SELLING your car is something that fills most motorists with dread. It is a fear which some used car resellers will play on, encouraging you to take the easy way out with a quick and supposedly hassle-free sale.
Well if you are rich enough to be able to throw away what is often hundreds of pounds in order to avoid a little work, good for you. But, if it really isn’t as difficult or scary as some make it sound, shouldn’t you try and get full value for your car?
I recently sold UsedCarExpert.co.uk’s project car – a 1997 Alfa Romeo GTV. I advertised on three of the biggest classified websites and what I found was fascinating.
A big auction site generated voyeurs who are interested in watching your car and may ask questions, but only really want to buy it if its going to be very cheap.
A relatively big enthusiasts site where people go to buy and discuss TVRs and Porsches generated some detailed questions but no real cash.
Instead it was one of the biggest conventional classified sites that generated the buyer. That advert generated just three calls, from polite people.
One of the calls came after I had sold it, and another was from someone a bit too far away. But the middle call resulted in a visit and a purchase, just like that.
But I did make it easy on myself. I ensured the car was clean inside and out and all the paperwork was ready. That meant that the person found what they were expecting. You would be amazed how many cars I have visited that looked lovely in the advert but were a disgrace upon arrival.
If you make that mistake your car won’t sell quickly and you will need a lot of enquiries. But, if you have a long enough MOT available (6-12 months makes the difference) and the car looks as it did in the advert you won’t have any hassle.
Most people don’t want to travel for ages to view loads of cars. So if they are bothering to visit you, then they want to buy it. Just makes sure it looks as they expect from the advert and have £50 or so built into the price to give as a discount. That way the buyer goes away happy that they got what they wanted at a good price.