What you need to know when selling your car

Here at carsales, we try to make the process of selling your car as painless as possible.

But even with so much online resource available, you can’t just sleep-walk through the sale of a car.

There are matters calling for your attention long before you start talking turkey with a prospective buyer.

Do you intend to sell a convertible during the depths of winter? Our tip? Don’t...

Or are you considering the sale of your fleet queen, the same year and model of car that the state public service fleets are flogging off in the thousands, months before an all-new model? Not a good move.

How about advertising your heavy-duty petrol-powered four-wheel drive just as fuel prices go through the roof?

Take a look around. Is now a good time to be selling your particular car?

If you don’t know what to factor in or what you need to weigh up about the market, read the pages at carsales and ascertain the temperature of the market. There’s bound to be content that will give you clues.

And ask someone who knows more about the subject – and hopefully they can guide you with the best time to be selling.

It’s not unknown for owners to undervalue their cars, but it is rare. It’s more likely that buyers will over-estimate what their car is worth.

Most owners presume that the car they bought four years ago for $20,000 will still be worth $15,000. Some cars will retain that sort of value, but not all.

Chances are that the four-year-old car you’re selling is no longer covered by warranty. If it’s a small or light hatch with a manual transmission – with some obvious exceptions – you might have to lower your sights to make a quick sale.

Ditto for a car that’s the ‘wrong’ colour, a vehicle with high kilometres on the odometer or a sedan when everyone wants an SUV.

Due to the disruption of supply lines since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, prices for used cars have escalated. It’s now more important than ever that owners thoroughly research what their car is worth. If you don’t, you’ll likely be selling too cheaply.

Check your car’s value at RedBook.com.au, but also look at what owners are asking for the same variant and age of car advertised at carsales.

Price your car fairly for a quick sale without all the fuss. Buyers will soon recognise it if your advertised price is realistic.

If your car is an older model – say, five years since purchased new – it will have likely picked up some minor cosmetic problems, such as stone chips or shopping trolley scrapes. It’s entirely possible too that the car has developed some mechanical woes.

As the owner, you’ll have to consider whether the panel damage and the mechanicals are worth fixing. A roadworthy could cost over a thousand dollars as is, if you have to throw on a new set of tyres or replace the windscreen.

Repairing dints and scrapes or noisy suspension bushes could be costly, and it’s cost that may be hard to justify if the repairs are going to eat into the proceeds of the sale.

You can sell your car without a roadworthy certificate. First, we’d advise having your local mechanic assess the car and let you know what it will cost to rectify the bits that must be sorted, as well as those bits that aren’t necessary to repair or replace for the car’s roadworthiness, but might block a quick sale.

Talk to the mechanic, explain that you plan to sell, and ask his or her advice for the best course of action. They’re pragmatic people and they will want you to be a loyal customer, bringing your next car to them for servicing, so they should have sound advice to offer.

It’s a given that your car should get the Hollywood treatment – all the cosmetic work and a portfolio to win over the new owner.

If the car is a bit dog-eared and rough, you may have to accept a lower price, because fixing the dents and scratches will likely cost more than the extra money the buyer will pay.

It’s a question of elasticity – at what point are you spending too much for the proceeds of the sale? And can you get the work done at a lower price?

This is not a question that’s easily answered, but you can always pick the brains of a friend, neighbour or colleague who knows something about detailing, panel beating or spray painting.

Let’s assume that the car is in a generally sound state, cosmetically, and all you really need to do is basic washing, polishing, vacuuming, etc.

After that, work out where you will take photos of your car for the advertisement, and decide whether you will shoot a short video presentation. We recommend this, but not everyone is Sir David Attenborough in front of a camera (or smartphone), so perhaps ask an extroverted friend for help.

And in any case, remember this: the car is the star of the video, not you.

For the next step, assemble all the information about your car and write an enticing story about it. Once again, if you don’t feel confident with this, ask for help.

Finally, decide how you will sell your car. There are several different ways of listing your car at carsales, and after you’ve chosen the preferred type of advertisement, it’s easy enough to create an ad and manage it.

If you’ve done everything right, you should get plenty of enquiries within a day or so of your car’s listing.

In the event that doesn’t happen, reconsider whether the ad needs tweaking.

The key hurdles to overcome will be the car’s presentation, its pricing, its availability for inspection and the ease of contacting you, the owner.

That last point may include your proximity to a major urban hub that’s easy to reach.

At some point, you’ll meet someone serious about buying the car. Someone who isn’t a ‘tyre kicker’.

Often, the person who offers you a ridiculously low price is engaging in what’s called ‘low-balling’. They mention a price on the basis that you might be desperate to sell and they will land a car cheaply.

As often as not, a serious buyer will ask you to make the first move – with a question like: “What’s your very best price for this car?”

But well before that, they’ll likely want to take the car for a test drive. The buyer will have likely done their research and know what to check.

You, in turn, should be fully aware of what could go wrong during the test drive and the subsequent negotiating.

It’s always a wise move to ensure you receive the payment in full before handing over the keys to the car you’re selling.

Also arrange for the hand-over to take place in a safe, public place at a time that suits both parties.

After you’ve waved the new owner goodbye, there are some other points to note – and further action to take.

• Ask yourself: When is the best time to sell?
• Do your homework to arrive at the optimal price
• Arrange for repairs, but don’t spend too much
• Make sure servicing is up to date
• Gather all the servicing and replacement parts documents and receipts
• Book the car in for a roadworthy, for an easier sale
• Prepare the car for best presentation – wash, polish, vacuum, detail
• Photograph/video the car – park the car front and centre, ask for
help
• Write the ad for best effect – ask for help if necessary
• Leave the car where it can be easily inspected and driven
• Be available for contact
• Take care when negotiating and handing the car out for a test drive
• Accept valid forms of payment only
• Deliver the car to the new owner where and when you will both feel safe
• Ensure ownership is transferred for registration and insurance
• Update or cancel any other services related to the car (roadside assistance, toll roads, etc)