How to Buy a Car From a Private Seller

Buying a car from a private seller is a great way to get a bargain on your next set of wheels. Cutting out the dealership means you could pay much less for the same vehicle and avoid nuisance add-on fees at the same time.

However, buying private also means you don’t get any of the dealer-provided guarantees should anything go wrong with your new car. Private car sales are most often “as-is,” meaning that once you take ownership of the vehicle, the seller no longer has an obligation to repair any pre-existing damage.

That’s why it's so important to do your homework and go into a private car sale with your eyes wide open. Buying from a private seller can be extremely rewarding and ideally lands you with a vehicle that’s been lovingly cared for by its previous owner. Here’s a list of things to know before you start your private car-buying journey.

Set your budget

The first step in your journey should be deciding on a firm budget limit and sticking to it. The used car market is a wonderful place filled with unique vehicles and potential bargains, so it’s important to know your financial limits before getting carried away bidding on suspiciously inexpensive luxury limousines.

Your budget can also help you during price negotiations as you can be up-front and direct with the seller on what you’re willing to spend. Having a firm price you’re unwilling to go above provides you with solid ground to work on and ensures that you don’t pay more than you can afford.

Do your research

Even the most knowledgeable car enthusiast can’t know everything about every vehicle.

Once you’ve chosen some potential models, it’s time to learn everything you can about them. Check with government agencies for notices on safety recalls and read through internet owners' forums to find out if your potential new ride has issues that only become apparent over time. If the issues are small enough, these forums will have information on how to fix them, and if they’re major, you’ll know to steer clear.

Start your search

There are many places to find quality used cars for sale. Kijiji Autos is home to one of the largest automotive marketplaces in the country and features a suite of filters allowing you to hone your search by body style, fuel type, model year and much more. The huge selection may seem staggering at first, but with a few tips and tricks, you’ll be sifting through ads with the keen eye of a lifelong collector.

What to look for in an online listing

Attention to details

Generally speaking, a high-quality ad is a good sign that you could be buying a high-quality vehicle. Single-photo ads with little to no information might be fine for a $500 rust bucket, but if you’re going to give this person thousands of dollars in return for a car, then you should try to understand them a little.

An ad that features poor-quality photos and a vague description is a good indicator that routine maintenance may have been low on the seller’s list of priorities, much the same as a detailed ad with numerous high-quality photos of the vehicle from all angles indicates a thorough approach to the vehicle’s prior care.

Truthfulness

Ads with obvious lies should be avoided. If the listing states that the vehicle has been garage parked but the pictures show it sitting in a field with flat tires, you should probably look elsewhere.

Informative

The more descriptive the ad is, the better. Bonus points are awarded for mentioning maintenance schedules and any parts that have been replaced.

Responsiveness

Inquiry messages that are responded to promptly and with a positive demeanour are also a good sign.

These are not hard and fast rules—as there are no guarantees until you inspect the car yourself or have it inspected—but a little detective work at this stage can save you time and headaches in dealing with less-than-reputable sellers down the road.

Meet the seller

Now that you’ve found a car that you’re interested in, it's time to meet with the seller and inspect it in person. Ideally, this should be done in a public place, such as a busy parking lot during the day. The public setting goes a long way to ensuring your safety, while the daylight allows you to see every little detail that might be missed at night, even with inspection lights.

Pay attention to how the seller presents themself. This is, after all, a business transaction, and while it's not necessary for them to show up wearing a suit, you’ll be able to infer details about the car’s previous life based on how polished they appear.

Questions to ask a private seller

This is your opportunity to learn about the car straight from someone who hopefully has intimate knowledge of what it’s like to use every day. Here are some questions to ask when you meet:

1. Ask about their history with the car in terms of how long they’ve owned it and where they got it from.
2. Have they kept up with the manufacturer-recommended service intervals?
3. Did they perform the maintenance work themself, or take the car to a professional shop?
4. Has the car been in any accidents? A Carfax report will confirm this later on, so this is a way to ensure they’re being truthful with you.
5. How long ago did they install the current set of tires?
6. How was the car driven? Was it used by their grandma to go to church and the grocery store (the holy grail of used cars), or was it beaten on by their angsty teenager?

