Buying or selling a car: Cash transactions

[Tonberry]

I've bought and sold a number of cars privately over the years but have never really given much thought as to whether or not the potential buyer of a car was paying with counterfeit notes.

I guess that with a car of a value of around £1000, you would be significantly less cautious than if buying a £10,000 car.

What are the habits of other PHers?

Do you pass a UV light over the notes? Whip out a UV pen and start playing 'colouring in'? Hold each note to the sky and examine carefully with a beady eye?

I personally feel that I could defect a counterfeit £20 quite easily, whereas I haven't had much contact with £50s.

Most of you will probably say 'Bankers Draft' but this isn't always possible for various reasons.

What are your experiences?

[navier_stokes]

Go to bank with buyer, get them to deposit cash into your account, cash is instantly credited to your account and the risk of notes being counterfeit is now with the bank... easy!

[eltax91]

navier_stokes said:

Go to bank with buyer, get them to deposit cash into your account, cash is instantly credited to your account and the risk of notes being counterfeit is now with the bank... easy!

Yep.

[jonnynine11]

Sold both my cars recently first one was £21,000 cash. I took the purchaser with me to bank and paid it in together. Second was £6000, I asked the bank what best method for checking was and they said you can feel the difference or rip it along the silver line. I ripped a couple and 'felt' the rest. All paid in no problems.

[Berger]

Paid in £20 notes as I would expect a seller to be a bit miffed if I turned up with £50 notes.

Done this with all the cars I have bought/sold. £500-4000

[grimfandango]

I usually go to the bank, but there are a couple of times I haven't, and I've often thought just how easy it would be to slip a few fake notes into the big bundle of cash. and how long it would take to sit there and check each and every note!

[jas xjr]

In the past I have had to count & check over £100k in cash. It does not take too long. It is easy to spot fake notes. Where it says bank of England across the top it is raised

[Superficial]

Never doubt with cash myself, but parents generally shuffle the pile, pull one out and if when held to the light the watermark shows the rest is deemed safe. Pretty risky I guess but never served them wrong so far.

[rottie102]

I've paid £8100 cash and the seller didn't even count them. He said I look honest

[Jayho]

Had a friend who travelled to England to view and pick up a car, (I live NE of Scotland).

He got to the destination, picked up from the train ect... Viewed the car, was perfect for him. The car in question was circa £3000, he was paying in cash. Once the deal was struck with the seller ect he gets his money out, only to be told by the seller "Do you have any other way of paying? I dont accept Scottish Notes. So they both had to make a trip to the bank and get the money deposited by bank.

[deveng]

Jayho said:

Had a friend who travelled to England to view and pick up a car, (I live NE of Scotland).

He got to the destination, picked up from the train ect... Viewed the car, was perfect for him. The car in question was circa £3000, he was paying in cash. Once the deal was struck with the seller ect he gets his money out, only to be told by the seller "Do you have any other way of paying? I dont accept Scottish Notes. So they both had to make a trip to the bank and get the money deposited by bank.

Had some Scottish money left from a stag do and you should see the look on people's faces: generally they think it's foreign/fake, and some try to refuse to accept it.

[Hark]

Sold the TT for #7.5k. Went to the bank and paid it in together. I was bricking it despite the chap being a true gent.