Buying from private sellers

caprikid1

EdGasketTheSecond wrote: »

For 5K make sure you do a HPI check and even that won't cover you for log-book loans.

It won't cover you on cloned cars either !.


AA/RAC inspection offer good value at this sort of price point, either peace of mind or haggling information.

onwards&upwards

AdrianC wrote: »

So when you bought your house...?

I know a lot more about houses than I do about cars! :rotfl::rotfl:

I’ve been driving company cars for years, it’s great in a way because you have no responsibility for them, but leaves you a complete beginner when the day comes you have to sort yourself out!

rhino_horn

alembicbassman wrote: »

If you find a reputable dealer that welcomes a customer who doesn't require finance, paint protection, extended warranties and service plans let me know. Private buyers, a least, don't try to sell you this crap.

I'm a dealer, reputable I hope, and we don't offer the hard sell at all. We want our customers to come back!!
Couldn't care less if people want to pay cash or have finance. As long as they buy the car and are happy with the service we provide.

AdrianC

onwards&upwards wrote: »

I know a lot more about houses than I do about cars! :rotfl::rotfl:

Sure, but you gave a HELL of a lot more than £5k to a complete stranger with the same amount of consumer protection...

onwards&upwards

AdrianC wrote: »

Sure, but you gave a HELL of a lot more than £5k to a complete stranger with the same amount of consumer protection...

Well yes, but that’s the system with houses, that’s how it works. What’s your point here? What’s your opinion on buying from private sellers and what would be your advice to me?

Marvel1

Bought a car for £5500 private sale, not mechanically minded at all, changing a tyre is my limit.

I went armed with the aa checklist and a test drive including the motorway which was about 5-10 minutes away, as i drove back, knew I was going to buy it.

3 years on, all good.

parking_question_chap

You dont need to be a car geek to buy from a private seller. But you have less come backs compared to a dealer. Regardless I would be doing a lot of resarch whichever I went with. It doesnt take much effort to check the MOT history, have advisories stayed put from year to year or have they been fixed? How many owners has it had? Its easy to get a torch and inspect the brakes on most cars with alloys, ditto exhaust backbox. Plenty of youtube videos can help you with this. Get on the relevant car forum and ask about common faults and how to check them. Is the car running cheap tyres indicating the owner might not have wanted to spend much money on it?

Not any one of those things will give you a definitive answer as to wether or not the car is going to fall apart the following week. But combined should help you avoid the sheds.

You dont need to be an expert to reduce your risk of buying a lemon, but you do need to put some effort in.

Dealers stock comes from auctions and trade ins and they will not have done a full check before buying, the only protection you have is usually a very limited guarantee, and even then asking them to honour isnt always easy.

knightstyle

I have bought and sold many cars privately and through traders so my advice is it all requires due diligence.
Buying privately the first question is whose name is on the V5 and how long has the seller owned the car.
Next is look up MOT history, servicing and what will need doing soon?
Trade warranties that are from a third party are mostly worthless IMO so do not pay for them but get the price down instead.

barbiedoll

Buying from a private seller can be a bit scary but there are some things to look out for, even if you don’t know much about cars.

Always assume that you’ll need a new clutch/brakes/exhaust sooner rather than later. People don’t want to spend £££ if they’re going to sell, although they will pay for valeting etc.

If you have the sellers phone number, google it to see if it comes up against any other recent car sales. This can show a dodgy dealer masquerading as a “private” seller. Beware of anyone selling their mum’s/auntie’s/cousins car, you want to deal with the person who owns and drives the vehicle.

It’s always better if the car is on a drive and you can see that the seller actually lives at the house. I’m not saying that people who live in flats or small houses don’t have cars to sell, but it’s not unheard of for dodgy sellers to park the car outside a more “desirable” address, especially for the photos.

Check all carpets for damp, including the boot. Beware of strong air fresheners possibly used to cover up damp smells. Check under the radiator cap for “gunk”, do this before and after any test drive.
Try to plan a test drive so that you can hear the car going up a hill, also ask to check the handbrake on a hill, don’t be embarrassed to ask questions about the condition of the car. Listen for any knocking when going around corners, or any weird noises.
Don’t be fooled into buying a shiny, hardly-used car from a little old lady, those few miles have been used on 2000 trips to the supermarket just down the road, everything on the car will be knackered, even with a low mileage!

Be realistic...you can get a lovely little goer for £5000, but it’s not going to be new, you will have to do something to it within the first few months, even if it’s just changing a bulb.

Bit like buying a house!

onwards&upwards

barbiedoll wrote: »

Buying from a private seller can be a bit scary but there are some things to look out for, even if you don’t know much about cars.

Always assume that you’ll need a new clutch/brakes/exhaust sooner rather than later. People don’t want to spend £££ if they’re going to sell, although they will pay for valeting etc.

If you have the sellers phone number, google it to see if it comes up against any other recent car sales. This can show a dodgy dealer masquerading as a “private” seller. Beware of anyone selling their mum’s/auntie’s/cousins car, you want to deal with the person who owns and drives the vehicle.

It’s always better if the car is on a drive and you can see that the seller actually lives at the house. I’m not saying that people who live in flats or small houses don’t have cars to sell, but it’s not unheard of for dodgy sellers to park the car outside a more “desirable” address, especially for the photos.

Check all carpets for damp, including the boot. Beware of strong air fresheners possibly used to cover up damp smells. Check under the radiator cap for “gunk”, do this before and after any test drive.
Try to plan a test drive so that you can hear the car going up a hill, also ask to check the handbrake on a hill, don’t be embarrassed to ask questions about the condition of the car. Listen for any knocking when going around corners, or any weird noises.
Don’t be fooled into buying a shiny, hardly-used car from a little old lady, those few miles have been used on 2000 trips to the supermarket just down the road, everything on the car will be knackered, even with a low mileage!

Be realistic...you can get a lovely little goer for £5000, but it’s not going to be new, you will have to do something to it within the first few months, even if it’s just changing a bulb.

Bit like buying a house!

Thank you very much!

I will have to get on YouTube to learn some basics I think. I wouldn’t know where the radiator cap was without a map!