Selling a Car

So how long exactly have you been driving around in that old car of yours? Thinking of selling anytime soon? First there are a few decisions you’ll have to make before you do decide to sell your car. Do you think you want to sell your car over the Internet on an auction site? Or maybe through a newspaper classified? To a dealership, maybe? Or the old-fashioned way by just sitting out in a parking lot with a “For Sale” sign attached? No matter how you decide to sell your car, the following bits of info will definitely help you, regardless.

Before selling your car, one of the most important things you need to understand is the market you are in. Knowing what kind of person would be interested in your car will definitely make things a lot easier when you are choosing where to place advertisements. After you’ve done a small portion of research on the price of your car, you can then determine the asking price and write and attention-getting advertisement. You will also need to prepare your car for selling by washing and detailing the car. It is also very crucial to understand how to negotiate to get the best selling price and what to do if you get caught in a car buying scam!

To begin selling your car you need to know your market, like I said above. Basically, you need to know if your car is a popular model that buyers will be interested in. It might mean that you have to drop your selling price a bit in order to help your car to sell because it’s not in high demand. Knowing your market, your potential buyers, will definitely help you to answer a few of these questions. The more you know about the kinds of people interested in your vehicle the better you’ll be able to reach the buyers. Here’s a good example: if you have a convertible you are wanting to sell, try selling it during the warmer months or right before it starts to get warm when people are really anticipating riding with the top down. The same goes for sports cars too, they will sell better during the warmer, summer and spring months of the year. If you have a family car to sell, you might want to try to reach out to suburban families by placing an ad in the local Sunday paper where it is likely to reach many, many suburban homes.

Knowing as much as possible about your car and the prospective buyers you could have can really help you to save time and money. It will absolutely help you to get the best price whether you plan on selling the car yourself or just trading it in at a dealership. Usually SUV’s, such as family sedans and sport utility vehicles, are in high demand most of the time. Also, trucks and vans that are used for work purposes are steady sellers as well. These vehicles should command competitive prices, but be careful not to underestimate their real value.

You should use the Internet and local classifeied ads to find out just how many similar cars are on the market like yours. When you find cars that are similar and begin comparing your car to those in the ads, you want to take into account a few factors like the car’s age, condition and mileage. Keep in mind that cars with less mileage will sell for higher prices because they will more than likely last a little longer than one that has a higher mileage on it.

One of the most important things you must remember is before you decide to sell your car is you will most likely get a lot more money from it if you just sell it yourself rather than trade it in at a dealership. If you do finally decide that trading in your car is the best idea for you, beware of two important things: a very high trade-in value and a very low one. When a dealership offers you a very high trade-in value for your vehicle, they will more than likely use the price against the purchase of a new car. So go in there expecting to basically trade your car in for a new one, using your old car as sort of a down payment. The dealer will cover the loss on the used car by making you pay a higher price for the new car you want to purchase. Therefore, you will not be saving any more money. On the other hand, if the dealer offers you too little for your trade-in, it may suggest that you’re getting a decently low price for the new car. Remember that you can always negotiate a fair trade-in price at a dealership. Know, ahead of time, that you will probably get a higher selling price by selling the car yourself.

The best method to price your car is to know what other sellers, with similar cars, are asking by looking online at ads, as well as print ads. Suggested retail for your car is also available for you to look at. The best way to find out your suggested retail is to use a common reference guide such as the Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) or the NADA Gold Book (www.nadaguides.com). These are books that will refer you to how much you can ask for a selling or trade-in price on your used car. They are available in the reference section of most libraries. They are also available online, which might be little quicker if you have internet access. They include domestic and foreign cars that are 21 years old or newer, as well.

Another way that you can determine your car’s price is to find out the wholesale price dealers are paying for your car at an auction. The Black Book is one of several guides that will provide this information for you. This book features wholesale prices on used cars and motorcycles dating back as early as 1946 to the present. Having all this information in hand, you will definitely be able to determine a reasonable selling price for your car.

Lastly, you must be sure to leave a little room in your asking price. Basically, asking for slightly more money than you are actually willing to accept is a common occurrence. If you want to get $15,000 for your car, you could list the car at $15, 500. So if you have to go to a lower price, it won’t really be a big loss. After you have decided on the asking price of your car, then it’s time to start making your car look attractive to buyers.

When a buyer comes to look at your car, they will immediately be checking out how the car looks. So making a good impression to a new buyer is very important. There are some things that you can do to ensure you and your car will make a good first impression on a potential buyer.

Here are a few things you should do to your car before letting probable buyers come to look at it:

• Wash, wax and detail your car (the most obvious first thing to do).
• Get a real look at your vehicles condition by getting it inspected or getting a mechanics opinion o fit.
• Take all of your personal items out of the car. If a buyer wants to test drive the car, you don’t want your little Hula girl on the dashboard distracting them from the car itself.
• Have maintenance records or mechanic reports on hand to show buyers.
• Consider making a few low-cost repairs for things like dents, dings and scrapes in the paint, as well as any small mechanical problems, rather than selling the car “as is”. Doing this will definitely help you to sell it.
• Don’t forget when cleaning and washing your car to also clean off the wheel covers and tires. As well as the windows and any mirrored surface.

You should expect some potential buyers to want to investigate the entire car, completely and fully. If your car is in the best possible condition it can be in, it will be very attractive to someone wanting to purchase it. So now that you have gotten your car all cleaned up and inspected, you need to spread the word of your great car on the market.

A lot of people sell their cars by word of mouth alone, but you may not find too many buyers this way and you may not get the feedback you had hoped for. This is why you should always advertise as well. There are many, many places you can advertise your car at. Keep in mind that some ads,, such as those in a newspaper, will cost money, but others may be free.

You can start by listing you car in online classified ads (Cars.com) where you will reach out to many people geographically. A local newspaper classified ad is always the most obvious choice. Local weekly papers and other newspapers found at your grocery store are usually free to list your car in. You can go the route of posting a flyer about your car on bulletin boards in grocery stores, libraries and even college campuses. Parking your car in the driveway with a “For Sale” sign works too, or just keeping the sign in the window with your contact information on it while driving the car is a good idea too.

Advertising in more than one place will probably greatly benefit you. Remember that once you have placed your ads all about, people will begin calling you inquiring about the car. Many people are generally hesitant about leaving messages, so do your best to answer any incoming calls in case it is someone inquiring about the car.

Deciding where you want to place your advertisements is only part of selling your car. Another part is what to say about your car in the ads. You clearly want to attract buyers any way you can, so you will need to include your car’s characteristics. These may include the car’s make, model, year, color and any special features your car has (i.e. CD player, power windows & locks, sunroof, etc.). Take a look at some other ads to get some idea of what to put in yours.

There is a little more to having a fantastic ad than car specifications. Your ad should really emphasize the most important selling points your car has to offer. If your car has low mileage then make sure to point this out in your ad! Use some selling points that first attracted yourself to the car initially. Is it fuel efficient? Reliable? These are just a few things that should be emphasized in your ad, but only if they are true. It’s best to avoid exaggeration just to get a buyer to your house to find out the ad was false.

Finish your ad by listing an asking price. A lot of sellers choose not to list a price. However, this will definitely result in a lot of phone calls from people wanting to know this information, who may not be willing to pay what you are asking for the car. It’s usually just a lot easier to list the price in the ad. Include your contact information and wait for the potential buyers to call you.