Selling my car after specific date

tatusmaru

Hi there,

I'm emigrating soon, and I'm trying to sell my car within a one week window (before my insurance runs out in December).

I've put it up on Gumtree with the date that the car will be available listed in the ad, and I've had an interested party. However, they've asked that I take the ad down if they make a deposit (I was not really considering deposits).

I know that one end to this story is; I take the ad down, we get to my sale date, and they decide that they want to pay me half the price I was asking (the buyer knowing I have no other potential buyers). If I say no, they get back their deposit, and I'm left with a car I need to sell within a week. Perhaps I was too revealing in my ad about my sale and emigrating?

Should I reject the deposit, and only take the full amount on a first-come-first-serve basis, or should I accept the deposit, keep the ad up, and just make it clear in the ad that a deposit has been made for the car, but that I'll still take offers from potential buyers should the deal fall through?

BeenThroughItAll

Why wouldn't you make the deposit non-refundable and make acceptance contingent on sale of the vehicle for an agreed price?

Despite what you read on MSE, most people ARE trustworthy.

DUTR

tatusmaru wrote: »

Hi there,

I'm emigrating soon, and I'm trying to sell my car within a one week window (before my insurance runs out in December).

I've put it up on Gumtree with the date that the car will be available listed in the ad, and I've had an interested party. However, they've asked that I take the ad down if they make a deposit (I was not really considering deposits).

I know that one end to this story is; I take the ad down, we get to my sale date, and they decide that they want to pay me half the price I was asking (the buyer knowing I have no other potential buyers). If I say no, they get back their deposit, and I'm left with a car I need to sell within a week. Perhaps I was too revealing in my ad about my sale and emigrating?

Should I reject the deposit, and only take the full amount on a first-come-first-serve basis, or should I accept the deposit, keep the ad up, and just make it clear in the ad that a deposit has been made for the car, but that I'll still take offers from potential buyers should the deal fall through?

Neither, sell the car now, it's only a few weeks to make do for transport in the meantime, what happens if you don't get to sell it after to available date and before you leave?
Cutting it too fine, as the old saying goes a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.

AnotherJoe

You should be able to sell relatively last minute via we buy any car, or the Evans Halshaw equivalent, and there are others, but In any case I would sell it with a couple of weeks to go and rent a car.

tatusmaru

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Why wouldn't you make the deposit non-refundable and make acceptance contingent on sale of the vehicle for an agreed price?

Despite what you read on MSE, most people ARE trustworthy.

I have had more trustworthy experiences than not in similar circumstances, but I do live in Dundee, and wonder why that is. :think:

Thanks though, it had crossed my mind and now it's a possibility!

DUTR wrote: »

Neither, sell the car now, it's only a few weeks to make do for transport in the meantime, what happens if you don't get to sell it after to available date and before you leave?
Cutting it too fine, as the old saying goes a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush.

I'd love to, but with a family, and weekly commitments that can't be made via public transport, I'm not able to.

tatusmaru

AnotherJoe wrote: »

You should be able to sell relatively last minute via we buy any car, or the Evans Halshaw equivalent, and there are others, but In any case I would sell it with a couple of weeks to go and rent a car.

I checked the We Buy Any Car site before, and the offer was £2,000 under the price my make and model are selling privately, so decided private was the way to go (though more fiddly to execute).

edit: My car sells for £5,000+ privately (generally).

tatusmaru

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Why wouldn't you make the deposit non-refundable and make acceptance contingent on sale of the vehicle for an agreed price?

Despite what you read on MSE, most people ARE trustworthy.

You know, I have only just realised my stupidity on deposits. Thanks!

loskie

start marketing it now, if it sells hire a car in the interim. When I see ads mentioning emigration I usually ignore it TBH so I would think twice about mentioning that.
If it doesnt sell you can always use WBAC etc as a fallback.
Good luck.

Rolandtheroadie

Has the buyer viewed and had a test drive?
If not, I'd say your suspicions are correct.

Herzlos

I'd sell it now and hire a car for the last couple of weeks; potentially you can drop it off at the airport on the way out.

Or take the deposit and take it to we buy any car if it falls through (don't tell them your emigrating or they'll haggle you right down).

AnotherJoe

Herzlos wrote: »

I'd sell it now and hire a car for the last couple of weeks; potentially you can drop it off at the airport on the way out.

Or take the deposit and take it to we buy any car if it falls through (don't tell them your emigrating or they'll haggle you right down).

FWIW for the OP I got an extra 350 from Evans H than WBAC. And I could have probably got £1k-1.5k more privately but that was at the expense of a lot of hassle and risk. In any case my advice re one of these services was to use it as a last resort if the private sale falls through. I wouldn’t leave it til the last week though, too much could go wrong.