How to Sell Your Car Privately
Jul 11, 2011
Firstly you need to get a price. Remember that many pricing guides are based on trade in values. This is the price a dealer will give you on the basis they make profits on selling you a new car. webuyanycar.com gives you a more realistic price based on what we would look to buy your car from you without selling you another car.
By entering your mileage, age, condition, and any bumps or dents, we can offer you a more accurate price. It’s important to allow for the fact the buyer may want to make a lower offer, so you may want to price up a little. However, advertising your car for sale can be expensive and time consuming, so don’t price it too high either. This is especially true if your car is at the lower end of the market where advertising fees can soon mount up.
If you are writing a car ad, be sure to include all relevant details such as mileage, condition and age. Be honest as while it’s a sale, nobody wants to buy a car from someone who says the bodywork is immaculate if it’s obviously not upon inspection. Give your car a thorough valet, ensuring it’s clean inside and out, especially the wheels. Invest in an odor eater to create a clean, fresh fragrance. Ensure pictures are only taken after the vehicle has been cleaned if you want to get the maximum price possible.
Be sure to be safe. Don’t agree to meet in out of town locations. While public areas are better than densely populated, it's probably best to have them come to your home, ideally with the car in full view of the neighbors. Take full contact details from prospective buyers i.e. cell, home, and business telephone numbers in case, for any reason you need to cancel. You can make it clear that the last thing you want to do is to have to cancel and not be able to reach them. It’s always worth “googling” people’s names or checking them on Facebook. While this may seem a little paranoid, the car is often the second most valuable thing that people own, so it’s worth taking the time on the sale.
Before the buyer hands over any money, it’s worth ensuring they have inspected the car. Nobody needs the hassle of someone handing over cash only to end up in a confrontation or legal dispute. Insist they look under the hood of the car. Any reasonable buyer will want to test drive the car. This can prevent a problem for the buyer as when handing over the keys, it’s a rare seller who doesn’t worry, even for a split second, that the buyer may drive off with their car. For this reason, we recommend that when you switch driving positions that you ALWAYS SWITCH THE ENGINE OFF and don’t hand the keys to the seller until you are comfortably seated in the passenger seat.
Selling a car privately will involve giving out a contact telephone number. There are services now available that no longer require you to give out your private telephone numbers. Its also worth considering advertising your car on Facebook or other social networks as you can check out prospective buyers; however, you also give away more personal details by doing this. You may even be able to sell the car to a friend, which will alleviate most of the major worries and concerns people have when selling a car.
One you have an appointment made, have a price range in mind and stick to it. Ideally have a low, middle, and high price that you are prepared to accept. Always be prepared to walk away if your desired price range is not met.
If you are choosing to sell your car privately, we wish you the very best of luck. However, we are always available to buy your car in one of our safe, secure premises. webuyanycar.com - the place to sell Toyota, Acura, Ford ...
