Selling a car

freddie1970

Hi I’m looking to try and sell a car privately is there anything I need to look out for while I do this.. I assume it’s better meet potential buyers at a meeting point rather than at home. Would you let the person take the car for a spin alone or would you accompany them ?

chicorytip

Is it advertised on Done Deal? You need to create interest so include as much detail as possible about the car with good clear photos of the entire exterior and interior of the vehicle. Set a realistic price. Private buyers expect to pay considerably less than the market value.

It's much better to meet potential buyers at your own home. You have nothing to hide. I would be suspicious if a seller insisted on meeting in a public car park. As for accompanying on a test drive, on balance, yes, you should. For one thing the viewer won't be able to claim faults with the car when there are none if you are in the passenger seat beside them. It depends. Did the person arrive alone or accompanied or in another vehicle or not. You will get a sense whether someone is trustworthy or not.

pooley124

I can't see it now but there used to be a sticky here with loads of advice about selling a car.

Del2005

There's no issue with meeting in a public place to see the car but I'd only pay for a car at the registered address, I'd even ask to use the toilet if they meet outside.

For test drives you need to make sure that they are insured to drive it. The way with bikes is asking price in cash before any test rides. If you don't go with them on a test drive and they steal the car you aren't covered for theft as you handed them the keys. Either get the full asking price or sit in with them, then at least if they steal it you've been threatened so are covered.

warrior00

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121190364#Comment_121190364

Ask to use the toilet. That way too far tbh.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121191766#Comment_121191766

It's to make sure they actually are the residents and owners of the car you are about to buy. There's been plenty of stories of people buying outside a house and when there's issues with the purchase they find out that the person selling wasn't resident in the house or the owner of the the vehicle.

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121191856#Comment_121191856

Plenty of stories? Can you name a few?

And issues with purchase? Its a private sale so nothing you can do regardless.

goochy

I dont get this meeting people in car park nonsense , do people think a persons going to rob their house or start stalking them ?

if buying a car i would want to call to sellers house and then make sure address on log book manage their house

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121192145#Comment_121192145

Perhaps if you are the seller, you don't want to be advertising your address and then having to tell unknown callers "You can't come to see it Monday as there will be nobody there until 9pm"

You could always insist at closing the deal at the house if you are a genuine buyer

User1998

Best scenario for buyer & seller is to meet at local car park, and if buyer is happy with the car then go to sellers house to do paperwork & cash.

If seller can prove logbook name & address match their details then there’s really no need to go to the house.

Me personally I just bring people straight to my house, let them use the toilet or whatever. Never had any problems.

A lot of the time the cars I sell are not registered to me so meeting in a car park would not work with some people.

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121190364#Comment_121190364

What makes you think cover applies if you let someone else drive regardless of whether you are in the car or not?

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121192377#Comment_121192377

How can you sell a car that's not in your name? Are you a car dealer operating from home?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121192440#Comment_121192440

Yep I buy & sell cars part time

kil

I've bought and sold 20 cars over the years and have never sold a car from my home address and never would, in fact I'd rarely even let them see my name or address on the logbook and I'd make sure I'd have torn off the detachable piece also. In my opinion there is nothing to be gained by letting the buyer know your address.

In terms of buying a car I would say its probably 50/50 between meeting at someone's home or a carpark.

For test drives - always accompany them.

brokenbad

Have bought and sold a few cars privately over the years and i would agree with a lot of the comments posted here.

My own personal checklist as a seller would be:

1. Advertise on Done Deal but disable text message response as it leads to a lot of nuisance, scam and timewasters texts. Advertise contact by phone only. If someone is genuinely interested they will have no problem phoning you.
2. Do not advertise on Facebook Marketplace - it might be free, but is a breeding ground for scam artists and timewasters.
3. Arrange to meet in a public place for first viewing. I have met buyers at petrol stations where there are loads of people around - not to mention CCTV if potential car jackers are your interested party.
4. Do not allow a test drive unless you accompany the driver. Use your judgement if the driver asks to "bring a friend" along for the spin.
5. Some buyers bring along a mechanic or someone who "knows a bit about cars". Allow them to mechanically inspect your car while you observe from a distance - do not leave keys in ignition unless you are in the car or close by.
6. If buyer agrees to buy the car after a test drive and price has been agreed, request a deposit to secure same. Depending on how large the deposit is - some buyers may want to make deposit via bank transfer, and that's fine - providing the money is in your bank account before the final payment is made.
7. Agree on a timeframe for completion of final payment.
8. Complete the sale and associated paperwork at your house once you have established that the buyer is genuine.
9. Do not hand over keys and do not send transfer of ownership form until full payment has been made. If the buyer is genuine he will have no problem with that.
10. Always give the buyer something back for luck - usually 50 euro back or equivalent in fuel in the tank.
11. Selling privately means no comeback for the buyer once he drives out the gate - make sure any known issues (no matter how minor) are disclosed before the sale is complete to avoid phone calls the next day about "surprise" issues that were not there during the test drive.
12. Good luck with the sale!

