This can be a great way to get a few extra dollars for your vehicle when you are looking to upgrade. With a little patience, persistence, and know how, you can get substantially more than any dealer is willing to give you in trade for your car or truck. This is not the easiest thing to do in many cases, but you have to hang in there as long as you can. Many people get tired of time wasters and decide to trade the car, and take far less for their vehicle to end the frustration. This is ok in some instances, but you could be leaving quite a bit of money on the table.
I have a few suggestions to help you get through the process, and get you that extra money we all need.
1. Professional Auto Detailing
This is one of the easiest ways to get more money for your car, and make it sell faster. Almost all car buyers like nice shiny car and trucks and in most cases will likely pay more for them. People normally make a distinct correlation between the physical condition of a vehicle, and the perceived care that was taken of it. This happens almost instantly when they first look at the vehicle, and you never get a second chance at it.
The cost of a professional detailing is well worth the cost, and you can always price the car a little higher to cover the expense. I am sure there are several auto detailing shops in you area, or someone you know has a suggestion. They will normally perform a deep cleaning of the interior, as well as buff, polish, and wax, then apply some tire dressing. This can make a world of difference, especially on darker cars and trucks. The paint and clear coat becomes dull from environmental hazards such as the sun, acid rain, bird waste, dirt, washing, etc. The use of a machine buffer will remove much of this, and return the paint finish to a nice smooth luster. If you are skilled at doing this yourself, then by all means go ahead and do it. Most car owners do not have the proper tools and chemicals for the job, so it is best to leave it up to the professionals if you fall in to that category.
When your car is fully detailed I suggest taking it one step further, and getting a bottle of color match touch up paint. When the car is perfectly clean it will be easier to spot the little scratches and chips that were not removed by the machine buffer. Take a few minutes, and carefully go around the car and touch up all the imperfections as best you can. This will make your car even more visually appealing to a potential buyer, and keep them from “picking apart” the car to a minimum.
NOTE: I recommend getting the touch up paint before the car goes in to the detail shop. The reason I say this, is that if you ask the shop to do the touch ups for you, most would be happy to take care of it for you.
2. Mechanical/Safety Check
This is quite simple, and could certainly enhance your chances of selling the vehicle. Make sure that the car is functioning properly, and not making any “funny” noises that would scare off a potential buyer. This goes for any warning lights that may be illuminated on the instrument cluster, such as a check engine light, air bag light, ABS light, etc.. If you already know why the light is on, and you chose not to make the repair due to expense, then keep in mind the buyer will want to deduct that from the price also. These types of warning lights can and will scare off many potential buyers. If the cost of getting them repaired is within reason then I suggest getting it taken care of before you advertise the vehicle for sale.
3. Great Copy For Your Ad
If you are going to advertise your car or truck on your own, then you should really take the time to write some great copy for the ad. This only takes a half hour at best, and it could be the difference in getting someone to come and look at your car over another for sale. I am not saying you have to be a professional writer, just sit down and write an exciting, interesting, and powerful ad. One that makes people want to immediately jump off their couch, and race down to take a look at your car. This is not terribly hard, and you can go to some other car ads on the web for ideas. If something makes you want to call or take a look, then chances are it is good copy, and you can use some of the ideas. Highlight the strengths of your car, and use words like ‘pristine”, “showroom condition”, “head turner”, “rare”, highly sought after”, and so on. Having said that, be sure to accurately describe your vehicle. You do not want to annoy a prospective buyer who has driven down to see a car that does not live up to your ad. Just pump up the vehicle to create excitement without going over board, and angering buyers who show up and are very disappointed.
4. Honesty Is The Best Policy
If a prospective buyer calls you or emails you with a specific question then be honest with your answers. You don’t want to elaborate any more than needed, but if someone asks a question like how are the tires? It is important to be honest and give them an accurate answer with a positive spin. This could be something like “the tires are in great shape with even wear and about 60% tread life left, and oh by the way, they are Michelins which are a top brand of tire”. You answered the question truthfully, and made it sound like a good thing that the tires are almost half worn. These little things work trust me. As the old saying goes “it is not what you say, but how you say it”.
