Have you ever been ripped-off by a relative? If so, you're not alone. A recent survey suggests that two-thirds of people who bought a car from a family member found themselves out of pocket as a result – 65% said it had cost them in breakdowns and repairs, while 15% later found they had been over charged.
The company who did the survey, Trusted Dealers, want to flog you a car, so clearly have an interest in persuading you not to buy from someone you know. But the results did ring true with me – I think I am one of the 15%.
My dad sold me a car once. He named his price and it never occurred to me to shop around or haggle. After I bought it from him I found myself sitting next to a car expert at a work dinner. We got chatting about what type of car I had and how I'd needed to have some work done on it at a recent MOT, and he asked how much it had cost me. He seemed to delight in telling me I had been charged more than the book price – and was quite amused when I told him where I'd bought it. I was less entertained.
However, my dad is generally fantastic at maintaining his motor vehicles, and I felt more confident buying from him than I would have felt going to a dealer. He has also been generous enough to include an ongoing maintenance package (I'm not sure if he intended to, but sometimes things go wrong just before I visit) and the occasional car wash, so it's not really comparing like with like.
And maybe there's more comeback if you are sold a lemon by Uncle Arthur Daley, or his kin. With a dealer you just have your warranty; with a family member you have something to mention every time you have an argument in the future.
But it's not just cars that relatives can sometimes make a killing on. A friend tells me her husband was charged £30 for a lawnmower his brother had found in the shed of his new house.
Have you found yourself being overcharged by one of the family, or is it purely "mates rates" between you and yours?
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