Then it’s time to leave. As you know, a car owner is happy twice in life – when he buys a car and when he sells it. We talked in detail about how to find a good car from advertisements on the Internet. Selling your car is also not an easy task. We are talking about how to quickly, competently and without problems part with your iron friend.
It is worth recalling right away that the situation in the world automotive market changed dramatically, when new cars doubled in price. The secondary market in world, due to the much larger scale of offers and in many respects the stereotypical attitude of domestic buyers, lives according to different laws, which primarily concerns the formation of prices.In addition, in recent years, official dealers have had a very strong influence, which, after the failure of new car sales, have tackled the “used cars”. And, of course, the “outbid” want to grab their piece of the pie. In general, a person who has never sold a car in his life can discover a completely new world in which he will act as no less than a competitor to the automotive business. And you need to be ready for this, otherwise you may be deceived.
When to sell a car
The first thing to understand when, in fact, comes the need for a sale. Here, of course, there are objective and subjective factors, in which it is preferable to give priority to the first.
The main signal for selling is that the car has started to “crumble” or has been restored after a serious accident. In the vast majority of cases, the car is sold for these reasons. If your visits to the service have become more frequent to unacceptable values
It is easy to determine: the annual repair costs, divided by 12 months, should be at least half the size of the monthly payment on a loan for a new car of the same class as yours. That is, when once a month it is more profitable and more comfortable to transfer interest to the bank than to rush around services and look for cheaper parts.
The second selling factor is a dramatic increase in income or wealth. An inheritance from a grandmother or a new high-paying position is also an objective factor in changing a car, even if its technical condition suits you. The fact is that new cars are getting more expensive every year, and yours is getting cheaper every year, so the price gap will only increase over time. So if you have the financial ability to change the car for a new one today is much more profitable than tomorrow.
But the subjective factor of the sale – “I’m tired of the car, I want another” – most likely will not lead to anything good. Most likely, you will either give someone a decent car and buy a bad one, or you will accumulate credit debts that will worsen your financial condition.
Remember that prices in the secondary market have been rising for much longer than in the primary. And due to the collapse of the ruble exchange rate and a two-fold increase in prices for new cars, add to the same car as yours, only a new one today will have to be twice as much.
What price to assign
The most controversial factor in the sale, since the speed of the sale of the car and the amount of surcharge for a new car will depend on the cost.
The first thing to remember is that your car is not the best, and you are not the most caring owner. There will always be someone who has less mileage, the oil changed twice as often as the regulations, the body was wrapped in film, and so on. So do not flatter yourself. The selling price is your “Wish list”, not the real value of your car. Try to be objective about it.
The second factor – any improvements to the car, such as cool alloy wheels, fancy “music” or a leather interior altered by you did exclusively for yourself. Your buyer does not need all this, and therefore it does not affect the price – only factory modifications, mileage and condition play a role. To sell more expensive tuning gadgets, you have to wait for a person who is willing to pay for them. Sometimes it stretches for months. And such bells and whistles as full body airbrushing will most likely leave the car with you forever, or it will have to be repainted.
Who is more profitable to sell
Today there are three categories of buyers – private traders, dealers and resellers.
The most profitable, but also the most troublesome buyer is the same as you are an ordinary car enthusiast. He is poorly versed in the intricacies and tricks of this business, trades within reasonable “human” limits, and his main fear is deceiving the seller. In this case, most often the transaction occurs when mutual trust is found, when it is clear that one is not trying to play up selling, and the other is not “squeezing money” by buying.
However, in this case, all sales costs will fall on your shoulders – bringing the car into a marketable condition, working with ad sites, interacting with potential buyers, trips to service checks, etc. In fact, at the time of the sale of his car, the owner himself arranges for a part-time job as a seller, which is compensated by a higher sale price, but only if there is the necessary time.
That is why resellers will be the first to call you. They know perfectly well that most of the people do not want to bother selling cars, and therefore they will offer you money “right now”, but much lower than the size of your desire. If you cannot be taken “head-on”, a long bargaining will take place – they will tell you how illiquid your car is, that it has a lot of shortcomings only from photographs, and even more will come out on a service check. Etc.
Here, as they say, everything is at your discretion. The only thing: remember that the reseller needs your car only to earn money. The sooner you give up; the more money will be made for you. In addition, fraudsters are regularly encountered among dealers, so there is a risk of being left without a car and without money.
By and large, the Trade-in departments of official dealers work exactly according to the same scheme. There are three main differences from dealers. Dealers do not work with “muddy” cars – that is, with those that have legal or documentary problems, as well as with cars in very poor technical condition. The second point: the dealer is a guarantee of the legal and financial purity of the transaction, the probability of fraud is negligible here.
And the third point is that Trade-in works in conjunction with the new car sales department. That is, the uninteresting purchase price of your car is offset by a discount on a new car. That is, you, as a seller, in most cases do not lose anything, however, you do not gain. Everything here will depend on whether you need a new car and what kind of discount they will offer. There is a chance that the dealer will agree to give you a new car at a discount and without any “trade-ins”. In this case, it is not profitable to take the car to the salon again.
To summarize briefly.
1. Selling a car is only worth it when you are sure that the new car will be guaranteed and much better than the existing one. Otherwise, there is a great chance to change the awl for soap.
2. Don’t be greedy. You can sell undriveable car for as low as possible, and not for as much as you initially want.
3. You must have some kind of advantage that sets your car apart from all others, otherwise you will have to reduce the price.
4. In most cases, you can only sell a car profitably yourself. Fast – as a rule, only through intermediaries.
5. If the choice fell on intermediaries, it is better to sell a good car through dealers, and a problem one through dealers.
Barry Lachey is a Professional Editor at Zobuz. Previously He has also worked for Moxly Sports and Network Resources “Joe Joe.” He is a graduate of the Kings College at the University of Thames Valley London. You can reach Barry via email or by phone.
