Guidance for buying and selling

Note: The advice here is offered in good faith to assist buyers and sellers but the ultimate responsibility for a safe and legal transaction rests with the individual buyer and seller. If you are in any doubt about anything to do with your sale or purchase you should seek professional advice.

Buying

We had a case brought to our attention of someone who bought a motorhome privately after, they thought, carrying out an HPI check which did not uncover any problems. The motorhome subsequently turned out to be owned by a finance company.

It turns out that the check was carried out using an on line 'vehicle fraud detection service' which was not actually carrying out HPI checks and did not check for outstanding finance.

Buying advice

1) If you are buying privately, make sure that you go to the sellers house - don't let them bring the vehicle to you.
2) Thoroughly check all the documentation including that the VIN number on the vehicle matches that on the V5.
3) Get an independent inspection carried out.
4) If in doubt about anything, walk away - if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
5) Carry out a proper HPI check using hpicheck.com. Their site also includes much useful advice on buying secondhand vehicles

More buying advice is on our FAQs page

Selling

Test drive
Never let the buyer take a test drive alone, there's a risk that they won't come back! They may leave you their car keys as security, but how can you be sure it isn't stolen? Also check they have adequate insurance cover, otherwise you could be liable for any accidents they may have. Never leave the keys in the ignition when swapping seats.

Payment
Cash is favourite, as long as you look out for forgeries, and make sure you count it all out. Our advice is to go with the buyer to the bank and let them give you the cash there. You can safely deposit it, and the cashier will ensure there are no forgeries.
If you are paid by cheque NEVER let the vehicle go before a cheque has cleared through your account, even if the buyer is desperate to get hold of your motorhome. Make sure that you confirm with your bank that the funds have cleared - do not rely on statements.
A bank or building society draft is almost as good as cash, as they can only be issued if the buyer has enough money in their account. There are forgeries, however, so be vigilant. Again, NEVER let the vehicle go until the money has cleared into your account. Make sure that you confirm with your bank that the funds have cleared - do not rely on statements.
You may be approached with offers to buy your motorhome and pay by wire transfer or similar direct deposit methods, our advice here is NEVER to give out your bank account details to anyone, if they are a genuine buyer they will be able to send a bank draft which you can clear into your account before parting with the vehicle. However an option is to set up a separate bank account with a nominal amount in it (e.g. £1) specificaly for the purpose of receiving funds. NEVER send any money in response to requests from a prospective purchaser. A recent scam involves the purchaser sending too much money by cheque and asking for you to refund the balance to them or their 'agent' or shipper' - their cheques turn out to be worthless.
Ask the buyer for ID with an address and landline telephone number. At least if something goes wrong, you'll know where to find them. If they are reluctant to give this information, you should be wary.
Finally, write a receipt with a copy for both you and the buyer, stating that the motorhome is being sold.

Commission sales
Some companies offer to sell motorhomes on commission, they hold your vehicle at their premises and advertise and sell it on your behalf, taking a commission fee on the final sale price. This can be a good way to sell your vehicle, but we advise that you get the contract checked professionally to ensure that you retain title to the vehicle until you receive the full proceeds of the sale - there have been instances of such companies going into liquidation leaving the seller without their motorhome or the proceeds of the sale.