Car Selling Tips: Make Your Vehicle Stand Out

The time has come to sell your car, but the situation on the market seems no different from the one when you were a buyer. When you look at all the other vehicles on sale, you still get that overwhelming feeling that nothing stands out. Is your car also going to blend in with the rest, with little chances of being sold any time soon?

In order for the sale to be a success and to find a buyer as quickly as possible, we have prepared some tips and tricks which can help increase your chances of parting with your vehicle much sooner than you think. Here’s a brief to-do list:

Before you begin with all the preparations, it is important to consider who you think is going to be interested in purchasing your car? Depending on their sex and age, people have different preferences when it comes to choosing the right ride for them and are going to be looking out for different things that might be particularly appealing during a potential purchase. For example, millennial men and women are more prone to paying attention to the car’s looks, while men aged 45-54 were more into rims and wheels, and suspension and hydraulics, too. Baby boomer women, however, aren’t that interested in hydraulics or suspension, but they do look at rims and wheels when considering a purchase.

The reason behind all this is that determining the target buyer will help you decide on the best (most profitable) modifications and minor improvements before the sale process.

Before you even think of putting your car up for sale, make sure you have it cleaned inside and out. One visit to the car wash should be enough. Wash the floor mats, or even better – replace them. Don’t forget to wash the windows from the inside, too. Once the whole car is sparkly clean and properly waxed, you’ll have a chance to see if there might be any surface dents or scratches which you’ll want to attend to if you don’t want the prospective buyer to use it as a bargaining technique to reduce the sale price.

Once your car is looking shiny and (almost) new, it’s time to take some good shots. When taking photos of the exterior, make sure you get pictures of the front, rear and both sides. The buyer is going to want to see the inside, too, so make sure you cover the following: carpets, dashboard, front and back seats, and the boot. Detailed shots of the wheels and engine bay deserve special attention, too, since certain demographics are especially keen on them.

You can create an ad online, spread the word among your friends, or use social networks for the purpose. Either way, this is a list of things you’ll have to have an answer to, because the questions will concern:

·         The exact make and model

·         The year of manufacture

·         The price

·         The mileage

·         History of accidents or damage

·         Overall condition of the car

·         Recent repairs and service history

·         VIN number (vehicle identification number)

·         The number of previous owners

Gather all the information on time, since nothing is as deterring as a seller who has no idea about what they are putting up for sale.

Let’s say that you have everything covered. You have done some minor repairs and the car looks more than presentable. Still, if the price doesn’t match its quality, don’t count on many offers.

First of all, if the price is too high, your prospective buyers will be put off for obvious fiscal reasons. On the other hand, you mustn’t make the mistake of setting too low a price. This will be interpreted as an ultimate warning sign – something must be wrong with the vehicle.

To avoid these potentially costly assumptions, there are a few ways to come to a realistic figure when selling your car. Try taking it to a dealer, for example. Let him/her estimate its value and give you their quote. Next, use that as a baseline and add some 25% more of the price on top of that. Alternatively there are online calculators that can help you gauge the average price of your vehicle by which you can then decide on the final, selling price.

Now that you know what needs to be done, get down to fixing any issues and check them off your list. Before you know it, interested buyers will be knocking on your door. Good luck!