I Am Sure This Isn't Genuine But...

If you look at the wording and grammar it's pretty plain that who ever has written the e-mail is a foreigner and it all looks pretty suspect to me. No legitimate prospective buyer who hadn't even seen the car, or made an offer, would expect the Seller to take the advert down. If Mr K has not already replied to the person I would advise him not to and look for another buyer.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention...............definitely not a cheque!!!!

 

It's a pretty standard scam either to get your bank details or to get the car for nothing. They even, sometimes, actually give you a cheque that goes into your account and it bounces later.

The grammar is atrocious (usually the first thing they warn you to look out for), the punctuation is almost non-existent and the person says that they have a secretary!!!

They call the car an (item) which usually means that they are pumping out lots of the same letters for absolutely anything.

Why would somebody who has a secretary want to buy a 100E (nothing against the car as we used to have one ) which has to be about 55 years old.

The price you're wanting for it can't be all that much unless it's in fantastic condition, so they should be able to pay cash for it. Don't accept any other form of payment.

If you still think that they may be a genuine purchaser then you need to be very careful about how you go about selling it. Insist that you will only take cash and that you won't remove the advertisement, but you will give them 24 hours leeway before allowing another buyer to come for it.

There are a few things that you need to be careful about. First of all, don't let them come to your home but meet them in a car park (supermarket car park is good). Or offer to take it to his house.

Mr Kandy should have someone else with him (another man in another car), have a receipt printed ready for him stating that you have received the money from him (two copies, one for each of you), make sure he signs yours but don't give your usual signature on his copy (I still think you're being scammed).

Tell him in advance that you will need to see an insurance cover note (if he's going to drive the car away - as you may still be liable if he has an accident on the way) or you will drive it to his house for him, and let him have it after receiving payment. Your friend will follow in his car in order to pick you up (and take a photo of you putting the car on his driveway).

It may seem a bit over the top but you need to be sure that you have done everything you can to show that you have genuinely sold it and have no further liability. Don't forget to send off the notification on the log book, signed, to the DVLA.

 

Don't give it anymore thought Kandy, it's an obvious scam - just move on.

(They will take the car then cancel the cheque - there are no rules as to how long they can cancel a cheque even if you ring your bank and ask them if it is 'cleared' - they can still cancal after that).

I would only accept cash.

I once sold an old car on ebay that had a reasonable value, the buyer paid me a deposit first by Paypal, then sent a pickup company to collect and they handed over an envelope full of cash.

I also helped a friend sell his car for £30k, as neither side had met before we arranged to go to the bank and the buyer handed the cash straight to the teller so it properly counted and genuine and went straight into my friend's account, only then did we hand over the keys and log book.

 

Whenever I change my car I sell the old one for cash only.

 

It sounds ready for the scrapheap