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Selling or buying a car can be tricky

Buying or selling a car privately is never easy - especially with personal safety concerns, fraud and theft or the fact that customers simply do not know how to approach it or have limited knowledge of the risks involved.

Buying or selling a car privately is never easy - especially with personal safety concerns, fraud and theft or the fact that customers simply do not know how to approach it or have limited knowledge of the risks involved.

Simon Msimanga provides an example of how some people get raw deals.

Msimanga bought a second-hand car privately for R19000 in December last year but so far has not received car registration papers.

The seller does not want to cancel the sale agreement or give Msimanga a refund - even though he cannot transfer ownership of the car to him.

Terry van der Berge, a seller at the Alto Auto Buying and selling Garage in Vereeniging, has admitted they could not transfer the car to Msimanga because they do not have the original documents.

He said they were in the process of getting them since they had lodged an application with the Pretoria traffic department.

He said Sara Koalape of the Vereeniging traffic department was processing the papers.

But Koalape denied this claim, saying she had no record of Msimanga's documents among her files or the car registration number Consumer Line supplied her.

l Marcel de Klerk, managing executive of Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance, said he has followed with interest media reports highlighting the risks of selling or buying vehicles privately - with customers being ripped off or being sold unroadworthy vehicles.

De Klerk said Absa had always encouraged customers to work through authorised dealers, not only to avoid being victims of fraud but also to be provided services at low cost.

He said some of their clients had in the past bought unroadworthy vehicles, and because Absa did not want their client to go through such ordeals they had introduced a "Private Deals" concept which would only be available through Absa-accredited dealerships with trained staff.

"Customers, whether they are buyers or sellers, will have a safe place to conclude a private transaction - and this is the dealership. They will also have access to the services of a specialist on the dealer floor, receive guaranteed payment as buyers will go through a credit check and have peace of mind on the condition of the vehicle as it will be tested."

He said any repair work would be highlighted and be fixed at a fee by the dealer.

De Klerk said Absa's main concern has been around security for the customers and simplicity of process.

The process is simple, he said. Sellers take their car to one of the dealerships offering Absa's Private Deal. The car will be checked thoroughly and if acceptable, it will be placed on a Private Deals website if the seller does not have a buyer.

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