Would like your opinions
Discussion
In buying privately. I bought and sold 2 Astfons like this. I've started a topic at the link below as its broader than just Aston
Would really appreciate your thoughts.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Would really appreciate your thoughts.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
The main thing that puts people off buying privately is that there are just too many dishonest people, and buying from an unknown individual exposes you to such dishonest people.
That not to say all private sellers embellish their discretion to the point of dishonesty, and I'm sure the percentage is very low but if you are making a big-money purchase the risk of buying a wrong-un focuses the mind. It's about 'risk'.
Buying from a known trader gives you a degree of protection that most people are comfortable to pay for. All IMHO of course.
That not to say all private sellers embellish their discretion to the point of dishonesty, and I'm sure the percentage is very low but if you are making a big-money purchase the risk of buying a wrong-un focuses the mind. It's about 'risk'.
Buying from a known trader gives you a degree of protection that most people are comfortable to pay for. All IMHO of course.
For me there are several reasons, all of which add up to the fact that I wouldn't buy a high end car, or watch, or anything else from a private seller.
There is the obvious comfort of having a degree of consumer protection when buying from a retailer. Whether it is worth much if there were an issue is debatable but it makes me feel better. Add to that the warranty, the person to contact if I need anything, the point of contact, etc. Oh and if something does go wrong, the Dealer is still physically going to be there, unlike the private seller, possibly.
Buying cars like an Aston was an event for me on both occasions I've done it. Visiting the dealer, doing the deal, the atmosphere etc all adds to the event. Yes, I'm well aware they are blowing smoke up my 4rse to get the deal done but it's part of the game and I enjoy it. I can go and watch football at the local park but I'd much rather do it in the Camp Nou.
Rightly or wrongly, my default position nowadays is that people want to rip us off and therefore I would happily pay more not to deal with private sellers. I've seen too many "good deals" turn sour a few months later when you discover it's not quite what we thought it was.
There is the obvious comfort of having a degree of consumer protection when buying from a retailer. Whether it is worth much if there were an issue is debatable but it makes me feel better. Add to that the warranty, the person to contact if I need anything, the point of contact, etc. Oh and if something does go wrong, the Dealer is still physically going to be there, unlike the private seller, possibly.
Buying cars like an Aston was an event for me on both occasions I've done it. Visiting the dealer, doing the deal, the atmosphere etc all adds to the event. Yes, I'm well aware they are blowing smoke up my 4rse to get the deal done but it's part of the game and I enjoy it. I can go and watch football at the local park but I'd much rather do it in the Camp Nou.
Rightly or wrongly, my default position nowadays is that people want to rip us off and therefore I would happily pay more not to deal with private sellers. I've seen too many "good deals" turn sour a few months later when you discover it's not quite what we thought it was.
Purely down to risk and size of the purchase for me. Trading £5k cars on a street corner is a bit different to turning up to buy a £100K one. Sometimes the experience of buying luxury cars from the dealer is a novelty if you've not had such a car before.
The dealer has to offer some kind of warranty by law for a few months, so its in their interest to at least check the car over/service as required before sale. Its peace of mind, and less hassle factor, you can assume this has been done at a reputable dealer. Dealer will offer finance facilities and easy trade in for your own car. If you dont need those facilities then its just the warranty you are paying for...
Its a bit different if you know the owner/car. Perhaps the owner is someone you know who has serviced and really looks after it well. Then Im more inclined to go for a private sale. This works well in owners club kind of environment. You are buying the owner as much as the car
If buying private I would want a good saving over the dealer price regardless....at least the cost of a warranty and service
The dealer has to offer some kind of warranty by law for a few months, so its in their interest to at least check the car over/service as required before sale. Its peace of mind, and less hassle factor, you can assume this has been done at a reputable dealer. Dealer will offer finance facilities and easy trade in for your own car. If you dont need those facilities then its just the warranty you are paying for...
