Whether you’re in the market for a new vehicle or you’re just ready to get rid of a car you no longer need, many people choose to sell their own vehicles on their own. So if you’re wanting to sell your car rather than use it as a trade-in or for some other purpose, here are three tips to help you prepare your car and get it ready to sell.
Bring It To A Mechanic For An Inspection
Before you do anything else, the first thing you should do when considering selling your car is to take it to a mechanic for an inspection.
According to Jaclyn Trop, a contributor to U.S. News and World Report, most people won’t even think about buying a used car unless it’s been thoroughly inspected. While some people might prefer to do this on their own when they’re considering buying the car, if you get it inspected and have the proper documentation, you may be able to charge a bit more since you’ll have completed this step for them.
Additionally, by getting an inspection, you’ll be able to more accurately set the price for the car. If something will need to be fixed soon, you might have to drop the cost. But if everything looks great on the car, you may be able to increase the price more than you thought.
Get Everything Clean
Once your car has been inspected, you should then spend some time making sure everything is as clean as can be.
Along with giving your car a good cleaning or getting it professionally detailed, a contributor to Forbes.com shares that you should also be sure to get everything out of the car, especially any personal items you might have, before you list the car or allow anyone to take a test drive in it. Not only will this make the car more appealing to prospective buyers, but it will also help to protect your items from being stolen during the sales process.
Take Lots Of Photos
To most effectively sell your car on your own, it’s wise to list it on multiple websites so you get the maximum amount of eyes on your post or listing.
As a part of your listing, Justine Petruska, a contributor to AutoTrader, advises that you take a lot of pictures to post as well. With these pictures, make sure you get all areas of the car from various different angles so that those looking at the listing will see everything they want to see without having to reach out to you with additional questions.
If you’re planning to sell a car on your own in the near future, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you do so successfully.
