Genuine Private Sellers - do they no longer exist?
Discussion
Been trawling autotrader with a fine toothcomb for a new run around car. Not fussed about brand.
It seems that its getting harder and harder to find a genuine private seller, its like 90% of private sellers on AT are flippers/driveway traders.
Managed to do it last year, but this year is proving difficult.
Anyone else seem to notice this?
It seems that its getting harder and harder to find a genuine private seller, its like 90% of private sellers on AT are flippers/driveway traders.
Managed to do it last year, but this year is proving difficult.
Anyone else seem to notice this?
Edited by sunnyb13 on Tuesday 14th March 16:37
I bought a car from eBay last month, the seller had uploaded 120 photos and a video to their one drive account. They had owned it for over five years and were selling it because they had just purchased a convertible.
I live 200 miles from the seller and didn't want to miss out so offered him a deposit over the phone. He said don't worry and as far as he was concerned the car was taken unless I decided I didn't want it when I got there. He found me on Whatsapp and sent me some more pictures of the car as they took it for it's last ever drive that evening
I drove the 200 miles the next day, as soon as we arrived he gave me the key and told me to go for a test drive. I got back, he let me use his wifi and I did the bank transfer, change of owner on the DVLA website and sorted out the tax.
They had the book pack, paperwork and spare key all ready for me. It even had 3/4 of a tank of petrol as they didn't think it would sell that quickly (it had been on eBay for 10 minutes when I called)
30 minutes after arriving I was on my way and I could not find a single fault on the 200 miles return trip.
I live 200 miles from the seller and didn't want to miss out so offered him a deposit over the phone. He said don't worry and as far as he was concerned the car was taken unless I decided I didn't want it when I got there. He found me on Whatsapp and sent me some more pictures of the car as they took it for it's last ever drive that evening
I drove the 200 miles the next day, as soon as we arrived he gave me the key and told me to go for a test drive. I got back, he let me use his wifi and I did the bank transfer, change of owner on the DVLA website and sorted out the tax.
They had the book pack, paperwork and spare key all ready for me. It even had 3/4 of a tank of petrol as they didn't think it would sell that quickly (it had been on eBay for 10 minutes when I called)
30 minutes after arriving I was on my way and I could not find a single fault on the 200 miles return trip.
Few reasons I suppose
Autotrader is expensive to list on, if you’ve got a cheap car you’ll most likely now stick it on Facebook or eBay at a push
People can’t be arsed - they’ll sell it to cazoo or we buy any car instead, especially ones over a few k, it’s really hard to sell anything for cash these days unless it’s dirt cheap as people want finance or pay by card etc.
More cars sold on pcp? So they just go back at the end.
Autotrader is expensive to list on, if you’ve got a cheap car you’ll most likely now stick it on Facebook or eBay at a push
People can’t be arsed - they’ll sell it to cazoo or we buy any car instead, especially ones over a few k, it’s really hard to sell anything for cash these days unless it’s dirt cheap as people want finance or pay by card etc.
More cars sold on pcp? So they just go back at the end.
There's currently 38k private cars vs 376k trade cars on AT. There's a good few reasons for this:
1 - WBAC and similar have been offering relatively good money for a lot of cars, except for BEVs and alike more recently.
2 - The cost of cars has increased so much over the last decade and yet the amount of money most members of the public are happy to spend via a 'private' purchase hasn't really moved, as such less and less of the car market is suitable/convenience for private sales.
3 - Significant shortage of cars over the last few years has meant that a lot of the nearly-new stuff is poverty spec (Entry level, no metallic paints, no tech packs, typical lease spec) and IMO that's why a lot of people are holding on to their well spec'd cars as there's nothing suitable to replace them that isn't costing an arm and a leg.
4 - Dealers accept financing - We're currently looking to replace our family car and can't help but think we might prefer the more expensive route over the next 3 years of financing the car via PCP/HP instead of sinking cash in to a car. Of course there are dedicated car finance houses that can offer assistance but your average Joe would run a mile and think they're being scammed if you aren't able to pay via bank transfer as and when you come to test drive the car.
1 - WBAC and similar have been offering relatively good money for a lot of cars, except for BEVs and alike more recently.
2 - The cost of cars has increased so much over the last decade and yet the amount of money most members of the public are happy to spend via a 'private' purchase hasn't really moved, as such less and less of the car market is suitable/convenience for private sales.
3 - Significant shortage of cars over the last few years has meant that a lot of the nearly-new stuff is poverty spec (Entry level, no metallic paints, no tech packs, typical lease spec) and IMO that's why a lot of people are holding on to their well spec'd cars as there's nothing suitable to replace them that isn't costing an arm and a leg.
