Not everyone is completely honest when it comes to selling their used car: According to a survey, almost one in four private sellers cheats.
Selling a used car can be a nerve-wracking thing – especially if you rarely do it. For example, if you actually give your phone number to one of the well-known online sales portals, you may be bombarded with calls and the question "What is the last price?" Dozens of similar inquiries are also sent by e-mail. Buying a used car privately can also be exhausting - here you should pay attention to a few things to minimize the risk of a mistake. Again and again there are black sheep who, for example, manipulate the mileage of a vehicle.
Used car sales: 23 percent cheat to get a better price, according to the survey
According to a survey of 2,300 driving licence holders by the car buying platform Heycar and YouGov, almost one in four private sellers in Germany (23 percent) has already cheated when selling their used car in order to achieve a higher price for their car. In most cases, scratches were polished away (12 percent) and cigarette smoke was whitewashed (6 percent).
According to a survey, one in four people cheats when selling their used car. (Symbolic image) © Panthermedia/Imago
Survey: 39 percent of used car buyers believe they have been cheated at some point
And although around three-quarters (74 percent) of those surveyed said they had never cheated, 39 percent of used car buyers were convinced that they had already been cheated when buying a private car. 17 percent stated that accidents were not truthfully reported, eleven percent stated that scratches were polished away. According to the survey, eight percent are even sure that the mileage of their car has been manipulated. An extreme case from Austria shows that something like this does happen: There, a couple turned back the meters by up to 200,000 kilometers.
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It is better to leave trickery in the sale of used cars if you want to save yourself trouble afterwards. There are quite legal tips with which you can achieve the highest possible price for your used car. For example, the renewal of the HU sticker can often be worthwhile and meaningful photos are also well received by buyers.
