Selling my banger , what scams are out there
Discussion
As the title really, I’m selling my car, I put it on Facebook and I have been inundated by Romanians, which I just don’t trust (racist I know) and non stop young kids offering silly low offers.
Just had another guy saying he wants it and will transfer a deposit and pick it up on the weekend, I did ask if he was going to view and he said he only wants the engine and gearbox so isn’t that bothered. I can’t tell who is honest and who are just dodgy lol
Just had another guy saying he wants it and will transfer a deposit and pick it up on the weekend, I did ask if he was going to view and he said he only wants the engine and gearbox so isn’t that bothered. I can’t tell who is honest and who are just dodgy lol
Moderator edit: no advertising
Gooose said:
As the title really, I’m selling my car, I put it on Facebook and I have been inundated by Romanians, which I just don’t trust (racist I know) and non stop young kids offering silly low offers.
Just had another guy saying he wants it and will transfer a deposit and pick it up on the weekend, I did ask if he was going to view and he said he only wants the engine and gearbox so isn’t that bothered. I can’t tell who is honest and who are just dodgy lol
I have the same dilemma. I'm thinking of selling 3 of my cars but am unsure how to go about it.Just had another guy saying he wants it and will transfer a deposit and pick it up on the weekend, I did ask if he was going to view and he said he only wants the engine and gearbox so isn’t that bothered. I can’t tell who is honest and who are just dodgy lol
Moderator edit: no advertising
Watching with interest.
Unfortunately there's no magic answer here... you'll just need to judge each on their own merit, or lack of and put faith in your own judgement of the person and the situation and hope it goes well. Sadly, it's hard not to be prejudice with certain buyers, but we're all individuals and should be treated accordingly, even when selling. But if you're unsure, nervous or think it'll be a scam then ask yourself is it worth it... and drop kick the car to a reputable online salvage company (or whatever) who'll likely arrive, bank transfer and leave with minimal risks. Granted you may not get as much but is the extra money worth the aggro? Or, put faith in humanity and hope you get a decent buyer and an easy sale. Impossible to call it sadly.
Gooose said:
Just had another guy saying he wants it and will transfer a deposit and pick it up on the weekend, I did ask if he was going to view and he said he only wants the engine and gearbox so isn’t that bothered. I can’t tell who is honest and who are just dodgy lol
Don’t bother taking a deposit.Moderator edit: no advertising
Agree a price over the phone and tell him you’ll hold it until the weekend for him. It’s only a few days. If he shows up then job done, if not move on.
For a low cost banger I would only take money from someone who comes to look and pays by bank transfer on the day.
Sorry I have to call you out
This is such a disgustingly racist thread
You might have had problems with one or two Romanians
I’m in a job where I come into contact with more non-British people than most
I have to say that 100% of the Romanians I’ve met have been reputable, honest and a pleasure to deal with
The same can’t be said for the white British population (to which I belong!)
This is such a disgustingly racist thread
You might have had problems with one or two Romanians
I’m in a job where I come into contact with more non-British people than most
I have to say that 100% of the Romanians I’ve met have been reputable, honest and a pleasure to deal with
The same can’t be said for the white British population (to which I belong!)
The old "headgasket gone" scam. They will turn up mob handed and squirt a bit of oil up the exhaust. They will then get you to go to the back of the car by asking you to show them the spare wheel. At this point one of the group will squirt a small amout of oil in the radiator header tank.
They will make some feeble attempt to claim they have insurance and on the test drive will drive like a lunatic. Once the exhaust is warm smoke will pour out and at this point they will immediately drive back to your house.
They will then lift the bonnet, dip their finger in the header tank, show you the oil and claim the headgasket had gone. But this is your lucky day as they know a garage who can repair it so will still take it, but for half price......
This scam is rife among the people you are suspicious off, I personally would not let them look at a car after it happened to me.
They will make some feeble attempt to claim they have insurance and on the test drive will drive like a lunatic. Once the exhaust is warm smoke will pour out and at this point they will immediately drive back to your house.
They will then lift the bonnet, dip their finger in the header tank, show you the oil and claim the headgasket had gone. But this is your lucky day as they know a garage who can repair it so will still take it, but for half price......
This scam is rife among the people you are suspicious off, I personally would not let them look at a car after it happened to me.
Joey Deacon said:
The old "headgasket gone" scam. They will turn up mob handed and squirt a bit of oil up the exhaust. They will then get you to go to the back of the car by asking you to show them the spare wheel. At this point one of the group will squirt a small amout of oil in the radiator header tank.
