I am looking at buying my first car. Buying it privately seems so much cheaper. Are there more risks involved in buying a car privately?

Hi Sheridan,

Yes, there are sometimes better deals to be had from the private market, but you need to be super careful, I would not recommend buying privately unless you have a deep knowledge of cars and the potential pitfalls of buying privately.

When buying from a reputable dealer the cars are usually inspected by the dealer before being offered for sale and come with a roadworthy certificate, warranty and most importantly guaranteed clear title. A dealer also must (by law) disclose if the vehicle has had any major panel repairs, has been flood damaged or has been written off.

There are many, many back yard car sales people buying written off cars from interstate that do not show up on your history checks and selling them in other states.

I have been in the industry for over 20 years and can tell you that there are a lot more of these types of operators in the private market than you would ever imagine.

My advise is to spend a few more dollars and buy from a reputable dealership.

Good luck with your purchase.