Is it time to trade in your luxury car for a family-sized SUV?
Whether you’ve outgrown your old car or just want to treat yourself to a new vehicle, you’ll likely want to sell your old car before buying a new one.
However, it’s hard to know where to start when selling a car, especially if you’ve had your old car for years and years and have never had to approach selling an old car.
Luckily, once you know what you’re doing and know the basics about your car, you can clean it up and have it off your hands in no time. Check out our guide below for more information on how to sell your car!
The First Step on How to Sell Your Car: Find Your Car’s Value
If you’re struggling to find buyers for your car, chances are it’s because you’ve priced it too high. The first step in your car-selling journey is learning the value of your car.
This can easily be done on websites like CARFAX or Edmunds. Otherwise, you can take it to a dealership to have it appraised.
Once you’ve learned your car’s value, you want to set the price just slightly above its market value. This will give you a buffer for when buyers try to haggle you down to a lower price.
Make sure when you’re pricing your car that you don’t go over the nearest thousand. That is to say, price your car at $5,900 rather than $6,000. For example, if you listed it at $6,100 then anyone using an online search who has a search option enabled to filter out listings that go above a $6,000 cap will not see yours.
Moving Forward: Place Ads
If word of mouth hasn’t worked as far as advertising goes, put up ads and listings online. Craigslist is a highly trafficked website, as well as others like eBay motors, Beepi, and Autotrader.
When constructing your ad, include the estimated value of your car, mileage information, and an honest history so no discrepancies arise with buyers.
Add in some crisp photos as well. The best time to take photos is right after sunset. Get the driver’s seat and backseat, the trunk, the hood, and some side views.
After You Get the Calls: Dress It Up for a Test Drive
Once you start getting calls from potential buyers, it’s time to polish up the car’s appearance. Vacuum the inside of the car, add in a neutral air freshener, and make sure it’s been through the car wash recently. First impressions are everything, so even if your car isn’t the newest model, buyers will see that it’s capable of cleaning up well and looking presentable.
Arrange to meet buyer’s in a public area for a test drive. Accompany them during the drive, but allow them to fully experience how it is driving the car. You don’t want to push the car on them; only discuss it if they raise questions about it.
If You’re in a Hurry: Get Cash Now
Maybe you can’t be bothered to go through the hassle of placing ads and waiting for buyers to get back to you after days or weeks of waiting. That’s understandable, and luckily there are other options if you’re still trying to figure out how to sell your car.
There are many organizations that buy cars quickly after just a quick appraisal, such as this “sell my car for cash” company, which will give you a quote for your car, provide a free towing service, and pay you with cash upfront.
It’s an easy way to sidestep the sometimes long and extended car-selling process and make sure you’re most definitely getting paid and not being fooled by some online scammer.
Out with the Old, in with the New
There is a bit of work that goes into figuring out how to sell your car, but a weight will be lifted after you’ve closed the deal on your old automobile. Whether that means buying a new car, or transitioning into a bike or public transportation fueled lifestyle, you won’t have to worry anymore about that old machine sitting in your garage!
You know what they say: once one car door closes, another one opens!
