There are endless articles giving people top tips on buying a car, but what about selling one? It can sometimes feel like the internet is stacked against you getting a good price for your pride and joy.
If you’ve genuinely been ‘one careful owner’, you deserve a decent price for your car, so here’s our five top tips for selling a car at the best price.
1. Clean it out
Give the car a thorough spring clean. That means the visible parts, the dashboard and trim, inside the cup holders, bins and compartments, under the chairs and down between the seat cushions.
A decent car vacuum, or a household vacuum cleaner with the narrow nozzle attachment can get into the nooks and crannies to pick up the sand and grit that comes from regularly using a car.
2. Fix it up
Cars have their own ‘character’ in the form of little squeaks and buzzing panels, and as a driver it’s easy to tune them out over time.
If your car makes any annoying noises, or has any broken bulbs or warning lights on the dash, make sure you get them fixed.
Buyers will focus on the slightest sign of something wrong with the car, so it’s worth the few quid to replace broken bulbs compared with a few hundred quid off the selling price.
3. Pristine paintwork
Buyers want their ‘new’ car – even if it’s a used car – to look shiny and new, so make sure the paintwork is up to scratch, without being scratched.
Vehicle wraps can disguise a multitude of sins, as long as the paintwork underneath them is in fairly good condition.
Alternatively, if the car has an old vinyl vehicle wrap, consider getting it professionally removed to restore the original paintwork, or replaced with a new car wrap using more modern materials.
4. The sweet smell of success
If you’ve had pets or kids in the car, or you’re a regular smoker during road trips, make sure you get rid of any unpleasant smells that could put off a potential buyer.
There are plenty of deodorants for cars that aim to disperse smells, and if you have a secure place to park it up with the doors open on a bright and breezy day, that could help to air it out too.
Finally, put in a pleasant but not overpowering air freshener – you can even get leather-scented air fresheners for cars to give them that ‘as good as new’ aroma.
5. Find a buyer
All that’s left is to find a buyer, so decide where to advertise your car for sale – whether that’s through social media, local Facebook groups, or in the local newspaper if you have one.
Put a sensible price on it and be prepared for people to try to haggle you down. In the end, if it’s a private sale, you can decide which offers to accept or reject, so it’s totally up to you whether you think a price is good enough for the work you’ve put into selling your car.
