Selling a car privately

May 30th 2019

When we sell our car, we want to be sure we choose a method that best suits our specific circumstances.

Ever popular is selling privately, mainly because the seller stands to get more cash in his pocket since dealerships are not involved in the process. It must be mentioned, however, that this method may not suit everybody and will therefore be avoided by some.

The Case FOR Selling Privately

  • Best Price - No dealerships are involved to take commission, so you will get the highest possible price; throughout the process you dictate the terms and conditions and you alone decide how to enter into negotiations.

  • You Remain in Charge - You do the market research yourself, the price comparisons, advertising and dealing with clients. Specifically suited to the organised individual.

  • These days almost everybody has reliable internet access and can therefore choose from a number of sites that offer the opportunity to sell your car privately. No hassle with visiting dealerships: You register online with the site of your choice and by following some simple steps you have your car sold – virtually from the comfort of your office or home.

  • If you’re registered with an online group, you will reach the maximum number of potential buyers – very few people today do business without first looking at what the internet has to offer.

  • The alternative is to advertise in your local newspaper, putting up a ‘For Sale’ sign in someone’s shop – even in your car window if you would. And of course you can spread the word among your network of family, colleagues and friends. Easy, simple.

The Case AGAINST Selling Privately

  • If you’re not good when it comes to dealing with people, this will not work for you. Not everybody understands that negotiating with a buyer involves a certain amount of patience and skill, and instead of achieving success; you may hamper your sale. If you feel you have shortcomings in this department, rather stay away from trying to sell privately.

  • It is a time consuming process: You have to prepare an ad (either for the classified section of your local newspaper or the online site you choose) and arrange for buyers to view your vehicle, sometimes at inconvenient times.

  • The Costs involved may actually, in the end, put a dampener on your excitement. Repeated newspaper advertising is not always cheap, online advertising is often not free and preparing the car for sale will further increase your expenses.

  • Understand what the paperwork involves, right from an MOT to what is expected in terms of DVLA regulations. Do you understand what information should be contained in the receipt, one of which you keep and one of which goes to the new owner? Also make sure you can provide details relating to service records and that you’re well prepared to answer a prospective buyer’s questions.

  • You will have to arrange for prospective buyers to view your car, which poses its own frustrations and risks: You may take off from work – the buyer does not show. Great frustration! Remember too that not everybody out there is honourable – you may compromise personal safety when you meet a total stranger.

  • Be careful of scams such as online payment methods: Fraudulent accounts to ‘’pay’’ for your car may have been set up.

Reduce Frustrations
To take the hassle out of the process for our customers we, at The Car Buying Group, pride ourselves in the professional service we offer: We have run our business successfully for more than seven years and 97% of our customers are happy to refer us to their family and friends. Our undertaking is to provide you with the best in terms of the convenience we offer: We will fetch your vehicle at a location that best suits you, the customer. Our promise to you is a risk-free transaction and speedy turn-around time: It is virtually a case of 'Money-in-your-bank-the-same-day’.

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