5. Advertise your Vehicle
There are a few ways to go about this, but I will touch on the most common ways to get your vehicle sold quickly. There are some sources that are paid ads and some that are free. It is obvious that if given a choice, most people would choose free, but there is a little term know as “exposure” that plays heavily in getting your car sold. The paid ads look better and have greater reach than the free classifieds. I always recommend doing a combination of both. This will give you maximum reach in your area, as well as across the country. The more eyes that see your car the better your chances of finding a buyer quickly.
A. Autotrader.com
This is leading name is getting your car the maximum amount of exposure.
B. Cars.com
This is the second largest player in this business with a large reach also.
C. Ebay.com
This is an incredibly great way to get exposure on your car or truck. There are millions of people on Ebay daily, and the site can generate a fair amount of interest on your vehicle. This works especially well for rare or unique cars and trucks. You can choose between an auction style sale, or a classified listing.
D. TRUECar.com
TrueCar is a relative newcomer, but gaining exposure and market share rapidly, due to heavy widespread national TV campaigns.
E. CarsDirect.com
This is another relative newcomer, but it is also gaining market share quickly. They have also embarked on a heavy marketing campaign to compete with some of the other heavy hitters in this business.
F. Craigslist.org
Craigslist is the most popular classified website on the planet. You can list your car or truck for free with a description and photos. There is no shortage of people looking for cars and trucks on this website. There are millions of visitors this site every day, and it is a great way to get exposure for the vehicle you are selling. The only downside of the site is the abundance of tire kickers and scam artists. Having said that, there are a large amount of legitimate buyers looking for cars and trucks, so it can be a great platform to sell your car or truck.
G. Automotive Forums
Many automotive forums for certain types of vehicles and manufacturers have a classified ad section or a paid ad section. This can be another great place to sell your car, because you have a captive audience looking for a certain type of vehicle.
5. Set a Firm Appointment
This is a little tip that will save you a lot of unwanted aggravation. There in not a single car owner that wants to waste a day waiting around for a buyer to show up. We all go to the doctors office, and you need to schedule an appointment or you do not get seen. This is the same for selling your car. I know you want to get the vehicle sold but do it on your terms. There has to be some flexibility but you have to control the sale. Far too often people will say something like I come to see the car on Saturday afternoon, only to stand you up and leave you wondering. Take it from me, I always wanted to be the “nice” guy, but we all know that old saying too. I was stood up many times, and they would never answer the phone or respond in any way. People are funny sometimes, and common courtesy is a lost art today. Set a firm appointment, and tell the buyer to call the night before to confirm, and text you when they are leaving their location the day of the appointment. Explain to them nicely that you have set aside some time for them, and to please be prompt for the appointment, because you have other commitments. I always tell people that I will give them a half hour of flexibility, unless they are in constant contact with me, and are stuck in some unexpected traffic or broke down somewhere. I am not saying you have to be really rigid about it. I am just saying you need to make people understand that your time is valuable also, and hold them accountable for their commitment to you.
6. Safety First
When selling a vehicle yourself you should take precautions to protect yourself against theft, and fraud. I recommend meeting somewhere other than your home to show your vehicle. This can be somewhere close to your home, but I would avoid meeting at your home. Unfortunately, we live in a crazy world and strange things happen on occasion. There are a lot of buyers who are good people, but you need to be aware that there may be a few bad apples lurking in the bunch. I am not talking about anything related to bodily harm even though that is a remote possibility. That is something that happens when buyers are lured to a location by a phony ad. I am just saying the some thieves use this method to case a home for other items such as a snow plow, or the vehicle itself for parts that they would come back for at a later time. These are rare instances but you should be aware of the potential dangers.
If the prospective buyers wants to drive the vehicle ask to see a valid drivers license, and take a photo with your phone. Text the photo to a trusted friend, and let them know you are going for a test drive in your car with this person. I would always go with them on the test drive, and have a planned route that someone other than you is aware of in the event you do not return. Upon returning from the test drive text that person and let them know you are back safely, along with your current location. Maybe I am getting a little carried away, but things happen and it helps if the police know who to look for, and your last location.