Looking to Sell A Used Car? Here’s the Best Way to Prepare To Sell A Used Car.

The video above from Goss’ garage does a great job of sharing some helpful tips for getting ready to sell any used vehicle. Below is a rundown of the tips they mention as well as a couple of extras that we added to help you prepare to sell your used vehicle.  Just remember to have a back-up for the car you’re getting rid of or otherwise you’ll be surprised using a car service like actonelimoflorida.com.

1. Keep records and make them look good. This part starts as soon as you get your vehicle. Right from the start of your ownership you should be keeping track of all work done on the car, as well as when that work was done. This work should include any routine maintenance, from changing the oil up to the more important tune-ups and of course any damage that needs to be repaired. Also be sure to keep the said information in a sharp looking tidy binder or folder. This reflects your care for your vehicle just as much as the maintenance itself.
2. Determine whether to make repairs or note the issues. Many times you may be selling a vehicle in need of repairs. You must determine how much money you want to put into preparing your vehicle for the sale and determine the value ratio that makes sense. You may want to simply feel good knowing that everything is fixed, or you may do the math and realize that even repairing some items will make very little difference in the selling price and you are therefore best off leaving it for the new owner.
3. Clean the car professionally. Make it a Standout. Don’t simply throw some soap suds on it and wash it with the house hose. Take the time to either do a very thorough detailing job yourself or even better take it to a professional to have it detailed. What’s the difference between a detailing job and a regular car wash? Well on one hand, it’s simply a focus on detail. Detailing your car means checking every nook and cranny for accumulated dirt, dust, grime, food, or other debris and removing all of it.
4. Take good pictures . Don’t go the easy route here and just snap an oncoming shot of the car from the front. Ads with more pictures almost always outperform ads with fewer pictures. Be sure to include photos of both the general items (doors, bumpers, front, back, etc) as well as more specialty items (florescent lighting, rims, stereo system, etc.) to hit those that are interested in the more generic aspects of the vehicle and those interested in more of the specialty items.
5. Determine the Price. Knowing that you want to sell a vehicle and what you paid for it are only the first steps. You need to see what others are paying or at least advertising the same or similar vehicle for. While you can look at classifieds in the paper or online to see what others are asking, it’s best to go to the “pros” and see what they think your vehicle is worth. One of the great aspects about this type of research is that most of it can be done online. Here are 3 of the top “bluebook” type services online that will allow you to know what the going rate is for your vehicle. http://www.kbb.com/, http://www.nadaguides.com/, http://www.edmunds.com/
6. Advertise the deal. Now that you know your price and have the car ready to go, get that information out there. Utilize both online and offline services to help you sell your car and be sure to upload all important information including photos!
7. Deal with others honestly. Be ready for the phone call or email. Put together a list of the high points of the vehicle as well as any issues you want the possible new owner to be aware of. Don’t oversell or undersell the vehicle, but let it sell itself. Don’t describe the vehicle as much better than it is or downgrade big issues too much as that can lead to a very uncomfortable meeting when they come to see the vehicle.
8. Road tests. Generally the prospective buyer is going to want to drive the vehicle and see how it handles on the road. Be prepared for this as well as to ride with them. Don’t let them hand you some kind of collateral that will do very little if the car is stolen or damaged. Actually ride in the vehicle with them. You can point out some of the highlights of the ride and the prospect will be more likely to drive safer with you in there with them.
9. Paperwork and transaction – Now that the agreement is set, be ready for the paperwork. Be sure you have a clean title to hand over to them and be sure to accept only Certified check, as all others can be stopped and you may not know if they clear. Also, be wary of the guy with a bag or handful of cash depending on your selling point as you can’t guarantee it’s authenticity.

Keep these 9 tips in mind as you prepare to advertise and sell your used auto and you are going to be well on your way!