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Sometimes you might need to say goodbye to the love of your life, but it doesn’t have to be all bad or painful. Here I’m going to help you on how to sell your car fast. It’s probably a good time to reiterate my experience as a car salesman for some of the top dealerships in the UK.
I’ve been in those positions and had to take the keys off a man who has cling onto a car with such passion and it has hurt, you can see the hurt in his eyes as they drive off knowing they left their pride and joy with a stranger.
It’s not all bad though I promise, the hurt goes and you soon move on (trust me, I’ve been there myself). So let’s make this quick and easy so it’s as least painful as possible.
Advertise, Advertise, Advertise
The first steps to any successful sale is to show the world what you intend to sell. Nowadays advertising a car is so much easier than just sticking it in a black and white newspaper, you have access to the internet. Just as you have probably searched for thousands of cars for sale, there are just as many people wanting to buy their next project or daily drive. So let’s go over the quick, the frugal and the wider audience
The Quick Method
There are a lot of places now that will give cash for your car, most dealerships also offer a we buy your car for cash option too. These are great if you’re looking to say toodles sooner because you can walk in, agree a price and walk out with cash in an hour, providing you brought the documents. The downside to these is you may not make as much as you think. The buyers know you need rid fast and take advantage by lowering the price to suit the situation and they do this by doing an appraisal of your car to assess damage and lower your expectations.
This is all great if you want the quick option but don’t expect retail price.
The Frugal Option
We all have that one friend that lives on social media, always scouring the selling groups for cheap buys. Most of these are found on Facebook because they are free to list and they attract a wide audience. You can usually find someone 10 minutes away looking for a bargain on a used car.
Another great point about this one is the competition is Bob from the council estate whose advert looks like, ‘Fiat Punto, runs mint, £100’. You’re smarter than that. Give information about the history, people love that. Be honest about the damage, then there will be no disappointment on arrival, just give as much information to save answering later questions. An informative advert gives confidence in the buyer.
Although this is free it is very risky as you never know who will come to your door, so just be wary and don’t tell anyone your location till you feel comfortable.
The Wider Audience
Unfortunately, this stage costs money and can take longer but you may make a bit more dosh if your clever with it. Most people now (myself included) look for a safe option with lots of variety when we want to look for cars. Sites like autotrader make searching for your dream car easy because people can put in a wide search or a narrow search. From what I’ve learnt in the past, every car has a following and will sell. Eventually.
As these sites are incredible widely used, it means they can charge for their service. It’s not much, but I don’t like paying to withdraw my own money at a cash machine.
It is safer, it does get the job done and you can make more money towards your next car because you can sell at retail prices without being knocked down too much. This is probably my preferred option as it’s kind of like fishing, waiting for a bite and throwing back the tiddlers for a bigger fish to fry.
Compromise Cash For Speed
As I mentioned in the previous section, there are downsides to different ways to sell your set of wheels and there might have to be a compromise.
The quick and frugal options are quicker but you won’t get what you want for your car and is that really worth doing it in such a shorter time frame. It’s entirely upto you, the beholder. The wider audience, this is different, it gives you more time to clean it and say goodbye and have that last drive. It’s a lot more lucrative too. The only downside is you might start to regret your decision.
Me personally, I would go for a longer run and take a bigger slice, this way I know whoever is willing to pay what I want will also look after the car as they put money into buying it. I sleep easier knowing my old car is being cared for.
This doesn’t mean you can’t try all the options though and then see what happens, but the longer you wait the more you may get for your sweet whip.
The Haggle And How To Win
Here comes the fun bit. Everyone I know hated this in the dealerships. Because it’s not easy to always come to an agreement and can sometimes feel a little deflated. This is where I will tell you the trick.
If your saying £500 but you’ll take £400 and they want to pay £300, do not just say ok. Say £450 final offer. If they don’t agree, you know you can still throw out the £400. Throw out the £400 and put out your hand for a hand shake, this will seal the deal. If they still don’t agree, there is something wrong with them, they knew the price in the first place, they’ve travelled to you, it’s their loss, not yours. Just wait for a bigger fish.
I mentioned the hand shake because it such a persuasive tool, greet your buyers with one, it’ll do you wonders, they will respect you more. Have you ever been to a job interview and not handshook and not got the job? That’s because they saw weakness in you just like your prospective buyers. Be strong. They are on your terms.
If you really can’t come to a quick agreement, ask what’s wrong, being open and honest and chatting will clear the air, you won’t wonder what you did wrong and it might be something so simple, like the air freshener smells a bit funny (some do). Just be honest, if you can sweeten the deal, come to an agreement. A bit of fuel always helps change their minds.
Don’t be afraid to ask for business. Don’t skimp on the ‘are you buying it then?’ They are waiting for you to ask, so just ask. They will either say yes or no. If they say yes, bargain. If they say no, ask why. Be like a little kid saying why? Why? Why? Till you get an answer and can lever out an excuse why they shouldn’t pay the asking price.
Sometimes all of these don’t work, it’s frustrating but tomorrow is another day and you never know what’s around the corner. But if you implement them, your chances of a sale will skyrocket and make the process quicker so you don’t have to do it all again.
Saying Farewell Can Also Bring Hello
So now you’ve come to an agreement with whoever you sold your grandmas old shopping trolley to. The time is to say your goodbyes.
If you can, I suggest giving it a wash before his/her new owners collect them. This way you can have a last minute with them. You also get a thumbs up from Mrs Patterson for giving her a shiny new Kia Picanto. Remove all old belongings and put them in your new car if you have one, they will serve as memories. Take lots of photos for your Instagram so you can always reminisce that time you went to McDonald’s drive through at 2 am, driving home your drunk girlfriend.
This is heartbreaking I know, I’ve been through a share of heartbreaks and a few that got away, but remember your moving onto bigger and better things.
It’s Not All Bad
That’s it, your car is sold and gone. Cheer up though, you have cash in your pocket for the next project. Your insurance is going to be better off because you’ve been driving a while now. You can drive a 2 litre without penalisation. You can start a fresh with new mod ideas and research a more modifiable car (something with a turbo).
This is the exciting part now. You are the buyer!!
If you have anything you want to talk about or ask, drop a comment below and I will get back to as soon as possible!
Thanks for reading
Kevin
Kevin@boostandcamber.com
Founder of Boost And Camber
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