfer. There was a scam a while back where they ask for your account details and pay in a fake banker's draft. That show's up as being in your account and you then release the car. 3 days later the bankers draft has been passed through the central processing team, been spotted as a fake and bingo no money and no car.

As someone has suggested, if you can physically move the money out of your account to another then it should be safe.