Selling your car can be a nightmare at times and it’s made worse if you need to sell it quickly. Certain types of cars tend to get a lot of attention whereas sometimes you may find yourself not getting a single enquiry about your car.
If you are new to selling cars, below are some of our tips for selling your car in the UK.
1. Correct Pricing
One of the main reasons you may not get as many enquiries as you would imagine is because of the price. We strongly advise that you analyze the current market to determine the correct pricing of your car.
To ensure that you don’t ask too little for your car, a quick valuation of the car via sites such as WeBuyAnyCar is highly recommended. This will provide you with a “ball-park figure” that you can use as a guide. From our experience, you can usually add between 10 to 20 percent of what most valuation sites offer.
2. Where To Put The Listing?
Placing your advert in the local paper is not as effective as it once were many years ago. Due to the ease of searching for cars online, it’s the best place to put your car for sale. Websites that are popular for selling cars include:
- eBay
- AutoTrader
- Piston Heads
- Gumtree
- Facebook Marketplace
- Cars and Classic (if the car is a classic)
If you are a member of any car enthusiasts forums, they are often a great place to list the car. Many people would prefer to purchase from a “fellow enthusiast” that shares the same passion for the car as they do.
3. Service History
One of the most commonly asked questions you will get when selling a car is whether it has a full service history (FSH). It’s something that almost every car buyer will be looking for and it’s important that you clearly state it on the advert.
We advise that you provide details of the service dates, the type of services it has had and when the next one is due. Another important factor to consider is whether it was serviced by the main dealer, an independent specialist or a local garage. The dealer or an independent garage are more desirable but any history is better than none at all.
If you have serviced the car yourself, proof of the service items you have used is critical. For example, if you have change the oil, you will want to keep a hold of the receipt that shows the correct engine oil was used in the car.
4. Specification and Optional Extras
In order to avoid the constant questions, you will want to dig out the specification of the car. If you cannot locate this within your documents, you may be able to use a VIN decoder to output the specification of the car. Alternatively, the dealer will be able to provide you a specification sheet of your car upon request.
If your car has multiple optional extras, you will want to clear state what they are in the advert. Many of the optional extras may be a requirement of the buyer, which they may be willing to pay extra for.
You may have also installed aftermarket parts such as a new double din head unit or even an underseat subwoofer. Any addition that will add value to your car is worth talking about and can make your car standout from the rest.
5. Appearance
Before you take photos of the car for the advert, you will want to try and make it look the best it can. Thoroughly washing the car inside and out is essential because lets face it, no one will want a dirty “new car”.
Once the car is clean, you may notice various scratches or paint defects that may put off a potential buyer. However, using the correct car polish will enable you to tackle these defects and it can only take a few hours of your time.
6. Photos
Before listing the car for sale, you will want to take plenty of photos that “show it off”. The photos should show each angle of the exterior, the front, rear and boot of the interior and any other details that the buyer should know about.
Common mistakes we see people make is taking the photos in locations such as building sites, scrap yards and so on. This give a “bad” vibe to the buyer and it can be easily avoided by taking photos in a nicer location.
7. What’s Special About It?
If you drive a rare or unique car, you will want to ensure it’s clearly listed on the advert. For example, if it has certain optional extras or is even cheap to insure on a classic car insurance policy, it’s worth talking about in your advert.
8. Modifications
Certain types of modifications can make the car even more desirable than it was stock and it’s important that you let the buyer know. Modifications can be anything from installing face lift parts, new car audio, a sports exhaust or suspension.
At Brentacre, we don’t charge extra for any cosmetic alterations, which makes our modified car insurance policy very popular. If the potential buyer is worried about additional costs to their current insurance policy, this may be something you may want to mention.
9. Be Honest
Claiming that your car is in pristine condition and drives like new when it clearly doesn’t is not a good idea. Not only does it waste the buyers time but also yours. As soon as the buyer sees the car in person, they are not going to hand over the money. Being honest with how the car appears and drives is highly advised.
10. Collection of the Car
When people are travelling to pick up the car, the logistics can often be an issue. Offering them options such as nearby bus depots or train stations is a great way to increase the chances of the sale. We also highly recommend offering to pick them up from the station to sweeten the deal.
Alternatively, if delivery is an absolute must, there are services such as shiply that will be able to provide you with a cost of transportation.
