Saxo Boy

My uncle has an X5 35sd m-sport on a 2008/58 loaded with pretty much every toy (soft-close doors, pre-heat function, reversing camera, pro-sat nav, beefy sound system, the whole shooting match).

He's talking of trading it in which, of course, means he'll get trade-in prices. I've suggested that I can help him sell it privately. However, I've never tried to sell a car of that nature/value.

It's worth circa £30k. Do people spend that much buying privately? I don't want to offer to help him only to **** away money advertising with little/no hope of ever actually selling it. Opinion...

super_ted

iTrader: (30)

Of course people buying these sorts of cars privately but the trouble you will have is that only a handful of people would want a car like this, high value, high maintenance & high fuel costs.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

X5s have a high second hand value for a reason. We bought ours recently the day it went on sale. The same day the dealership had half a dozen calls from punters and other dealers wanting to take it on.

You should sell it no problem.

Also - a good time to sell it is when it is snowy

stilover

As long as you insist on a Bankers Draft drawn up in front of you "In the bank" then there should be no problem.

£30k is a lot, but any private buyer's can get a loan from the bank so the value of the car shouldn't matter.

Obviously the more valuable a car is, or the more prestige a car is, will always be susceptible to people looking to defraud you.

When my old man was selling his RS4 years ago, the amount of suspicious callers was unreal. We moved the car as several people inquired about the car, arranged an appointment to view, but never turned up. Aroused our suspicion that all they wanted to know was where it was kept so they could come and get it when he wasn't in. If you know what I mean?

SRSport

Thats key and I'd do it for anything over £5000. Under and I go to the bank with the cash with them, once they've counted it, checked it and its safely in the cars theirs.

LC Geezer

I bought my X5 privately. We pre-agreed a price over the phone on the assumption it was as the seller described (no point travelling a long way only to fail to agree on a price), and after viewing, we both went to the bank where I had the bankers draft written in his presence. He advertised it via Pistonheads.

Luan Pra bang

I sold one privately about ten years ago, but it was 15k not 30 just take the usual precautions and be sensible imo you can usually tell wether the buyer is genuine on the phone.