Private sale viewing - Best practice

[jamesvxr8]

Hi all,

I have someone coming to look at my pride and joy on Friday. I have never sold a car privately and would like to know anything I should be wary of whilst having someone view my car.

I have been told I must check their insurance and license before allowing a test drive and to make sure I never leave them with the keys.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

James

[sc0tt]

I generally don't let anyone test drive. I have sold 4 cars without having any problems doing so.

I wash the car the day before so I don't look like a try hard and don't start the engine so the seller can hear from cold.

Have all paper work in order before hand so that it can easily be seen.

Be honest and don't buckle on your minimum price just to get a sale.

Good luck

[tbc]

you have every PHrs permission to punch them in the face if they kick the tyres

make up a 'sold as seen' invoice should they buy the car

something short such as ' I ............ accept this car as inspected and approved by myself in it's current condition having driven the vehicle on (insert date), I accept that should any issue arrise it is my responsibility and (your name) shall not be held responsible for any issues. I therefore accept this car as sold as seen.

then you both sign it at the bottom and keep a copy each

keeps you right should some dhead attempt to come back after two weeks with an invoice full of work that need done as has happened on here recently

[jamesvxr8]

Thank you to you both.

Hopefully they won't be a twt and kick the tyres!

I will make sure the invoice has that wording on it too.

Thank you so much.

[Ray Singh]

Date and time the receipt as above as I once had a speeding ticket arrive a few hours after I had sold the car.

The reciept/invoice sorted that with the plod.

[Toaster Pilot]

Ray Singh said:

Date and time the receipt as above as I once had a speeding ticket arrive a few hours after I had sold the car.

The reciept/invoice sorted that with the plod.

I had a buyer insist I do this once!

[Steve vRS]

Answer all their questions honestly.

Never leave them with the keys.

I have taken the risk of allowing my buyers to drive a short distance on a quiet road - some would say not to but I took the risk.

Make sure the car is spotless, inside and out.

Don't accept a cheque as payment. I have only ever taken cash and even once, payed it into the bank whilst the buyer was with me (£11k that time!!).

Good luck.

Steve

[smokey145]

BM as well be doing this soon. thanks

[mrmr96]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Just use the template on the AA website. If it saves any hassle then it's worth doing. (i.e. in the case of a complaint you can rely on the signed receipt, rather than having to fall back on the wording of the law. As in, it's much easier to get rid of an idiot buyer by pointing out the receipt.)

[Muzzer79]

You get a feeling from a person when they arrive. One should be careful of being judgmental but:

What are they like?
Is it a couple or a bloke/woman on their own?
What car did they arrive in?
Why are they buying yours?
Are they talkative/shifty?
Have they looked at other cars?
Do they want to see paperwork?
Do they know what they're looking at or do they patently know s0d all about cars? (this can help when agreeing a price )

Engage them in conversation. I always try and be as helpful as possible, show you have nothing to hide - make it clear that they can look at anything on or in the car and any paperwork with the car. People are nervous about dodgy-ness on private sales so make it as open as possible.

Where you have to use your instincts (IMO) is with test drives.

If I have been speaking to the person for, say, half an hour whilst they're going round the car and they ask to drive it, frankly if they seem OK I have generally let them. I drive out to somewhere I know, they drive back. Don't go far, but let them experience a NSL road and an urban area.

If they rock up, seem shifty and ask for a test drive after 2 mins of looking at it, I wouldn't let them.

Money is fairly non-negotiable in a sense of I don't care how they pay, as long as it's cleared in the bank before they take the car.
So; money transfer, draft, cash, cheque - whatever. As long as you're talking to your bank and they say the money is cleared and can't be reversed, only then can the car leave.

Job done

[RP1]

Muzzer79 said:

Stuff

This seems like good sensible advice and i generally what i always do.

I wouldn't expect anyone to buy the car without driving it (though there have been a fair few who've bought cars off me that haven't!) as I wouldn't buy a car without driving it myself (made that mistake before and discovered the car wouldn't change down into 2nd properly on the drive home!)

Of course the insurance issue is a consideration, what if they crash it and wreck it. Having spent 30mins or so talking to them and working them out I would like to think you'd trust them enough to cough up for the car if they did wreck it (and i do ask if they have insurance, though usually assume its just 3rd party) which is what i'd do. However, if i were selling a more expensive car (as oppose to cars between £500-£1500 generally, i'd want to see proof they were fully comp before letting them loose.

It is in the back of my mind and am always wary of something going wrong. I've never had any problems, though Did once have to tell some b3llend who eventually bought my E36 328i sport to slow down on the test drive though!

Edited by RP1 on Wednesday 5th December 16:39

Edited by RP1 on Wednesday 5th December 16:41

[Krikkit]

mrmr96 said:

Just use the template on the AA website. If it saves any hassle then it's worth doing. (i.e. in the case of a complaint you can rely on the signed receipt, rather than having to fall back on the wording of the law. As in, it's much easier to get rid of an idiot buyer by pointing out the receipt.)

Indeed! It's apparently meaningless in the eyes of the law, but it helps with morons who think bad luck is attributable to someone else.

[GregMac]

I've given test drives with every car I've sold and only had a problem with the most respectable of the lot - tore around in my MX-5 like he was trying to break it. I should have told him to stop the car and get out, but I just sat there incensed. My secret shame.

[mattuk89]

Just sold my e46 330ci, the man looked around it for 5 mins, and then skimmed through the paperwork, he seemed geninely interested, i asked if he would like to take it for a spin around the block, which he declined, and then handed me £4500, filled the paperwork in and left.

Personally i wouldnt hand over that kind of money without driving it, he didnt even switch the engine on!

Lucky for him, nothing is wrong the car, very pleasent sale wish they were all like that.

[Muzzer79]

RP1 said:

I wouldn't expect anyone to buy the car without driving it (though there have been a fair few who've bought cars off me that haven't!)

Of course the insurance issue is a consideration, what if they crash it and wreck it. Having spent 30mins or so talking to them and working them out I would like to think you'd trust them enough to cough up for the car if they did wreck it (and i do ask if they have insurance, though usually assume its just 3rd party) which is what i'd do. However, if i were selling a more expensive car (as oppose to cars between £500-£1500 generally, i'd want to see proof they were fully comp before letting them loose.

I have sold 5 cars privately. 3 took a test drive. For the other 2, they were happy with me driving. Weirdly, they were the most high performance aswell (MR2 Turbo and E46 3 series) so you think they'd have been the ones they wanted to drive.

It is a risk insurance-wise, but with common sense that risk can be minimised. Don't go on the motorway, pick a safe route, don't go in rush hour, etc.
There's some on here who would only recommend allowing someone to drive with fully comp cover underwritten by Warren Buffet. That's your prerogative and, with a £50k Ferrari for example, I'd be wanting to see a fully comp cover note aswell.
A more run-of-the-mill eco-box, I think, you can be more flexible with.

[supertouring]

Don't do what I did when trying to sell my Scoob, take them on a 20min ride from hell down the country lanes and then warp factor 5 up the locak bye-pass.

They tend to grip the sides of the seat until their knuckles are white and say something about "looking at other cars" when the test ride ends.

LOL

[jamesvxr8]

Thanks for all your help fellow PHers