Selling Used Cars Online not Such a Great Deal

New research by the Which? website suggests that those intending to sell their used cars to an online buying firm might just end up feeling decidedly short-changed.  Which? went to two online traders, Trademymotor.co.uk and Webuyanycar.com, for valuations for six used cars and then took the same vehicles for valuation to high street dealers, as well as obtaining CAP "used" trade prices.  The results of the research indicate that five out of the six used cars would fetch better prices when sold to a high street dealer than an online trader.

The most extreme disparity between the two saw a 2007 Mazda MX-5 be valued at £5,505 by Webuyanycar.com, which was as much as £2,000 below that of the valuation offered by the high street dealer.  While Trademymotor.com initially gave a higher valuation of the used car, this was then cut by £1,000 when the vehicle was inspected at one of the firm's depots, where the inspector claimed that the price cut was due to it being "scratched all over" - an assertion that was completely false.

As a result of the investigation, Which? is now advising its readers to avoid attempting to sell their used cars to online buyers and to stick to either trying to find a purchaser themselves or selling it to a high street dealer, as they are almost certain to get a better price for the vehicle than they would by approaching an online dealer.

published: 16/01/2012