Why You Shouldn’t Sell Privately

Selling your car might be something you’re losing sleep over. It might be because you’re excited to finally get the capital you need to buy the car you’ve been dreaming of. Maybe you’ve done it before and you love the experience of trading with other vehicle owners. Or, most likely, you’re worried sick that you might make a mistake and lose thousands of rands in the process.

Unless you’re well versed in the art of selling second hand cars, which most of us aren’t, we recommend that you don’t sell your car privately. This isn’t because we don’t believe that you’re willing to put in the time, effort and research to do it properly, but simply because we don’t believe it’s necessary.

The main reasons why people sell they’re cars privately are to get the “best” price possible and to have more freedom throughout the transaction process. We’re happy to tell you that you don’t necessarily have to sell privately to achieve these goals. Working with a reputable pre-owned car salesperson ensures that you not only have control over to whom and how you sell your car, but you also have access to expert advice from someone who’s been doing it for years.

Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t sell your car privately.

It’s time consuming.

You won’t be selling your car within a week or two unless you’re extremely lucky. Not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because there are thousands of other sellers with cars just like yours advertising to the same demographic of buyers. If you don’t understand how to advertise your car properly, it could take months to sell it.

It could be dangerous.

Selling a car to a complete stranger of course holds its own dangers like theft or scams. Experienced sales people know how to recognise dishonest buyers due to meeting dozens of them in the past. You might not have the expertise to know how to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

It might not simply be a threat to your immediate person – selling to someone who’s finance suddenly isn’t covering the expense anymore when they’ve already left with the car is also something that might very well happen.

It’s expensive.

If you choose to advertise your car on classifieds boards you might need to boost or feature your vehicle listings at a high price. Even then you’re still only advertising on one platform. You’ll also have to have a mechanic check your car for any possible faults and if anything is found, you’ll need to foot the bill.

It’s not always straightforward.

Selling a car is not as easy as simply taking money from a buyer and letting them drive off into the sunset. You’ll need to finalise your own finance if you’ve still got fees outstanding. You’ll also have to deal with your buyers financing provider which will definitely be time consuming and often frustrating.

It’s stressful.

You might find yourself spending as much time working as you do worrying. Are you doing it right? Is there anything that you’ve missed that might come back to bite you? When you work with a professional, they worry for you while you can focus on your other priorities.

This all being said, you can definitely sell your car privately, although it will take much more time and effort than selling with an experienced dealership. If you’d like to sell your car as quickly, hassle-free and honestly as possible, feel free to contact us to set up a consultation.