Buying guide

Should I buy a car from a private seller?

The key to buying privately is to do your research – make sure you’re getting a good car at a fair price.

If you buy a car from a private seller, you’ll usually be able to get the car for a lower price than from a car dealer but buying this way does come with some risks and important points to consider. The key to buying privately is to do your research – make sure you’re getting a good car at a fair price.

Before buying from a private seller, make sure you:

Do your research and avoid buying a lemon.
Learn the price of other similar cars, so you know what you should pay for it – our valuation tool can help with this.
Check the seller’s history on Trade Me so you know who you’re buying from. You’ll find this information at the bottom of each listing.

Is it safe buying from a private seller?

Private sellers aren’t covered by the same laws as dealers, so you’ll have to do a bit more research to make sure you’re getting a good car. We recommend checking the history of the car by getting a MotorWeb vehicle information report (VIR). A VIR will let you know if the car has money owing, has a tampered odometer reading, or if the car has been reported stolen.

To make sure you don’t buy a lemon, you should research the mechanical history. It’s always worth getting a pre-purchase inspection and safety check from VTNZ, the AA or a mechanic.

What are the benefits of buying from a private seller?

Now that you have a solid grasp of what to expect when buying a car from a private seller, we can look into some of the benefits of buying your next car this way. These include:

There are lots of options under 10k.
You can get a bargain.
No upselling or additional costs.
Usually, you drive away the day you pay.

This covers all of the important points you need to know when you’re starting on a car buying journey with a private seller. Use these tips to buy with confidence, and to ensure you get an excellent deal! If you aren’t sold on buying from a private seller then try looking into buying from a car dealer.

If you’re ready for the next step then check out our tips for what to look for when viewing/test driving your potential new car.