goochy

i wouldnt be buying a car from someone who wont let me see there name on log book

mickdw

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121191860#Comment_121191860

More than a few cloned cars have been sold in this country including fake log book. The fake book makes it all look good as it will match chassis number present on car to the wrong reg. The only way to verify is a car check but too many people get blinded by a good deal and don't do the check.

Buying from a person of verified name and verified address is a very good idea for all sorts of reasons.

Galwayguy35

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121192145#Comment_121192145

I depends.

If its an old car like the one I was selling the pavees always show an interest in buying so no way I'm showing them where I live.

TheOriginalMattman

Personally I wouldn't buy from a "private" seller.

You're buying as seen, and like others have said there are too many variables for trouble.

Even the dodgiest of car dealers you have more security than a private seller.

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121193368#Comment_121193368

If you do your due diligence fully you should be fine buying from a private seller.

You'll buy the vehicle for less than a dealer too.

TheOriginalMattman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121193434#Comment_121193434

Can't disagree on either point.

But, if you're like a lot of people and not sure how or where to carry out due diligence, a dealer is the way to go. They're not all perfect by any means either. Jaysis I'll be shopping around myself in the new year and I'm already getting anxious!

goochy

I f you are buying an older or lower value car - private sale way to go but bring a mechanic

mykrodot

I sold my car last weekend, after just 1 day on Done Deal. It was a Dacia Duster 2017 with 155K km on it. I got 10K in cash for it. Met the buyers in a supermarket car park, they were a very genuine couple, the husband was a mechanic and the car was for his wife. They had travelled 1.5 hours to see my car. I had got it valeted the day before, it was spotless and I had taken very good photos...... 10 hours later I had sold it to this couple. We exchanged phone numbers and I signed the transfer of ownership form so I had their address etc too.

5 days later I got a lift to Dublin and bought another Dacia Duster privately. It is 2 years newer, just 25K km on the clock , NCT'd, fully serviced since new, all receipts in glove box, new tyres, highest possible spec! I went to the bank with the seller to put the 10K in cash I had received from my own car sale through scanner to make sure it was all ok. Transferred the remaining 7K to his account (we were both with the same bank so the transfer was instant). Job done.

I am a single female and I always buy privately, but I do all my checks beforehand, so far never got caught out. Happy Days!

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121192410#Comment_121192410

I said make sure that they are insured. You sit with them so you have theft insurance if they steal it. Giving someone the keys insurance won't cover you for theft, if they kick you out of the car you are covered.

Depends, when I am selling bikes no way in hell would I show them where I live, a car I would sell from the house no problem and I would want to buy a used car from the person's house, if they said to meet somewhere I would decline.

As Del said above, a bike they need to give me the money up front in cash if they want a test drive, I also want their passport

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121200751#Comment_121200751

So if a 3rd party is test driving your car using their own insurance, you're covered for potential theft?

How did you work that one out?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121205034#Comment_121205034

Thats not what they meant at all.

They mean if you hand over your keys and let them test drive alone you will not be covered for theft if they steal the car

But if you test drive the car with them as a passenger and you are ‘car jacked’, you will be covered for theft

Whocare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121191766#Comment_121191766

Depends on value of car

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121205456#Comment_121205456

Who in their right mind is going to go for a test drive from the passenger seat?

User1998

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121211357#Comment_121211357

Jesus Christ, the OWNER should be in the passenger seat.

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121212275#Comment_121212275

Mind your language!

I can't see how an insurance claim for theft might be met in those circumstances. "I let this stranger drive my car, then he threw me out". Nah.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121193368#Comment_121193368

I looked after the buying of a car privately once for someone - a 00 1.9 TDI Passat that actually had a very good spec, was as seen and less than €3k. Thankfully it worked out fine.

But I wouldn't do it for anything more expensive or for an amount that I wasn't prepared to fully write off if it came to it. Plus I generally want to trade-in to avoid having to deal with the messers and timewasters and to have some sort of comeback if needed.