4 - Dealers accept financing - We're currently looking to replace our family car and can't help but think we might prefer the more expensive route over the next 3 years of financing the car via PCP/HP instead of sinking cash in to a car. Of course there are dedicated car finance houses that can offer assistance but your average Joe would run a mile and think they're being scammed if you aren't able to pay via bank transfer as and when you come to test drive the car.
5 - Dealing with members of the public is a pain in the arse, especially if you are selling a cheap car.
If you want to deal with the worst time wasters and entitled dregs of humanity then try and sell a car for under £1000. Honestly you will be searching for the number of the local scrap yard before you have finished reading the first set of text messages and emails.
If you want to deal with the worst time wasters and entitled dregs of humanity then try and sell a car for under £1000. Honestly you will be searching for the number of the local scrap yard before you have finished reading the first set of text messages and emails.
ingenieur said:
I don't care who I buy a car from. I don't know why so many people are fussy about that.
Price and condition is all that matters.
I've bought some right dogs off some aforementioned 'driveway traders' but the price was correct for the condition of the car.
If the car is the same condition, same price but you can get it from a private seller (no comebacks) or a trade seller (ability to reject for at least 30days and a range of other protections) then surely you go for the trade? If you're buying a 2002 Golf TDI then it likely makes no difference who you give your £500 to but for an 'average' car you're talking about substantially more money nowadays.Price and condition is all that matters.
I've bought some right dogs off some aforementioned 'driveway traders' but the price was correct for the condition of the car.
jimwilli said:
What do cars weigh in for nowadays? Ive got an old knacker van pissing out oil but otherwise has mot and been ok for me. Was thinking of trying for 500 but not sure if i want the aggro even if i list as spares or repair.
Weighed my dads Focus in for £380, rotten and he’d given up driving.Joey Deacon said:
I bought a car from eBay last month, the seller had uploaded 120 photos and a video to their one drive account. They had owned it for over five years and were selling it because they had just purchased a convertible.
I live 200 miles from the seller and didn't want to miss out so offered him a deposit over the phone. He said don't worry and as far as he was concerned the car was taken unless I decided I didn't want it when I got there. He found me on Whatsapp and sent me some more pictures of the car as they took it for it's last ever drive that evening
I drove the 200 miles the next day, as soon as we arrived he gave me the key and told me to go for a test drive. I got back, he let me use his wifi and I did the bank transfer, change of owner on the DVLA website and sorted out the tax.
They had the book pack, paperwork and spare key all ready for me. It even had 3/4 of a tank of petrol as they didn't think it would sell that quickly (it had been on eBay for 10 minutes when I called)
30 minutes after arriving I was on my way and I could not find a single fault on the 200 miles return trip.
Sorry Joey,I miss read wifi for wife.I'm still sniggering .I live 200 miles from the seller and didn't want to miss out so offered him a deposit over the phone. He said don't worry and as far as he was concerned the car was taken unless I decided I didn't want it when I got there. He found me on Whatsapp and sent me some more pictures of the car as they took it for it's last ever drive that evening
I drove the 200 miles the next day, as soon as we arrived he gave me the key and told me to go for a test drive. I got back, he let me use his wifi and I did the bank transfer, change of owner on the DVLA website and sorted out the tax.
They had the book pack, paperwork and spare key all ready for me. It even had 3/4 of a tank of petrol as they didn't think it would sell that quickly (it had been on eBay for 10 minutes when I called)
30 minutes after arriving I was on my way and I could not find a single fault on the 200 miles return trip.
J1990 said:
If the car is the same condition, same price but you can get it from a private seller (no comebacks) or a trade seller (ability to reject for at least 30days and a range of other protections) then surely you go for the trade? If you're buying a 2002 Golf TDI then it likely makes no difference who you give your £500 to but for an 'average' car you're talking about substantially more money nowadays.
Depends. Buying from the owner you can meet them and understand what they are like. Quiz them on servicing, how long they have owned it. Some small pseudo trader on Ebay/Gum Tree/ etc. Yes you have legal rights, but the car will be more expensive and no better quality. Legal rights are great, but you may need to have the time/experience/inclination to go to court to exercise them.
General Price said:
Sorry Joey,I miss read wifi for wife.I'm still sniggering .
Interestingly enough, she was drop dead gorgeous.I knew what he looked like as he had a picture on his Whatsapp, imagine an early 50s nondescript looking man. As we arrive he comes out, hands me the key and we start chatting. I am expecting his wife to come out any second and I am imagining she is going to be an overweight, plain middle aged woman.
As we are chatting, out of the corner of my eye I notice this Catherine Zeta Jones looking woman walk out the front door and I assume it must be his daughter. She walks over to say hello and mentions how sad she is to see her car go and I suddenly realise it is his wife not his daughter. She was older than I initially thought, but I would say she was early 30s.
