Are these red flags for a dealer?
Discussion
Bear in mind the CRA. If you buy this is should be sold as a dealer sold car, not as a private sale. Lots of businesses sell cars off on the side that they don't want CRA repercussions on. The whole point of a dealer purchase is the protections and ease of purchase, neither of which I am convinced you will get.
That said, I don't blame him for wanting a decent deposit, I wouldn't expect to sit on a car hoping someone might come back.
That said, I don't blame him for wanting a decent deposit, I wouldn't expect to sit on a car hoping someone might come back.
Pickle_Party_247 said:
I've floated the idea of coming down to Southampton and paying the final amount in full to him on Sat, will see what happens. There's an IS250 SE-L in Newbury for the same price (although in a more boring colour and with a tan interior) so I'm not fully committed yet.
I think the grey leather in the first car you posted is awful…Edited by Pickle_Party_247 on Thursday 16th November 09:57
Hi yes there's a problem with that car you sold me. Hello, hello?
I recently looking at a Honda from a driveway sellers drive of a very nice detached house.
The car had full Honda history (I was shown a typed 4 line history of a piece of A4)...
The a/c was warm (known issue with compressor)
The brake pedal was very soft.
I surmised it was someone trading from his dad's house.
No I walked away.
I recently looking at a Honda from a driveway sellers drive of a very nice detached house.
The car had full Honda history (I was shown a typed 4 line history of a piece of A4)...
The a/c was warm (known issue with compressor)
The brake pedal was very soft.
I surmised it was someone trading from his dad's house.
No I walked away.
vikingaero said:
I had a similar situation when looking for another Shed on Facebook Marketplace.
Drove to look at the car, everything was in reasonable condition and would be in fantastic condition once I worked my magic on it. Small haggle on price as is the norm. Then the bombshell. I would have to pay them now in full and collect the car when they found and picked up their replacement car as they needed my funds for that car. Nosirree!
That doesn't even surprise me in this day and age.Drove to look at the car, everything was in reasonable condition and would be in fantastic condition once I worked my magic on it. Small haggle on price as is the norm. Then the bombshell. I would have to pay them now in full and collect the car when they found and picked up their replacement car as they needed my funds for that car. Nosirree!
Pickle_Party_247 said:
...
Dealer has no google maps presence, no online reviews, no Autotrader profile (where I found the car) and what seems like a new website. The dealer has been registered with Company's House since October last year and is registered on there as premised at a random industrial estate in Suffolk.
Am I overthinking it or is this all quite dodgy?
.Dealer has no google maps presence, no online reviews, no Autotrader profile (where I found the car) and what seems like a new website. The dealer has been registered with Company's House since October last year and is registered on there as premised at a random industrial estate in Suffolk.
Am I overthinking it or is this all quite dodgy?
vikingaero said:
I had a similar situation when looking for another Shed on Facebook Marketplace.
Drove to look at the car, everything was in reasonable condition and would be in fantastic condition once I worked my magic on it. Small haggle on price as is the norm. Then the bombshell. I would have to pay them now in full and collect the car when they found and picked up their replacement car as they needed my funds for that car. Nosirree!
That's nuts. How can anyone think that is how selling and buying cars works?!Drove to look at the car, everything was in reasonable condition and would be in fantastic condition once I worked my magic on it. Small haggle on price as is the norm. Then the bombshell. I would have to pay them now in full and collect the car when they found and picked up their replacement car as they needed my funds for that car. Nosirree!
Can’t comment if the seller is legit or not but I would also want a chunky deposit, how many times has a seller heard “I’ll be back when my car sells” never to hear from them again. Or a call to say you got less than you wanted so can’t proceed etc etc. Meanwhile he’s taken the car off sale.
A small deposit is easy to walk away from. 1k isn’t.
A small deposit is easy to walk away from. 1k isn’t.
GeniusOfLove said:
It's almost as if the seller knew you might be a timewaster all along 
Agreed.It was a vibe check to make sure the OP isn't a Messer and is going to decide in a week actually they can't sell their car, or their dog died or have decided they want to hold out for a pink one or something, and oh can they get their £100 deposit back.
