Dealer masquerading as private seller?
Discussion
was8v said:
If you like the car then what difference does it make?
So long as you are paying private money not dealer money (as that would carry some comeback).
In theory, none. In terms of the 4 Series, it would have to have had a full BMW service history with all services carried out on time, and some tacky mods reverted, so I could put a comprehensive BMW warranty on it and then it wouldn't matter where it had come from. The issue is, if someone is selling a car in a dishonest manner, then what else about the car, other than the manner in which it is being sold, might not be what it appears to be?So long as you are paying private money not dealer money (as that would carry some comeback).
Sadly it happens all the time. Have a look at this one from a "private seller" with a turn table in his garage... 
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401155...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401155...
vikingaero said:
If your local Council still has a Trading Standards Department then report the seller to them. One thing TS are still hot on are mileage discrepancies and rogue car traders.
It wasn't local to me, it was the best part of 200 miles away. I'm searching nationally for a 440i as there's a "unicorn" spec that I want so I can't be picky about where it comes from.As it happens, this car was the right year and right colour combo with all the options I wanted. But, it also had the factory "BMW 715 M Aerodynamics package" which I'd prefer not to have, the BMW MPPSK upgrade which had to be delcared as a mod because it's dealer fitted rather than a factory option and, in my opinion, makes the exhaust sound like some teenager's remapped Corsa... and a whole load of tacky mods - M3/M4 wheels with spacers, M3/M4 mirrors, very heavily tinted winows, so much so that the front side windows might actually have been illegal, and the interior was littered with air fresheners, so it had the image of a mobile weed lounge! I'd have to have had cooperation from the seller in establishing from a BMW main dealer if the car would be eligible for a comperehensive BMW warranty once all the tat had been removed. I imagine it would have been too much effort for them.
zeewrath said:
Nothing to say a seller can't own a car, registered in his/her own name, and separate from any business they might run.Is there?
The thing is they might be putting it on Autotrader as a private seller due to not having to pay Trader listing prices.
Ask them if it is a private or trade sale because you've seen the car listed in a few places. Let them make that decision, then you decide whether you risk it or not.
For me if they are a trader and they say private, then unless it's their personal car, I'd walk away.
Ask them if it is a private or trade sale because you've seen the car listed in a few places. Let them make that decision, then you decide whether you risk it or not.
For me if they are a trader and they say private, then unless it's their personal car, I'd walk away.
zeewrath said:
The car looks to have been sold about 6 months ago so it’s likely the new owner wants out but used the pictures from when they bought it.Wills2 said:
The OP has been not buying a 440i for 2 years, there was zero risk of a bullet being fired, I'm surprised at the tenacity shown in keeping this non buying journey going.
I started scoping the market in summer 2022 but at that point I was looking more out of curiosity. A career change later in the year with a dramatic increase in income meant I could seriously consider one. It was about March 2023 when all my ducks were in a row and I found the perfect car but a nine hour round trip and persistent weekend rail issues meant I couldn't get to it before someone else did. Another one closer to home appeared in January this year but I'd just had a hernia operation and wasn't allowed to drive. That car was sold in just over a week or I'd have had it as soon as I could drive again. Nothing else in all that time has been quite what I wanted other than the one that prompted this thread, but the mods and dubious seller status meant it wouldn't have been clever.
fridaypassion said:
As a legit trader this makes my urine boil. It's actually illegal to disguise trade sales. Report them to the police and HMRC!
HMRC will get the rubber glove on for this stuff.
A couple of years ago, I was looking at SlKs in the £5k price bracket. HMRC will get the rubber glove on for this stuff.
A couple of times, I took a detour of some miles on my way home to view what looked like nice examples, and within seconds you knew they were attempting to sell something they'd owned for a week. I didn't bother to test drive them. Just made an excuse and left.
This car has now resurfaced at a dealer near Rochdale in Lancashire - bit of a change from Cricklewood! The impressive collection of airfresheners has gone but it still has illegal looking tints on it and the M3/M4 wheels and mirrors which, for me, would have to be swapped for standard 4 Series items.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405209...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405209...
MitchT said:
This car has now resurfaced at a dealer near Rochdale in Lancashire - bit of a change from Cricklewood! The impressive collection of airfresheners has gone but it still has illegal looking tints on it and the M3/M4 wheels and mirrors which, for me, would have to be swapped for standard 4 Series items.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405209...
Not forgetting the aftermarket front splitter, https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405209...
The rear spoiler and exhaust tips aren't standard either but could be genuine BMW parts.
M wing mirrors on a non M car I really dislike personally.
The front splitter, lower black side skirts and rear spoiler are, believe it or not, all BMW items. Here's an "approved used" one with some of the same bits - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404309...
These items usually come with the MPPSK pack which includes an upgraded exhaust system and engine map that could be added by BMW dealers. That's what the exhaust tips are indicating - they are genuine BMW!
Personally I'd lose the M4 wheels and mirrors, get rid of all those black "aerodynamic" add-ons and revert the MPPSK back to standard as, personally, I don't like the noise it makes - too loud and too much fake crackling and, obviously, the drug delaer tints would have to go.
These items usually come with the MPPSK pack which includes an upgraded exhaust system and engine map that could be added by BMW dealers. That's what the exhaust tips are indicating - they are genuine BMW!
Personally I'd lose the M4 wheels and mirrors, get rid of all those black "aerodynamic" add-ons and revert the MPPSK back to standard as, personally, I don't like the noise it makes - too loud and too much fake crackling and, obviously, the drug delaer tints would have to go.
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