Car Selling - Experienced help needed

JamesBro

Hi!

I'm looking to sell my 58 reg VW Golf, that has 120,000 miles on the clock.

I'm aware I need to get it serviced, valeted, washed(!), spruced up, to ensure it gets the best sale value, but what else do I need to make sure I do?

- Is it best to sell privately?
- Is Autotrader the best place to sell? Or eBay?
- How shall I deal with potential buyers?
- (Stupid question potential) - If they want to test drive, do they need insurance?
- Shall I ask for all the cash in one lump sum?

Thanks in advance.
James.

AdrianC

JamesBro wrote: »

- Is it best to sell privately?

What are you after? Best possible price, or lowest hassle?

- Is Autotrader the best place to sell? Or eBay?

Both, plus anywhere else you can think of.

- How shall I deal with potential buyers?

Just the same as you'd treat anybody else who might give you a reasonable wodge of money. There's idiots out there, there's sensible people. The latter are the majority. Be patient, be honest, but don't be afraid to ignore the idiots.

- (Stupid question potential) - If they want to test drive, do they need insurance?

Of course. And check it. Their certificate will tell you if they have "Driving Other Cars" cover.

- Shall I ask for all the cash in one lump sum?

There's umpty-seven threads about the safest way to take money - but make sure you DO have the money before you let the car out of your sight.

And don't forget - doing the V5C paperwork is YOUR legal responsibility.

JamesBro

Top man. Thanks Adrian, great pointers there, especially RE: the V5C.

Looking for the best possible price. Don't mind if it takes a while to complete.

Very kind of you.

BeenThroughItAll

JamesBro wrote: »

- Is it best to sell privately?
- Is Autotrader the best place to sell? Or eBay?
- How shall I deal with potential buyers?
- (Stupid question potential) - If they want to test drive, do they need insurance?
- Shall I ask for all the cash in one lump sum?

1. Only you can decide that. It's a tradeoff between hassle and price. Sell privately, get more money, but more hassle to you. Sell to a dealer/WBAC/part exchange you'll get less but it's easier on you.
2. Depends on the vehicle, age, condition, etc. I use AT for cars over £4K and eBay for anything else.
3. Honestly. Be honest in answering questions, but you don't have to volunteer information they don't ask for. Be firm with them though. It's your car, and you can sell it to whomever you want; if they muck you around or in any way make you uneasy/nervous, you may wish to deal with someone else.
4. Yes. Check it before you allow them to drive. The car will need to be taxed and have a valid MOT as well.
5. Yes. Cash or direct bank transfer ONLY. NO EXCEPTIONS. Take a £100 deposit if they need to go away and come back, and make it clear it's non-refundable if they don't bother returning (to cover costs of re-valeting and re-advertising I tell them).

JamesBro

Again, excellent advice, thanks.

On Point 5, regarding the deposit... What do you mean by "if they need to go away and come back". Is this if they have committed to the purchase verbally, made me reject other offers, but need to give them time? Is this the idea for asking for a deposit? And obviously the £100 comes off the overall price?

Thanks for the information on Point 4 too. How about its servicing? I imagine it needs a full service history?

Thanks again.
James.

19lottie82

JamesBro wrote: »

. How about its servicing? I imagine it needs a full service history?

Thanks again.
James.

No, you don't need a full service history, but if you don't have one the buyer will expect this to be reflected in the price.

One of the main things I look for when buying a used car is that the car has been looked after / well maintained, this is often more important than mileage / age.

Good signs are, service history, decent tyres (pref all of the same brand) and receipts for any work undertaken on the car.

If you are selling your car, get a FULL valet. It will cost about £50-70 but should add a few hundred at least on to the selling price.

80% of enquiries will be time wasters, often offering you way less than your asking price via a text without even seeing the car. Serious buyers will soon become evident.

Buyers like to think they have got a bargain so I usually advertise at slightly more than I am willing to accept, so there is room for a little haggling.

Gumtree is free but full of timewasters. Ebay is OK for cheaper cars, but I'd prob advertise yours on Autotrader, it's maybe only £10 more than ebay in total. The basic AT ad package is just fine.

Marktheshark

Sell on a shake of hands, do not use ANY of those print your own contracts.
They place the seller in a incredibly bad legal position they have no reason to enter.
Just state verbally, you buy the car sold as seen and inspected and happy with what you see, once we shake on the deal, its your car.
That way, you have the law on your side once sold.

BeenThroughItAll

JamesBro wrote: »

Again, excellent advice, thanks.

On Point 5, regarding the deposit... What do you mean by "if they need to go away and come back". Is this if they have committed to the purchase verbally, made me reject other offers, but need to give them time? Is this the idea for asking for a deposit? And obviously the £100 comes off the overall price?

