The major priority of most car owners when trying to seal a good deal during a car transaction is basically on getting the most cash from such a sale. This stance is quite understandable considering the fact that this owners or dealers have spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money in securing and maintaining the vehicle. However what many fail to realize is that getting the highest bid should not be the only focus in this regard. This is so because fraudulent individuals are ever lurking to take advantage of any over eager car owner, it is becoming an increasingly common feature to find people fall victims of the scam of this individuals. However, there are certain steps that could be taken to avert such an occurrence. It should be noted that these steps are quite easy and should be adopted by any security conscious car owner.
Never meet in a secluded location
As obvious as this may sound, many have actually fallen victims in this situation, it is advisable for anyone involved in an auto deal to carry out such transactions in an open and bright location where people are. You could choose the front of a supermarket, for instance, certainly, no one wants to rob you in the full glare of humans and the ever reliable CCTV cameras in the middle of the day, besides no one wants to commit a crime in front of multiple witnesses. Also, it is quite inadvisable to invite anyone to your home for such a deal; there is always the risk of the person invading your home on a later date.
Stick to cash payments
Well, many people don’t really fancy cash payments as regards financial transactions due to the inherent risks involved in such, however accepting check payments could turn out to be a terrible move as many unscrupulous individuals are known to hand over bad checks and thus possess totally free rides. However, even if you must accept checks, ensure you have a good working relationship with a good bank that you can call to verify the authenticity of such a document before trading your keys to such a person after the money has been cleared, furthermore, you could easily identify a scammer by those who seem to be willing to meet your exact valuation or even pay more than the amount you are proposing.
Don’t allow a test drive without a sealed deal
It may be true that people might not be so willing to part with their hard earned cash without first ascertaining the quality of the product on offer, but it should also be known that many bad eggs seize this opportunity to strike on unsuspecting victims by making away with the car. However, if you must ratify a test drive, insist on coming along on such trips, in addition to this, you should also insist on sighting the license of the driver and if possible make a photocopy of same, with a copy of this, you could quickly run a security check on the would-be buyer to see if they are at peace with the laws of the land, this would certainly help you decide if permitting such a test drive is a good idea after all
Be sure of the value of your car
So many car buyers can be very dubious sometimes, they have a penchant for trying to undervalue the cars of individuals, they even go as far as bringing in an auto mechanic to find nonexistent faults in your car, they tell you that your car isn’t really worth as much as you think. This singular approach may only work for you if you are not sure of the worth of your car, hence the need for you to carry out a market analysis if need be so as to ascertain the true value of your car. Going into the negotiation table with a brain loaded with relevant information about your car would certainly arm you with confidence and clarity.
Try selling online
This strategy although not 100% infallible does come with its own benefits, for one, you get to finalize the negotiations even before meeting the person. The advent of the internet has certainly made life a lot easier in this regard, another very crucial benefit of this approach is that you remove the need for an intermediary who may want to reap you off. Also, there is the chance of making the deal within a day.