These questions also give you a chance to cross-reference their experience with the car against any model-specific faults or issues that came up during your research.

Inspect and test drive

If you feel safe being alone with the seller (or bringing a friend along), this is the time to try the car out for yourself.

Before getting behind the wheel, check the body lines for any irregularities that hint at prior crash damage. Body panels can often be replaced, but a car that’s been in a serious crash could have a bent frame and should be avoided.

Symmetry is the name of the game here, and that continues beneath the vehicle. Get down and check for any bent or damaged steering or suspension components, as well as anything that looks like it’s hanging when it shouldn’t be.

Due to the “as-is” nature of private sales, these issues become your problem once you take ownership. The seller may not have even known about these issues and may offer to fix the damage before the sale takes place. Failing that, you may be able to research the price of replacement parts and labour and then take that out of the price you were going to pay.

Take the car for a spin and pay close attention to any odd noises or clunks. A whining sound when turning the wheel could indicate a failing steering pump while grinding noises heard under braking mean you may need new pads or rotors.

The vehicle should start right up, accelerate in a smooth, linear fashion and change gears without any worrying pauses or lurching. The steering should be smooth and accurate.

Your willingness to look past issues with how the car operates is determined by your appetite for risk. You may be able to knock the price down based on any issues the vehicle has, or they may tell you that it’s better to walk away.

If you’re not familiar with the mechanics of a car, we recommend having the vehicle professionally inspected either by taking it into a service centre or having a mechanic come out and take a look. Prices usually range from $100–$150 for this service.

Get a vehicle history report

Vehicle history reporting services like Carfax allow you to use the vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number) to look up information on crash damages, repairs, insurance claims, number of previous owners and more.

This is when you find out if everything the seller has been telling you is true. While they may be able to only claim knowledge of the car during their ownership, a vehicle history report gives you the power to know whether the seller is being honest or not.

Pay attention to how they react when questioned about these details. Sellers who seem a little disgruntled by your amazing thoroughness are fine, but if their demeanor changes noticeably under questioning, it might be better to walk away.

Negotiate a price

Now that you know everything it’s possible to know about the vehicle it’s time to make your offer. Take any work that needs to be done into account and remember your budget.

Suggest what you feel is a fair price for the car, but leave a little wiggle room for negotiations. Don’t start with an insulting low-ball offer, but suggest maybe $500 to $1,000 less than you’re willing to pay. If the seller wants to haggle, this leaves room for you to raise your offer, making them feel like you respect their wishes without overpaying.

Documents

Once a price is agreed, it’s time to get your documentation together. This can vary by province, so it’s important to check with your local transport ministry for a checklist of everything you need.

The car’s title and registration documents show its current owner. Check this against the seller’s photo ID to make sure the car is really theirs to sell.

If you see the name of a finance company on the title, it’s a red flag. This means that the seller is still paying the car off and, therefore, can't sell it to you because the finance company is the legal owner. You should never buy a car without a title.

Next, you’ll need a bill of sale, which lays out the agreement between buyer and seller. This document includes the date of the sale, the purchase price, the car’s VIN and any other information that either party would like recorded.

Pay and drive

Once all this has been accomplished, it’s time to pay the seller and take possession of your new car. Only pay when you have the vehicle's keys and the title in your name. It's recommended that you pay the seller via check or money order—cash payments should be avoided, but if a seller only accepts cash, be sure to get a bill of sale as proof of payment. The bill of sale should include the agreed-upon purchase price and the date of the sale.

It’s been quite a journey, but we hope our handy guide has helped you navigate what can at first seem like a daunting task. Buying a car from a private seller can be extremely rewarding, and can get you behind the wheel for thousands less than you’d pay with a dealer.

Now that you’re armed with car-buying knowledge, it’s time to start your search—and where better to look than the vast number of private seller ads at Kijiji Autos.