Every so often, people need to sell their cars. When they do, it’s important that they try to get the best deal that they can. Unfortunately, few people actually know how to get a good price for their car. Usually, experienced car dealers (and resellers) get in touch and try to buy people’s cars off of them, haggling them down and getting a ridiculously low price.
If you are interested in selling your car, then this is the post for you. Here you will find expert tips that’ll help you to maximize the amount of money that you get.
Junk Buyers
If the car that you are selling is not in very good condition, then rather than selling it privately, you could sell it to a cash-for-junk car company. There are literally thousands of companies offering cash for unwanted junk cars operating online. You should try to find the one that’s nearest to you, so you don’t have to transport your car very far. Make sure to shop around and check out different sites so that you can get the best price for your old car.
Online Advertising
Online advertising is essential if you want to sell your car privately. If you do not advertise your car, then how is anybody going to know you’re selling it? There are lots of different sites that you can use to advertise your car. One of the best is eBay. The best thing about eBay is that you can sell your car there and get paid using the platform’s secure payment feature, which means you don’t have to deal with cash on the day that your car is collected. The only downside to eBay is that you have to pay a sizable fee to the platform.
Test Drives
Test driving is something you should always offer people when you are selling a car. Giving prospective buyers the opportunity to test drive your car will make it easier for them to decide whether or not your car’s for them. You do need to make sure that you accompany them on test drivers, however. You should never let a stranger go out in your car on their own because they could steal it. It’s not uncommon for people to arrange to meet car sellers so that they can steal the car being sold.
Cleaning Car
If you’re selling your car, then you need to make sure that it’s clean inside and out. Experienced car buyers will use the fact your car isn’t clean to get you to offer them a better price. And, when your car isn’t clean, there’s not much you can really do or say to stop them from haggling with you. Your car needs to be in pristine condition, so nobody can use its condition against you to get a better deal. You can confidently stick with the price originally offered when your car is nice and clean.
Including Extras
If you bought any extras for your cars, like seat covers or a new radio, include them in the sale. Including extras in the sale will make it easier to sell your car. In addition to making it easier to sell your car, including them will also make it a lot easier for you to charge a higher price (and secure a sale). That said, do not price too high, even when you are including lots of additional extras. Pricing too high could deter people from wanting to buy your car.
Repairing Damages
As mentioned previously, your car needs to be sold in a good condition. If it is not in good condition, then people will try and haggle with you to get the price down. Make sure, with this in mind, that you repair any damages your car has sustained so that it’s basically in brand-new condition when it comes time to sell it. Ideally, you should remove any minor scuffs or scratches, too. Removing paintwork damage will help to improve your car’s appearance and give buyers less ammunition when it comes to negotiating a new price with you (which they will inevitably try and do).
Realistic Price
Be realistic when you are pricing your car. A good way to figure out how much your car is worth is to check out how many people are selling the same make and model as you online. Then, you can price a little bit lower than the other sellers. Selling your car for less than people selling similar cars online will help you to make a sale much quicker. If you price higher, then you could struggle to make a sale at all. The price you offer your car needs to be affordable and realistic so it attracts buyers.
Right to Sell
You need to have a right to sell your car, too. If somebody has given the car to you, then make sure that you are in possession of the owner’s log. If you are not and try and sell the car, you could actually get into some trouble. It should also be noted that if you do not have the owner’s log, then nobody will actually buy the car from you because they will not have proof of ownership. Nobody wants to buy a car that they cannot prove that they own.
Safe Place
Finally, when selling a car, make sure that you arrange to meet people in a safe, public place. It’s sadly very common for people selling cars online to get robbed or scammed. Sometimes, people arrange to buy cars with a view to robbing the person selling them. By arranging to meet buyers in busy public places, you do not have to worry about anything like this happening to you. It might also be worth taking a head camera along with you, like a GoPro. Wearing a camera will help to deter theft and ensure you have every buyer’s face recorded, just in case they try anything funny.
If you plan on selling your car, then you need to know everything listed here. Not taking the steps outlined in this post could lead to you getting a bad deal on your sale. Make sure to give each of this article’s points serious consideration and thought.