Don’t sell yourself (or your car) short.
With haggling being commonplace in car buying and selling, it’s important to give bargain hunters as little ammunition as possible when selling your car.
Auto expert at Finest Car Mats, Colin Boyd, comments: “Whether it’s private, through a service, or even by way of a dealership, hagglers will always chance their arm – and who’s to blame them!”
There is nothing wrong with being a haggler, but equally, there is nothing worse than being haggled.
You need to know how to protect yourself when selling a car privately, or even to a trade-in service or dealership, and ensure you aren’t losing out on money.
Thankfully, after the obvious first step of knowing your car’s worth, there are a few things that you can take to reduce the chance of having to deal with lowball offers.
Lets look at a Ford Fiesta as an example of a car that is bought and sold on a near-daily basis. A model as recent as the 2021 Fiesta can cost between £15,000 to £18,000.
Lets say that car has very old, mud-caked car mats, a vague scent of a dog, and radio system – or worse yet, an electric window – that hasn’t worked for years.
That car, no matter what it’s MOT or service history is like, will find itself closer to the £15,000 mark.
Does a run through the car wash, a new fitted car mat made from luxury velour, a service to get the electronics working, and an air freshener cost £3,000? No.
But would the meticulous cleaning of your car – inside-and-out – help it reach the higher end of the value range (alongside a positive history, no finance etc.)? Probably, yes. If you want an added benefit, go for adding car accessories!
“Making sure you have a spotless car is important; that’s where these seemingly small luxuries can help you from getting endlessly lowballed by hagglers,” Colin Says
“It is all well and good to say ‘the car is worth x amount, and that’s what I want’, but that’s a much easier sell when you have a spotless exterior and a fresh-smelling, clean interior.”
Don’t get caught off-guard; study your car like you have a test coming up
While the physical appearance of the car is no doubt crucial, it’s also very important to know a car’s history back to front.
“Equally important is knowing a car’s history; that’s where MOT history checks, outstanding finance checks and the like offered by services such as The Auto Experts prove invaluable,” Colin adds.
“If you failed an MOT 3 years ago – even if the car wasn’t yours back then – you need to know why, and have a pre-prepared answer to convince a hawk-eyed buyer any and all past issues have been dealt with.”
Make sure the risk of you getting stumped or flustered is next to zero.
If there was a problem that existed in the past that doesn’t exist now, make sure you can say with confidence that any previous issues haven’t persisted.
So to recap, here are 5 things that you need to be aware of when selling a car:
- Know a car’s worth and prepare to stand your ground
- Run it through a car wash
- Refresh the interior
- Service the electronics
- Prepare for questions about the car’s history
Good luck with your sale!
