Motoring
Sell your car!
The excitement of buying a new car is often tempered by the chore of getting rid of your old one. If you’re keen to pump up your return by trying your luck with a private sale, you’ll need to put together a classified ad that’s equal parts enticing, informative and honest. Here are some fundamental rules to remember.
1 OVERSHARE ON THE DETAILS
Are you the first owner of your car? Or perhaps the second or third? Did you keep the service records? Was it serviced with genuine parts by a licensed mechanic, or non-genuine parts by your partner in your home garage? Mentioning these things may seem unnecessary but they’re of vital interest to someone looking to buy your car as they help build a picture of how well it was taken care of. If you’ve done anything extra during your ownership, mention that too – especially if it’s something that has increased its longevity and aesthetic, like fitting seat covers to protect upholstery, or waxing and polishing the paint every few months. Tyre-related information is also helpful to include, such as the present condition of the tyres and the date they were last replaced. Tyres are expensive, and if the ones already on the car still have plenty of life, a potential buyer will see value in that.
2 BE BRUTALLY HONEST
It’s probably not something you’re keen to do, and understandably so, but you’ll need to include the bad details, too. If you don’t, it could look dishonest when a would-be buyer rocks up and finds a car with faults that weren’t listed. Maybe it copped heavy hail and the roof resembles a golf ball, or it blows a bit of smoke. You might not want to broadcast these things, but consider this: having someone show up to inspect your car only to immediately leave when it doesn’t match its description doesn’t just waste their time, it wastes yours, too.
3 BE ACCURATE
Detail whether your car has a 2.0-litre engine, or a 1.8, for example. Perhaps you bought it in 2014, but it’s actually a 2013-plated model. Or maybe you got the dealership to throw in a set of optional wheels so it looks like a higherspec model from the outside. These are all important things to note, because the specification of your car will have a significant bearing on how much you can reasonably ask for it. It might be a pain to get these details right for the purposes of your advert
– especially if you don’t really care too much about cars – but from a buyer’s point of view, this kind of info is a must-have.
4 GET SNAP HAPPY
As a car buyer, there’s nothing more frustrating than finding a car for sale with an informative description, an enticing price tag... and just one photo. Photos cost you nothing to take these days, so there’s no excuse for not showing your car from every angle – both inside and out. Don’t be shy with that shutter!