Most you’d pay for a private sale?
Discussion
Hey,
I’ve previously struggled a very nice car, still under warranty, to sell a car on AT/PH classifieds which I listed very competitively at £18k. Struggled to see why it didn’t get the interest it deserved when it was the cheapest of its kind.
But I realised after the event that people probably just feel more comfy buying from a bricks and mortar dealer at that price and higher.
So, a few years on, I need to buy the missus an SUV (budget £25-30k) and I’m deliberately excluding private sales as I can’t see myself parting that much money to some bloke who I only met 30 minutes ago. Am I being overly cautious???
I’ve previously struggled a very nice car, still under warranty, to sell a car on AT/PH classifieds which I listed very competitively at £18k. Struggled to see why it didn’t get the interest it deserved when it was the cheapest of its kind.
But I realised after the event that people probably just feel more comfy buying from a bricks and mortar dealer at that price and higher.
So, a few years on, I need to buy the missus an SUV (budget £25-30k) and I’m deliberately excluding private sales as I can’t see myself parting that much money to some bloke who I only met 30 minutes ago. Am I being overly cautious???
I wouldnt rule it out but you need to really have your wits about you.
How long has the person owned the car, do they know much about it ?
Is it a house with evidence that the person actually lives there ?
Is the paperwork available with bills to that person, at that address ?
Does the car fit at the address, i.e. would you buy a three year old M5 from a bloke living in the arse end of a town known for car crime ?
If anything seems iffy, trust your instincts and walk away. If you aren't comfortable taking a risk on the car itself, pay for an inspection.
Dont take huge bags of cash.
How long has the person owned the car, do they know much about it ?
Is it a house with evidence that the person actually lives there ?
Is the paperwork available with bills to that person, at that address ?
Does the car fit at the address, i.e. would you buy a three year old M5 from a bloke living in the arse end of a town known for car crime ?
If anything seems iffy, trust your instincts and walk away. If you aren't comfortable taking a risk on the car itself, pay for an inspection.
Dont take huge bags of cash.
Put the reg of the car you want in to We Buy Any Car.
If they offer more than advertised don't even go look at it as why wouldn't they just do that?
If it's identical they probably know somthing that could picked up on the inspection. Be wary.
If it's it's more than that it's probably someone simply trying to get a better deal so if you like it, offer somthing between the WBAC price and their price that your happy with.
If they offer more than advertised don't even go look at it as why wouldn't they just do that?
If it's identical they probably know somthing that could picked up on the inspection. Be wary.
If it's it's more than that it's probably someone simply trying to get a better deal so if you like it, offer somthing between the WBAC price and their price that your happy with.
Edited by EyeHeartSpellin on Monday 24th August 22:59
Bought and sold cars privately for decades - with instant access to HPI, LinkedIn profiles of sellers and real time bank transfers - it is signficantly easier and less risky to buy private then it has ever been.
Saying that, most sellers appear to have inflated view of what their cars should sell for.
Saying that, most sellers appear to have inflated view of what their cars should sell for.
EyeHeartSpellin said:
P.s just in case you haven't considered it you could lease her a Qashqai for 4 years for £12k or a XC90 for the same but 2 years or a Merc GLC for 3 years for £19k etc
Just as examples you understand not saying you're wrong in anyway to buy.
Yep appreciate the advice bud. Most deals are about 450+ a month on the SUVs she would consider and I’d want to drive myself on the weekend. So I’m thinking, instead, buy an SQ5 diesel and after 3 years it will have depreciated max £15k which is about £400pm and more fun. I do note it won’t have the same level of warranty etc but if I save £50pm+, then I should still be quids in. Just as examples you understand not saying you're wrong in anyway to buy.
Wilmslowboy said:
Bought and sold cars privately for decades - with instant access to HPI, LinkedIn profiles of sellers and real time bank transfers - it is signficantly easier and less risky to buy private then it has ever been.
Saying that, most sellers appear to have inflated view of what their cars should sell for.
Agree, most list for same price as dealer price but happy to haggle if I feel comfortable enough going down this route. Don’t want to kick tyres so seeing if I can get some comfort/advice here. Saying that, most sellers appear to have inflated view of what their cars should sell for.
I bought a BMW M4 Competition for £42k privately, simply so I didn't have to pay the £3k premium at the time to a dealer. If I can, I always buy privately to save money. Surprisingly my last car an I8, I had to buy from a dealer as the private sellers were dreamers and trying to sell for similar money. Had they been realistic I would have bought that privately to.
jjr1 said:
I bought a BMW M4 Competition for £42k privately, simply so I didn't have to pay the £3k premium at the time to a dealer. If I can, I always buy privately to save money. Surprisingly my last car an I8, I had to buy from a dealer as the private sellers were dreamers and trying to sell for similar money. Had they been realistic I would have bought that privately to.
