All posts tagged auto selling

When’s the Best Time of Year to Sell a Car?

by Carsurfer Admin on 2018/01/03 in Auto Selling with Comments Off on When’s the Best Time of Year to Sell a Car?
sell auto

Once you decide to sell or upgrade your car, you usually want to know two things. First, will my car sell quickly? Second, will I get the most money for my car? In order to answer these two questions, you’ll need to get the timing right. Timing your sale helps to determine how long your car will be on the market and if you will get the most money for your vehicle.

The Season

The time of year can often determine how your car will sell. Different types of vehicles are more in demand at certain times. For example, trucks typically sell best in the fall and winter while sports cars sell in the spring and summer. A junk seller or parts wholesaler may also have certain seasons in which they buy and scrap more junk cars, so you should also keep this in mind. According to one cash for car in Atlanta, pickup for recycling can depend on location, but usually aren’t impacted by season. Determine when most people will be interested in driving this type of vehicle to decide when you should list your vehicle for sell.

Mileage

A second factor to think of when it is time to sell your car is the number of miles on it. As you rack up more miles on your car, it becomes more difficult to sell. Therefore, you should consider listing your vehicle before it has hundreds of thousands of miles. By listing your vehicle while the mileage is still low, potential buyers know the vehicle’s engine still has lots of life left.

Special Events of Holidays

Many people search for vehicles during certain events or holidays. For example, during Memorial Day, President’s Day, and other sale events, old cars tend to get sold faster. Another popular time of the year is during graduation season. Many parents are looking to find their child a car for a graduation present, so if you list your vehicle during this time, there is a good chance that it will get sold.

Selling a vehicle can be difficult, but if you know the best time to list your vehicle, then the process is a little easier. Before you list yours for sale, you should remember to factor in the time of the year, the mileage, and whether this is during a holiday season or other special event. If you keep these things in mind, you should be on your way to selling your car.

Driving a Hard Bargain: What Affects Your Car’s Resale Value

by Carsurfer Admin on 2016/07/21 in Auto Selling with Comments Off on Driving a Hard Bargain: What Affects Your Car’s Resale Value

It’s said your car starts depreciating the second it leaves the lot. And it’s true. You could take that new car to the used lot across the highway and get offered a significantly lower price for it. Resale value is a fickle science. While it does take into account age, mileage, condition, equipment levels, model, popularity and demand, it can often boil down to who you’re talking to. Here are some of the fundamentals that either boost or minimize your vehicle’s resale value:

Brand

Nothing is going to have more of an impact. Regardless of condition, cars not known for reliability aren’t going to get the same prices as ones that are. Well-kept luxury brands will always demand top dollar. A 10-year old BMW can still cost tens of thousands, but no one’s going to pay that kind of money for a decade-old Pontiac.

Regular Maintenance

No one is interested in paying top dollar for a vehicle not given proper TLC. Oil, air filters, brake pads and tires are critical components that need regular maintenance. Taking care of these parts will extend the lifetime of a vehicle and ensure its resale value remains high. Most car owners, though, know when and how to replace these. However, according to the experts at Arnold Motor Supply, many people may not even know when they need a new belt until it snaps on half on the freeway. Pay attention to manufacturer-suggested maintenance schedules, and don’t forget the little things.

Tech

Believe it or not, having all the cool gadgets and a Star Trek dashboard doesn’t necessarily make your car more valuable. People looking at used cars are, by nature, conservative. They’re shopping the used market to save money on something reliable, not to get the latest, greatest, and flashiest tech available. Convincing them to pay for the TV in the back, DVD player or GPS capability could be a hard sell at best and a detriment at worst. Fancy gizmos may be what you want, but don’t expect it to bring in anything extra when you try to sell.

Performance Parts/Aftermarket Accessories

Sporty suspension upgrades and a customized exhaust are cool, but most shoppers won’t know or care what that means, let alone take it into account when considering value. While you may be someone that loves your $3,000 chromed wheels, odds are many will downplay them. Aftermarket performance parts and visual upgrades rarely translate into resale value, and many shoppers may even take it as a sign that your vehicle was driven to its limits, making them more reluctant to buy from you.

Exterior

The first thing about a car that impresses anyone is the look. If you’ve maintained the cosmetic condition, you’re in good shape. If you haven’t been washing it, or use dirty water with a greasy sponge— and it shows—you may have issues. Even if you detail it before showing it off, smart buyers will look for scratches in paint, swirls, and dents or dings. Regular washes and taking care of those dings immediately ensure the resale value is maximized. Lose all the personal touches you added—that Bush-Quayle bumper sticker does nothing except date the vehicle and ruin the paint—and remove any glue residue with a gentle cleaner.

 

When reselling your car, give it the best presentation you can. Take care of it, and it will take care of you. Maintenance, care, and attention can go a long way. However, you may find the most resale value in the art of the haggle. Good luck!

Failing in Your Efforts to Sell Your Car? 4 Tips to Help you Find a Buyer

by Carsurfer Admin on 2013/12/30 in Auto Selling with Comments Off on Failing in Your Efforts to Sell Your Car? 4 Tips to Help you Find a Buyer

Has your car been on the market for a while? Are you getting sick of waiting for the phone to ring with an interested buyer on the other end? It may be time to kick things up a notch in order to find a buyer. There are several methods for getting the word out about your car, but with how many cars are for sale, and posted every day, you may need to be more creative in your efforts.