A car isn't sold until it is paid for in full for most independents, apart from the times where a deal with a defined deal date is made plus a token NON REFUNDABLE deposit in case the buyer does back out.
I'll pay when my car is sold is basically code language for "I'm a Messer who doesn't have the funds yet for the vehicle but might do in a week/month/year so I would like you to hold it indefinitely for me, whilst incurring a charge for storage, cost of having stock in hold and turning down customers that would be able to do a deal on the spot" which is going to be the majority of people on a 5k motor.
Given the fact that you've gone through great lengths to try and slander the bloke and imply his business is dodgy and his prep work is mediocre on the internet, I'd suspect he probably won't want to sell you a car anyway now.
TheWokeBlob said:
GeniusOfLove said:
It's almost as if the seller knew you might be a timewaster all along
Agreed.It was a vibe check to make sure the OP isn't a Messer and is going to decide in a week actually they can't sell their car, or their dog died or have decided they want to hold out for a pink one or something, and oh can they get their £100 deposit back.
A car isn't sold until it is paid for in full for most independents, apart from the times where a deal with a defined deal date is made plus a token NON REFUNDABLE deposit in case the buyer does back out.
I'll pay when my car is sold is basically code language for "I'm a Messer who doesn't have the funds yet for the vehicle but might do in a week/month/year so I would like you to hold it indefinitely for me, whilst incurring a charge for storage, cost of having stock in hold and turning down customers that would be able to do a deal on the spot" which is going to be the majority of people on a 5k motor.
Given the fact that you've gone through great lengths to try and slander the bloke and imply his business is dodgy and his prep work is mediocre on the internet, I'd suspect he probably won't want to sell you a car anyway now.
It's no different to the idiots who make an offer on your house and expect you to take it off the market when their house isn't even listed with an estate agent, let alone sold.
If I buy a car I have the money on me to take it away today, if I am buying your house then I am in a position to move immediately as either mine has sold or I have nothing to sell.
Everyone else is just a timewaster or dreamer if they cannot back it up.
I remember taking my old shed in for an MOT and whilst I was waiting I went across the road to a car dealer to look at backup options if it badly failed it's MOT. As I was looking at one car the dealer came over and told me he had loads of emails about the car enquiring about finance.
It was a £4K car...... If he has to deal with these sort of people on a daily basis then I pity him.
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 21st November 13:15
Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 21st November 13:16
Pickle_Party_247 said:
GeniusOfLove said:
It's almost as if the seller knew you might be a timewaster all along
Maybe the seller shouldn't scare diligent customers off by being so dodgy 
TheWokeBlob said:
Given the fact that you've gone through great lengths to try and slander the bloke and imply his business is dodgy and his prep work is mediocre on the internet, I'd suspect he probably won't want to sell you a car anyway now.
Spotted the dodgy driveway trader! Funny howe there are always people on this subforum who side with obviously shady dealers when people post about them, almost as if they themselves are cut from the same cloth and conduct their own business in the same way! How many clapped out Corsas have you sold this week then Delboy?Edited by Pickle_Party_247 on Wednesday 22 November 09:40
Edited by Pickle_Party_247 on Wednesday 22 November 09:41
Red flag one: You are looking at cars that put bluntly, you cannot afford right now. When you sell your current vehicle/nan's inheritance comes in/lotto win pays out is all well and good, but as of this moment, you are trying to make a deal on a vehicle that you cannot afford.
You CALLED to make an offer as opposed to trying to do a deal face to face a mere matter of minutes/hours beforehand- Red flag number two you are clearly indecisive and "need time to think" about life changing events, such as buying a 16 year old lexus.
Fair enough, but you have then asked him as a business with limited resources to hold a vehicle for you for an undetermined amount of time. During which time he will have to store the vehicle which has a passive cost, as well as turn down customers that actually have money to purchase the vehicle then and there as opposed to when they sell their car and perhaps need to look under the sofa cushions to raise 5 grand. Red flag three.
