People complain about selling privately but...
Discussion
...it is flipping hard to buy privately. Am currently looking for a runaround in the 1-2k range. The number of private sellers/wanna be&part time traders that:
- don’t return calls/texts/emails
- won’t provide reg numbers for mot checks
- don’t provide/know how many previous owners there are
is absolutely bonkers. Makes me tempted to pay BCA’s crazy buyer fees just to be nearer the source of the cars the low end of the trade are buying.
</rant>
- don’t return calls/texts/emails
- won’t provide reg numbers for mot checks
- don’t provide/know how many previous owners there are
is absolutely bonkers. Makes me tempted to pay BCA’s crazy buyer fees just to be nearer the source of the cars the low end of the trade are buying.
</rant>
It probably is hard as Lee posted, because the ideal scenario of many private owners selling nice little cars is something of a myth. The best of the good runarounds will change hands within the family or through social contacts such as work colleagues, neighbours the pub, etc.... On the positive side there are still some (not lots) of small local dealers, long established, not posh or, worse, “flash” who retail serviceable stuff for under £2000.They will not usually vanish overnight and you will have far more comeback than via a private sale which may be marginally cheaper though private owners tend to overvalue their own cars.
Edited by Lester H on Tuesday 4th September 21:39
Autotrader and the like have become so dominated by the traders, I don't think it's worth advertising on there as a private seller any more. They are also the worst for getting the dodgy scam type enquiries where there is a buyer in some far away country who's third cousin who lives just round the corner needs the car next day so they will transfer more money than needed by Western Union and you refund the difference etc. etc.
Round me, the card in newsagent's window and the 'customer advertising' boards in supermarkets seem to be making a comeback for the low end secondhand car advertising. It's probably a good way of avoiding the scammers, and a trader posing as a private seller won't be bothered to walk there to put the advert up for one car at a time when it's possible to put many adverts up online within minutes. Also fairly cheap if I remember correctly, only a few quid for a month or more of advertising.
Round me, the card in newsagent's window and the 'customer advertising' boards in supermarkets seem to be making a comeback for the low end secondhand car advertising. It's probably a good way of avoiding the scammers, and a trader posing as a private seller won't be bothered to walk there to put the advert up for one car at a time when it's possible to put many adverts up online within minutes. Also fairly cheap if I remember correctly, only a few quid for a month or more of advertising.
It can definitely be frustrating OP.
But I bought a daily 3+ years ago on A/T for £50 under your top budget from a trader due to an alert I had set up!
Then again I sold a car privately on a dedicated forum in 2016 and found a replacement "privately" (from someone who seemed to be a trader) on PH!
You just need to keep looking - good luck anyway.
But I bought a daily 3+ years ago on A/T for £50 under your top budget from a trader due to an alert I had set up!
Then again I sold a car privately on a dedicated forum in 2016 and found a replacement "privately" (from someone who seemed to be a trader) on PH!
You just need to keep looking - good luck anyway.
Sellers are worse than buyers.
Too many with completely inaccurate adverts, or adverts lacking information.
If people spent a bit of time preparing adverts properly and advertising the cars honestly it would save all parties a lot of time and hassle.
A little bit of research what "FSH" actually means. "Needs for nothing" also appears to mean absolutely nothing.
A little research into the actual valuation of their car helps too. Don't sit and complain your car hasn't sold for 6 months and buyers are offering £xxx less than advertised when the offers are to the very top of guide prices.
Too many with completely inaccurate adverts, or adverts lacking information.
If people spent a bit of time preparing adverts properly and advertising the cars honestly it would save all parties a lot of time and hassle.
A little bit of research what "FSH" actually means. "Needs for nothing" also appears to mean absolutely nothing.
A little research into the actual valuation of their car helps too. Don't sit and complain your car hasn't sold for 6 months and buyers are offering £xxx less than advertised when the offers are to the very top of guide prices.
Edited by Driver101 on Wednesday 5th September 04:48
you can find fault in any part of the buying or selling chain private or trade.
i guess the non return of calls from sellers is that they either have plenty of interest so you just become a number or time is on their side and they just want somebody to come along with cash and take it away. they might listen to your voicemail message about the car and simply take a disliking to your accent or tone and never return your call.
for ghosters I never call twice. you get one shot unless of course the phone just rings out with no answer.
i guess the non return of calls from sellers is that they either have plenty of interest so you just become a number or time is on their side and they just want somebody to come along with cash and take it away. they might listen to your voicemail message about the car and simply take a disliking to your accent or tone and never return your call.
for ghosters I never call twice. you get one shot unless of course the phone just rings out with no answer.
