Selling Private right or wrong

[jomcvelia]

Just having a chat to one of the lads at work regarding selling a car privately. He told me in the past he has had so many people turn up just for a quick test drive that now when they turn up he lets them have a good look over and when they ask for a drive he then asks them if they have brought a deposit for the car. If they have brought no funds to secure a deposit he refuses.

Just wondering if anyone else has done anything along those lines.

[trickywoo]

Depends whats being sold.

I think asking them to prove insurance is a better method of sorting out who is serious.

[Chiswickboy]

I would be thrilled to have a prat like your mate ask for a deposit for a test drive after I had driven 100 miles to view the car and had not been told before I had wasted my time driving over there.

If I had been told beforehand then I would not bother and move on to another car / seller.

Does your mate just hand over the keys and let someone take his car away? I would never do this and would go with anyone who wanted a test drive - I am more concerned about a potential buyer being insured.

Edited by Chiswickboy on Wednesday 12th January 13:49

[jomcvelia]

trickywoo said:

Depends whats being sold.

I think asking them to prove insurance is a better method of sorting out who is serious.

I would of thought insurance would of been a higher priority...

[jomcvelia]

Chiswickboy said:

I would be thrilled to have a prat like your mate ask for a deposit for a test drive after I had driven 100 miles to view the car and had not been told before I had wasted my time driving over there.

If I had been told beforehand then I would not bother and move on to another car / seller.

Does your mate just hand over the keys and let someone take his car away? I would never do this and would go with anyone who wanted a test drive - I am more concerned about a potential buyer being insured.

Edited by Chiswickboy on Wednesday 12th January 13:49

I think his point is if you turn up to view and not just a tyre kicker you would have a deposit to hand.

[Cupramax]

Especially if you get pulled and plod finds the driver uninsured = your car impounded...

[Mazdarese]

jomcvelia said:

Chiswickboy said:

I would be thrilled to have a prat like your mate ask for a deposit for a test drive after I had driven 100 miles to view the car and had not been told before I had wasted my time driving over there.

If I had been told beforehand then I would not bother and move on to another car / seller.

Does your mate just hand over the keys and let someone take his car away? I would never do this and would go with anyone who wanted a test drive - I am more concerned about a potential buyer being insured.

Edited by Chiswickboy on Wednesday 12th January 13:49

I think his point is if you turn up to view and not just a tyre kicker you would have a deposit to hand.

When I bought my last car I viewed it and had about £2 on me. I had no intention of viewing a car with ~£500 on me. When I rang him later to say I'd have it, and agreed a price, I offered to transfer a deposit to him but he didn't want it.

I think you have to judge their character.

[RobM77]

I've sold all but one of my cars privately and have actually had some very good experiences. For about two thirds of them the first to see them bought the car straight away, and for the other third I only showed one or two other people the car. All buyers have been very genuine people.

edited to add: I've had ther same experiences with regard to test drives as the RS6 seller. I don't think anyone's ever test driven a car I've been selling, and two have turned up with insurance! They were happy with me driving on a variety of roads to their commands (emergency stop, mtorway cruise etc etc).

Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 12th January 14:27

[goldblum]

I sold an RS6 privately,and of the three people to turn up interested none of them had a 'test drive'.

I took them out in the car for about 20 mins under various road conditions,demonstrating that the fundamentals worked,and answering any questions.

You think I'm going to let someone test drive a tuned RS6? Not a snowballs...

However these potential buyers were off a specialist forum and 'knew' roughly what they were talking about.The third viewer bought the car

and I would only conclude the deal if he left me with two photocopied (by me)methods of identification,one with his photograph on,which he signed,timed and dated.

We did the V5 stuff,he gave me some money and off he went.Insurance becomes the buyers problem in this scenario.He left with a healthy RS6,and I several £ the richer.

[Chiswickboy]

doogz said:

Chiswickboy said:

I would be thrilled to have a prat like your mate ask for a deposit for a test drive after I had driven 100 miles to view the car and had not been told before I had wasted my time driving over there.

If I had been told beforehand then I would not bother and move on to another car / seller.

Does your mate just hand over the keys and let someone take his car away? I would never do this and would go with anyone who wanted a test drive - I am more concerned about a potential buyer being insured.

Edited by Chiswickboy on Wednesday 12th January 13:49

You'd drive over 100 miles to see a car you were serious about buying, and not take any money with you?

You wouldn't be getting a test drive of my car either, with an attitude like that tbh.

So you'd take 50 quid from a stranger and let them drive your car away to test it?

I wouldn't.

Yes, I would drive 100 miles (or more) to see what appeared to be the right car but I wouldn't hand any money over until I was satisfied that I wanted it. I didn't say that I would go and view without any money. If the seller didn't tell me beforehand that they wanted a deposit for a test drive then I would be concerned about what else he had "forgotten" to tell me.

[anonymous-user]

Every car I've ever sold has sold to the first person to view it and they only took it for a very short spin so its never been a problem for me.

[Jasandjules]

I don't take cash with me but I do tend to have a cheque book to hand. But I don't put a deposit down until it's a car I am going to buy subject to inspection. And test driving it forms part of the decision as to whether or not I purchase. It p***s me off no end I turn up to view a car to be told there will be "no test drives".

If you have stipulations then you make them before agreeing to have someone travel to view the car. Why waste their time in this way?