Solo test drive or accompanied test drive? (selling car on craigslist)

[pontifex]

You can/do/would sell a vehicle via private party no? How would you sell a Jet Skis or a Motorcycle? Turning it on wouldn't likely satisfy the buyer, they're going to want to try it out. You wouldn't buy any of those things w/o trying it, right?


With that logic, can't do anything in life. You don't think dealerships do this? I'm not talking about just a test drive with the salesman in the passenger seat, I'm talking about letting the car go for the person to drive over the weekend to see how they like it. How about rental companies? Obviously you try to screen people the best you can but at the end of the day, you have to take some risks. I honestly don't even care about the vehicle, if it gets stolen, stripped whatever that's fine as long as I get compensated by the insurance company. I'm just looking for some ideas/perspective on how to reduce liability and potential financial losses if things were to go awry.


Here is my perspective on the issue: I'm more worried about somebody threatening me with bodily harm by either driving the vehicle recklessly and or pulling a weapon on me.



I can see the other perspective though which is that by being in the car during the test drive, I "supposedly" have control over the vehicle. In reality though, I'm still at the mercy of the driver not being crazy/idiot. Sure I can try to remove the key from the ignition or put it into neutral but then that could just open a can of worms for liability on myself.

there's a huge difference between a dealership or rental company and Joe Schmoe selling his car on craigslist. If you don't see that then you're a fucking idiot.

 

[irishScott]

This thread seems to be full of a bunch of hysterical old women.

The last two cars I've sold on CL, I've said: Here's the keys - let her rip.
Why? Because I'm not some paranoid loon who thinks the world is out to get me.
In the 1 in a trillion chance that they steal my car....I've got insurance for that.
Just use your judgement and don't worry about it.

I fail to see how using more secure business practices make one a paranoid loon. Business is business, people like you who decide to make it personal are the ones with a problem.

 

[Mide]

Never done a solo drive. Wouldn't let anyone take my car solo either.

 

[tortillasoup]

there's a huge difference between a dealership or rental company and Joe Schmoe selling his car on craigslist. If you don't see that then you're a fucking idiot.

By your logic, I'm a fucking idiot, so now do tell what the difference is... One has more money than the other? Is that your only criteria? How about property damage insurance? Liability? Magic scanner that reads the driver's license to see if the person is a fraudster, suspended license, etc. etc.? There aren't too many things the dealer has that somehow makes it "immune" to being fucked by a customer any more than anyone else. One advantage I have over the dealer is that I can be as discriminatory as I want to be. Having a team of lawyers and collection agencies doesn't make things that much easier as those aren't free to the dealer and in a lot of cases, they're just as fucked as anybody in that situation.