What a private sale really brings in
On paper, the private buyer pays the highest price. In practice you have to deduct the pre-sale roadworthiness test, the Car-Pass, the minimum reconditioning so the car presents well, the weeks of waiting, the final haggling (5 to 12% on average) and the risk of a buyer coming back three weeks later over a hidden defect. Once everything is counted, the gap with a professional offer is often much smaller than it looks.
Part-exchange at the dealership
The dealership takes your car only if you buy one from them, and the trade-in price is often offset by a less generous discount on the new one. Always compare the trade-in offer with a pure purchase offer: the difference sometimes funds the discount.
Online auctions and large networks
Auction platforms and large buying networks quote a price online, then ask you to drive to a branch where the price is “confirmed”, which often means revised downwards after inspection. Payment follows by bank transfer, sometimes several days later. The service is serious, but it goes through intermediaries and takes time.
Direct purchase by a professional
A buyer who comes to you, checks the car on the spot and pays before leaving removes everything else: no test to pass, no listing, no waiting, no intermediary. The price is the market price minus a known margin, and it no longer moves once the firm offer is given. For a car over 8 years old, with high mileage or when the seller is in a hurry, it is almost always the most profitable option once time is counted.