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Selling your old car
Much depends on how badly you want to sell. If needs must and your car has to go quickly, you’ll end up selling for less than if time is on your side..
It’s important to be realistic. You may have lavished care on your car but there’s a set price for all but the rarest and most exotic motors. Check our valuation guide but also use our search to find prices for cars like yours. Don’t bump up the figure: you don’t want to scare buyers by asking too much and you could risk increasing the selling time.
Both have their benefits...
Part-exchange is handy. You drive to the dealers in your old car and away in your new. And if your ‘swapper’ – dealer-speak for part-exchanges – is relatively young, you’ll get a fair whack for it. But if it is older, or in less than tip-top condition, you probably won’t raise as much as you would by selling it privately.
Advertising and selling your own car is easy to do on motors.co.uk. It requires your availability to take calls and viewings on your car but it puts you in control and can raise extra cash. See our top tips for selling privately to get the most out of your private sale.
Buyers decide in seconds whether yours is the car for them. There are certain to be other vehicles advertised which are very similar, so it’s vital that yours stands out from the rest.
Do
- Mention the essentials: make, exact model, engine size, petrol or diesel, age, colour, mileage and whether it’s manual or automatic.
- Say how long the road tax and MoT certificate has left to run.
- List extras, and if any parts – tyres, exhaust, brakes, battery are new
- State the number of previous keepers, and whether there’s any service history
- Give the price
- Tell the seller where you are, your email address and telephone numbers
- Take pictures of the cabin and exterior. Take them during the day, and make sure they’re in focus.
Don't
- Trot out clichés. Don’t say ‘lovely runner’, ‘immaculate’ or ‘one elderly owner’. They’ll make you sound dodgy.
- Put ‘ono’ = ‘or near offer’ after the price. Most buyers will want to negotiate - they won't need encouragement from you.
Be ready. Note full names, phone numbers, addresses and when they want to see the car. Always arrange viewings at home – never in a lay-by or car park – and ask someone to stay with you to help out.
Before they arrive, clean the car thoroughly and empty it of your clutter. Put all the documents – registration papers, MoT certificates, service records, garage bills – in a smart folder.
Keep safe when meeting potential buyers. Jot down their car registration number when they arrive. Let them look over the car for as long as they want and answer questions readily and honestly. Keep your wits about you, though. It’s a sad fact that crooks sometimes pose as buyers, hoping to steal from your house or pinch your car. Don’t let them: leave the front door locked and keep your car keys in your pocket. And don’t let that folder of documents disappear – it’s a choice haul for a car-crime pro.
Offer a test-drive but always go with them. Check first, though, that the buyer’s insurance covers the trip. Never leave them alone with the car and remove the keys from the ignition before changing driver.
They want to buy, but ask for money off. Keep the figure you want to sell for in mind. Even if what they offer is above that, say you’ll accept a sum halfway between their offer and the advertised price.
If the deal moves to a point where you’ve reached your bottom price, stay firm but re-state your car’s benefits – low mileage, extras, attractive. Provided the buyer wants the car, they’ll come round.
When it comes to paying, cash is still king. Ideally, take what you’re given to the bank with the buyer and ask for it to be checked (for forgeries), then paid in. Electronic funds transfer is a good second best. Cheques can’t be trusted, particularly since it can take several weeks before the bank honours them, while banker’s drafts and building society cheques are too often forged.
Whichever you use, don’t hand over anything until the money’s safe.
When you do, make out two receipts listing the price, names and addresses which you and the buyer sign, each keeping a copy.
You should part happily. But what happens if the car breaks down a week later? Provided you described the car honestly and the car was road-legal when you sold it, the buyer has little comeback. The Sale of Goods Act 1979, which offers some protection whenever you buy from a dealer, doesn’t apply. But if the buyer has a reason to complain and behaves reasonably, you might want to play fair and pay something towards repairs.
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