Selling your car can be a stressful time. If you’ve never done this before, you may not even know how to sell your car. After all, not only do you need to think about attracting buyers, but you also need to worry about getting enough out of your car.
It’s easy to make some basic mistakes which will undoubtedly cost you a few potential buyers and reduce the price of your car. So today, we’re going to help you out! Here are the top tips on how to sell your car.
We will give you the most common mistakes to avoid when selling your car! So, let’s see what tips to sell a car will help you get the most out of your vehicle.
Our Advice on How to Sell Your Car:
Don’t Let Your Car Look Like a Dump When You Show It Off
Our first tip to sell a car is to at least put some pride into your car when you’re selling it! Sure, you might not be selling a beautiful Bentley Continental GT. But that still doesn’t give you an excuse for showing off a trashy car!
Instead, how to sell your car is to start by taking your ride to a cheap car wash. Rinse your tires off while you’re there. Also, be sure to also vacuum the interior of any crumbs and hair. And while you’re at it, give your console, dash, and cup holders a thorough scrubbing.
Seriously, when all is done, you’ll find $15 could make a full $150 difference! Plus, think of this step like staging a house you want to sell. You need to make it look as nice as possible before people will even look at it! Basic car maintenance is one of the easiest car selling tips we can offer.
Know What Your Car’s Worth
One of the worst mistakes you can make when selling your car is guessing your vehicle’s worth. If you opt for this, you’ll either kick yourself for underselling your car or wonder why no one’s interested in the first place. So, one of our most important tips to sell a car is to make sure you find the right price!
When you first list your vehicle for sale, knowing your car value is the first step in how to sell your car. To help, you can start by looking at what similar cars recently sold for in the same condition. So if you took care of your ’89 Honda Civic, see what other good condition civics from the same era recently sold for. And then you can price accordingly.
If you need, you can even get your car appraised. Just make sure you have some metric for knowing your car’s value. And no, taking a random guess or thinking you know what it’s worth without any research won’t count!
Here is a list of questions to ask when buying a car, be sure to know the answer to these when selling a car.
Don’t Let Your Marketing Suck
We’re living in the 21st century! There is so much advice online regarding how to sell your car. And so many free selling resources and places to sell your car.
Start by posting your car on websites like Craigslist and Offer-up. But don’t stop at the internet! See if you can post your car on your office’s bulletin board! You’d be surprised at how many company’s are okay with this. Plus, it really can’t hurt to ask!
Next, make sure your car’s description is as accurate and complete as possible! And no, you don’t need to hire a copywriter or anything like that for this step. Instead, make sure your posting title lists your year, condition, make, model, color, and any other relevant information. Also, don’t lie! Instead, be super honest and report any damage or flaws. Otherwise, you’ll have an irate buyer demanding his money back and you might even face some potential legal troubles. So to avoid that mess, be sure to list any known flaws.
Our last marketing tips to sell a car is taking a great picture! In all honesty, people will skip unprofessional pictures in ads. So, be sure you get your car with a clean and simple background (white walls are perfect)! Also, be sure to get a shot of your car from every angle possible. Don’t forget the interior either! And if your car is damaged in any way, be sure to get a picture of that as well. No need to worry about buying an expensive camera, as today’s smartphones are more than enough for the job!
Have All Your Paperwork With You
Our final tips to sell a car is avoiding this simple and critical mistake. Don’t show up unprepared! Instead, make sure you have the title! If you still owe money on the car, you might even need to contact the lender for this step!
Also, you’ll want two bills of sale (one for you, one for the buyer). As you probably guessed, this step is for your own protection to ensure the buyer doesn’t cheat you out of any money later down the road. So seriously, don’t skip this step!
For any other paperwork on how to sell your car, you’ll want to check with your state to see what else you’ll need.