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First time car seller!
I am an older woman, living alone and I want to sell my car. I have put an ad in the paper, which will be printed tomorrow.
I have never done this before and feel that there are things I don't know. Trouble is, I don't know what I don't know!
I would so welcome advice about what to do if someone comes to look at my car or offers to buy it........
I have never done this before and feel that there are things I don't know. Trouble is, I don't know what I don't know!
I would so welcome advice about what to do if someone comes to look at my car or offers to buy it........
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Comments
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Hi, we move threads if we think they’ll get more help elsewhere (please read the forum rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com"]forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].
I’ve moved your thread from the ‘I wanna’ board to the ‘Motoring’ board, where it is better suited.
Regards
NileI’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the 'I wanna' and 'In my home' and Health & Beauty'' boards.If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.10 Dec 2007 - Led Zeppelin - I was there. :j :cool2: I wear my 50 (gold/red/white) blood donations pin badge with pride. Give blood, save a life.0 -
Just have the car clean inside and out for when people view it. I've viewed cars where its a tip inside. My opinion is if you cant be bothered to clean it then you probably cant be bothered to look after it.
People will try and knock you down, some will make silly offers, if they make an offer you are unhappy with dont be afraid to say no. It's your car and you need to sell it for a price you are happy with.
Get all the owners handbook, V5 doc, spare keys, service history, MOT cert, receipts together. They may ask questions about its MOT, service history and if its had a cam belt changed (if applicable).0 -
Use your gut instincts as you would if you were buying, if it quacks and waddles there's every chance its a duck.
Don't bother to reply to calls or emails offering to pay sight unseen via paypal or any other probable variation of scam.
If someone sounds dodgy or unpleasant on the phone don't give them your address, they'll be no better in the flesh.
Cash is king, bank transfer is as good, no cheques, no paypal, no western union scams.
Get onto a couple of the WBAC type sites to get a ball park figure for your car, be honest on the self appraisal of the site, you might be pleasantly surprised at the offer, you might be offended, but you'll have a fall back figure to go on and every pound you can make over that is bonus.
If you sell, print out a receipt dated and timed, both seller and buyer to sign, and each keep a copy.0 -
Here's a few simple rules:
Do NOT accept any form of Cheque*, Paypal, Nochex, Western Union or the like.
Basically you want cash or a bank transfer via the Faster Payments
system. Anything else is a scam.
Any email that says someone is holding the money and it will be released when the car is delivered is a scam.
Any offer to pay involving them paying more than the car is advertised with you then refunding them the difference is a scam.
I'll probably add to this as I think of things
*This usually involves stolen cheques which can show as clear on your account after 4 days so you release the car. Then later, sometimes weeks later, the bank snatch the money back from you as the cheque is discovered to be stolen.0 -
If they want a road test, which they will if they have any sense, make sure you drive if they have no insurance, which they probably won't. Make sure you don't let them take the car out on test, if they can prove they have insurance to drive your car, without either you or a friend being present.0
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If they want a road test, which they will if they have any sense, make sure you drive if they have no insurance, which they probably won't. Make sure you don't let them take the car out on test, if they can prove they have insurance to drive your car, without either you or a friend being present.
Just to expand on the point about insurance...
Using a car with no insurance and permitting a car to be used with no insurance are both strict liability offences, which means that it is no defence if you believed that you (or the person you are permitting to use the vehicle) had insurance when you actually didn't.
The only exception to this is if you are using the vehicle in the course of your employment, the vehicle does not belong to you and you had no reason to believe that there wasn't a valid policy of insurance in place.
Showing an insurance certificate is not proof of insurance, as there's no way of knowing from the certificate whether or not it has been cancelled since the certificate was printed.
I wouldn't let someone test drive my car at all but I would take them out in it, with me driving, allow them to inspect it and perform any reasonable requests so that they can see how it drives.What will your verse be?
R.I.P Robin Williams.0 -
I wouldn't buy a car without test driving it myself. If somebody wanted to drive it instead then alarm bells would be ringing and i'd be leaving.
As far as i'd be concerned (as a potential buyer), if you don't accept my insurance certificate showing DOC cover then i'm off elsewhere.
And I suspect many buyers would take the same approach.
If the policy the certificate relates to has been cancelled, i'm not convinced op could be done for 'permitting' the car to be used without insurance.0 -
I agree with Arcon5, unless you're very gullible the chances are that by the time a test drive is undertaken a deal has already been struck subject to decent test drive, i wouldn't be letting every tom !!!!!! or harry loose in my car unless they were serious buyers.
I've bought and sold cars without any test drives, even sold a car for £15k sight unseen paid by bank transfer and collected later by one of the buyers staff without inspection, the all important telephone conversation over 15/20 minutes should be able to tell each party exactly who they are dealing with, invariably the car lives up to the persona of the seller.0
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