5 tips for selling your car

Once upon a time, I thought that because I love cars, selling cars would be a natural career path for me.

I signed up as a car salesperson at a Mazda dealership but quit after one week because full time car sales just wasn’t very exciting for me.

I did learn a lot about how to sell cars though and since then have bought and sold a lot of them. Here are my top 5 tips for selling your car.

Smile for the camera If it makes you an extra few thousand dollars on the sale isn’t it worth taking the time to get good photos? Consider it a modelling shoot. First, clean the car inside and out. Don’t take photos of your car full of rubbish.  Make sure the outside is neat and clean. Get the car out of the garage and take one photo from each angle. If it has any major features or faults take some close-up photos of those.Write the ad for the person who can afford to buy it A friend of mine was selling his very cool ride. The ad he wrote originally was all about doing skids and being fast and furious. I pointed out to him that anyone who could afford to buy it wasn’t going to do skids, and anyone who wanted to do skids couldn’t afford it. He rewrote the ad with a focus on Sunday cruising with friends and looking cool and it sold that day. Make sure that you have a customer in mind and write the ad to appeal to them.Get the price right Never add up all the money you have spent on the car and think that is the price you will get. Head online and look up cars of the same year, model and features and compare yours to them.Follow a few cars and check which cars are selling and use that as a price guide. You will often find one with a huge price tag but just because they are asking that price doesn’t mean it is selling.Always for sale If you are still driving the car you are selling, then remember that a potential buyer could be right around the corner. Keep the car clean inside and out. Drive responsibly (no one wants to buy the car that was doing a burnout at the lights) and park it somewhere with lots of traffic going past it all day.Get your paperwork in order

 
Pick up a transfer of ownership form ready to sign your car over to the new owner.

If you are selling the vehicle with a roadworthy certificate, talk to your mechanic to get a pre-inspection done, fix what needs fixing and know the timeframes to get the final certificate completed.

You can book a roadworthy and mechanical inspection through AutoGuru.

My final tip is to take a deep breath. Selling your car can be an emotional experience. Say your farewells and wish your car all the happiness with her new owner.