Buy private?

[jafo09]

Hi guys, I sold my C7 a couple of months ago and still trying to figure out what the next vehicle is.

I am looking for opinions on the reverse process. By that I mean this - I posted my C7 on autotrader (and here) and had many (>25) responses in the 2 weeks it was listed. Most seemed to be genuine first inquiries but not one resulted in someone even coming out to look at my car let alone get to an offer stage. I was then contacted by a dealer who gave me exactly what I wanted. It was sold within 2 weeks after going up on the dealer's website (at least it was no longer listed).

My question is this - do most people prefer transacting with a dealer? The dealer that sold my C7 definitely made some profit - I don't know how much but it had to be worthwhile to him. I'm curious because I'm now looking at Vipers and ZR1s and think I'm quite open to a private sale but in the back of my mind...

Any thoughts?

Mike

 

[Nik]

Hi guys, I sold my C7 a couple of months ago and still trying to figure out what the next vehicle is.

I am looking for opinions on the reverse process. By that I mean this - I posted my C7 on autotrader (and here) and had many (>25) responses in the 2 weeks it was listed. Most seemed to be genuine first inquiries but not one resulted in someone even coming out to look at my car let alone get to an offer stage. I was then contacted by a dealer who gave me exactly what I wanted. It was sold within 2 weeks after going up on the dealer's website (at least it was no longer listed).

My question is this - do most people prefer transacting with a dealer? The dealer that sold my C7 definitely made some profit - I don't know how much but it had to be worthwhile to him. I'm curious because I'm now looking at Vipers and ZR1s and think I'm quite open to a private sale but in the back of my mind...

Any thoughts?

Mike

Selling a car privately whether here or kijiji will always be fraught with tire kickers. Selling an expensive car privately more so than others. It took me many months to sell my cars privately so my best advice is to persevere. Buying privately is a similar experience. A lot of sellers simply ask too much and potential buyers are often put off from making contact. Haggling is expected with dealers and perhaps there's a slight stigma that it's less welcomed in private sales (that's obviously not the case). There's literally no benefit buying used from a dealer unless you're getting into a CPO car of sorts or you have a trade you'd like to dispose off quickly. In most cases you can get more car for your money privately if you spend the time and come prepared with cash in hand to haggle. Look at cars that have been listed for a while, get a pre-check done and come ready to negotiate on the spot. It will work out for you.

 

[Keith Tedford]

We bought our '05 in 2012. The one bit of advice we got was to buy NOTHING from Eastern Ontario or Quebec. The chances of getting scammed are just not worth the risk. Branded cars can go to Quebec, registered there and the branding disappears as there is no such thing in Quebec. When the car comes back to Ontario for resale, it is clean. We bought ours from a police officer in the Bradford area. Be vigilant when buying privately.

 

[Riley P]

In Saskatchewan, there is no sales tax with private sales whereas dealers have to add 5%. So most people look at private. However, if unsure about the car, most dealers offer a short warranty and the car has to go through an inspection prior to being sold so there is a little piece of mind should you purchase through a dealer (But it depends on the dealership as some used car only dealers could just be flipping cars with no inspections or warranties).
I'm fine with buy private, but I would suggest getting the vehicle inspected and complete a history search. It may not catch everything, but at least it reduces the chances.