Used Car Tips

Okay, you don't have to go this far but use the same tactics as a car dealer - photo by Thomas R Machnitzki

Pro tips – Sell Your Car Like a Pro

If car dealerships do something, anything, to a car they’re planning to sell, you can bet there’s a good reason for it.  And that reason is almost always that they’ll get more for the car and move it faster.  When you sell your car, you should be doing the same things a car dealership does.  Not being prepared can cost you thousands of dollars.

Research, Research, Research
You may not be able to afford TV and radio ads, but you may not need them.  Definitely use free sites like MECarz.com, but don’t count on them exclusively.  Spend some money to sell your car. Though MECarz.com is free and cost you nothing to advertise your car.

Car dealerships have a host of tools at their disposal to price your vehicle.  They know the wholesale price, the retail price range, the price based on condition, how many cars like your are on the market now and the price range, and how long cars like yours are on the market.  They have all this information at their fingertips.  If they’re going to sell your car, you can bet they’ll be able to guess within $500 and five days when it will sell and for how much.  This is not an accident.

While it may not be as conveniently packaged, you have access to wide variety of resources for helping price your vehicle.

Here’s an example of a search for an Ford F350 on Worthmonkey a site that collects information on similar items for sale all over the internet.  Another site you’ll find invaluable is ClearBook, offered by TrueCar.com.  In the future they’ll be adding the same kind of market statistics your dealer uses.

Be smart, if you’re going to sell your car, take the time to do the research.

Details, Details

An auto dealership is going to detail your car from top to bottom.  That costs a lot of money. But if they think it’s worth it, so should you.  If you’re going to sell your car, make it look nice. Spend the money.

You can try doing it yourself, Popular Mechanics has an extensive online article about how to do it yourself.  I’d recommend paying a professional to do it for you.

There’s just no comparison in the quality of job you can do and someone who does it for a living.  And it will get done faster.

Advertise

Notice those car ads in the local paper and shopping magazines?  Almost everywhere you look in print, TV, radio, Craigslist, AutoTrader, there’s your neighborhood car dealer.  That’s no accident, either.  When they’re going to sell your car, they know they need to reach the widest possible audience.

Don’t be afraid to pay for advertising.  Set a budget and see how far you can stretch your ad dollars.

In some metropolitan areas you can even slip your ad into rotating electronic billboard advertising.  That’s a great way to advertise your car on the cheap and think of the thrill when you sell your car on giant, lighted screen!