Some things you should know before you buy or a sell a car!
A few years ago, when I still owned a car, I decided it was time to sell. I wasn’t all too familiar with Gumtree, I had only sold the odd camera and so forth on it, but never something as big as a car. I was naturally aprehensive but mainly due to the horror stories of people’s cars being hijacked during the sale process. But seeing as I had never had an issue with Gumtree before I decided to post my car advert.
I had many responses and as a single female I had to work out the safest way of going about meeting these potential buyers. I decided it best to meet them on the busy main street near to where I live. And this was pretty much the only precaution I took. An older gentleman arrived and asked to test drive the car and seeing as he had just parked his car next to mine I took this as some kind of surity. I obviously wasn’t prepared to get in the car alone with him. So he took it for a spin and as my heart pounded and my head filled with thoughts of my father saying, “Well of course he stole it, serves you right for just trusting a stranger with your car!,” he pulled up round the corner and all was fine. I eventually ended up selling my car to a nice young girl who lived close to me, also via Gumtree.
If I look back now, I didn’t really take the necessary safety steps, but thankfully my story has a happy ending. But that isn’t always the case! Your car selling/buying process doesn’t need to be a scary one though. There are certain things you can do to ensure your safety and Gumtree are all about a safe and secure selling and buying process. With the right information, you can be confident in your ability to buy or sell a car. Here are the things you need to know!
1. Always inform your friends/family about a potential sale/purchase meeting. If possible, make sure someone is with you.
2. Meet in a public place and as we mentioned, try to take someone with you so that you don’t have to be alone (especially if you are a woman).
3. Try to KNOW the potential buyer/seller by getting their information like their telephone number, name and surname etc. If the buyer/seller is ‘out of the country’ or ‘can’t show you the product before purchase’ then rather move on to another deal.
4. Ask the seller/buyer to bring their ID along so you can verify who you are dealing with.
5. Ask questions about the car- the more you ask the more you will know. And ask to see the documents of the vehicle.
6. Always handle private transactions from a safe environment such as a bank. This way, no one has to carry large sums of money on their person, and all cash can be verified and deposited at the time of the transaction.
7. Leave your valuables at home and DON’T purchase a car with cash. Accompany the seller to the bank, and do the transaction in a safe/public place.
8. Wait for the money to clear before handing over any goods and don’t always trust SMS notifications as proof of payment. Rather ask for an official statement sent by the bank.
9. When buying a car ask to do a test drive but be sure to take someone with you. And always ask for roadworthy proof upfront.
10. If the car seems too good to be true, and the seller seems too eager to get rid of it, you can check with the local police if it has been reported as stolen.
11. Try to do transactions within your area/province. Situations where the buyer/seller is far away or in another country can easily be a scam.
12. Report suspicious ads immediately- that way other users can’t be scammed and everyone is safe.
13. Remember to always trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right rather walk away from the deal. There will always be another buyer/seller.