It’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that just because it is somewhat of a seller’s market regarding second-hand vehicles, you can simply post an ad, and someone will eventually turn up to buy the thing. Although this can happen in some situations, if you are seeking a speedy sale, you may want to look at alternative options open to you. This could range from the aforementioned advert (albeit with a little extra push from your side to ensure it gets seen by the right buyer) to chopping it in if you also happen to be in the market for a new set of wheels. So, with those points in mind, among others, we will take a look at perhaps the best ways to get your car sold asap and put some much-needed cash into your pocket.
Clean Your Car Inside And Out For Better First Impressions
If you want to sell your vehicle for a reasonable price and within a decent timeframe, you need to remember just one thing: you are selling a product that a real person will invest their real-life money into. So what does this mean to you? Well, you must always have in mind that for anyone to spend their money, they need to be assured that they are buying something that is worth the value to attach to it. This is particularly vital when considering how to sell a used car to the right person. In practice, this will mean preparing your car for sale by getting it cleaned up and looking like it’s actually worth something. For this step, you have two options, and the one you select will depend on your situation:
- Clean it yourself: If your vehicle is nothing particularly special and you have treated it well over the time you’ve used it, you could get away with cleaning it yourself using commercially available cleaning products (i.e., water, soap, a sponge, and a bucket!)
- Get professional detailing: If you have never been the kind of person to look after your car, or you have a vehicle that could be worth a significant amount on the second-hand market, you may want to opt for a professional detail that will get the car looking like it has just come out of the factory.
Set A Competitive Price Based On Market Research
Coming up with a suitable price isn’t as simple as sticking your finger in the air and waiting for divine inspiration. In most cases, the Kelly Blue Book will be your best friend and should offer you an overview of what the market value of your model is based on age, condition and, mileage, etc. However, you should only use this as a guide, as there will be certain things that will influence the price positively or negatively depending on the state it’s currently in. Your best bet is to combine the Blue Book suggestion with your own research, which you can achieve by trawling through any of the myriad auto websites and even social media. You can cross reference these results with other data to reach a price that you believe is worth it. Just make sure you price in a little wiggle room for when a prospective buyer will want to inevitably knock you down a bit.
Trade It In If Buying A New Model
This is perhaps the most straightforward of all your options and is an excellent idea if you are selling because you can kill two birds with one stone and still pocket a bit of money to put towards your new car. The only real downside to this option is that you won’t get the actual value of the vehicle purely because the dealership buying your old one will probably want to resell it themselves either via an auction or via their own network. Nevertheless, it’s worth exploring if only to save you the stress of having to deal with tire kickers and those wanting to haggle you into oblivion.
Write A Detailed And Honest Description
If you prefer to head down the personal sale route and create your own ads, the description you make will have a significant influence on how well you get on. To put it bluntly, almost every internet user these days has a built-in BS detector, and if there is any hint of something fishy, they will run a mile, and you’ll be hard-pressed to make a sale at all, let alone rapidly. The key to selling things these days is to be open and honest with your description and allow the price you ask to reflect this candidness.
Selling an old car isn’t as easy as it used to be, even with the masses of tools at your disposal. But by giving it a thorough clean, pricing it correctly, and being candid when you have your salesperson hat on, you should find yourself making a sale in no time.