If you’re planning to sell your car, make sure it smells of roses.
According to AA Cars, almost a quarter of buyers (24%) have been put off buying a second-hand car due to the smell of wet dog fur, children’s vomit or stale cigarettes.
The AA/Populus poll canvassed 18,741 AA members on whether they have ever been deterred from buying a used car and why.
It showed almost four in ten (38%) respondents have not followed through with a purchase because the service history either had gaps in it or revealed a lot of past repair work.
The poll also found that 24% of men and 18% of women have walked away from a purchase because of an incomplete service history.
It seems, even when we’re buying second-hand, we still expect the vehicle to be in tip-top condition, with a further 38% being turned off because the bodywork was in poor condition. Almost a third (31%) withdrew from a purchase because of a less than perfect interior.
Test driving a car is an important part of the buying decision for many people, and more than a third (37%) have not proceeded with buying the car because it didn’t feel right on the test drive.
One in nine (13%) pulled out of a purchase because the seller wouldn’t let them take the car out for a test drive.
In Wales, the major reason given for not going ahead with a deal was the buyer noticing bodywork damage on a car.