Thanks for the information on Point 4 too. How about its servicing? I imagine it needs a full service history?

Thanks again.
James.

If someone says 'I want it but I'll need to sort insurance/finance/collect next Thursday' I would ask for a deposit (unless they're just nipping to the cashpoint/bank down the road, obviously). Reason being if they're committing to the sale you'll take the car off the market and turn away other interested parties. If they're a serious buyer, they'll be happy to leave a deposit. If they're not happy to, they're not that serious.

Full service history isn't essential. If it has it, great. If not, buyers will haggle. Private selling and buying is all about the buyer being happy with condition, not about paperwork. As long as it's legal if they want to test drive it, happy days. If they choose not to test drive and want to drive it away without insurance and tax, that's up to them.

GIVE THEM A RECEIPT. Just state on it the car reg, date of sale, amount paid. Also state that the V5 has been completed and that the sale is private with no warranty implied or given. Do two copies. Get them to sign both and you countersign, each keep one.

Marktheshark

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

If someone says 'I want it but I'll need to sort insurance/finance/collect next Thursday' I would ask for a deposit (unless they're just nipping to the cashpoint/bank down the road, obviously). Reason being if they're committing to the sale you'll take the car off the market and turn away other interested parties. If they're a serious buyer, they'll be happy to leave a deposit. If they're not happy to, they're not that serious.

Full service history isn't essential. If it has it, great. If not, buyers will haggle. Private selling and buying is all about the buyer being happy with condition, not about paperwork. As long as it's legal if they want to test drive it, happy days. If they choose not to test drive and want to drive it away without insurance and tax, that's up to them.

GIVE THEM A RECEIPT. Just state on it the car reg, date of sale, amount paid. Also state that the V5 has been completed and that the sale is private with no warranty implied or given. Do two copies. Get them to sign both and you countersign, each keep one.

Unnecessary I would say, creating a contract gives the buyer the option to challenge the contract as unfair, keep the sale in the private sale territory and not contracted sale.
The rights of buyers in private sales outside of contracted sales are already well covered by law under Caveat Emptor.
Once you give someone something that could be construed as a "contract" that's that protection gone and you now enter the realm if the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 as a consumer contract sale which opens up many avenues for a claim .
Stay away from contracts, private sale, take the money, thanks here is the keys.
The buyers signature on the VC5 and go post it.

BeenThroughItAll

Marktheshark wrote: »

Unnecessary I would say, creating a contract gives the buyer the option to challenge the contract as unfair, keep the sale in the private sale territory and not contracted sale.
The rights of buyers in private sales outside of contracted sales are already well covered by law under Caveat Emptor.
Once you give someone something that could be construed as a "contract" that's that protection gone and you now enter the realm if theUnfair Contract Terms Act 1977 as a consumer contract sale which opens up many avenues for a claim .
Stay away from contracts, private sale, take the money, thanks here is the keys.
The buyers signature on the VC5 and go post it.

A receipt is not a contract, merely a statement of purchase.

If you do not give a receipt, and the buyer doesn't insure or tax the vehicle, how do you prove that you were not allowing them to test drive the car knowingly in that state, thereby falling foul of cause or permit to be caused the use of the vehicle?

What if the seller then claims you didn't pay for the vehicle? With a cash transaction how will you prove that when he claims "out of the goodness and kindness of my heart I trusted them to return with the other £1000" you had actually already paid him in dirty fivers?

I'm sorry, but whilst you may be happy to buy/sell without any paperwork I wouldn't buy a car without a receipt to at least state what I'd paid. Equally I wouldn't expect any buyer to take one without either.

Just because you don't trust anyone doesn't mean we all shouldn't.

fivetide

Marktheshark wrote: »

Unnecessary I would say, creating a contract gives the buyer the option to challenge the contract as unfair, keep the sale in the private sale territory and not contracted sale.
The rights of buyers in private sales outside of contracted sales are already well covered by law under Caveat Emptor.
Once you give someone something that could be construed as a "contract" that's that protection gone and you now enter the realm if the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 as a consumer contract sale which opens up many avenues for a claim .
Stay away from contracts, private sale, take the money, thanks here is the keys.
The buyers signature on the VC5 and go post it.

Aside from what BeenThroughItAll said (which all stands up) it is also worth giving them a receipt and keeping a copy with the TIME and date on it.


As said, it isn't a contract, just an acknowledgement of when they became responsible for the car.


What would you do if they were 'testing the performance' on the way home and got flashed by a speed camera. They could argue that it was you the original owner that got caught if they wanted.