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Used Car Sellers Guide
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Preparing your vehicle
A couple of hours spent cleaning your car should ensure it is in a decent enough condition to sell. The state your car is in could be the deciding factor for the potential buyer. It may even earn you a few extra hundred pounds on the sale of the car when selling privately or to a dealer. It’s a fact: very few people will be tempted to purchase a dirty vehicle, especially if it is in poor condition.
Read through the articles on Motors.co.uk to glean some tips on how to let your car sell itself.
The outside:
Clean your car. It may at times be best to hand wash the car and not submit it to a carwash. A hand wash is unlikely to damage the paintwork, giving you a better result, and is also lighter on the budget.
Use a good quality shampoo, not washing up liquid or household cleaner. These may just damage the paintwork and are known to promote the occurrence of rust. Clean your motor with a soft cloth.
Potential buyers will want to check everything in your car so clean everything, including the wheel arches and alloys. Rinse using clean water.
Drying your car with a cloth or chamois leather after it has been cleaned will prevent streaking.
More serious alterations:
Stone chips – the bane of all motorists can easily be remedied by using a touch-up stick. Browse through our accessories section.
Be sure to replace any items that may be missing from the car, such as a badge or an icon. You can find these at scrap and breakers yards. It will of course be easier and less of an expense to replace more common manufacturers’ parts.
Consider a valet service for more valuable motors to give the finish expected by luxury car buyers.
The Inside:
A car’s clean interior will give a good first impression to a prospective buyer. Use a leather chamois or a clean soft cloth with a wipe off polish to give surfaces great shine and smell.
Use a special window polish to remove any greasy streaks from the insides of your windows. Once again, it is advisable to use a leather chamois or a clean, soft cloth.
Carefully vacuum the car’s interior and be sure to remove any crumbs or dust.
Floor mats, especially, should be beaten and vacuumed.
Remove any items such as fluffy dice, neon lights, and racy looking gear sticks. You want to give a good impression so replace mods with the original items.
Any personal items (baby seats, dog cages, and rugs) should also be removed to give the car a more uncluttered look. Space is a big consideration for potential buyers – don’t damage your chances of obtaining a sale.
Smell is a big facet of our human senses and a very powerful one at that. Using an odour neutraliser or a good air freshener to disguise any smells. Clean all ashtrays and make sure they are free of lingering traces of smoke.
Under the bonnet:
Every part of the car should be presented as cleanly as possible, including the engine. Remove all debris and dirt and clean wherever possible. Whilst it would be a great idea to steam clean the engine, it is not entirely essential.
An easy way to make the engine look cared for is to give it an oil change. This is also sure to not be expensive. If you consider that too labour intense, then at least check the oil, water, and screen wash to make sure they are filled to the correct level.
Generally tidy the engine, removing debris and dirt.
What price to ask?
A crucial step in getting a sale on your car is to decide how much you need for it. The route to making a decision like this is not always a clean cut one and you should do as much research as possible. You wouldn’t want to ask for too much, or too little, as you will be losing out either way.
The information you will collect should give you a better idea of what your car is worth.
Here are some tips:
Motors.co.uk has a free valuation tool at your disposal. In under a minute, you will know what the market value is.
Browse through Motors.co.uk to see what other cars in the same category are selling for.
Consult reputable dealers and other such websites to gauge what your motor would fetch in a part exchange.
Your local paper will give a fair idea of what cars similar to yours are selling for in your region of the UK.
The age, mileage, and condition the car is in will certainly affect the price, so keep that in mind when doing calculations.
Potential buyers will more than likely want to negotiate on the car’s price so adjust the price a bit higher. Always have a bottom price in mind.
What information to give in your advert
You want to give as much information in your advert as possible. If you leave something out it will give the impression that you have something to hide. Because there’s so much variety on the market, you want to provide buyers with the key information:
Write the information as follows: Manufacturer – model - derivative, i.e. Ford – Focus – LX 1.8. This way of writing is advisable as some buyers are in the process of getting insurance quotations, and this will greatly assist them.
Include the registration letter and year: P/1996 is sure to get a better response than P reg.
Display mileage; buyers are likely to look for this first, and then the rest of the specification.
Tax & MOT. How much tax does the car have and when will it run out? When will the motor need a new MOT?
Give potential buyers as much information about the service history as possible as these are indicators of a well-maintained vehicle.
The amount of previous owners. A small number of previous owners is an excellent selling point.
List the colour but don’t be too specific about it. A prospective used car buyer might not know what “midnight mushroom” colour is. Rather use a colour everyone is sure to understand.
List all your car’s top features. Good examples are power assisted steering (PAS), electric windows (EW), air conditioning (AC), and central locking. Avoid too many acronyms as these often confuse buyers.
See the pricing section for tips on this.
A picture is great to have and will increase the chances of prospective buyers setting up appointments to view your car. Take a good, high-resolution picture against a suitable backdrop.
How to handle customers
This could be a daunting task if you are unprepared. Be as positive about the experience as possible and remember that having confidence, knowledge and a good attitude can make all the difference. It could even be a fun process.
The inspection:
Let the customer inspect the car as much as they feel is necessary, within reason of course. They will want to get a good feel for the car; it is sure to be a big investment for them.
Allow the customer to have an external company or mechanic check the car. You should not have anything to fear and this is a good measurement of the customer’s commitment to purchasing the car.
The test drive:
Every buyer will ask for a test drive so be sure to check that their insurance covers them for this. You would not want them to have inadequate insurance; if they have an accident, you will be liable for the bill, not them.
Always accompany them in the car, even if they seem like decent folk. Many people have been conned by these types of scams.
The buyer may want to test the car on an open stretch of road, or on differing types of roads. Allow the buyer to dictate the route, within reason, as this will give a good indication of the car’s performance.
The buyer will want to test the engine - just watch the revs!
The art of haggling:
Use our advice on Motors.co.uk and also get more information from outside sources before you decide on what price to ask. Decide what your lowest, rock bottom price should be, and stick to it. This will aid negotiations ten-fold.
The buyer will haggle with you, and this is to be expected; haggling is an institution in the business of used-car dealing. Remain cool and confident at all times.
Never lose control of the situation and remain firm yet reasonable.
Be flexible with the price you have in mind; you don’t want to go below it but it’s also not advisable to lose the buyer for the sake of £50.
Accepting payment:
Cash is king and most buyers will prefer this method of payment. Be aware of the risks involved should your buyer prefer to pay in cash. Check for forgeries first of all but bear in mind that some forgeries are oftentimes too good to spot.
Your local bank should be able to check the money’s authenticity. Do not release the car to the buyer before this has been done.
Other ways to pay include cheque payments and electronic bank transfers. These are also reliable but it may require a certain number of working days for the funds to clear. You should not let go of the car before this has happened. Wait for the money to clear and then release the motor to the buyer.
Keeping safe during the whole process:
Ask a friend or a family member to be with you. This would also help you to feel more confident. Do not leave the buyer alone with the car. You could find your car damaged by an unscrupulous buyer demanding a price drop.
Do not leave your keys in the ignition. If you’re dealing with a criminal mind, and let’s hope you’re not, they might just take advantage of the situation and attempt to steal the car.
Ask the buyer for proof of their driving license or any other form of identification that displays an address. Also ask for a landline number. Should the buyer refuse to present you with these minor details, it may be in your best interest to let go of the sale.
Write out a receipt for the buyer upon a successful completion of a sale and keep one for yourself. Both parties should sign the receipt.