Post Your Vehicle on Craigslist.com

This is one of the main ways to sell a vehicle and it’s free to list. Make sure you put at least four pictures detailing the front, back, sides and inside of the vehicle. Leave a short descriptive paragraph with the history of the vehicle. You’ll want to post the vehicle according to Kelly Blue Book pricing, also look at the listings of other similar vehicles. One disadvantage of Craigslist is you’ll have to keep re-listing the ad nearly everyday to keep it relevant.

The site does have 20 million unique visitors each month. If you have posted on Craigslist in the past without luck, there might be a few things you can do so that your post gets noticed. Make sure it has a good title, something that mentions the car and perhaps the price. Within the post, make sure you include quality pictures of your car and the features (make sure the car is clean and looking it’s best when taking these pictures.) Include important information, but don’t overload. Make the information easy to read and make sure your contact information is prominent on the page.

Displaying Your Car in a Public Area

Have you ever seen cars parked in a certain parking lot with a for sale sign in the window? This is one way to get your vehicle noticed by many people. One danger here is vandalism and theft, so be smart if parking somewhere in public. The auto experts of Sawyers Chevrolet suggest that if you have a friend or family member that lives on a busy street, you could ask them if they would allow you to park the car in their driveway or in front of their house for a few days.

If you park the car on a busy street during the day for a few days, you’ll be sure to get some calls from interested buyers. Make sure you return it home at night. Put a for sale sign in the window with your phone number, price of vehicle, features and mileage. Make sure this information is legible, and reapply if it rains or snows.

List on AutoTrader.com

In May 2013 Autotrader stopped print versions and is now only online. This is a great place to sell your vehicle if it’s specialized or more valuable. AutoTrader.com receives 15 million visitors a month and boasts having the largest selection of vehicle listings. The ad listing here will cost from $20 for three weeks to $80 for unlimited time until sells plus getting 14 days featured. This investment is worth the money if you are eager to sell your car.

Resources for sellers and buyers also make this a great place to sell your vehicle. If you haven’t used this resource yet, this could be a great place to find a buyer as soon as possible.

Listing in Local Newspapers

There are still many people who read the classifieds, especially when looking to buy a car. Here you will pay from $10-$30 to list your vehicle and can even put in a photo. The ad will run continually with this amount of money for two weeks to a month. Generally this is a good way to attract serious buyers and avoid spammers and scams. One benefit to posting the car in a local paper is that you will find a local buyer, making it easier for you to meet up with them and show them the car, which could speed up the selling process.

These methods should help you find a direction suited to your needs and vehicle. There are advantages to each and you may use more than one. Of course you’ll want to make sure the price is low enough to attract buyers and still be content with the amount. Rest assured if the price is right, you’ll find a buyer with one of these methods.

3 Things to Remember When Selling Your Car on Craigslist

by Carsurfer Admin on 2012/03/08 in Auto Selling with Comments Off on 3 Things to Remember When Selling Your Car on Craigslist

If you are planning to sell your car to a private party, that can be a wise decision. Likely, you will make more on the deal than on a trade-in, perhaps hundreds of dollars more. The pitfall here is that you will be vetting potential buyers and that means making sure that you deal only with serious customers.

Using Craigslist

One of the best websites for listing your car is Craigslist. This site is free, is used by millions and therefore can expose your vehicle to the most people. With any website, however, there are certain things you need to know before offering up a listing. With Craigslist, there are three things for you to keep in mind:

Write a detailed ad — With Craigslist, the more details you share about your car, the better. That means listing the make, model and the year of your car, its edition, and offering details any car buyer would want. Those details include the condition of the body, included equipment, current mileage, warranty information if applicable and more. Be specific — if your car comes equipped with zoned climate control, that reads better than simply writing “air conditioning.” Write brief paragraphs, make use of bullets and include your contact information. Do not share your address — you can give that information out over the phone.

Post pictures — Craigslist allows you to put up photos with your listing, so don’t spare anything here. Show detailed shots of the exterior, the interior, under the hood and inside the trunk or storage compartment. If you have special wheels, get a close up. If there is a dent or scratch, show that too — buyers need to know what they’re getting and your honesty will be appreciated. Add captions or notes with your photos to explain what you’re showing — a buyer might appreciate that you paid for new Michelin tires instead of settling for a no-name or discount brand.

Update frequently — You can run the best ad, but that ad can quickly fade away after a day or two. Yes, it will still be visible online, but it may soon get buried by newer ads. With Craigslist, you are better served if you are able to make regular updates, each of which will bump your ad to the top of the pile. This means making once-daily updates until your car has been sold.

Further Considerations

Besides listing your ad, there are some considerations to keep in mind when selling your vehicle. That means treating people with respect who contact you, setting up appointments and being ready to make a deal. Keep the following in mind as you make a deal:

Be ready to sell — Your initial callers will be the most motivated and interested in striking a deal. Plan on selling your car to the first serious buyer, giving a little on the price, but not much. If a person wants to test drive your vehicle, go along for a ride. Explain to the buyer that the car is being sold “as is” and no warranty is offered. However, if a manufacturer’s warranty is still active and can be transferred, you can help out with that paperwork.

Money is best — Accept only cash or go to the bank with the buyer to accept a cashier’s check. These checks can be forged, therefore you want to see it issued in front of your face.

Complete the deal — Once your deal has been completed, take off the license plates, remove the registration and notify your insurance company and the DMV of your sale. Cancel your Craigslist ad. You’re now done and you should come away from the deal the richer for it.

Author Information

Cedric Sheldon is a contributing writer for a Toyota accessories website. You can safely and easily buy parts online and have these items shipped directly to your address.