Buying a secondhand van

[4petedaniel]

Hi WE are attenpting to become campervan owners.and are in the process of purchaseing a VW clubman In a private deal, We are both happy with the camper and the price .But having just read this months MMM it state never pay cash . Now this is one of the condidions of the seller . I have arranged to have the cash ready in a local branch of my bank ,and to hand it over,inexchange for the van , we then expect to ride away with it on conpleteion. the Gentleman I am paying has told me that he only has a short time to live which is why he is selling , has any one any suggestions on how I should I proceed?

Petedaniel

[Mel B]

Hi Pete and welcome to the mad house.

 

Be VERY wary! This sounds a bit funny to me. Okay, so the chap may want cash for ease but I'd be a bit worried and think that your suggestion as to 'how' to complete the transaction is a good one, however, the deal itself sounds a bit suspicious.

 

Where have you seen the van - at his home? Did he invite you in? Are you sure he lived there? Is the deal too good to be true?

 

Have you actually checked out that the registration documents match the van? Ie the VIN number and engine number match to confirm the identity of the van, and that he is definitely who he says he is?

 

I'd suggest getting the vehicle checked out with one of the companies that check if there is any HP/credit owing on he vehicle, whether it is on the stolen vehicle register etc. It doesn't cost a lot but could save you a lot.

 

I'd also get it checked out by a garage of your choosing, preferably by one that you have used before, to make sure that it really is worth what you are paying for it and there are no hidden problems.

 

I hope the deal is genuine (and am sorry for the chap if it's true) but you really must be very cautious, after all it is a commercial transaction and you are the one who is parting with your (hard earned) money. If anything is wrong once you've handed over the cash, you're the one who'll loose out. Unfortunately, you cannot always tell nowadays who you can trust and when large amounts of cash are involved you have to be very careful indeed.

 

Please let us know how you get on.

 

 

 

[4petedaniel]

Thanks for your suggestins the problem is that its a 500mile round journey

I am pretty certain that they are selling from there own home. But as you mention you can't be to certain . So how do the rest of you do deals on campers

Petedaniel

[Mike B.]

Hi Pete

As Mel B says this does sound very fishy. I would get it HPId as an absolute minimum and also check the stolen vehicle register. If it is such a good deal and the guy wants cash, why not ask him to deliver it? It's a 500 mile trip to both of you so that can't be an excuse. I should also want proof of the sellers identity, address (easy-just ask for utility bills or driving licence in his name & address-should correspond with Log book) Ask an Insurance company for a quote and ask them to confirm it is on their database as a bone fide vehicle. May sound a bit of work but not in comparison to the amount of work you did to amass the money.

If it is genuine, all well and good if it's not a bit of time & effort now could save you a lot of heartache

Good Luck

Mike

[johnsandywhite]

8-) I don't understand the problem with some people? Mamby (Namby?) Pamby. My son and I have bought around 15 Vehicles from as far as the North of Scotland to the South of England and most places in between. There has only been 1 dodgy deal. That involved an off road Motorbike that had the frame numbers apparently removed. We walked away from the deal. If the Motorhome you are buying has a V5C and is registered at the address you are picking it up from? WHAT is the PROBLEM? *-)

[BGD]

Johnsandywhite -

 

I suggest that the problem with some people is that they are thieves. They are crooks. They are bent. Some people steal things from other people and then attempt to sell them on. In order to do that they tell lies, they forge paperwork, they alter documents, they replace VIN plates, they re-stamp engine numbers, they "ring" vehicles.

 

There's generally no problem with honest people. The trick is in researching independent evidence to separate one from the other.

 

Seems to me (and my general attitude to risk is possibly more relaxed than that of many other people), that even if the risk in paying out (say) £20,000 cash for a 2nd hand vehicle, to a guy you have never met before and know nothing about, is very low; then it's still worth making the effort to check out the vehicle history and his bona fides, before you hand the money over.

 

Even taking your own example of only 1 dodgy deal (that you are aware of) out of 15 second hand vehicle purchases that you have made, that means you have experienced a potential thief/crook ratio of 7%. I have to say that 7% seems a high percentage to me.

 

Risk is a function of two things: the likelihood of the (bad) event occuring; and the size of the damage (cost, time, heartache etc) that would follow.

 

The risk of the deal being crooked is statistically low - hopefully below your own 7% experience; but the possible cost to the buyer in the event that the van is knicked/is on credit is damn big. Losing £10 on a deal isn't big news, but losing (say) £20,000 when what you had been led to believe was "your" van was repossessed by the Police/previous real owner would I suspect hurt most of us a lot.

 

Ergo, on a deal that big it seems to me worth checking stuff out thoroughly for yourself, rather than simply trusting the word of a complete stranger, who (for whatever reason he tells you) wants to get rid of the vehicle he's attempting to sell to.

 

Cheers,

 

Bruce.