• Property investments
• Stocks & Shares
• Antiquities & collectables
• Savings accounts
• Premium Bonds
• Leisure equipments – cameras, bikes, snowboards etc.
• Cars, motorbikes, boats

Car owners can unknowingly have large amounts of equity locked up in their vehicle, even if was bought with finance or hire purchase. What you will finally receive v. If the car was bought on finance a long time ago you may well have paid off most of the loan. If you acquired your car on a lease agreement the rules are entirely different. Find our how much you owe on your car by contacting the company for a balance. Repossession is the last resort of lenders who would prefer you sold your car to a dealer who will settle the balance including any missing payments.

Selling a car for cash, particularly if it needs to be done quickly, often means taking less than the car is really worth. Your local dealer will only want your old car if you buy a brand new one at full list price. So few people now read local newspapers than private classified advertising of used cars is often a waste of time.

Websites such as Sellmycar4cash buy used cars to use as stock for main dealers and offer to value and buy your car quickly without any fees or risk. Values can only be ontained on cars newer than 7 years and under 100 k mileage. Record all the deatils of your second hand car on the webpage form and a representative will call you back with a cash offer. Agreement of valuation would result in a call to make an appointment to meet, pay for and collect the car. If agreement is reached on the value of the car you are selling the next step is to arrange the meeting to view and pay.

Would-be used car buyers, of apparently real bargain cars, have been asked to meet in quiet places and told that the seller will only take cash. Unprepared buyers have arrived at the meeting only to have all of the cash taken by robbers who also drive off with the car.

Online used car buyers and sellers need to take great care to safeguard themselves and their money from this new breed of Internet fraudster and crook.

A good basic trustworthiness checklist would start with:

• Will they give a full name in advance and carry photo ID when you meet?
• Can the address of their premises by checked?
• Can they supply something other than just a mobile phone number?
• Check out their bank details if they will provide?
• If you agree to a bankers draft, as to meet at your bank where you can pay it in?
• Payments in cash should only be in pounds sterling to avoid forgeries that you may not spot.
• Finally, if meeting the buyer or seller half-way, make sure they agree to meet in a safe well lit place where plenty of people are about and take someone with you.
• Deal just too good to turn down? Might be a scam!

There are plenty of reputable online car firms who will sell you a car or buy one from you without risk but you do need to do your homework and check them out first. If they seem reluctant to give you information, particularly about who they are or where they based, then you had better assume the worst.