[330dfan]

Hi guys,

Long term lurker here. And have moved on from my previous 330d a while ago. However I’m currently considering selling one of our cars. I’ve always dealt with dealers with regards to buying and selling my cars. There’s also enough info to find on going the WBAC (or similar) route. However I have never sold (or bought for that matter) privately.

My question mainly relates to test drives. I’ve always taken pride in looking after my cars and am rather sceptical regarding other people driving it. Especially considering the insurance side of it. I’ve seen multiple cars on here being sold, and obviously the abundance of private sellers on autotrader. So I’m sure there’s some common way of doing it.

However how do you guys treat test drives?
- Will you drive yourself and let the potential buyer get a feel for the car?
- Will you take them to a quiet industrial estate or similar and let them drive there?
- Do you ask for proof of 1 day insurance? Or request that he has one?

Most insurances only cover 3rd party if your not one of the named drivers and have an insurance of your own. Which would obviously not cover any damages done to the car might the potential buyer get in an accident with your car.

What do you guys do/think?

[Pentland]

Personally, if they are not fully comp (with proof) I wouldn’t let them drive the car.

Alternatively, they pay for the car, and on return from the test drive, all being well and they don’t want it, hand them the money back.

[Techno 9000]

Proof of comprehensive insurance or I drive.

[KRS_SN]

more important question is having sold most cars I've owned privately is the number of time wasters and w....rs that are out there.
Once you find the right buyer who is genuine exploring suitable legal avenues for a test drive is less of a chore.

[MY340i]

I’ve always mentioned that if they want a test drive, they are more than welcome as long as they get temporary cover on the car through tempcover or similar.

It also Weeds out of the timewasters

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by 330dfan

Hi guys,

Long term lurker here. And have moved on from my previous 330d a while ago. However I’m currently considering selling one of our cars. I’ve always dealt with dealers with regards to buying and selling my cars. There’s also enough info to find on going the WBAC (or similar) route. However I have never sold (or bought for that matter) privately.

My question mainly relates to test drives. I’ve always taken pride in looking after my cars and am rather sceptical regarding other people driving it. Especially considering the insurance side of it. I’ve seen multiple cars on here being sold, and obviously the abundance of private sellers on autotrader. So I’m sure there’s some common way of doing it.

However how do you guys treat test drives?
- Will you drive yourself and let the potential buyer get a feel for the car?
- Will you take them to a quiet industrial estate or similar and let them drive there?
- Do you ask for proof of 1 day insurance? Or request that he has one?

Most insurances only cover 3rd party if your not one of the named drivers and have an insurance of your own. Which would obviously not cover any damages done to the car might the potential buyer get in an accident with your car.

What do you guys do/think?

I think you will also find that most insurances dont give 3rd party cover on any car any more.

For me its simple, I dont sell privately any more. Too much risk for too small a premium, in my eyes, so dealer, dealer group, WBAC, motorway, wizzle or keep it....

I am quite risk averse though!

[KCH1984]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

I think you will also find that most insurances dont give 3rd party cover on any car any more.

For me its simple, I dont sell privately any more. Too much risk for too small a premium, in my eyes, so dealer, dealer group, WBAC, motorway, wizzle or keep it....

I am quite risk averse though!

This. For the sake of 500 quid to not have done weirdo at your door. It also depends on price point, as most people want to finance anything even semi-expensive these days so I'm not sure what sort of pool I'd have had anyway for the X5 versus punting it on Wizzle.

[Arcticdan]

I have recently sold a 20k car on auto trader, lots of timewasters and one in particular from one of the brokers who led me on that he was a private buyer then admitted he was just trying it on, t**t!

However the guy who eventually bought the car at asking price (2k over nearest broker) travelled from Newcastle area by train to North Wales, I picked him up at the station, looked at his day insurance (which he had got so he could drive back to Newcastle) went for a test drive, took him back to my workplace to complete transaction and confirm transfer of funds. My conclusion before letting him test drive was he would not have gone to all that travel and effort to not buy the car.

For me Autotrader worked and I gained 2k, however as others have said definitely check insurance (during the test drive he stalled it merging from a slip road onto a 2 lane A road in traffic, squeaky b*m time!), also ensure you are happy with the method of transfer of funds and don't get caught out.

Best of luck with the sale

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

I think you will also find that most insurances dont give 3rd party cover on any car any more.

For me its simple, I dont sell privately any more. Too much risk for too small a premium, in my eyes, so dealer, dealer group, WBAC, motorway, wizzle or keep it....

I am quite risk averse though!

^^^ this. And the way car prices are at the moment with these sorts of websites, not worth the hassle of selling private. But that wont last forever.