Selling cars takes time and effort and many people tend to be willing to take a small hit and part exchange as a part of a deal to get themselves into a new car, which brings us to red flag number four; It doesn't sound like you even discussed a part exchange with him?
So we have a deal entirely dependent upon when you can unload your current vehicle, but you haven't even given the business who's entire existence is to buy and sell vehicles a crack at doing a deal that gets you into the Lexus tomorrow and opposed to an undetermined amount of time as you've suggested. Oh and you want to only contribute a piecemeal sum as a deposit. God more red flags here than modern formula one.
The black flag is then running off to the internet and having a moan that the dealer has suggested you either show that you are serious about the car by providing a 20% deposit or politely jogging on. If this is your reaction to being asked for a deposit (and your reply to me is your attitude when challenged), God help anyone that sells you absolutely anything.
Look at for my similar thread coming soon, I went to get a mortgage for a house but Santander wants 20% for it as a deposit, THEN I found out they are registered on companies House in London, but I visited them in Woking, SCAM
And before you go all Whhaaaaa about the potential scam flags on banking apps, dude I get those messages trying to transfer money to my mother. For many banking apps it's apart of their duty of care/due diligence process to mitigate against claw backs. Look it up.
People are not going through the great lengths of registering with companies House, filling accounts, paying corp tax and VAT making a website, even making a cute little breadboard for photographs, registering a legitimate UK bank account, taking you to their home ,and showing you around a car to try and scam you a grand on a deposit on some old lexus. Give your head a wobble.
Edited by TheWokeBlob on Wednesday 22 November 22:07
Quite, dealer spotted a suspected timewaster, ran a little test to see if the buyer was indeed a timewaster, and the buyer turned out to be.... a timewaster!
I think he was a good chap to offer to hold the car for you at all, even with a 20% deposit, a buyer without money isn't really a buyer now is it?
I think he was a good chap to offer to hold the car for you at all, even with a 20% deposit, a buyer without money isn't really a buyer now is it?
TheWokeBlob said:
*General wall of clearly enraged twaddle*
I suggest you take your anger out in healthier ways than coming on to a car forum and going to bat for a shady driveway dealer while ignoring every other poster who can also see the obvious red flags, and then casting aspersions about someone simply asking for a sanity check on a dealer 
So has it been two or three clapped out Corsas so far this week, you didn't give an answer GeniusOfLove said:
Quite, dealer spotted a suspected timewaster, ran a little test to see if the buyer was indeed a timewaster, and the buyer turned out to be.... a timewaster!
I think he was a good chap to offer to hold the car for you at all, even with a 20% deposit, a buyer without money isn't really a buyer now is it?
A 'good chap' doesn't communicate via whatsapp chats with the 'disappearing messages' function active now, do they?I think he was a good chap to offer to hold the car for you at all, even with a 20% deposit, a buyer without money isn't really a buyer now is it?
As an aside- it's funny how certain people are now vehemently arguing with me and casting aspersions about my finances after I implied that there are clearly a few dodgy traders on here trying to gaslight people into believing this is all very normal business practice. New accounts with very few posts too!
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 22 November 12:51
TheWokeBlob said:
Red flag one: You are looking at cars that put bluntly, you cannot afford right now. When you sell your current vehicle/nan's inheritance comes in/lotto win pays out is all well and good, but as of this moment, you are trying to make a deal on a vehicle that you cannot afford: Time waster flag one
You CALLED to make an offer as opposed to trying to do a deal face to face a mere matter of minutes/hours beforehand- Red flag number two you are clearly indecisive and "need time to think" about life changing events, such as buying a 16 year old lexus.
looooooooooooooooooooooolYou CALLED to make an offer as opposed to trying to do a deal face to face a mere matter of minutes/hours beforehand- Red flag number two you are clearly indecisive and "need time to think" about life changing events, such as buying a 16 year old lexus.
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