Buy any car?
Well yes but it pays to read the smallprint.
There is no doubt that used car buying sites such as we buy any car or we will buy your car amongst others, are very easy to navigate and do make the process of selling your car straightforward and stress free. If you are in a position to sell your car (hopefully in order to buy a new one) then the hassle involved in selling privately can be quite daunting. Equally the perception that you will not get the best (or even a true or fair) trade price for your car when part-exchanging with a car dealer is a powerful one. However when using these services (or any service that makes everything easy, “pain free” and puprports to “buy any car” to be fair) it pays to be cautious and look at the small print at any miscellaneous costs involved to be absolutely sure you understand the eventual price you will be given for your car.
Remember that despite the strap line these site use of selling rather than part-exchanging, purporting to buy any car and getting a better deal as a result, if you are selling a car which is being replaced by a model in the same brand, the car dealer will almost certainly give you a better price for your old car than you will get elsewhere because it will provide another profit opportunity which they will not want to miss out on.
For convenience and the fact that you will be offered a definite price by the on line buying sites they are well worth investigation even if only to use as a marker when attempting to negotiate on another car.
Caution
However our advice is to proceed with caution as it is worth remembering that the online car buying sites will be remarketing your car for a profit so it may not be the best price possible but really just a trade price. Also alongside your quotation will be a little Asterisk, this will carry the caveat that the valuation is subject to a physical inspection and contract and that an “administration fee” will apply and when the time comes for your car to be purchased the online valuation may be chipped away at.
These sites make it clear that you need to be truthful about the condition of your car and give you the opportunity to detail any imperfections but anything missed, such as scuffed alloys, bumper marks, scratches or marks on the upholstery will all cause the price to drop. If your valuation has been reduced following the inspection but you have the buyer right there on your doorstep saying they will CHAP transfer the cash into your bank account straight away there probably aren’t too many people who will cancel the transaction at that point and therefore will accept the lower figure.
A quick visit to webuyanycar’s review centre page for example will reveal a host of people who were unpleasantly surprised by the eventual price they received so it will definitely pay to go in with your eyes open.
With all that said, the rise and rise of sites that tell you they buy any car and will make the whole process as easy as possible surely indicates that consumers are just not happy with what they are being offered for their car (if anything) at car dealerships, and are finding that selling their car direct is by far the easier option.
We talk about car dealers smartening up their act and getting in on this valuable business in the article titled “Dealers will soon buy any car”
Finally remember if a business states they “buy any car” for them it’s a numbers game but they’ll win more than they lose!
