Your Official To-Do List Before Selling Your Car

This old girl, she used to give you a lot of pleasure driving but it’s time to move on. We all have this moment when we finally stop liking the car we have and want something new and fresh. Hark back to the days when you first got in and couldn’t wait to start the engine and put your hands on the steering wheel, how you thought you could never get bored of her. But inevitably you will have it’s not them it’s your moment with your car. Thankfully, there are no tears and loud aggressive arguments when you break up with the vehicle you once loved. If anything actually, the break up is more difficult. You don’t just go your separate ways, because well, it’s an inanimate object. Someone has to buy the car from you in order for you to get some money back from the initial purchase you made, and you can use that money to help yourself buy a new car. It’s used, and for a used car you need to accept that you won’t be getting any kind of premium price for it. You can milk the cow as much as possible if you make the effort and do a few things to the car before you sell it.

Fix her up

For the love of all good things, do not try to mask any flaws in the car. People are not generally stupid enough to skip over them when they’re trying to make an important purchase like a car. For one thing, they have to be confident enough to risk their lives driving the car. And the other thing is, of course, the money. Why would they pay the price you demand when they can quite clearly see the car is in bad shape? You wouldn’t so why should they.

If do have some things wrong with the car, fix them before you put it up for sale. This could be something minor or major, it depends on the individual car. For example, something minor could be a bolt missing from the alloy wheel, but four out of the five are still on. Indeed it’s small issue but would you garner confidence looking at a car you’re about to potentially buy and see a missing lug nut in one of the tyres? A major issue would be something detrimental to the handling, safety or reliability of the car. Anything from failed suspension, broken or malfunctioning engine parts, and worn out brakes, have to be fixed first before you sell the car. Not only will you be made liable for any physical harm that comes to the person who bought the car, but you won’t be making much of a profit with a car that has fundamental problems with it.

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Online trumps in-person

Remember when you used to put up an advertisement in a newspaper to sell your car, leave your phone number and have someone drive to your house to view it? Yeah, those caveman days are over. The online market has pretty much made the in-person sell redundant. Before you try and sell your car to one of your relatives or friends, check the online places that buy cars such as a specialist business. Businesses that buy used cars will often look for vehicles that are in good condition and that they know they can make a handsome profit from. If you know your car is in great condition and you’d rather not through the hassle of filing paperwork and searching for a customer that won’t mess you around and try to haggle for every penny, then try sell it online. Because you’re selling to a business that buys cars, they do all the paperwork for you and don’t mess around when it comes to finalizing a sale. They are also working in the realm of the market, and not just plucking figures out of the air like a random person might. Depending on the quality, model and year of your car, they know not to offer you too little as they simply won’t get the inventory of cars to sell that they need to stay competitive.

In black and white

The average Joe that just wants rid of his car often shoots himself in the foot. If you’re frustrated and can’t quite figure out why your car can’t find a new owner, maybe you need to look at the fine print. The fine print of your documents that is, as cars that haven’t been through any recent tests will be treated like the kid who’s not good at sports; picked last. Depending on how old your car is, you should seek to put it through some tests that show it still has a lot of it’s capabilities that it left the factory with.

Take your car to an accredited servicing garage to have it put through its paces. They will perform tests on it that are either regionally or nationally held as the set standard for performance and safety. The brakes will be tested to see if the car stops in a required distance to be deemed safe and effective. The acceleration will also be tested to give the car an official rating or horsepower and torque. The gearbox will be checked to see if any wear and tear has made it less fluid and prone to jamming. Tyres are another key area that will be examined to see how well they perform in the wet as the tread is all important when driving in adverse conditions. The steering, electricals, turbo or supercharger, cylinder pressure and many different aspects can be tested and approved in black and white, allowing you to jack up the price with solid proof that your car has passed modern standards.

Parting ways with your baby that you’ve driven for a number of years are never easy. It’s only hard if you make it hard. Get the cold hard evidence that your car meets the modern standards by taking it to a servicing garage where they can put it through tests and give you certification of proof that it has passed. Check the online market before you sell to someone in-person, you’re more than likely going to get a more competitive price.