HELPFUL HINTS WHEN BUYING A CAR

Hi, I have bought and sold several cars on Ebay and can honestly say it has been a pleasure, The main reason for that is that I make a big deal about being painfully honest, thathonesty factor means the buyer knows what to expect when he turns up to collect. Also check the feedback of who you buy from and sell too, not just thier score but the items they have bought and sold recently, (read my other guide on feedbackblackmail and how to avoid it) you may find they bought the car they are selling recently and may give you a guide or information about your intended purchase.

Hints for sellers.

Just be honest, make a list of all the faults you can find and put it in the description listed in RED, then all the good points listed in blue, Give a mental picture of what it is like to drive "goes like a dream and drives as it should do" let the buyers imagination do the selling for you. Offer the opportunity to view and test drive, it demonstrates your confidence in the car and helps make any bid solid.

As a buyer there is nothing worse than travelling a couple of hundred miles with your anticipation all worked up only to find the Air Conwont work or there is no second gear.

Finally consideroffering a guarantee a;long these lines, I guarantee youthat everybodys perception of condition is different.

My guarantee is, If when you collect the car, you can demonstrate that the car is not asI have described it you can walk away with no hard feelings and no negative feedback, we just cancel the deal through mutual consent, as simple as that.

This shows your confidencein the cars description. and your integrity as an honourable seller, REMEMBER the contract works both ways, the description is part of the contract and the buyer can just walk away if your description is not realistic anyway so why make ill feeling out of it.

Hints for buyers

ASK the questions not answered in the description, Quite often to avoid saying something negative a lot of sellers just do not say it at all.

Ask the seller, does the car run as it should, is the gearbox and clutch in good orderdoes it overheat at all, are there any warning lights showing, does everything work, Is there any reason why it would not get me the 200 miles home, and finally are there any faults with the car you have not listed.

In my experience if asked these questions in a friendly and matter of fact way the seller will not lie to you, they would rather sell the car and not have any comeback.

Finally, yes this is an auction and as such there is the caveat emptor (buyer beware) by bidding you are entering into a legally binding contract to buy, but only to buy what the seller described in the listing and any subsequent information so take the description and any emails with you to close the transaction. do not expect the seller to have checked every bulb but if it is a four door and it only has three you are within your rights to walk away.