Thinking of selling your car? If getting the best price is your top priority, then there are some easy steps you can take to make sure this is the case. Here’s our top advice!
Get it valued
It sounds simple, but unless you have an accurate valuation, how can you be sure what your car is actually worth? You might know what you paid for it new, or even have an idea what you’d like to get for it, but those figures could be a little far from reality. Worse still, you might even underestimate its true value (even when sold for scrap or spare parts), so the more accurate the figure you have the better.
There are several ways you can go about getting a valuation for your car, in fact, we offer this service without having to fill your details out on our online car valuation page. The great thing about our valuation service is that we provide you with multiple quotes at once, without having to consult lots of different websites or garages. Make sure to get a valuation before you list it for sale.
If you want to get the best price, think carefully about how much wiggle room you have for those looking to negotiate. For example, say you have a figure in mind of £6,000, you may want to put the asking price at £6,500 so there’s room to negotiate without you losing out. Remember also that a quick sale and the best possible price don’t usually go hand in hand, so you may want to wait it out rather than try and rush things.
Don’t carry out excessive repairs or modifications
While your car must be roadworthy to sell it (unless being sold for spare parts/scrap), you also need to balance how much money you are putting into your car, versus what you’re able to get out of it. When it comes to repairs or even modifications, you should always keep the true value of your car in mind, especially if you plan on selling it. Otherwise, even if you sell your car at the top end of its market value, you still might not reclaim all the money you put into it.
When taking your car for its MOT or even just for repairs, it’s always good to consult the garage about the level of work needed on your car. When you factor in tax, insurance and fuel as well, you need to work out whether your car is actually costing you more than it’s worth to run. In such a case, any price you are able to sell it for would be more cost-effective than continuing to run it at a financial loss.
Make sure your advert is really selling your car
We’re not all marketing experts, so when it comes to getting the most money for your car, putting items up for sale online can seem quite daunting. In reality, you are selling your pride and joy so this needs to come across in terms of the quality of the photos and the description you upload. Even if it’s just a cheap runaround you need to get rid of, that doesn’t mean the way you create the advert has to reflect the same.
Start by giving the car a thorough clean beforehand, even if you have to pay for a professional valet (if the value of the car is quite high, it’s definitely worth this!). Remember to clean both the exterior and interior, in case people want to come around and have a look. You should photograph your car in good light, with the best quality pictures you can produce to accompany your equally descriptive text.
Be transparent
When it comes to writing said text, it goes without saying that you should list all the key information such as how many owners the car has had, the milage, when it last had its MOT etc. Think about the information you look for when buying a car, and apply the same logic. You really want to sell the cars best bits, so use your imagination. For example, who would the car best suit? What are its best features? It needs to read like an advert, so remember this!
Similar to how here at Jamjar we’re transparent with how we give an instant quote just by entering your reg number with no hidden fees, the same mantra applies when you go to sell your car privately too. Nothing quite signifies trust as a buyer like seeing the owner of a car has not only listed all the key information and uploaded quality pictures, but has all the documentation taken care of too. On the flip side, missing information can make the listing seem untrustworthy, which when you are trying to get the best money for your car, can make it more difficult to do so.