[KRS_SN]

my experiences of selling private over past 5 years
car 1 320d part ex offered 2.8k sold 4k
car 2 220d part ex offered 18.5 k sold 21k
car 3 335d part ex offered 15k sold 16.5k
5.2k gained over 5 years and I enjoy the thrill
car 1 was most difficult as didn't know about time wasters but a local Lovely old lady bought it off me and still owns it,it did 130k miles with me but in the past 4 years since sale its done 11k miles.
Car 2 was bought by a dentist from Aberdeen
Car 3 was bought by a dealer who was upfront and told me he couldn't match private prices but would get as close as he could so he can sell on and make money on finance etc.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by KRS_SN

my experiences of selling private over past 5 years
car 1 320d part ex offered 2.8k sold 4k
car 2 220d part ex offered 18.5 k sold 21k
car 3 335d part ex offered 15k sold 16.5k
5.2k gained over 5 years and I enjoy the thrill
car 1 was most difficult as didn't know about time wasters but a local Lovely old lady bought it off me and still owns it,it did 130k miles with me but in the past 4 years since sale its done 11k miles.
Car 2 was bought by a dentist from Aberdeen
Car 3 was bought by a dealer who was upfront and told me he couldn't match private prices but would get as close as he could so he can sell on and make money on finance etc.

I guess two key points in that....

1. you enjoy it - I cant stand strangers coming to my house and trying to haggle me down. I certainly would need to inspect an insurance cover very carefully, and I'd be concerned about fakes. I'd also be concerned about being threatened with a knife half way round the test drive and forced out whilst my pride and joy is driven away....

2. Those cars are relatively low value except the last one - that you sold to a dealer....

I dont enjoy it and not bothered about getting the last pound out of the part ex, sometimes there is more to life...

Each to their own as they say....

[lethbridge]

I have sold a few of mine privately - typically in the £12-15k bracket - top of the range cars at 3-4 years old but with high mileage - all have been trouble free sales (but I think where you live probably makes a big difference here). I would never allow a buyer to test drive. I will take the car out and I will let the buyer dictate how to drive it, show it tracks true, etc. There is nothing really to gain to test drive it yourself - assuming you are familar with the car - if you aren't and want a test drive, go to a dealer and pay their prices... That said, as others have said the car market is so bouyant at the moment that there is little to gain selling privately - my rule of thumb is to list a private sale in the £12-15k mark at £2k less than the price dealers are asking for similar model/age/mileage (nothing else matters). That means you are making probably £1-1.5k more than px. If you don't price it right it simply won't sell - and right now that price is probably not far enough off of WBAC/Wizzle/Motorway/etc. to be worth the hassle... Now is a very good time to be selling...

[Techno 9000]

I've sold my last three cars privately, the last buyer came over with his mechanic to check it over. Prior to that I had a buyer fly in from Ireland, the one prior flew from Scotland to buy. Each car made more than trade would contemplate.

[goodbyalfa]

I just traded my 3 year old 440i gc for just over 22k after negotiations (Settlement was 20.8k). Webuyanycar offered me 21.2k a month ago, just had an email where they raised their offer to £21.8k. Interesting times if your are selling. Never had equity in a 4 year pcp at the 3 year time point before....

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by goodbyalfa

I just traded my 3 year old 440i gc for just over 22k after negotiations (Settlement was 20.8k). Webuyanycar offered me 21.2k a month ago, just had an email where they raised their offer to £21.8k. Interesting times if your are selling. Never had equity in a 4 year pcp at the 3 year time point before....

according to the WBAC value, I can get £6k out of £8.5k deposit back at 6 months in, madness! Of course I am not going to do as cant think of anything I would rather have.....

Its gone up again - another £1k. At this rate by the time I make my next monthly payment on 2/6/21 I'll be in positive equity versus my original deposit! Who'd have thought an RS4 would be a saving mechanism...?

[DB118D]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

according to the WBAC value, I can get £6k out of £8.5k deposit back at 6 months in, madness! Of course I am not going to do as cant think of anything I would rather have.....

That's the flip side of the strong money you'll get

You need to spend all of the upside to buy something else in the market

And as you say, how do you replace an RS4?

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by DB118D

That's the flip side of the strong money you'll get

You need to spend all of the upside to buy something else in the market

And as you say, how do you replace an RS4?

well there are three brands on my tick list still to own.... Jaguar (but I may have missed that boat), Porsche (likewise - or more like it never sailed near me!), or Alpina.... and a B3 is just too expensive for what it is!

[DB118D]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

well there are three brands on my tick list still to own.... Jaguar (but I may have missed that boat), Porsche (likewise - or more like it never sailed near me!), or Alpina.... and a B3 is just too expensive for what it is!

@JustChris will be looking to offload his F-Type next week.....

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by DB118D

@JustChris will be looking to offload his F-Type next week.....

only two seats and no space for the dog!

and he wont be offloading it until the M240ix arrives...

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

only two seats and no space for the dog!

and he wont be offloading it until the M240ix arrives...

No plans