I gave up seeking to buy an MX-5 via private sellers as each one I contacted had a vastly over-inflated view of their car's worth and would not see reality even when shown the output from my paid-for vehicle check on their specific car, along with other online sources.
Ended up buying one from a fairly local independent trader, which was a pleasant and straightforward experience.
Ended up buying one from a fairly local independent trader, which was a pleasant and straightforward experience.
jingars said:
I gave up seeking to buy an MX-5 via private sellers as each one I contacted had a vastly over-inflated view of their car's worth and would not see reality even when shown the output from my paid-for vehicle check on their specific car, along with other online sources.
Ended up buying one from a fairly local independent trader, which was a pleasant and straightforward experience.
I'm just wondering there as you say you contacted and spoke to numerous private MX5 sellers and that suggests to me like 3, 4 or more, but as they were all giving you the same opinion of their cars do you think that maybe they were'nt so over inflated afterall and these owners knew what they had? I find most online sources of valuations rather unreliable and can be a bit blinkered with regards to mileage condition age mods etc.Ended up buying one from a fairly local independent trader, which was a pleasant and straightforward experience.
Bought and sold privately for the last 10 years. Spent anything from £500 to £20,000. Never had any problems. Bought locally most of the time. Market varies greatly depending on where you live. There are real bargains out there if you are patient. The bay and the tree are best checked daily. Always allow some money for jobs like tyres, bulbs, brakes etc. Always do a vehicle check. Get a free app to check mot history. Always haggle. When selling be honest and take good photos. Respond quickly to requests and be polite.
Taking some of the points above, I've sold maybe 4 or 5 cars privately and bar 1 they all sold to the first person that came and saw it.
The basis of that is a fair price, but more importantly an honest and legible description of the car that means potential buyers don't need to ask too many questions, and can see I am an honest person and I have a modicum level of intelligence. I think this is important.
But likewise when I'm buying a car and the price is a little high, on occasion I'll call the vendor and ask them some questions and see if they can justify the higher price - sometimes I'll ask outright, others I'll just try and infer a value from what they tell me.
Buying and selling needn't be difficult if you're capable of holding a conversation and know your market.
The basis of that is a fair price, but more importantly an honest and legible description of the car that means potential buyers don't need to ask too many questions, and can see I am an honest person and I have a modicum level of intelligence. I think this is important.
But likewise when I'm buying a car and the price is a little high, on occasion I'll call the vendor and ask them some questions and see if they can justify the higher price - sometimes I'll ask outright, others I'll just try and infer a value from what they tell me.
Buying and selling needn't be difficult if you're capable of holding a conversation and know your market.
Edited by Jefferson Steelflex on Wednesday 5th September 12:00
Just ventured in to the used car world again after years of leasing. My budget was anywhere from £0 to £10k depending on how I was feeling that day.
The biggest issue for me was the number of cars for sale at the top end of that budget that had patchy or zero history. It was enough to remind me why I started leasing in the first place so I decided to go completely the opposite way and spent £1500 on a snotter
The biggest issue for me was the number of cars for sale at the top end of that budget that had patchy or zero history. It was enough to remind me why I started leasing in the first place so I decided to go completely the opposite way and spent £1500 on a snotter
My biggest gripe with private sellers (and I mean sellers outside of shed money) is that they pitch their prices the same as, if not more than, dealers. If I have the choice of 2 cars, same specs and price, one from a private seller and the other from a franchised dealer offering warranty and back up then I know which I would choose.
There are a lot of traders as it is big profits. A lot trade in buy in wash it double your money. I very never seen a trade car with money spent on it by the trader for sale.
The difference between a 1k car and 2k car can be minimal sometimes. Even FSH MOT can mean not a lot. Also good to drive the car and use your gut, you can't always be right every time.
The difference between a 1k car and 2k car can be minimal sometimes. Even FSH MOT can mean not a lot. Also good to drive the car and use your gut, you can't always be right every time.
Jefferson Steelflex said:
Buying and selling needn't be difficult if you're capable of holding a conversation and know your market.
True, but most people don't - or lose sense of perspective when it's their own pride and joy. Slightly off-topic but I recently tried to purchase a house from car dealer - even the estate agent thought the guy was totally irrational. He over-valued his house by around £150k - eventually reduced it - but by then I had lost interest.Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff