Buying from a professional or an individual has advantages and disadvantages. On the other hand, price is not always a differentiating criterion. (Photo credit: MaxPPP)
There are often two schools. Those who swear by transactions via individuals, allowing you to find your new car at the best price. Only one technical background and some experience are necessary to avoid possible pitfalls that this may involve.
For others, contacting a professional is a guarantee of security, particularly for payment, and of serenity. A used car dealer must offer a verified and safe model. However, this comes at an easily understandable cost.
During a previous topic carried out in 2022, we realized that the balance of power was no longer the same. Beyond the Covid crisis which caused prices to explode, the Gap between professionals and individuals amounted to 9.7% for the benefit of the latter.
What about today? This is what we wanted to know by taking several representative examples of the market and comparing the prices displayed by the “parties” and by the “pros”. We therefore selected very representative models of the marketand therefore generous volume on occasion. The comparison is made by choosing similar criteria: mileage, year, engine and finish. The commercial sites of La Centrale and Le Bon Coin served as support.
BMW 3 Series
We are starting in the world of premium, although with a classic sedan and a wise type. This BMW 3 Series sold well in the 320d version with 184 hp in Luxury finish, which is the one we favored.
- Individuals: 2013 model with 180,000 km: €10,500
- Professionals: 2013 model with 180,000 km: €12,500
- Gap : 19% in favor of individuals. This Series 3 seems to be appreciated by professionals who do not hesitate to offer it at prices significantly higher than individuals.
Find BMW 3 Series F30 ads on La Centrale.
Dacia Sandero II
Popular car par excellence, the Sandero is far from being given second hand. In any case, the more attractive Stepway caught our attention, with the 90 hp TCe engine.
- Individuals: 2016 model with 120,000 km: €7,200
- Professionals: 2015 model with 135,000 km: €7,800
- Gap : 8.4% for individuals which generally offer more recent examples with less mileage.
Find Dacia Sandero II ads on La Centrale.
Peugeot 2008 II
This second generation 2008 is a real success (4e best seller new) and populates second hand ads. Although criticized for its reliability problems, the PureTech engine is essential under the hood of the SUV. We paired it with the Allure finish.
- Individuals: 2020 model with 75,000 km: €14,000
- Professionals: 2020 model with 78,000 km: €14,000
- Gap : zero, or almost. As there are many examples, adjusting the price as best as possible avoids having to keep your vehicle “on your hands” for too long.
Find Peugeot 2008 II ads on La Centrale.
Renault Clio IV
We no longer present the Clio, omnipresent on our roads. For our comparison, we excluded examples with mileage greater than 140,000 km, as they are rarely offered by professionals. The choice fell on a 90 hp Intens TCe version.
- Individuals: 2015 model and 110,000 km: €8,000
- Professionals: 2015 model with 130,000 km: €8,500
- Gap : 5.9% in favor of individuals while the mileage may be lower.
Find Renault Clio IV ads on La Centrale.
Volkswagen Golf VII
The Golf is eroding in the face of SUVs, but it still retains its fans and still represents a benchmark in the category. This seventh generation, which died at the beginning of 2020, is still very present in second-hand vehicles. We selected the 150 hp TDI version in Comfortline finish.
- Individuals: 2016 model with 110,000 km: €16,000
- Professionals: 2017 model with 100,000 km: €16,000
- Gap : the state in whichit seems that Golf owners are slightly more confident in their cars than professionals. The latter are certainly even more aware that SUVs are more popular…
Find Volkswagen Golf VII ads on La Centrale.
A gap of only 6.6%
According to our findings, the gap between individuals and professionals amounts to 6,6 %. A figure which comes from the examples cited above, and which confirms the trend operated for several years. Do professionals adjust their prices as best as possible or do individuals show themselves to be greedy and somewhat anticipate the negotiation margins? Certainly both.
On paper, the professional reseller has arguments. Their prices are sometimes equivalent, they offer “turnkey” copies, that is to say revised and sometimes updated at body level. An additional guarantee may also be offered.
However, they are generally not very talkative about history of their products. The Histovec report can provide information on the number of owners, but what about the type of journey made on a daily basis? Was it maintained on time? Are invoices available? For a recent model, the liability will be easy to check, less for a ten-year-old copy or more on the clock.
Contacting an individual will allow you to better understand the history, to have access to invoices and above all to be able probe the words and the good faith from the seller. On the other hand, the car may not have been checked before the sale, and the technical inspection alone does not make it possible to judge the reliability of a model. In both cases (professional or individual), a breakdown can occur, despite the checks carried out.
The price war waged by the “two camps” has the advantage of better competition and scrounge up a few euros or an extension of the warranty from a professional. Further proof that he is confident in his product.
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