So I've been trying to sell my car for about a month. Anyone who's been through this process knows how crap it is. Facebook messages daily telling me it's worth 60% of what I'm asking, and plenty of time wasters.

Anyway so this guy called me yesterday and he seemed really normal. Not the usual car dealer, just wants the car for himself. He lives a few hours away and after some back and forth we agree on a price. This was following many photos and videos sent by myself of the car.

But because he lives so far away he doesn't want to come once to view it, and again to pick it up. He's proposed that he'll come on Sunday and buy the car. The catch: he wants to drive away with my plates on the car. He'll get it registered in his kanton and the kanton send my plates back to me / my kanton.

I've searched the forum and it seems like the consensus would be that this is a bad idea? He's bringing his family with him on Sunday supposedly, so I really don't think it's a scam. But if he crashes the car or gets a speeding ticket I guess I'm on the hook for that?

Honestly I'm tempted to go ahead with it because he's the first person in a month that actually wants to see the car. It never got that far previously. It's a VW Polo, but just a 3-door, so apparently it's not that easy to sell.

This doesn't make sense: He doesn't want to come twice, once to view it and once to purchase it, right? However he is committed to come once anyway, on Sunday to view and pick it up.


I think you have answered your own question when you say, 'he's the first person in a month that actually wants to see the car.'

Why don't you offer to drive the car to him and do things correctly. See what he says then.

Big fat no. There was someone on here that did the same and then couldn’t get their plates back.

We bought our car from a canton 3-4 hours away. We went once to see it and test drive it. Then we went home insured it and got our plates and went back for it.

How far away does he actually live?

Right or wrong.. I've done it the other way around and it was fine..

I bought a car from a private seller and mentioned that I'd first need to sort out plates etc.. He said "oh don't worry, just take it with my plates and sort it out next week" ..

Which I did.. I handed his plates in to the service des autos at the same i sorted out the grey card and my own plates. It was painless and worked for both of us.

I’m at the border with Austria and he’s in zofingen.

Ok thanks for the reality check everyone.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the car. A dealer offered me 500 less than what this guy offers. So the dealer will tidy the car and do an MFK, then hope to make an extra thousand at least. But anyway, perhaps I’ll just go to the dealer.

500chf is definitely worth the convenience and reduction in stress over selling private and heaving to deal with the many morons contacting you via social media.

I would go to the dealer as well just to remove all unnecessary hassle dealing with a private individual. 500chf is not a big difference.

Send the buyer a copy of the grey car so that he can organize day plates.

Alternatively, cancel your grey card. As far as I know, you can do that in advance. Then make a contract stating the exact date and time of handover, in case of traffic fines.

It is on a 3 door Polo !!

Can’t argue with that. Just want 8k for it so 500chf is significant.

Difference is that he was the seller and offered to do this. You didn't ask for it. The risk to you was zero, yes?

Drive it to Zofingen, have him inspect/accept it, get the payment, take your plates go home by rail.


If he tries to negotiate during inspection for no obvious reason, walk away, he'll come back to you if he's serious.


Cost : 5/6 hours of your time + rail ticket which is MAX Chf 45.-- if you buy a commune ticket

But if the grey card is cancelled, so are the insurance and plates, and thus he cannot drive with them!

Tom

Guess k_and_e meant cancel them for the Monday (okay, I read it twice before I guessed that ).
Problem is: As long as the plates are used, insurance will pay in case of accident and guess what: Not for free, they will recourse.
Also buyer can use them as long as he wants, cross borders to sell it abroad - including the plates = interesting threads will come up about "Where my car caused me costs without me".

Buyer could come on a week-day, get day plates if buying.

Unless the plates are returned, the insurance can not be cancelled.

I actually showed my car over 100km from where I lived, advertising on the forum. That afternoon the Polish car dealer (his brother worked in CH) showed up with cash, German export plates & drove to Poland.

Indeed, which is why it makes no sense to cancel the grey card without handing in the plates.

Tom

Unless you have 2 cars with 1 plate

True, done this many times.

Tom