They will make some feeble attempt to claim they have insurance and on the test drive will drive like a lunatic. Once the exhaust is warm smoke will pour out and at this point they will immediately drive back to your house.
They will then lift the bonnet, dip their finger in the header tank, show you the oil and claim the headgasket had gone. But this is your lucky day as they know a garage who can repair it so will still take it, but for half price......
This scam is rife among the people you are suspicious off, I personally would not let them look at a car after it happened to me.
Yes I’ve read many of these, which is why I don’t want to risk it. I just can’t be arsed with the possibility of getting scammed. They will make some feeble attempt to claim they have insurance and on the test drive will drive like a lunatic. Once the exhaust is warm smoke will pour out and at this point they will immediately drive back to your house.
They will then lift the bonnet, dip their finger in the header tank, show you the oil and claim the headgasket had gone. But this is your lucky day as they know a garage who can repair it so will still take it, but for half price......
This scam is rife among the people you are suspicious off, I personally would not let them look at a car after it happened to me.
Davie said:
Gooose said:
Yes I’ve read many of these, which is why I don’t want to risk it. I just can’t be arsed with the possibility of getting scammed.
Then scrap it via reputable company with good reviews... if dealing with the public, you'll never remove the possibility of being scammed. Tell them one person to view the car only. Any more tell them to go away. And another ploy is to say they are coming at lunch, not turn up, and them ring at 8pm to say they will be there in 5 minutes. Makes you feel lucky to have got a viewing and retained your prospective purchaser, also puts you off your guard. And block the car in.
Just be prepared.
Have the service history and relevant documents on the passenger seat. That way if they ask, you don't have to go back into the house to fetch it leaving the car vulnerable.
If you have a spare remote key, keep it on you, so that you can lock the car at a moments notice.
If there are more than 2 of them, tell them the others stay in their car. If they want to look, they take turns. If I turned up to view a car with 4 of my mates, I would fully understand if the seller is nervous and wanted to restrict viewing. I have a choice as a buyer, comply with the seller or FRO.
Have the service history and relevant documents on the passenger seat. That way if they ask, you don't have to go back into the house to fetch it leaving the car vulnerable.
If you have a spare remote key, keep it on you, so that you can lock the car at a moments notice.
If there are more than 2 of them, tell them the others stay in their car. If they want to look, they take turns. If I turned up to view a car with 4 of my mates, I would fully understand if the seller is nervous and wanted to restrict viewing. I have a choice as a buyer, comply with the seller or FRO.
Sweeping generalisations aside - a common one to watch out for at the moment is a fake banking app being used to provide the illusion of the transfer being sent over, but never appearing in the account.
They'll then try any which way they can to have you trust them and let them take the item whilst the money transfer is perceived to be in progress, but of course they've never sent any money in the first place.
They'll then try any which way they can to have you trust them and let them take the item whilst the money transfer is perceived to be in progress, but of course they've never sent any money in the first place.
The thread title includes "banger". I recently went through selling a "banger" recently with our ancient C-Max, which I advertised as starts and drives but should be considered spares or repair and I listed all the issues.
I ended up selling it to our local scrappy to avoid the hassle. I initially started with a Gumtree advert but found the type of person and the manner of their approach was stressful, so after a very short time indeed I withdrew the ad. The car was only being advertised for £450 so I understand this is the very bottom of the market, but I have sold a few old, cheap cars in the past in the mid to high hundreds bracket and the experience I had then was absolutely fine. Now I found it horrible.
The scrappy was offering £325. I was more than happy to sacrifice (a maximum of) £125 for zero hassle. I appreciate the differential between trying to sell it versus the scrappy may be bigger in your case, but if not then there are no hassle options if you accept a small hit.
Good luck.
I ended up selling it to our local scrappy to avoid the hassle. I initially started with a Gumtree advert but found the type of person and the manner of their approach was stressful, so after a very short time indeed I withdrew the ad. The car was only being advertised for £450 so I understand this is the very bottom of the market, but I have sold a few old, cheap cars in the past in the mid to high hundreds bracket and the experience I had then was absolutely fine. Now I found it horrible.
The scrappy was offering £325. I was more than happy to sacrifice (a maximum of) £125 for zero hassle. I appreciate the differential between trying to sell it versus the scrappy may be bigger in your case, but if not then there are no hassle options if you accept a small hit.
Good luck.
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