16/07/2026
How to buy/sell your vehicle: It’s the little things. There’s nothing bigger.
If you want to know how to sell a car online properly (or spot potential shady sellers), look closely at this post. To be absolutely clear, I am not being paid a single penny to promote this vehicle or this listing. I simply find that the vehicle is interesting and the for sale post is effectively sound. I simply stumbled across it. It is exactly how I sell my own and other peoples vehicles, and how anyone else should sell theirs.
Compare this to the standard rubbish we see daily on Facebook. You know the ones: a single photo taken at night where half the frame is empty sky, accompanied by a lazy caption saying, "Message for details/pictures," or a picture from last year with "More photos coming soon." Do not do this. It is a terrible strategy for several reasons. Firstly, sellers do this because every single message kicks the post back to the top of the feed, gaming the algorithm because the platform thinks people are interested. Secondly, if you are capable of taking photos to send to individual messagers, you are capable of uploading them to the listing immediately. Holding them back shows complete and absolute distrust.
Worse still, these sellers believe that once they get you into a one-to-one private chat, they can convince you over a phone call or pressure you into a sale. By keeping the conversation private, they can control the narrative. If they admit a fault to you in a direct message, no one else in the public forum ever finds out. It keeps the rest of the world in the dark, which is incredibly shady. If there is something wrong with your car, just say it in the post. It is worth it in the long run and you're more likely to sell you car. People see a lot of trust in you and they are much more likely to buy.
The same goes for covering number plates. It does not provide your location; nobody is turning up at your house because of a registration plate. What it actually does is hide the MOT history, which immediately signals dishonesty to any serious buyer. With platforms like Facebook allowing an effective limit of around 80 pictures, there is absolutely no excuse for laziness. It is worth every bit of effort to capture dozens of images showing even the smallest detail, whether good or bad, because that is precisely what a genuine buyer wants to see. If you are selling a vehicle, particularly anything worth over £500, you need to put the proper work in. That means writing a thorough description and being as truthful and honest as humanly possible.
The seller of this 1982 Land Rover Series III Santana did not need to be a professional photographer to get this right. They simply captured dozens of images of every single detail. They openly admitted that the roof leaks, the window regulators are stiff, the passenger door is difficult to open from the inside, and there is corrosion inside the cabin. On the mechanical side, they highlighted that the odometer reading is inaccurate, the engine shut-off cable is weak and requires a manual reset, and a loose retaining clip was found in the transmission oil during a fluid change.
This level of absolute honesty is not just good practice; it is actually a legal safeguard here in the UK. Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, private sellers must provide completely truthful and accurate information about the vehicle. If your Land Rover leaks more oil than it drinks fuel, or if it has intermittent diff locks, worn bushes, or tired air suspension, you are legally obliged to disclose it. Misrepresenting the condition, whether intentionally or not, can land you directly in small claims court - and it's easy to tell if you knew or not whether you're a mechanic or have no knowledge of vehicles. Declaring known faults, previous accident damage, or anything that impacts roadworthiness up front protects both you and the buyer.
It is also vital to understand the difference between a private sale and a dealership when it comes to legal protection and warranties. Many dealers love to tell you that a used car comes with a "three-month warranty" as if they are doing you a massive favour. In reality, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, your statutory rights are much stronger. If a fault occurs within the first six months of buying from a dealer, the law automatically assumes that the fault existed at the time of sale unless the dealer can prove otherwise. The dealer is legally obligated to repair, replace, or offer a refund. A commercial warranty does not override these statutory rights, meaning that "three-month" dealer warranty is often just a distraction from your six months of legal protection.
Conversely, in a private sale, there is absolutely no automatic warranty. The ancient legal principle of caveat emptor, or "buyer beware," applies fully. The seller does not have to guarantee that the car is of satisfactory quality or fit for purpose. The only legal requirements are that the car must match the description, it must be roadworthy unless explicitly stated otherwise, and the seller must actually own it. If it breaks down ten minutes after you drive away and the description was technically honest, you have zero legal recourse.
This brings us to a massive point of confusion regarding vehicle paperwork. Many people believe that having your name on the V5C logbook means you own the car. It does not. The V5C explicitly states on the front page that it is not proof of ownership. It only proves who is the registered keeper, meaning the person responsible for taxing, MOTing, and maintaining the vehicle. You cannot legally sell a vehicle that does not belong to you simply because you are the registered keeper. If you didn't buy or own the car, if there is outstanding finance on the car, the owner or finance company owns it, not you. If you sell a car with outstanding finance without settling it first, you are selling stolen property, which is a serious offence. The same applies if your dad, mother, husband, wife, friend etc own the car but you're simply the custodian with the V5 in your name - selling without prior permission is considered theft
If the vehicle is a non-runner, a project, or a parts donor that is not roadworthy, you can legally sell it only if the buyer is fully informed and understands it cannot be driven on public roads. You must be completely clear in your advert, using precise language such as, "Sold as a non-runner, suitable for parts or restoration only." Alongside this transparency, you must be the owner and not simply the registered keeper - you must hand over the V5C logbook, a valid MOT certificate if it has one, and a signed bill of sale stating, "Sold as seen, tried, and approved without warranty," keeping a signed copy for your own records. However if you know of anything that obviously faulty you will be held responsible in a small claims court.
Once the transaction is complete, you must notify the DVLA immediately online or via the V5C to transfer the vehicle out of your name. This ensures you are no longer liable for road tax, parking fines, or speeding tickets. If your old 4x4 ends up abandoned in a supermarket car park for days, you certainly do not want the council or bailiffs knocking at your door.
Instead of hiding issues in the hope that a poor, unfortunate buyer who has travelled a long distance will just buy the vehicle anyway out of sheer convenience, this Santana seller laid everything bare. Any fault with your car should be declared openly in the public post from day one. It is always worth it in the long run, and for your conscious (you don't want to live life waiting for a potential summons or bang on the door from a seller who spotted a major issue as soon as they hit motorway speeds). When you are entirely transparent, people see immense trust in you, they feel secure, and they are far more likely to buy.
Stop hiding behind single photos, masked registration plates, and private messages.
Put great effort into your description, show the details, images, tell the truth, and sell your vehicle properly.