Its a bit different if you know the owner/car. Perhaps the owner is someone you know who has serviced and really looks after it well. Then Im more inclined to go for a private sale. This works well in owners club kind of environment. You are buying the owner as much as the car
If buying private I would want a good saving over the dealer price regardless....at least the cost of a warranty and service
I would buy a car from an owner if I knew the history and how the car has been kept. A good example would be buying a car off a fellow pistonheader who you have watched post various descriptions of the work and care they have bestowed upon their pride and joy. I recently traded my Vantage roadster 4.7 in at Works and it was such a great car I really wish it could of been bought by a fellow car lover on here. In fact I believe they already had a buyer lined up for the car because I never saw it on their website. I bought my V12 from Works though because it was the right car and I did not see any for sale in the classifieds. Anyway to the OP shouldn't you be out driving that new car of yours.
bentley01 said:
Anyway to the OP shouldn't you be out driving that new car of yours.
If only. On the day I drove the car home (Monday) I noticed one of the rear lights playing up. Called Mclaren and they had it picked up the following morning. Won't get it back until next week now, which given the weather up here probably isn't the worst news in the world!SlartiF430 said:
If only. On the day I drove the car home (Monday) I noticed one of the rear lights playing up. Called Mclaren and they had it picked up the following morning. Won't get it back until next week now, which given the weather up here probably isn't the worst news in the world!
Take solace in the fact that with so much salt on the road you would not of been driving anyway.For decades I've bought all my cars off dealers... 2 Bentley Conti GT's, Range Rover, 5 Merc SL's, Lexus, 2 Astons. But one day I decided wanted a DB9 at a certain mileage, colour and price point. And when that perfect car appeared after a year or more of searching it was from a private seller. And not only did I buy it privately, but also sight unseen because of distance.
The only way I could do that and buy with confidence was to ask a lot of questions. The sale process was quite protracted as a result, but several weeks later I had a deal. It helped that the owner was a thoroughly nice guy, had a prominent position in a large firm and was an enthusiast who went on to buy a Vanquish.2, so many of the reputational boxes were ticked.
And nearly 8 months and 2,000 miles later it is running perfectly with no issues at all, a lovely car in every way.
There really was no risk, and I didn't get lucky. I had the happy knowledge from this forum along with the fact that DB9's are largely bulletproof, Grant Neal's book, and some experience in knowing what to look for.
If you have that background then maybe buying privately will be a walk in the park. It's not for everyone and I had my doubts at times, but in fact I was buying the owner. Maybe that's the secret.
The only way I could do that and buy with confidence was to ask a lot of questions. The sale process was quite protracted as a result, but several weeks later I had a deal. It helped that the owner was a thoroughly nice guy, had a prominent position in a large firm and was an enthusiast who went on to buy a Vanquish.2, so many of the reputational boxes were ticked.
And nearly 8 months and 2,000 miles later it is running perfectly with no issues at all, a lovely car in every way.
There really was no risk, and I didn't get lucky. I had the happy knowledge from this forum along with the fact that DB9's are largely bulletproof, Grant Neal's book, and some experience in knowing what to look for.
If you have that background then maybe buying privately will be a walk in the park. It's not for everyone and I had my doubts at times, but in fact I was buying the owner. Maybe that's the secret.
kensilver said:
...
There really was no risk... .
Being pedantic, there most definitely was risk, but you took good steps to mitigate it (mostly - sight unseen undid much of that There really was no risk... .
). You could still have ended up with a dog and be posting the exact opposite view to your post here. That risk, however, also applies to buying through a dealer...
Like kensilver, I spent a lot of time with dealers looking for a very specific model, colour scheme, low mileage etc. My local dealer said "you will never find one"...then I saw one advertised privately - DB9 with <10K miles in exactly the spec I wanted. I rang the owner, asked lots of questions (service history, correction of all recalls, any damage, where stored, why low mileage, warranty details, would he agree to me speaking to AMW who did last service on it etc) and arranged to see it at the owner's house (important - so you know where he/she lives, where the car is kept etc). The owner had a nice collection of cars, all beautifully looked after, wanted to sell privately as his local dealer would not give him the price he wanted for trade-in for a new Aston. e took me for a good test drive (important), agreed to give permission for me to speak to AMW, and agreed on a price subject to AMW's report. As stated elsewhere, as a result of the above I trusted the seller and have had no problems since. if you do proper due diligence on the car and the owner, I don't think it's any riskier than through a dealer, and in many ways, a more pleasurable experience.
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