They had a nice but not amazing house, it is literally one of those times where you look at the guy and think "how the f
k did you manage that?"I've no recent experience but I replaced both my cars in 2019 buying privately - albeit one was also on a one make forum - and had no problems buying either of them. To be honest I prefer buying privately as you get to form an impression of how the seller has treated the car. A "trader" may be obliged to offer some sort of warranty but I suspect most of them are a waster of time!
I also sold one of my previous cars via A/T with no issues so it can work.
I also sold one of my previous cars via A/T with no issues so it can work.
I have found people are more likely to just throw cars at traders/WBAC equivalents nowadays. Probably because its so much easier for time wasters to spam email you, back in the day you had to call up and they are less likely to do that. You generally had proper buyers calling you up.
Also, and to be quite frank, people have become lazy as fk. Im on a few FB pages for the Z4 and the amount of times each week someone says 'whats the best tyres for a Z4' or 'What insurance companies do you use' ... if you dare suggest that they use the search function to find the same question asked just the previous day they fly into a rage. The idea of doing stuff themselves is just beyond them. We are definitely into the lazy generation. How many people dont know what to do to sell a car privately is bonkers. There is definitely a bit of this going on along with all the other good reasons already listed.
Also, and to be quite frank, people have become lazy as f
k. Im on a few FB pages for the Z4 and the amount of times each week someone says 'whats the best tyres for a Z4' or 'What insurance companies do you use' ... if you dare suggest that they use the search function to find the same question asked just the previous day they fly into a rage. The idea of doing stuff themselves is just beyond them. We are definitely into the lazy generation. How many people dont know what to do to sell a car privately is bonkers. There is definitely a bit of this going on along with all the other good reasons already listed. I sold our Evoque via Autotrader about a month ago, I thought I might have trouble selling it as I had chanced my arm and tried it at what I thought was a quite steep price, sold in less than a week to a Land Rover specialist, who drove 150 miles to collect it on a trailer.
I was more than happy with the price they paid for it and the money in my account in 10 minutes of him turning up.
They were obviously happy as they sold it within a week for an extra £2.5k... I suppose some people would rather pay for that 'comfort' of buying from a specialist than privately...
The cost of advertising on Autotrader has risen quite a bit since I sold one of my previous cars 12 months ago...
I was more than happy with the price they paid for it and the money in my account in 10 minutes of him turning up.
They were obviously happy as they sold it within a week for an extra £2.5k... I suppose some people would rather pay for that 'comfort' of buying from a specialist than privately...
The cost of advertising on Autotrader has risen quite a bit since I sold one of my previous cars 12 months ago...
coldel said:
I have found people are more likely to just throw cars at traders/WBAC equivalents nowadays. Probably because its so much easier for time wasters to spam email you, back in the day you had to call up and they are less likely to do that. You generally had proper buyers calling you up.
I have always sold privately except for one trade in. As long as you set your expectations low, and know that maybe one in three people who ask for a viewing turn up, then it's not that much of a pain. There are genuine, decent buyers out there and to be fair, they are taking a risk and need to do their checks.More people lease these days, and WBAC etc offer hassle free options so it's not surprising that private sellers have become more rare. I am selling a car currently, and there's nearly a £2k difference between AT private sale prices and Motorway/WBAC for a similar car. If I clear even £1k above the WBAC valuation by selling privately, that's a good return for a few hours effort.
AlfaManc said:
I have always sold privately except for one trade in. As long as you set your expectations low, and know that maybe one in three people who ask for a viewing turn up, then it's not that much of a pain. There are genuine, decent buyers out there and to be fair, they are taking a risk and need to do their checks.
More people lease these days, and WBAC etc offer hassle free options so it's not surprising that private sellers have become more rare. I am selling a car currently, and there's nearly a £2k difference between AT private sale prices and Motorway/WBAC for a similar car. If I clear even £1k above the WBAC valuation by selling privately, that's a good return for a few hours effort.
I have never traded in, always sold privately. The cars are a bit of an oddball selection though (R33 Skyline, Celica GT4 etc) so tend to ward off your usual low ball time wasters by default. Have sold them all within a few weeks of listing, usually via ebay. People come over, fill out the form, do the tax online, pay up the road at the bank or via bank transfer in situ. Bingo. More people lease these days, and WBAC etc offer hassle free options so it's not surprising that private sellers have become more rare. I am selling a car currently, and there's nearly a £2k difference between AT private sale prices and Motorway/WBAC for a similar car. If I clear even £1k above the WBAC valuation by selling privately, that's a good return for a few hours effort.
I even had one chap fly from Ireland, with a bag of cash! Put it through the bank on the high street and off he went to catch the ferry back. Legend!
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