Sellilng a car privately - letting someone do a test drive?

Old_-_School

Looking for some standard procedures for selling a car privately:
For the test drive, would you let them off on their own or go with them (or perhaps use their driving license as collateral)?
Do I have to ask about the test driver's insurance? (I've transferred my insurance to another car in case that matters)
Do I arrange to meet them at my house or meet them somewhere neutral (will obviously transfer the insurance back if I'm doing that)?

Appleguy

1) Some garages let people do test drives on their own but for a private sale i wouldn't. Its safer if you go with them for both you and the car as they won't be doing anything they may otherwise be doing if you weren't there.
I think any driver would be a bit funny about you confliscating their license when you first meet them.

2 & 3) Pick somewhere quiet and neutral for a test drive. If a deal materialises then you can go to your home address/their address to do the paperwork. I see no reason why a person should know where you live unless they are buying the car.

Richie15

Don't take his licence, two very good reasons not to:
1) He can't legally drive without it (I've never heard of anyone getting done but the law's the law)
2) It's not much security anyway, all he has to do is declare it lost or stolen and get a new one for €10

As for insurance, if he's caught driving uninsured he'll probably get a slap on the wrist but you letting him do it is worse. I know someone who let a friend drive him home because he was drunk and they got stopped. The driver just got a warning, the owner got a prison term.
If you have an open drive policy this will usually cover anyone over 25 with a full licence. If he has a policy that allows him to drive other cars ask to see this. Normally these only cover you if the car itself has a policy on it and doesn't belong to you, and you have a full licence.
Don't let him drive until you're sure he's covered under one policy (preferably his own).

Del2005

Be aware that if they are driving your car on their own policy using the other cars extension and they wreck it, the car only has 3rd party insurance on it as your own policy isn't active as it's being covered by their policy . Make sure they have the money to pay for it if they wreck it and they know this.

Old_-_School

Should I only accept cash/banker's draft?
Also, have they any rights for a refund if it breaks down a few days later?

Henry Ford III

Old_-_School wrote: »

Should I only accept cash/banker's draft?
Also, have they any rights for a refund if it breaks down a few days later?

Check the authenticity of a bank draft with the issuing bank. 100% safe then.

Private sale = caveat emptor. No come back.

robtri

Bank drafts can take up to two days to fully clear, treat them like a cheque... people have been caught out on that before....

As to the insurance, if a potential buyer wants a test drive, ring his insurance company yourself and get a temporary transfer of insurance done for 60mins.. expalin the reasons and it will not be a problem, while on the phone check the cover is fully comp.. and you are all good to go...
otherwise its a no no in my books to drive the car, I take them on a test drive, but I drive it.

RentDayBlues

I just sold privately and had all these questions too!

I let both people who came to see it test drive it, I live in a quiet area and did not let them out on the main road. One was happy for me to drive while they sat in the passenger seat. It was a risk but in such a quiet area at a speed of 30 KM max I was happy to let it happen.

I took cash but would have taken a bank draft also. No issues at all with the sale, I transferred ownership the following morning and checked on motortax.ie to make sure it had gone through.

Henry Ford III

robtri wrote: »

Bank drafts can take up to two days to fully clear, treat them like a cheque... people have been caught out on that before....

As to the insurance, if a potential buyer wants a test drive, ring his insurance company yourself and get a temporary transfer of insurance done for 60mins.. expalin the reasons and it will not be a problem, while on the phone check the cover is fully comp.. and you are all good to go...
otherwise its a no no in my books to drive the car, I take them on a test drive, but I drive it.

Bank darfts are essentially cash. Take the precaution I detailed and they are 100% safe.

A member of the public cannot transfer somebody else's insurance.

aoibhebree

I've never sold a car but I've taken a few for test drives when I was buying. Each time, we met at the owner's house, and the owner let myself and the boyfriend take it off for a test drive no bother. No collateral asked for ... but having said that, my boyfriend's car (which we left at the house) was worth a lot more than any car we were looking at!! Also we paid in cash. No questions asked about insurance etc, but we didn't go too far and stuck to back roads.

I'd say you'd be very unlucky to be screwed over by a potential buyer, but it's just the risk you're taking by selling privately.

jmck87

The way I always done it when selling was to drive it myself to a industrial estate or quiet car park and then let them drive it (with me in car as well).

--Kaiser--

I was going to have a look at a car I was interested in buying and the owner didn't want me test-driving it, despite my full license and open insurance policy. Waste of time me going as there is no way I would drive a car I hadn't driven, I'd say most people would be the same.

Eoin

Does your open drive policy cover you fully comp on another car? I am only covered 3rd party on other peoples cars with my policy.

robtri

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Bank darfts are essentially cash. Take the precaution I detailed and they are 100% safe.

A member of the public cannot transfer somebody else's insurance.

there has been a rise in the number of high quality forged bank drafts in circulation..... and it has been seen in the apst for people to accept them deposit them in bank and up to 48hrs later to recieve a call from bank informing them they are fake...

You can, as long as the owner of the policy is with u, and gives his consent to insurance company... happens every day with hire cars, the employees of rental cars transfer joe soaps insurance onto their vehicles.

Eoin

robtri wrote: »

there has been a rise in the number of high quality forged bank drafts in circulation..... and it has been seen in the apst for people to accept them deposit them in bank and up to 48hrs later to recieve a call from bank informing them they are fake...

If you ring the branch that issued the draft, then they should be able to verify it on the spot.

robtri

eoin wrote: »

If you ring the branch that issued the draft, then they should be able to verify it on the spot.

that is true, but the smart ones doing this, buy a bank draft for say €10,000 and copy that draft.... nad use the deatils of the orignal one on fake ones, so if you call up about it, it comes back genuine, untill it is processed it looks real...

stealthyspeeder

Make sure this doesnt happen to you!

http://www.reallymeansounds.com/forum/car-chat/103164-civic-stolen.html

Last night my friends Civic Sport got stolen from outside the house in nelson court, belfast at 07.40pm.
Guy came to view the car as it was up for sale on usedcarsni and then asked to take it for a test drive before my friend could get into the car he jumped in and drove off on her!

Hagar

eoin wrote: »

If you ring the branch that issued the draft, then they should be able to verify it on the spot.

Good idea, but be wary if the buyer has the number handy for you to ring, it might not be the bank at all.

BlackWizard

Or he could drive to a quiet place where his mates are waiting and then ask you to get out of the car if you still want to be able to walk tomorrow.

There are risks in private sales but common sense should steer most people away from trouble. Not everyone out there is looking to steal your car.

bbam

I bought recently and the guy was happy to let me out in his car. I had shown him my liscence and insurance cert although he didn't ask..
I would fully expect the seller to go on the test drive, as I have insisted on going the few times I have sold privately...