If you own a car, you’re going to need to sell it. It doesn’t matter if it’s tomorrow, next week, or even a few years from now. It’s a fact of life, or rather a fact of owning your own transport. It could be time to move onto something more efficient or finally snag that sporty little number you’ve been eyeing.
When it comes to selling your current car you have two options: either trade it in at a dealer or sell it privately. Of course, you can also sell it to a dealer, but you might not get back as much as it’s worth. Trading the car in is a pretty standard affair, but what about a private car sale? How do you go about even getting your car ready for someone to look at?
You are going to need to figure out just how much you want for your car? And while this may sound simple and you imagine yourself rolling in money, it’s a little more complicated than that. Even though you want a certain amount for your car it might be worth less – considerably less. Hop onto a classifieds website, such as Gumtree or OLX, and research how much other people are selling the same model for. Be sure to take note of any damage on those cars and their mileage. A great option is to use a car book value calculator to check the car’s worth.
When deciding on a price, leave a little wiggle room to negotiate. You will find buyers that try to bring down your price and it shows good faith that you can negotiate a better price for them.
An oldie, but a goodie. Designing a small advert on an A4 piece of paper and putting it in the car window is a classic way of advertising that it’s for sale. After all, people will be able to see this wherever you drive, whether if it’s to work or the shops.
Make sure that the sign is highly visible, clearly states the price and your contact details. You can include additional information such as the year of the car and the reading on the odometer. This will help to eliminate people asking you needless questions about the car.
Another classic way to advertise your car for a private sale is to park it at an auto fair. These are typically held on weekends and are a gathering of people looking to buy and sell cars. You’ll be able to drop off your car for the day, have a sales flyer on it, and come back to collect it in the late afternoon. And, hopefully, you’ll have a few messages about people wanting to buy your car.
Bear in mind that these are not free. You’ll need to pay a small fee to park the car, but it’s usually less than a takeaway burger. Be sure to wash your car beforehand so that it’s looking its absolute best for the show.
Another option is to post an advert in the local classifieds paper or on a car trading website. You might have to pay a small fee, but it’s negligible in the grand scheme of the sale. These are generally easier to advertise on as you can list all of the car’s specifications, details, and what you want for it.
As mentioned earlier, your car should have a wash before you show it off. That’s not the only thing that needs to be done when selling. Besides some soap and water, be sure to wax the car, pump up the tyres, and ensure that all of the lights are working or replace them.
You’ll also want to make sure all of the paperwork is up to date, such as the car registration and insurance. After all, would you want to buy a car that still required a lot of work be done on it?
Now, you should be ready to sell off that car that has served you for years. Hopefully, the new owner will be just as kind to it.
