Sell My Car Guru

Sell My Car-Closing the Deal

Almost always you will find yourself in a position where the buyer will want to negotiate the price; rarely will they hand over payment for the total asking price. You will want to consider before had what you are willing to take, bottom line if offered. However, if an offer comes in below your minimum threshold don’t be afraid to counteroffer. For that matter, don’t be afraid to negotiate any offer at all. After all, your objective is to get the most money for your vehicle. If the offer is slightly lower than your minimum price you may want to consider what you lose in time and effort before turning that offer down.

Cash is king. Remember, that paying cash is always the preferred method and for many the only method by which a person to person transaction can take place. However, you must decide whether to take a personal check, cash only, cashier’s check or even a PayPal payment. If at all possible specify method of payment in your add so people are aware of it prior to looking at the car. If you state cash many times people will bring it with them and if they love your car they may purchase it on the spot and it even causes them to negotiate from a point of weakness. Cash on hand will also stop any potential anxiety you may have when the person goes to get money and you wonder if you will ever see them again.

Occasionally a buyer may ask about a warranty, unless you want to do this out of the goodness of your heart you should say no. It has nothing to do with selling them a bad product; however you can’t foresee any potential issues the car may have. Make sure they clearly understand that the car is sold “as is”.

Remember that in most states you have some obligation to the Department of Motor Vehicles for taxes and change of ownership. It’s best to have a clear understanding of this prior to selling the car so you can make the transition smooth for both you and the buyer.

Last, congratulations on completing the process of preparing for the sale to closing out the process, it’s one where you should have a great sense of accomplishment.

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Sell My Car-Define Your Price

The question comes up over and over again, “what is my used car value”? Simply put, the value is what a car buyer is willing to pay. The more complex answer revolves around finding that sweet spot that’s going to bring purchasers to your door and willing to buy. During these hard economic times people are not as readily looking to buy a car, at least not without knowing they are getting value for their purchase. Lots of car dealerships are doing special discounts and promotions in order to move cars, however if you are an individual seller you can still provide a better overall price.

Kelly Blue Book is one of the major leaders in defining the value of used cars, in fact that’s what many car dealers use as the de facto standard. For example, a 2003 Ford Focus in excellent condition will sell for around $4,400 from a private individual. The same vehicle from a car dealership in equal condition will run you $6,000. As you can see this is beneficial to both the buyer and seller. Just in case you are curious the trade in value is $2,800. So the buyer and seller both win by cutting out the dealership. Disclaimer: many dealerships will state that they run the car through an exhaustive set of tests and may even provide a car warranty for a given period of time. The question you need to ask is if it’s worth the difference in cost.

It becomes tougher to price your car when comparing apples to apples against another similar car. So take the time to do some research on your own after you visit Kelly Blue Book for information. Look online for the same make, model, year and accessories. Compare your mileage and car condition against those too. Weigh the pros and cons between comparable vehicles and be honest with yourself as you price it out. What you say and how you say it in an add to market your car can make all the difference in the world to someone looking to purchase.

Once you’ve looked at four or five comparable vehicles price yours higher or lower on an estimated value against the condition of the other car. Taking the prices you come up with and averaging them out is a great way to gauge the overall all car sell price.

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Sell My Car…Marketing Do’s and Don’ts

So now you have your car ready to sell, you’ve cleaned it and did some basic maintenance to make it purr like a kitten. So now what? Here are a few things to consider that will greatly enhance your chance to move that car quickly.

First, no matter how hot your girlfriend or what she looks like in a string bikini keep her out of the photo. You are trying to sell the car right? Just making sure, because one to sell is legal and the other isn’t. Either way you only want one in the photo. Contrary to belief a person (clothed or not) distracts from the car. Keep it simple and focus on the car.

Second, you have a cherry sound system that just blasts out the bass and annoys old guys (like me) to death. Way cool. However, when selling your car don’t take pictures of it. That goes for other things like fuzzy dice or other tricked out items.

Third, focus on the car. Silly since you are selling the car right? This is an area people easily neglect. Use a nice quality camera; take photos of the doors and fenders. Take them of the hood and grill, the back and wheels. Take a few of the interior. But keep the photo’s general and esthetically pleasing. Having good clean and crisp pictures that you can post can make all the difference between someone calling or not.

Fourth, make sure you spell correctly and use proper grammar. 99.9% of society actually cares about what they read and that it flows and is void of anything obviously silly. Many people will take poor grammar or out and out slang as dealing with someone not fully functional and that the effort to get the car may not be worth the effort of dealing with you. Harsh I know, but it is the truth. Write it like people are going to read it, make an effort and it will pay off.

Take the time to do the entire process from start to finish correctly, it really doesn’t take that much extra time and it can pay dividends in money and time. As always, enjoy the ride!

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