97TURBO

The last few times we have changed car it was done through trading in, so im kind of out of touch with private selling.
The reason we want to go down this route is to get as much for my wifes car as possible. I always remember selling my first two cars private and it could sometimes be an interesting experience, with all sorts phoning and viewing.

Last week i put a free ad on Gumtree, contacting me was to be done through e-mail or mobile phone. In that time i have had 3 calls and they have all been a bit strange, mostly starting with a text then a phone call.
Do you think it is normal for somebody to request the reg of the vehicle and the MOT Certificate number? The guy claimed it was for an HPI check, but i asked why would you carry out that check on a car you still haven't seen yet? He dodged the question. Then started haggling the price, even though he has still not viewed the car Also the price he offered, he said he would want to pay cash. At the moment its been left that he is phoning tomorrow to come and view in the evening.
An hour after that, a woman phoned pretty much going word for word on what he said and offering the exact same price, Even though she hadn't even seen the bloody car

Am I being over paranoid?

donny andi

iTrader: (3)

I hpi'd the wr1 before going down for it,mot is normally for milage checks

Herbie.

You can view all the MOT history online, including advisories, mileages etc, may help them make an informed choice to buy your car.
Ive sold quite a few cars privately and folk mailing asking if you will take £XXX for it before they decide to travel was the norm. These are normally people that cant afford your asking price, or "chancers" lol.
All depends on the distance the buyer is from you. Id want to HPI a car before travelling many miles to view.

97TURBO

What about taking cash?
I would prefer if that was the case, then it should be done during banking hours. That way the money can physically be in the account before he drives off.

Jamescsti

I sold a couple of cars through Ebay, worked well for me on both occasions although with Fees now I would think twice.

pslewis

Yeah, easy job selling privately ..... I only need one person to turn up and the car is sold - it's priced right and it is right, everytime. I just think what I would want for the asking price and make sure I offer it .... a full folder of history is a must!

You do get weird calls, I do not discuss price before the buyer has viewed the car ... it will be priced right, if they want what I have they will pay what I ask - simple as.

stiscooby

You do get time wasters when you advertise your car, although I wouldn't say it's unreasonable for someone to ask for the Reg, MOT no. or even V5 document no. (this can be used for HPI check etc), I know I have done in the past when buying a car.

I myself tend to mention to the seller the sort of money im looking to spend, especially if it's a reasonable distance away, to see if they would be willing to sell for around the figure im looking at. I wouldn't want to travel some distance, get there, like the car, but then find the seller won't drop the price and then I have wasted my time and theirs.

I also carry out an hpi check before I travel some distance. It's a bit of a toss up really - do you spend the £19 or whatever it is these days to do a check then get there and you don't like the car anyway, or go before doing a check, like the car then do the check while your there only to find a problem (and probably wasted the same amount of £'s on petrol).

Either way, no harm in giving details.