Many people these days are thinking about selling
their car. Often, this is because of the financial
climate. Many people would like to downgrade to a
cheaper alternative and avoid paying the very high costs
in loan repayments, fuel bills, insurance and so on that
go along with their current vehicle. There are many ways
to sell a used car, however, and some people are unsure
as to the best way to go about it. It is important to
take into account the vehicle's quality, to make sure
that it is in top condition, and to make a choice about
exactly how you want to sell it. There is a number of
channels through which you might do so. Private sales
are one option, a dealership is another, and you might
even consider scrapping a car if it is in very bad
shape. In this article, we will look at some of these
options concerning how to sell a used car and discuss
what you should do to get yourself the best deal.
Quality and Condition
 One of the primary considerations when selling a used
car is simply its condition or quality. Cars vary a
great deal in how they have been used, and even two cars
of the same make and model from the same year can have
vast differences in their quality. This can be due to
both how consistent the models were when coming off the
production line and how hard the life of the vehicle has
been since then. Let us consider a few prime concerns.
Test the Major Systems
Anyone buying your car will want to see whether its
major systems are in good working order. This means that
you should test them thoroughly in advance in order to
see whether anything needs fixing. Try all of the
electric windows and observe their speed and their
ability to seal. Try the air conditioning and the
heater. Depending on your local climate, it may be some
time since you have tried one of these. Make sure that
all of the lights work, both interior and exterior.
Finally, test any other electrical systems such as the
electric seats and the stereo. It is much easier to sell
a used car when everything is working as normal.
Clean Inside And Out
First impressions are important, and even though the
cleanliness of your car is not very important long-term,
any buyer will be turned off if it is dirty or full of
crumbs. Have the bodywork cleaned properly; wipe down
any hard interior surfaces and vacuum the carpets and
seats to get the car as close to factory condition as
possible. It might sound like a small part of how to
sell a used car, but it really makes a difference and it
should not be overlooked.
Check the Hood and Trunk
It is important to look everywhere you can for places to
clean and generally improve. It may be the case that you
have never personally had the hood up, but a savvy buyer
will almost certainly want to see underneath. The area
under the hood will invariably pick up a great deal of
filth over the car’s life, from road dirt to dust to
dead leaves. Spending some time removing this is a good
idea. You need not render the engine spotless. Simply
removing the worst of the dirt is good practice and can
leave the buyer with good impressions of both the car’s
quality and your own fastidiousness. Similarly, have a
look in the trunk and see if anything needs attention.
You may find that a vacuum cleaner is useful here, too.
It hardly needs to be said that you should remove all of
your personal belongings from the car well in advance of
selling it. All too often, someone leaves a bag or
toolkit in there and loses it permanently when the buyer
drives off!
Fluids and Startup
Another aspect of how to sell a used car is to fill the
car with all the necessary fluids. That means that you
should top it up with fuel, oil, water, brake fluid,
washer fluid, and so on. Not only will the buyer be
inclined to check the levels of each of these, but it
has also happened in the past that a seller has only
uncovered a lack of some important fluid when it comes
time for the test drive. This will reflect poorly on you
and it should certainly be avoided. The next step is to
make sure the car starts. If your vehicle has been
sitting unused for a long period, you may find that it
fails to start the first time. The battery may be dead,
or any number of other possibilities may have occurred.
To avoid embarrassment and give your sale the best
chance of success, make sure that the car starts
reliably every time. It is a good idea to leave the car
running for twenty or thirty minutes the day before the
test drive so that you are certain it is working
properly.
Methods of Selling
 You can sell your car through a private sale, to a
dealership or to a junkyard. Each of these options has
its merits depending on your circumstances. A private
sale has the best chance of producing a good price.
Since the sale is direct, there is no intermediary, and
thus you stand to make the best deal. However, some
buyers prefer the security of a dealer, so you may be
limiting your options. If you do decide to sell
privately, you can take out ads in classified magazines
and also try online methods such as eBay Motors. Going
through a dealership can be a simpler and easier option
sometimes, but you stand to make much less money from
the sale since the dealer must be able to sell the car
on for a competitive price. If your car is in very poor
shape or not running at all then you may have difficulty
selling it to anyone. In these circumstances, the
junkyard may be the best option. There are now online
services whereby you can arrange to have your car picked
up and taken to a junkyard. You even stand to make some
cash from this deal, especially if your car has enough
working parts to be parted out to keep other vehicles on
the road.
Selling Privately and Advertising
Effectively
If you decide to go the private route, it will be
important to advertise your car effectively. Many people
go about this the wrong way and neglect the essential
principles of used car advertising. Firstly, have a set
of good photographs taken. Shoddy photos will often turn
away a buyer for whom the car would be perfect. Include
only the necessary and important information in the ad.
That means noting the exact model and number, the year,
the mileage, any major options or accessories, and any
problems the car has. This is all the information a
buyer needs, and crowding your ad space with unnecessary
details or fluff will only turn people away.
Conclusion
To sell a used car it is mainly important to get a few
things right. You should take the time to do a general
spring clean, checking in all the hard-to-reach places
for crumbs, dust, and road dirt. Make sure that all the
systems work and that you are not going to get any
unpleasant surprises when the buyer wants to try the
sunroof for the first time in ten years. Choose a method
of selling with which you are comfortable and advertise
your car simply and honestly. Learning how to sell a
used car effectively is not difficult and mostly
involves common sense. Take care of these simple issues
and you will give yourself the best chance of success.
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