Don't pay dealer prices for private seller risk.
Private sellers are a perfectly legitimate way to buy a car. You know exactly what you're getting into. No Consumer Rights Act, no 30-day right to reject — just you, the seller, and the car. Go in with a mechanic, take someone who knows what they're looking at, or be willing to absorb the risk. Price it in and you can pick up a genuine bargain.
That's fine. Go in knowing what you're dealing with and it's an honest trade.
Where it gets murkier is the growing number of sellers on Facebook Marketplace who look like a legitimate business — a logo, a trading name, thirty cars, five-star reviews — but haven't earned that level of trust and don't come with the protections that should go with it.
Don't drop your guard until you're sure which one you're dealing with.
A real dealer takes cards. Not because they're generous — because they have to. Card processing is a standard cost of trading, and accepting it means accepting that your customer has Section 75 protection — the legal right to claim against their card provider if something goes wrong.
A seller who won't take cards is telling you what kind of transaction this is. Whatever the Facebook page looks like, whatever the trading name says — if there's no card machine, there's no dealer. There's a private sale.
Technically some protections apply to private sales — if a seller knowingly concealed a fault you may have a case. But you'd need to prove they knew, find them, and pursue a civil claim against someone who has your money and every reason to drag it out. In practice, you're largely on your own.
That's not a reason to avoid private sellers. It's a reason to know which one you're dealing with before you hand anything over.
Anyone can build a dealership on Facebook in an afternoon.
A trading name. A logo. Stock photos of cars. Accumulated reviews — some genuine, some from friends, some purchased. A location. A cover photo that looks like a forecourt. It has the shape of a business. It does not have the substance of one.
The accountability you thought you were buying does not exist. If something goes wrong with the car — or if the car doesn't exist at all — there is nothing and nobody to pursue.
Search Companies House before you engage. Legitimate dealers are registered businesses. They have a company number. Ask for it. A real business gives it without hesitation. No number means no registration means no accountability.
Get the registration number early. Run it on GOV.UK — make, model, colour, and age should match the listing exactly. Check the mileage at the last MOT against what the seller claims. If anything doesn't match, the listing is lying to you.
Search the trading name on Companies House. Ask for the company registration number. If they're a dealer, they have one. If they won't give it — you have your answer.
Read next
What to check on a private sale car — and what your mechanic should look for on top
The car check tells you about the history. The mechanic tells you about the condition. You need both.
Read the guide →If the seller doesn't check out as a registered dealer — and you still want the car — the answer is a pre-purchase inspection.
ClickMechanic sends a qualified mechanic to wherever the car is. They inspect it properly. You get a report. You know what you're buying before you commit to anything.
It costs around £150 to £250. On any private purchase of significance, that is money well spent. A mechanic who has looked at the car properly can tell you more in an hour than any listing, any review, or any assurance from a seller who may or may not be traceable next week.
A genuine private seller will welcome the inspection. They have nothing to hide. A seller who pushes back on a pre-purchase inspection — or who suddenly becomes less available when you suggest one — has just told you something important.
That's your answer.
Private sales are fine. Bargains are real. Go in eyes open, price the risk in, and get a mechanic if you can't verify who you're dealing with.
What isn't fine is paying dealer prices — or assuming dealer protection — when the transaction is a private sale dressed up in a logo and a Facebook page.
Ask for the card machine. Search Companies House. If neither checks out — get the mechanic in before you hand over a penny.
Before the viewing. Before the test drive. Before the bank transfer. Legit or Leg It checks the seller, not just the car — in plain English, before you commit.