Part-exchange or sell privately: which pays more?

Is it better to part-exchange or sell my car privately?

It depends on which you have more of: patience or things to do. A private sale usually gets you a higher figure, because the person buying it is the person who will drive it, and nobody in the middle has to make anything on it. A part-exchange gets you less than that, but it is done in one visit, the paperwork is handled while you are there, and the car you no longer want goes away the same time the new one arrives.

What does selling privately actually involve?

More than most people expect when they start. In practice it means:

• Writing an honest advert, with photographs, the mileage and the service history.
• Taking calls and messages, including from people who never turn up.
• Having strangers come to your house, or meeting them somewhere safe.
• Letting people you do not know drive your car, and checking they are insured to do it.
• Taking payment safely, and being sure it has cleared before the car leaves.
• Telling the DVLA the car has changed hands, so the new keeper gets their V5C.
• Keeping the car taxed, insured and roadworthy the whole time it sits waiting.

None of that is hard. It is just real, and it is the part that does not show up in the price difference people quote.

What is my car worth in part-exchange?

Less than a private buyer would pay, and for a reason worth understanding. A dealer taking your car has to check it, put right whatever it needs, and carry it until someone buys it. That work and that waiting come out of the figure offered. What you are buying in exchange is certainty: a number you can rely on, today, with no advert, no strangers and no waiting to see whether anyone wants it.

Is a part-exchange a worse deal than it looks?

Only if you cannot see the figures, which is why they should be in front of you before you sign anything. On a part-exchange at ONECARS the order form states three figures before anything is signed: the allowance for your car, the settlement still owed on it, and the difference. All three in writing, on one page. We also charge no admin fee — the price shown is the price paid — so the difference you see is the difference you pay.

What if I still owe money on my old car?

Then the amount outstanding has to be cleared when the car changes hands, and that is why the settlement figure sits on the order form next to the allowance. Ask for it in writing before you commit, whichever route you take. A private buyer cannot take the car while something is still owed on it, so this is one of the places where handing the car to a dealer is simply tidier.

What should I do before either route?

Get the car's own paperwork straight, because both a private buyer and a dealer will look at the same things:

1. Find the V5C, the service records and any receipts for recent work.
2. Check the MOT history yourself, free on GOV.UK, with the registration number — every test, every advisory, every mileage reading. It is what the buyer will read, so read it first.
3. Clear the car out, including the glovebox and the boot.
4. Have both keys ready if you have both. A missing second key always costs you something.
5. Note the mileage on the day you hand it over.

Our guide to part-exchange, explained goes through the order form in more detail, and buying a used car: dealer or private seller? looks at the same question from the buying side.

What happens to tax and insurance when the car goes?

Vehicle tax does not transfer with a car, so the new keeper has to tax it before it is driven on a public road, which can be done straight away online with the V5C reference. The car you are taking on must be insured before you drive it home, too. When a car changes hands the seller tells the DVLA, and the new keeper gets a new V5C log book in the post.

How does part-exchanging at ONECARS work?

You bring your car to Plas Acton, we look at it properly, and the three figures go on the order form before you sign. The car you are buying has already been checked on 34 points by ONEFIX, our own workshop on the same site, and the list is published at /how-we-check-our-cars. Anything that check turns up is put right by ONEFIX before the car is handed over, and once it is yours the same workshop next door services, repairs and MOTs it.

Every car on our used cars pages carries its photographs, its full spec and its MOT history, so you can do your reading before you set off — the 2012 Mercedes-Benz E220 at £3,995 is a fair example of the detail on a car page. If you want to think about it, a reservation holds a car for fourteen days, and inside those fourteen days you can cancel for any reason and get the fee back in full; if you go ahead it comes off the price. There is also free delivery within 20 miles of Plas Acton.

We are at Plas Acton Garage, 282 Chester Road, Wrexham LL12 8DU, open Monday to Friday 9 to 5 and Saturday 10 to 4 for viewings by appointment, and there is a second forecourt at Ruyton near Shrewsbury. Bring the car and the paperwork, or get in touch first and we will tell you what to bring.