Requesting Tips for Buying 2nd Hand Car

Ace26 on 03/10/2015 - 20:57

Car in question is Nissan Pathfinder 2WD Ti model MY14 but built in 2013. First registered in Jan 2014. For a new car RRP is around 61k plus on-roads.

Seller asked for $45k and I negotiated for $41.5k and paid a deposit of $500 cash and took a hand written receipt.
Checked comparable sales on Carsales.com.au price is not too good to be true but is low (there are other cars in similar price range)
Verified that agreed price of $41.5K is within the low end of suggested private sale on redbook.com.au
Car is MY14 but built in 2013. (I didn't physically verify this but will do before paying the balance)
Seller gave me reason for sale as they need even bigger car (I saw their new bigger car in drive way)
Rego is current and is up renewal in Jan
New vehicle warranty expires in approx. 15 months
I met seller at his place of residence and took car for a test drive (happy with what I saw)
Seller advised that there is finance owing and he will pay it off and let me know so I can do a PPSR/REVS check
Seller also advised upfront that car is currently registered under his company name

I offered to pay the balance via Bank Cheque but seller said he prefers bank deposit or cash unless I am happy to wait for the bank cheque to clear before driving his car off.
I plan to bring a friend with me on the day of pick up (At this stage we agreed that will be next Sat arvo) to ensure we double check everything before parting with money
I will do REVS/PPSR

Any suggestions and tips to ensure I don't get conned?
Given car is under new car warranty, I don't know if I should spend $319 on a NRMA vehicle inspection.

Appreciate your time.

Automotive

Comments

  • noyesmaybeok on 03/10/2015 - 21:42

    $319 seems steep, from memory I paid ~$150. Seems like it would be worth it, warranty is often a pain in the ass so you don't really want to use it.
    Bank cheque fair enough, until it clears I would be hesitant too.

  • oscargamer on 03/10/2015 - 22:11
    +1

    How is the seller linked to the company name? Director? I would want some paperwork showing the link.

    Bank Cheque is the way to go. You don't have to wait for it to clear, that's the whole point of a bank cheque over a personal cheque.

    Service history?

    For that money. You would be crazy not to spend a couple hundred getting it professionally inspected.

    • Ace26 on 04/10/2015 - 00:50

      Service history is all good. Inspection is not a big problem but NRMA reckons it will take 3 hours. Yeah I think Bank Cheque is the way to go. But I get it when the seller says it has to clear.

    • noyesmaybeok on 04/10/2015 - 04:19
      +1

      "You don't have to wait for it to clear"

      Yeah, you do.

  • pjetson on 03/10/2015 - 23:08
    +1

    Bank Cheque is the way to go. You don't have to wait for it to clear, that's the whole point of a bank cheque over a personal cheque

    That's simply untrue. Even the banks will tell you that a bank cheque is not "money in the bank".

  • aggregate on 04/10/2015 - 08:31
    +1

    You should be paying the finance company to clear off the debt, and any remainder to the seller. Definitely do not hand over the cheque/cash/deposit to the seller.

  • oscargamer on 04/10/2015 - 09:43

    ok….last time i bought a car (about 2 years ago) i gave the dealer a bank cheque and drove it out the door (well the gate actually)

    maybe things have changed

    • dasher86 on 04/10/2015 - 20:25

      dealer vs private.

    • Euphemistic on 04/10/2015 - 22:22

      It's pretty easy to get a bank cheque reversed/cancelled. I did it recently when a real estate agent lost our deposit cheque. Cost me $25ish but that's pretty cheap in the scheme of things. Hand over cheque, collect car, back to the bank, car for $25.

      • oscargamer on 05/10/2015 - 20:25

        well there you go…i massively overpaid for my last car !

        • Euphemistic on 06/10/2015 - 09:42

          Just re-read that… Hmmm… Should have re worded a little. I didn't actually try that scam.

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