Anyone got advice on selling a car?

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karan733

New Member
Im moving to New York in a couple of months for a year, so in preparation im selling anything that is just going to lie around not being used and is not personal. The biggest problem is the car, and having never sold a car before Im not sure how to go about it?

Short of sticking it on Autotrader and hoping for the best, anyone got any tips on this? Do I need to don the attire of a used car salesman to get anywhere with this?

pic_hownototbuy.jpg
 

philipbh

Spectral Cyclist
Location
Out the back
Decent photographs of your pride and joy + a good description of the fixtures and fittings

I have used ebay Buy Now / Nearest Offer twice to sell two cars fairly recently

Failed using AutoTrader (expect your local papers ad sales dept. to call) and a local paper Classified Section

I think that A/T does have a how to guide and tips on safe selling as well

If its a specialist vehicle (or fancy) then an owners club or Forum might be worth trying as well
 

threebikesmcginty

Corn Fed Hick...
Location
...on the slake
I turned down a couple of prospective buyers after this cretinous moron said he'd buy the car but then texted me the night before to say he wouldn't be buying it. So I'd say until someone comes round with the cash it isn't sold. We used the local classifieds, worked OK in the end. Sold another on Autotrader and it went in 24 hours! :ohmy:


Good luck in Nu Yoik btw
 

Soltydog

Legendary Member
Location
near Hornsea
I sold my car last year on ebay. Listed as a classified ad, rather than an auction in the motors section was far cheaper than autotrader & maybe reaches a bigger audience nowadays. I searched for others similar to mine, to judge price & priced just under dealer prices. It was sold within 24 hours :ohmy:
 
As long as you are confident enough to handle the process (bod coming round and you going on a test drive with them) then I would go with Autotrader.

Buyers generally do not want the "wide boy" types as that is a sign that the car may be bodged up or whatever. Buyers like genuine sellers and a genuine reason for the sale.
Just be up front and honest with the buyer. If you reveal the odd shortcoming they will be more likely to accept the car as being honestly presented.

What is the car and how much do you think you will get for it? If fairly new or highish value then a dealer may give you good money for it but market is rather flat at the moment.

Take usual precautions with cash, cheque people and you should be OK.
If it is a pile of poop then sell it on ebay. The crud tends to settle there.
 

BearPear

Veteran
Location
God's Own County
We have sold a car in the classifieds in our local paper and I sold my little car about 5 minutes after sticking a "for sale" sign in the window - a chap was cycling past and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse!
 

BrumJim

Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
You may get lots of people calling you up telling you that if you advertise it on their site, it will be gone in days, as they already have several people looking for a car like yours.
Put the phone down on them straight away. They are vermin, and don't deserve much courtesy.

What sort of car is it?
 

battered

Guru
If you say what it is then the advice can be more specific. If it's 2 years old and £8000 it's different from 12 years old and £800.

Either way. get as much info together as you can - options, extras, all affect value, and service/maintenance history. If you can show me a pile of receipts, prove the cambelt was done last year and that the thing is well maintained then I'll choose that one over the "yeah, look at this, clean as a whistle, one lady owner, look how good the carpets are" example that may not have seen a garage or fresh oil for 3 years.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
What are you selling ? We are contemplating selling the wifes car for something smaller sort of Fiesta size
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
The most imprtant thing is to be truthful and honest in the description when you advertise it. Also be prepared to negotiate the price with the buyer as any car buyer worth his salt will not pay the advertised price. When someone comes to see it, stand back and let them get on with it rather than constantly standing looking over his shoulder while he checks the car out. Personally, I find that off-putting when I look at a car and I know others do too.

As mentioned, the type of car will decide where you advertise it. A classic or something else out of the ordinary, you would probably be better contacting the owners club. An old and virtually worthless car, I would put it in the local paper or free-ads paper (if you have one in your area). For a modern car with some value (I've never owned such a thing), I would imagine the AT or similar would give you a bigger reader base as it's nationwide. If you really just want rid of it hassle free, put it in an auction but you will probably get a poor price like that.
 
OP
OP
karan733

karan733

New Member
My car is a 2004 53 plate Ford Mondeo TDCI. Ive managed to keep it in pretty good nick, but when I bought it it had a few bumps in the bodywork which still remain. I had a look through Auto Trader and the range seems to be from £2500 - £4500 depending on a few optional extras and all that.

I might go for all three or four options, and stick it on ebay, local pap, AT and a sign in the window :becool:

Anyone here want a car at the end of next month? ;)
 

HeyWayne

New Member
Location
Bedfordshire
Be realistic, honest and truthful

Think about what you'd look for when buying a car, and that's generally what people 'out there' will be looking for.

I've sold my last three cars via Autotrader, and they've all gone to the first viewer.

Do a bit of research and see what cars the same kind of age/spec/mileage are going for. If there's a car that's been there for weeks and week, it's either overpriced or there's something that the buyers are picking up that isn't shown in the advert.

Pistonheads allows you to post the car for free (or they did when I was selling), but Autotrader's by far the more popular choice for your average motorist.

Do no, I repeat, do not be tempted by the webuyanycar bunch of pirates.

Price it a few hundred quid higher than you actually want to sell it - people love to barter and think they're getting a good deal.

Clean the car - we're not talking concourse, but a dirty car looks like an unloved car.

As has been mentioned - service history rules. It shows the car has been well maintained.

Aside from all that, I can help singing this song now, cheers:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT90JV-GGe8
 

HeyWayne

New Member
Location
Bedfordshire
karan733 said:
My car is a 2004 53 plate Ford Mondeo TDCI. Ive managed to keep it in pretty good nick, but when I bought it it had a few bumps in the bodywork which still remain. I had a look through Auto Trader and the range seems to be from £2500 - £4500 depending on a few optional extras and all that.

I might go for all three or four options, and stick it on ebay, local pap, AT and a sign in the window :becool:

Anyone here want a car at the end of next month? ;)

If it's an estate, by brother-in-law might have a couple of months ago.
 
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