New research has revealed the most commonly experienced issues drivers face when trying to sell their car privately, with hagglers being named as the most frequent hindrance.
Just over a quarter (28%) of sellers said they have encountered unreasonably low offers and haggling from buyers, making it the most common problem in the poll.
The findings come from Auto Express, which ran a survey across Carwow Group asking drivers about the obstacles they’ve faced when selling their cars. The survey revealed that almost two-thirds (65%) of motorists have sold a car privately, with over a third (37%) experiencing at least one problem during the process.
After haggling, the next most commonly reported problem was no-shows. Just under a fifth (17%) of those who had sold privately encountered time wasters on their car-selling journey – people who arranged viewings or test drives but ultimately failed to show up.
In addition, around one in 10 sellers said they dealt with disputes over their vehicle’s condition, while a surprising 6% reported concerns about their personal safety when engaging with potential buyers.
Less common problems on the poll included challenges with transferring ownership encountered by 3% of sellers and issues with advertising or reaching potential buyers experienced by 2%. The results underline the range of pitfalls car owners face when navigating the open market.
This follows the news that Auto Express has launched its own online car-selling service, where drivers can quickly sell their vehicles to a network of dealers.
Paul Barker, Editor of Auto Express, said, “When you just want to get your car sold, there’s nothing more frustrating that someone that mucks you around and clearly isn’t interested in paying a fair price, if they even show up at all. Getting a new car is the exciting bit, but more often than not you’ll also have a car it’s replacing, and getting rid of that quickly and for a good price when selling privately can be a time-consuming process.”
