Five things buyers asked me when selling my car
carsales Consumer Editor, Nadine Armstrong recently sold her beloved car, these are the questions buyers frequently asked.I recently parted with my 2016 Audi S3. In pristine condition, with low kilometres (10,315) and two years left on its warranty, I was feeling good (although a little sad) and pretty confident of a quick sale. It took one week. Goes without saying, my car was listed on Australia's number one site for cars – carsales.com.au.
With four phone enquiries and two test drives to go by, here are some of the key questions I got asked by potential buyers… and you might too.
Why are you selling?
I like to lump this question in with the job interview gem ‘why are you leaving?’ Does it matter? I’m definitely not going to tell you that the car is crap, or a fuel hound or dynamically flawed. In our case, our growing kids were the tipping point - we need something with a slightly larger second row. I ran with this; the truth.
Does the extended warranty move with the car?
A valid question, I guess. I wish the warranty stayed with the owner - it’d definitely change what I bought next! But this is not the case. When we bought our Audi S3 during some type of Audi-fest, we got an extended five-year warranty. Three years later and our buyer will benefit from the remaining two years warranty.
Is it roadworthy?
Depending on which state you live in determines whether you need a roadworthy certificate to sell your car. And it’s always best to check at the time of selling. In Victoria, Queensland and ACT you currently need a roadworthy to transfer your car. In all other states, you do not. I waited until the deposit was in hand before obtaining my roadworthy – which cost me $135.
Is that your best price?
My haggling over money to date has been limited to the occasional trip to Bali. It’s not something I’m good at or enjoy. The same goes for someone trying to haggle me on price. ‘Yes’ was the answer, $50k was my best price and a good price for my car. My canny buyer knew this but thought she’d ask regardless (minutes later handed over a deposit). Before listing the S3 I did my research on comparable cars to set my best price. The carsales free valuation tool as well as the carsales price indictor can help you in this regard.
Have many people looked at it?
I put this one in the ‘small-talk/ice-breaker’ category. It’s probably something I’d ask to avoid the awkward price haggling conversation. If you say ‘yes, heaps’ buyers will wonder why it hasn’t sold. If you say no, chances are the buyer thinks they have the upper hand. Sorry, I can’t help here.
If you too are ready to sell your car, find more info here.
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