Trade selling cars privately.

[John]

Are the trade allowed to sell cars privately under any circumstances, or does the fact they are a trader mean it cannot happen?

So for example, say you had a trader selling a car on behalf of a relative but was just doing it as a favour to them and was nothing to do with their business?

 

[E63SGem]

Are they selling an E63S W212 by any chance? :/

 

[clk320x]

I don’t see why not?

 

[GeordieN]

I sold a car this way through a main street dealer through family connections. I got what i wanted price wise and the garage made money to. i was paid direct to my bank by garage after car was sold.
Ive heard of a few cars advertised through a garage for customers.

 

[John]

I can't see why not but I can see unscrupulous traders avoiding their responsibilities this way...

Are they selling an E63S W212 by any chance? :/

Theoretical question in this case... sorry.

 

[E63SGem]

I can't see why not but I can see unscrupulous traders avoiding their responsibilities this way...



Theoretical question in this case... sorry.

Thats OK
Still looking...

 

[E63SGem]

I can't see why not but I can see unscrupulous traders avoiding their responsibilities this way...



Theoretical question in this case... sorry.

Thats OK
Still looking...

 

[John]

Thats OK
Still looking...

Thats OK
Still looking...

I can see you're trying really hard...

 

[elan362]

Are the trade allowed to sell cars privately under any circumstances, or does the fact they are a trader mean it cannot happen?

So for example, say you had a trader selling a car on behalf of a relative but was just doing it as a favour to them and was nothing to do with their business?

I couldn't give you chapter and verse on it but I don't believe they can.
If you are a trader you are bound by more stringent rules than a private seller.
It is OK for a trader to act as an intermediary or broker a deal but I think this would fall under the trader rules... And the trader has responsibility / liabilities with regards to quality of goods above the "buyer beware ' private sale threshold.
there have been a few cases of traders masquerading as private sellers and I am struggling to see how you can differentiate between one selling a car privately for a family member and one dodging trader responsibility for not selling a nail.
I'd be very wary

 

[rockits]

I think if it was advertised through the business or on their site as a SOR or otherwise it would be deemed a trade sale.

If it was advertised say on eBay using a personal account by someone who worked in the trade but outside of work this would be personal and a private sale.

I think the issue often is when a trade person uses their trade advantages or website to try to sell a car privately which is wrong and couldn't/shouldn't be the case.

 

[elan362]

^agree.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Do you mean a trader selling a car through their business/website etc but stating “selling for a relative/friend” and to contact said relative/friend to discuss the sale?

 

[elan362]

It is why you ask about "the car" for sale when you phone up a private seller.
If they answer "which one" it means they are likely to be a trader masquerading as a private seller....
And there is a reason they are doing that.....

 

[400ixl]

If you deal with the trader for the purchase then no, they can't. They are the contracting supplier and it is a sell by the trade and all the responsibilities that go with it.

If they are just acting as an introduction, so you are passed straight to the private seller directly to do the deal, then yes. Obviously the trader cannot take a kick back for the introduction and there are limits on the number of cars a private individual can sell before becoming a trader themselves.

 

[John]

Do you mean a trader selling a car through their business/website etc but stating “selling for a relative/friend” and to contact said relative/friend to discuss the sale?

No, more an individual selling a car on Autotrader using a private advert stating they are selling on behalf of a relative and...

It is why you ask about "the car" for sale when you phone up a private seller.
If they answer "which one" it means they are likely to be a trader masquerading as a private seller....
And there is a reason they are doing that.....

...when I ask this ^^^ as I always have done, because they won't know which car you are talking about, they are likely to give the game away they are a trader.

But, despite doing this the odd times when needed for many years now, I wondered the other day if the person answering stated something like "Oh well I am a trader but this car in particular I am selling on behalf of my brother and I am making nothing out of it - just doing him a favour", whether that would be something a trader could do or not.

 

[alabbasi]

You can be a trader and sell your own car privately. It's in your name , you paid taxes on it and are not making any income from selling it.

The practice you're referring to is called curb stoning and is usually done by people who are not officially dealers but are flipping cars on the side.

In the US, dealers have to be licensed and it's a regulated business. If you have a dealers license, you must conduct your business on the lot. The practice is well regulated and auctions will typically write down the dealer information on the back of the title (log book) to show that there was an assignment. As it's a licensed business. Most dealers will not want to sell a car to the public because they don't want to deal with any situation that could put their license at risk. Problem cars would typically be sent back to the auction for some other dealer to buy.

Curb stoners usually buy and sell cars on the side so it's not likely that they have a long history of the car. Unlike a private seller, they won't be able to tell you everything that's wrong with it, nor will they be able to back the car up should anything go wrong. This might be a good or bad thing, it really depends on the seller and the car

I've bought cars to fix up and sell in the past and I certainly support anyone who wants to make some extra money. The cars I buy and sell are usually older Mercedes and BMW performance models. For the most part, I drive them a few months before I move them along for a couple of reasons:

1) I only buy cars that I find interesting and if they interest me, I want to have a go first
2) It allows to shake them down and figure out if it's worth the hassle of selling.

I make a rule of giving 100% full disclosure on the car whether it's good, bad or ugly. Most buyers are generally happy and i either hear positive things from them or I never hear from them again. Some were pissed off about stuff even though we talked through the issues and I made them fully aware. Typically after their mechanic reams them out over some relatively minor jobs (I've had a guy lose his mind over shifter bushings on a Mercedes 450SEL 6.9 which is probably $10 in parts and an hour max on labor). I try to be helpful in these situations provided that the buyer stays civil. However, it's not my job to tell you that you can't afford your BMW M or AMG dreams and got in over your head.

For the most part, I now try to stay away from selling cars and only buy cars to dismantle for parts. I don't need the hassle of dealing with tire kickers that think that by exchanging a car for money, they're actually exchanging wedding vows and that I'm now expected support their car hobby until death do us part.

99% of the people that curb stone are probably not dishonest and are not intentionally selling you a bad car. They're buying cars that they think they can make money on and selling them to you because you think it's a good deal. Anytime you look at a car which is being sold by someone who's not the registered owner on the log book, you should consider them as a curb stoner and you should scrutinize the car carefully, do the vehicle history report if you think it's worthwhile and approach the deal as if there are no come back.

For me , it's a hobby and I have other means to make money which includes the tools and facilities to dismantle a car and sell it off slowly (usually making more money). Most people that flip cars on the side do it one or two at a time so good bad or ugly. They're primary goal is to get their money out of the car so that they can move on to the next one. The honest guys will disclose problems or sell the car at auction even if it means taking a hit. The dishonest ones play a zero sum game and will lie so it's your job to make sure that you go over the car well and be fully aware of what you're buying. Good luck.

 

[Darrell]

A lot of the classic car boys sell cars on commission through their showrooms.
How does this work, does the buyer have the same protection?

 

[alabbasi]

That's called selling a car on consignment. The dealer is advertising the car on his lot (web page, etc). The transaction is still between the owner and the seller. I suspect that the dealer will have a disclaimer for any buyer to sign that will absolve him from dealing with any problems in the same way that if you sold the car through ebay, they're not on the hook for the car.