Getting the best price for your car

After your house, the car in your life is more than likely the second most expensive thing you will ever get to buy. Thus when it comes to the time you want to upgrade / change it, getting the very best money for it becomes very important.

There is always the option to trade in of course, and a large number of people indeed choose that route, but on the other hand if you had some hard cash in your pocket you could perhaps get a better deal on that new car, plus of course if you’re thinking of buying privately, trading in is not an option.
There are many ways to sell your car, but the Internet of course is here now and offers some very convenient methods of first obtaining an idea of your car’s value as well as linking sellers to buyers.

A few tips for improving your car’s worth

Whether you are planning to sell to a private buyer or a dealer, there are a good few ways to help you get the best price for your car, and actually, when you think of it the answer to ‘how much is my car worth?’ is more in your hands more than you might have ever imagined:-

• Make sure that is has been properly serviced, with records to prove it.
• Get those minor scratches sorted.
• Get all the paperwork neatly together in a nice folder
• Possibly get an HPI check to show there’s no loans outstanding.
• Make sure the jack and spare tyre are in the boot and are nice and clean!.
• Have it professionally valeted – this can really help
• Note – having a good few months of tax and MOT really helps too, so plan to sell accordingly.
• Remember that the time of year can count for a lot, – November is probably NOT the best time to sell a soft top!
• Do your research so you have a good idea about the prices your sort of car is going for– this will help you price it right.
• Write a really good advert – pushing the plus points of your car
• Never be too rigid when negotiating the sale, it could pay to let it go for a reasonably good offer

 
Have a go at thinking like a motor dealer

All professional car dealers are masters at presenting vehicles in just the right way, thus increasing their perceived value. So have a look to see how they are doing things, you may get some good ideas.

When selling on line always use a reputable car buying service

If you fancy going down the private sale path, there are many (with the number growing all the time) reputable websites which allow you to sell your car online. The best use the latest web gizmos, allowing you to upload videos as well as high quality photos.

Besides that, some sites will even buy your car from you online. It is all very easy, all you have to do is to give them your vehicle details, normally just the Reg Number, and in a few seconds you’ll have a basic valuation.

If you want to take the deal, you can deliver the vehicle to a place where the buyer will inspect it to make sure all is well (remember all the tips above here).

Some websites will even arrange to collect your vehicle from your home or place of work. In both cases payment is with you very quickly, so you’ll have the money in your pocket to go and get your new motor.

There are benefits of selling to an online car buyer too

There are many benefits from selling your car online to a dealer, just some of them being:-

• Avoiding the time and expense of advertising in the first place
• No strangers come to your home
• No need to advertise your phone number to the public
• Avoiding those ‘tire kicking’ time-waters

So, if it sounds like a good idea, get on to your laptop or smartphone, enter a few details about your car and its condition, and see if you like the deals offered.