The Hassles and Headaches of Buying a Car from a Private Owner

When you need to purchase a new car, there are basically two options: buying from a car dealer or buying from a private individual. Unless you know the private car owner personally, and how he or she has driven the car, such purchases involve a lot of risks which include the following:

No consumer protection: There are many federal and state laws that apply to used car dealerships, but these laws do not extend to private owner sales. When you are buying a car from a private owner, you are at the mercy of the seller. You have no idea how the car was driven, serviced, or maintained. If the car had any problems in the past, they now become your problems.
No warranty: Private car sales do not come with a warranty unless the vehicle’s original warranty is still in effect. If the car is old (more than five years), it will most likely not have any warranty, and if it breaks down within the first week, you are without recourse. Whereas with a dealership, you may be able to get a warranty for parts.

Time spent searching: If you are considering purchasing a used car from a private owner, you will have to spend a lot of time scouring the internet perusing vehicle photos and descriptions over and over again to see all that is available.

Unclear descriptions and bad photos: You will also have to sift through photos of the vehicle and the owner’s descriptions of the car, which you will have to trust that they are truthful. Are the photos showing the car from every angle? What is the description leaving out?

Making an appointment: You will have to contact the owner and make an appointment to see the car in person. How difficult is that going to be? Often, car owners don’t keep appointments, or they are late. Do you really want to spend your time running down a car owner just to try to see the car in person?

Inspection: If you like the car, then you should consider hiring an inspector and getting copies of any old records of the car from Carfax. If you do not like the car or if it fails the inspection, then you start all over again. This can be time-consuming, frustrating, and extremely annoying. When you go to a car dealership, everything is taken care of for you and no time is wasted.

Paperwork: Once you decide on private owner sales, you are responsible for completing the registration forms and title transfer at the Department of Motor Vehicles, along with any other necessary paperwork.

Vehicle history: In many cases, a private seller will not disclose the history of the car, and the Carfax report, which will cost you $100. You will also need to do a search to ensure that there are no liens on the car for non-payment; otherwise, you may not even be able to register the car and be faced with an impoundment.

The true price: When you purchase a car from a private seller, you have no idea of the real value of the car. You can look at the Kelley Blue Book price to obtain a fair value for the car, and you can search the internet for similar cars, but that won’t tell you specifics about the particular vehicle you are looking to purchase.

A lot depends on the mileage of the car, whether it has been in an accident, how it was driven, and how it was cared for. Unless you know cars well, you most likely will be overpaying. Craigslist is inundated with frauds and scams, and you never know who the seller is. Meeting someone at night for private owner sales is not recommended.

Buyer beware: Some private car owners offer their car for ridiculously low prices, and often the buyer gets seduced by the price. But be careful, “If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is.” In most cases, cars that are offered at below-market prices are either lemons or stolen vehicles. The owner probably wants to get rid of it quickly and like they say, “there is a sucker born every minute.” Don’t be one of them.

CONCLUSION

While you may be able to get a good deal when buying a car from a private owner, do you really want to risk it? Do you really want to deal with all the hassles that can come along with it?

If you want a no-hassle and reliable way of buying a car, you cannot go wrong at a dealership. Palm Beach Auto Sales Outlet in West Palm Beach is a reputable and reliable car dealership with great prices. Visit them online, call them, or go by and check out their inventory today!