Thanks for all the advice. She didn’t buy it but it had some merits. And he was a pleasant enough private seller with a reason for the car park meet. Like many sellers however he was talking the car up.

First impressions were quite good. Internally it was very tidy. The engine was cold and had not been started for a week. It started first try and ticked over nicely. Under the bonnet was the right degree of cleanliness without being tarted up. Newish battery and label confirming new cam belt. Some surface rust on the rear sub- frame but better than my own 2012 Mazda 3.

So what was less good? There was only one key. Secondly, the number of previous owners was seven. The ad said “three plus”. Both bumpers had poor paint repairs, minor damage and weren’t neatly clipped on - shut lines were not tight. I suspect these were caused by poor parking at the rear and a minor bump at the front. The bonnet also had slightly misaligned shut lines. However as all was straight under the bonnet and the headlights weren’t new, I don’t think it had been a big shunt. However had she been keen on buying it I would have suggested having it properly looked at.

The main condition issue was the windscreen which had scratches from both wipers. We discussed this privately and I said he would tell her it would polish out (I doubt it ) or to claim on insurance. Sure enough he obliged by saying just that. As she is a practicing solicitor, suggesting fraud was not too smart!

So a new windscreen and key made the car too expensive as he wouldn’t budge under £3k.

As for the car park meeting it turned out he has no parking at home so has a season ticket. Seems plausible as the town centre has no free parking. All paperwork and his Facebook photos, lined up. I am pretty sure he isn’t a trader but he had indeed only had the car for six months.

My guess is that someone who doesn’t have scruples on claiming for a windscreen will buy it if the price is reduced.