Are you mechanically minded and able to inspect the car yourself? My thoughts are why are they selling something so expensive privately and what comeback do I have if there are serious issues with it that I wasn;t able to detect.b80 said:
Are you mechanically minded and able to inspect the car yourself? My thoughts are why are they selling something so expensive privately and what comeback do I have if there are serious issues with it that I wasn;t able to detect.
I am more interested in who is selling the car? What is their story? Do I trust them? That's it and never been bitten after buying tens of cars.As for why are the selling privately? To beat the useless prices offered up by the trade. My I8 is currently worth £41k to WBAC. I will pop it on A/T for £45k this week and see how it goes. The M4 I sold privately and the phone was super hot and it sold within 24 hours for £4k more than the WBAC's etc of this world.
jjr1 said:
I bought a BMW M4 Competition for £42k privately, simply so I didn't have to pay the £3k premium at the time to a dealer. If I can, I always buy privately to save money. Surprisingly my last car an I8, I had to buy from a dealer as the private sellers were dreamers and trying to sell for similar money. Had they been realistic I would have bought that privately to.
What checks did you go through to get comfort other than checking reg document? My concern is documentation like drivers licence and utility bill can be faked. Yes, trust my instinct but I wouldn’t put £30k on it!! Depends on the car, if it's an enthusiast type of car then your probably better meeting the owner no matter the value as you'll get a good idea within minuets of how the cars been looked after, unless it's a proper Dirty Rotten Scoundrel Michael Cane type.
I've actually kept in touch with a couple of potential buyer/sellers through private sales, Pistonheaders though, messaging me as to what I'm getting next after a sale, wanting pics, inviting me to see what they bought, etc.
I've actually kept in touch with a couple of potential buyer/sellers through private sales, Pistonheaders though, messaging me as to what I'm getting next after a sale, wanting pics, inviting me to see what they bought, etc.
Most of the cars I've bought over the last decade have been enthusiast cars so.i have done private purchases with no issues.
If i was looking for a car whi h was more run of the mill I may be tempted by a main dealer as I was with the wifes car a month or two ago.
I have no concerns with private purchasing in general but I have walked away from purchases before based on gut feeling, one I didnt even get.out of my own car as I didnt like the area.
If i was looking for a car whi h was more run of the mill I may be tempted by a main dealer as I was with the wifes car a month or two ago.
I have no concerns with private purchasing in general but I have walked away from purchases before based on gut feeling, one I didnt even get.out of my own car as I didnt like the area.
ash73 said:
Pros and cons, but one advantage is you get to meet the owner and suss out if they looked after the car...
This is my thoughts. Nice people own and drive nice cars and the previous owner will indirectly tell you a lot about whether the car is a good example or not. This is worth a lot in itself. A1Diego said:
What checks did you go through to get comfort other than checking reg document? My concern is documentation like drivers licence and utility bill can be faked. Yes, trust my instinct but I wouldn’t put £30k on it!!
I have never asked to look at anyone's licence or utility bill. In fact if I felt I needed to I would not be there buying the car.Use a HPI service to check on finance and if it is pay it off for them and get confirmation the finance company has no further interest in the car.
That's it. Do they have a lovely car and a s
t house. Leave them to it. Let them talk and tell you everything about themselves. People love to talk about themselves. Any doubts leave it. The cars I have walked away from recently were a Golf GTi in Birmingham. Yes I should have known as it was a council estate and the story was like something out of a Shakespeare plot. The other was a SLK where the car was on a council estate. I guess that means I won't be buying any cars from Council estates anytime soon 😅
I've never paid more than £15K for cars I have bought privately although most of my recent purchases have been private.
I prefer that because as people have said you get a feel for how the car has been looked after and are more likely to get some documented history as I believe dealers are wary of letting you have invoices because of GDPR concerns.
So long as you do an HPI check and some research then check the car carefully you usually get a better deal.
The only ones I paid more for were less than one year old BMWs and came as AUCs from dealers - you don't tend to see cars that new advertised privately!
I prefer that because as people have said you get a feel for how the car has been looked after and are more likely to get some documented history as I believe dealers are wary of letting you have invoices because of GDPR concerns.
So long as you do an HPI check and some research then check the car carefully you usually get a better deal.
The only ones I paid more for were less than one year old BMWs and came as AUCs from dealers - you don't tend to see cars that new advertised privately!
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