Selling your vehicle privately can be a daunting task, especially if it needs some work.
Getting a fair price for your beloved car is important, but getting the best price is completely up to you. Attention to detail matters a lot when selling a used vehicle. It may sound crazy, but even just a simple car wash and tune-up will make your car seem that much nicer to someone who is in the market to buy one.
Here at Augusta Auto Body, we can help you in the car-selling process and help make sure that you get what your car is worth.
Here are 7 steps to get your car in tip-top shape for that big sale!
1. Clean it Up
Whether you detail it yourself or have someone else do it, make sure it gets the attention it needs inside and out. Also, do you best to fix any internal issues that you can. According to the DMV website, “Potential buyers want to drive away with a vehicle that is trustworthy. Things that could blow the deal for you include worn tires, squeaky brakes, check engine lights, cloudy headlights, or burned out light bulbs.”
Luckily for you, we provide reasonably priced services to fix your car quickly. From paintless dent repair to professional refinishing and everything in between, we can take care of the hard stuff while you relax.
2. Take Photos
Once you’ve cleaned it up, get quality photos of the interior and exterior from as many flattering angles as you can. The more quality photos the better! It helps buyers feel like you don’t have anything to hide.
3. Collect Your Records
Gather all your service records together and organize them so that potential buyers know you’ve been treating your car right by getting it serviced at proper intervals.
4. Compile the Necessary Documents
Gather the title, registration, and insurance card. If you still owe a balance on your car loan, get more information from your lender about the loan payoff and the steps you need to take to get a clear title when you sell your vehicle.
5. Be Prepared!
Prepare the bill of sale with all of your info - name, address, phone, and VIN number.
6. Get Your Car Appraised
Visit a few local dealerships, tell them you’re interested in selling your car, and ask if they’d make an offer. You can then use this offer as your bottom line in negotiations with a private seller. You’ll also want to use Kelley Blue Book as another resource to determine what your car is worth. Kelley Blue Book has been a respected source of auto pricing for over 80 years and has been available on the web for free since 1995.
7. Craft a Good-Looking Ad
Now that you’ve gone through the hard work of gathering your documents and service records, taking great photos, and researching what your car is worth, you can craft a great ad on a few sites. This is where you can simply decide what will work best for you. Maybe you want to sell on an auction site like ebay, maybe you just want a classified ad, maybe you want to put a for sale sign in your window. You could even do all these things and include your vehicle on other sites like Facebook if you want it to sell faster.
The main thing to remember when selling your car is to be a trustworthy seller. Be honest about your vehicle and put the work in to make it worth the sale. As we’ve already said, we’re happy to lighten the load on your end and help you improve your car for the sale. In addition to phenomenal customer service, we offer free estimates, loaner cars, and so much more.
Visit our website to learn more about us, how we can help you, and how we’ve been serving Central Minnesota since 1987!
