Likelihood of a good bargain from a private many-car seller

HansOndabush

I recently bought a 'bargain' car but I had to spend almost half as much again on it and do all the work myself to make it a half-decent and reliable car to drive. If you can fix it yourself however, you may as well by a spares/repairs car in the first place and get it at an even lower price than from the street trader masquerading as a private seller.

Peugeot / Automatic sounds like a money pit.

couriervanman

I've just read a few of the OPs other posts/threads........and for that reason I'M OUT 

alihd

Thanks for the comments, everyone.
I recognize that a genuine private single-car seller, selling his/her only car, is the best option. I have seen two genuine private car sellers in person. They took me for long drives, gave me a proper opportunity to inspect, and even show me an issue in the car that I would not notice myself.
However,  I just want to make sure that it is not a loss to avoid the many-car sellers because they possess the MAJORITY of the cars in the market (alongside the dealers). I don't understand why over 90% of the cars are not directly sold by the owner.

Supersonos said:

My advice is to buy from a truly personal seller and give the car a professional check-over before buying, or pay a little more and buy from a reputable dealer.

It costs at least £100. The question is whether it is worth it for a £2-£3K car, considering that I can figure out SOME issues myself (never owned a car in the UK but I've been driving in my home country for 10+ years, read plenty of guidelines on the web and youtube, and can also send photos of friends of mine who are mechanics). Is the £100 professional check still worth it (statistically)?

knightstyle said:

Just make sure the seller is the registered keeper and look at their insurance document.  That will sort out genuine private sellers from sellers of auction trash.

Thanks for raising the point that the cars could be bought from Auctions. How can I find out whether it's the case? I asked a couple of them whether they are the registered owner, and they said yes. But they have dozens of cars for sale, so I dunno how to judge.

AdrianC said:

It's a 10yo car. There will be problems. Why else do people sell 10yo cars?

Yes, 10yo cars have issues, but in my opinion (correct me if I'm wrong): A car bought from a genuine private seller is more likely to be OK and incurs less repair cost, compared to a car sold by a professional private many-car seller that bought the car from auction trash, no?

AdrianC said:

If the car is priced similarly to elsewhere - both traders who aren't trying to pretend they aren't, and genuine private sellers - then there's no "loss of bargain" argument. Yes, the trader's making a profit. He clearly bought it more cheaply than you're seeing... Is there a reason you can't also buy at his buy price...?

Yeah but I'm concerned about the chance of issues being covered up. Isn't the risk smaller for private sellers?

AdrianC said:

That seller is undoubtedly a trader. That is in your favour, as it means you do have some comeback against them, legally. BUT you will undoubtedly have to fight for it. However, if it was a genuine private seller, you would have no comeback at all. OTOH, the legal comeback against the seller of a cheap 10yo car is minimal.

What is the benefit of a comeback if I pay in cash / bank transfer? I'm not arguing, just curious whether I'm wrong or not. Those professional sellers have no liability once they sold the car, no?

AdrianC

couriervanman said:

I've just read a few of the OPs other posts/threads........and for that reason I'M OUT 

Oh, yes. It's him again, isn't it?

alihd

AdrianC said:

couriervanman said:

I've just read a few of the OPs other posts/threads........and for that reason I'M OUT 

Oh, yes. It's him again, isn't it?

What's wrong with that, guys? I tend to do proper research before paying loads of hard-earned money. Isn't that the purpose of the money-saving-experts forum?
Seriously, if something is wrong with my approach, just tell me

Herzlos

alihd said:

Thanks for the comments, everyone.
I recognize that a genuine private single-car seller, selling his/her only car, is the best option. I have seen two genuine private car sellers in person. They took me for long drives, gave me a proper opportunity to inspect, and even show me an issue in the car that I would not notice myself.
However,  I just want to make sure that it is not a loss to avoid the many-car sellers because they possess the MAJORITY of the cars in the market (alongside the dealers). I don't understand why over 90% of the cars are not directly sold by the owner.

If you buy a car from a private owner for £2000, they'll give you an honestish appraisal of it and you can judge from them how it's been looked after. It's probably also a fair price.
If you buy a car from a trade seller pretending to be a private owner for £2000, you're buying a car that they paid maybe £1000 for, and have no interest in the car beyond making a quick profit so they won't be honest/aware of any issues. That means if there are any issues they'll be fixed or hidden as cheaply as possible.
The fact they are a dealer pretending to be a private seller also means they are trying to avoid any liability (and probably tax) which is something you should be wary of.

For a cheap car from a private trader, it's absolutely worth paying for an inspection - it's £100 but could save you buying a car that needs £1000 of work.

treeroy

Avoid them. 
They buy cars cheap and sell them at "normal" prices. They get the cars cheap because they are crap and have things wrong with them. They re-sell them on to unassuming buyers. They don't have the costs of running a business so they don't have to charge dealer prices.

If you have mechanical confidence and think you will be able to evaluate the car effectively in person, then it's fine. But if you had said mechanical knowledge then you wouldn't be asking this question in the first place.

IMO you should buy from legitimate private sellers, who will be open and honest with you rather than trying to scam you.

JustAnotherSaver

Unlikely. 
I don't sell cars but I do sell things from time to time and I generally find 'bargain hunters' is another term for people who basically want everything for nothing. 

"I know you're listing for £XYZ but I'm coming from Glasgow which is a 3 hour drive so will you accept half of what you're asking for" is basically one excuse I was given for someone wanting a 'bargain'. Sorry pal, you could come from Mars, the price is the price. I'll always shift but never for someone taking the piddle. 

feolojad

There is no such thing as a private trader. They're a full on business with all the legal responsibilities of a dealership.

Someone who is advertising several cars for sale at once on Facebook is not a private seller. They're someone who is a car dealer trying to claim they're a private seller to avoid their legal responsibilities.

As for what you get buying a car from a dealer for say £3000 with all the repairs done over buying a cheaper car say £2000 from a private seller and spending £1000 on repairs so it ends up costing the same, you end up being able to take the car back to the dealer if anything else goes wrong.

williamgriffin

feolojad said:

There is no such thing as a private trader. They're a full on business with all the legal responsibilities of a dealership.

Someone who is advertising several cars for sale at once on Facebook is not a private seller. They're someone who is a car dealer trying to claim they're a private seller to avoid their legal responsibilities.

As for what you get buying a car from a dealer for say £3000 with all the repairs done over buying a cheaper car say £2000 from a private seller and spending £1000 on repairs so it ends up costing the same, you end up being able to take the car back to the dealer if anything else goes wrong.

Buying from a dealer doesn't give you an unlimited warranty so no you can't take it back if anything goes wrong.