Leaving a deposit. Private sale

[V8A*ndy]

Leave him a cheque for a £100 for him to hold.

Then when you buy the car give him the whole amount in cash and have him rip up the cheque.

[northandy]

£100 should do the job rather than £500

[Wacky Racer]

Golden rule:-

Never leave a PENNY more than you need to when leaving a deposit for ANYTHING.

£100 should be more than enough.

[Podie]

The AA's advice... http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/car-buyers-gu...

[Garlick]

Thanks guys, and good link too Podie, ta.

I'll go for £100 and rely on gut feel. On the phone he seems to be a nice chap.

terzo said:

Personally I think I'd take the risk that he won't find a buyer overnight and return in the morning with the full amount. If he is a shifty sort and keeps the deposit denying all knowledge of it, it will take a long time/laborious to get back.

Can't do this as I need to withdraw a few K. That means a trip to the bank and it's bank holiday.

[Sods Law]

To be honest in this situation, I would accept £50 as your serious and comming back, if you dont collect it you loose £50....

[Superficial]

My family, well my dad, have left deposits on a whole host of vehicles over the years with no problems. Usual procedure is circa £200 along with two copies of a receipt signed by both parties. Obviously do the usual procedure of making sure the paperwork shows that you are dealing with the RK at their address, and I highly doubt you'll have a problem.

[jord294]

V8A*ndy said:

Leave him a cheque for a £100 for him to hold.

Then when you buy the car give him the whole amount in cash and have him rip up the cheque.

that's how i always do it

[WeirdNeville]

It's a car purchase, not a drug deal.

I'd be happy leaving a few hundred quid, I have done in the past and I've had the guy who bought my last car trust me with £450 cash.

Don't leave more than you can afford to
lose, obviously, and get a receipt. Make sure the V5 etc match up to the address too. Take reasonable steps and ensure you can contact the seller again if it goes wrong, but I'd have no problem leaving a bit of cash to keep the car.

[Jasandjules]

AS above, either pay by cheque or get a written receipt.

[chard]

The last car I sold the buyer left me a cheque and said he would be back in a week once it had cleared. A little trust has to go both ways with any transaction. As has been said if you don't trust them don't buy the car.

[*Al*]

I've left a deposit of £100 a few times with no problems, it's a show of faith in £s rather than a handshake. Just check V5 details/address and have a receipt drawn up.

[lordlee]

Mind me asking what car you are going for?

[DKL]

Chances of it being a problem are slim but the AA receipt and your own judgment are probably best.
On the flip side I'm not sure if I was selling I would be happy allowing the documents to leave for the deposit - if they never come back that's a lot of hassle to get it all replaced.
As always buy the seller not the car.

[anonymous-user]

rallycross said:

Just leave a deposit and get a receipt. If you cant trust the seller with a small deposit you shouldnt be buying a car from them!

Just ask yourself if you were selling a car how much would you want a person to leave to be sure they are coming back?

£100 definitely not enough from a sellers point of view even if its just a cheepy.

£100 isn't enough? I can't imagine there are too many people going round giving £100 to everyone selling a car privately with no intention to buy.

[10AE]

I'd leave a deposit, but not £500! Enough to both cover costs of selling and to suggest you're serious - £200 would be plenty unless you are not collecting the car for some considerable time.

Make sure you get a receipt.

[Garlick]

Well I got it and it was all agreed on a handshake too. Seller is a lawyer, I trust him

[miniman]

And 'it' is??

[Mikey_W]

What have you bought Paul?

[Wacky Racer]

Garlick said:

Well I got it and it was all agreed on a handshake too. Seller is a lawyer, I trust him