Anyone who looks to sell a car for cash is very keen to ensure they do get the best price possible – at least the current market value! It is always advised to do as much research as possible online, checking out local area dealers, vehicle trading publications and nearby car auctions.

It should not be difficult to ‘get a feel’ for the ‘going rate’ of the make and model of your vehicle when attempting to value a car.  In this way, at least you will know that a quote provided by a used car buyer is either close to or way off the current market value.

Another likelihood is that you may spend time delving into the various used car price guides generally available in local newsagents or online. The advice here is that they are really no more than a basic reference and not necessarily a car dealer’s bible! 

A professional buyer takes many different elements of an individual car type, specification, condition, history, rarity and external market forces into consideration, which are factored into a final quoted price. In other words, making a price comparison between a used car guide and a dealer’s price may or may not be useful to understanding your car’s particular resale value.

The Parkers Guide is one of the most well-known and commonly available of Used Car Price references in the last forty years. However, it is generally considered to be for the general public only and not really taken seriously by professional car traders! You might be taken as a novice car seller if you happen to take along a copy or refer to it in conversation with a professional dealer!

While the provision of a car valuation is never an exact science, simply because every car is likely to be different, an established, reputable car buyer should offer a price which, if you have done your homework properly, you will have to admit is more likely to really be a fair and reasonable price!
 

We like to think that all our customers who get in touch with us because they want to sell a car for cash are honest, upstanding folk, as indeed, we have found the majority to be, over the years. But of course, there will inevitably be circumstances where a potential car seller thinks they might be able to obtain a much better price by trying some very well-known and obvious tactics!

We all know that vehicle ‘clocking’  - the winding back of the odometer on a high–mileage car in order to raise the selling price – is still a widespread practice. At the end of 2010, more than 600,000 cars on UK roads were estimated to have been clocked to show lower mileages, rising to over 716,000 when vans and motorbikes are included.

Obviously, we all know this is illegal but when the value of a car for cash sale can be substantially increased for every 1,000 miles taken off the clock, the temptation is obviously there for some individuals! A professional car buyer will know all the specific details to look for.

While it is difficult, but not impossible to physically check if a digital odometer fitted to today’s vehicles has been wound back by using a laptop and specialised software, older cars can show more conventional clues, such as worn screws on the dashboard. However, it’s not so easy to avoid those tell-tale clues which are likely to reveal the real condition of the car and the mileage racked up! 

A car with an extensive history of motorway journeys might betray slight chipping to the surface paintwork caused by stones across the front of the bonnet, grille and bumper. A quick check on the driver’s side can show worn pedal rubbers or a ‘shiny’ steering wheel.

When an older vehicle possesses virtually a new set of pedals/gearstick and/or upholstery,  it could very well be an indication of an attempt to hide true mileage or covering up accident damage repair! When checking that the mileage on the clock roughly ties in with the age and appearance of a car, the vehicle documents will support the evidence either way!

Mileages on the service records and MOT certificates can be verified by contacting the garages concerned to confirm the mileage they recorded at the time of the service/MOT as well as speaking with the previous keeper named on the V5C/logbook to confirm the mileage at the time they bought and sold  the vehicle.

Experienced car dealers are also likely to have an extensive knowledge and access to national computer records and other resources by which to confirm the true age of a vehicle under any circumstances!
 

Selling your car can so easily go wrong! If you don’t do the necessary research you can end up being badly out of pocket – or worse!

Rogue traders and scam sites operate freely on the web, and even sponsored ads or first page search results are no guarantee against deception and fraud  aimed to catch out members of the public who go online in the hope of more easily selling their car for cash.

While an urgent financial need is often the key reason to sell a vehicle as fast as possible, it can be just as much to do with being unable to sell a car. Weeks, perhaps even months can pass and boredom or impatience soon sets in!

Typically, the car may have been priced too high for the prevailing market in a particular area. Many car owners tend to think in terms of the price they want, rather than looking at the marketplace, so they know the ‘going rate’ and a fair price they may reasonably and realistically expect their car to fetch.

The problem is also with perception. Everyone expects they will doing a bit of ‘wheelin’ n’ dealin’ so they tend to ramp up the selling price because they know a buyer will attempt to beat the price down!

It’s also possible to be wary of setting too low a price out of concern that potential buyers may assume that ‘going abroad - quick sale’ really means there’s something seriously wrong deep down in the engine block or steering geometry! On the other hand ‘one lady owner’  or ‘one owner from new’ are hardly reliable selling points!

In other words, it really does pay to spend as much time as you can afford to find out as much as you can about car values in the used car market in the area you intend to sell your car. 

Then you may decide that it really would be easier and quicker to sell your vehicle to a reputable dealer rather than wait for the right private buyer and still be disappointed.

Just like your jaw might also do - car values can so easily drop on some car makes from one month to the next!

New tyres look great. They compliment a vehicle and there is no mistaking them when you see them. When you go to sell a used car it is important to think of not only the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle but what value added options you can give to the buyer. If the tyres are new it is another cost the buyer won’t have to incur when they get it checked over for road worthiness. It also shows the buyer you care about the deal they are getting and have taken steps to give them something worth buying.

Tyres are not generally all that expensive. Don’t go out and buy top of the line low profile tyres. Get something cheap and practical. Trying to sell a used car with bad tyres is like selling a lolly pop with no lolly. It makes you look like you are haven’t cared about the car’s upkeep or the buyer. The money you spend on new tyres will be easily absorbed by the sale price of the vehicle and it will ensure your buyer won’t get a flat tyre when they drive away with vehicle after the deal has been done.

If you can’t afford new tyres then get some retreads put on the car. Retreads are cheap alternative and will do a lot to make the car look and drive safe. Bald tyres are not only unsafe but also look terrible. It will also go a long way to help the buyer make up their mind when they take a test drive of the vehicle. Cars drive differently depending on what condition the tyres are in. If the day the buyer takes the car for a test drive is raining then it is not only unsafe but it could lead to an accident that is not completely covered by your insurance.

It is surprising how closely buyers will scrutinise the tyres of a vehicle when you sell a used car. It makes a lot of sense that they do. It is what is actually keeping the vehicle on the road. There is no way I will allow my family into a car that has bald tyres. I actually prefer to replace my tyres when they still have around fifty percent of their tread left. They do wear out fairly quickly and the difference in the time it takes to stop with bald tyres compared to new ones is huge. If you need to stop quickly and skid it can take a lot of the tread off. It is just reassuring to know you have tyre tread to spare (so to speak).

Don’t be stingy with your buyer, make sure the tyres are in good condition and the chance to sell a used car will increase dramatically. It is not only matter of safety but visual appeal as well. It lets the buyer know you care about the vehicle and this belief will transfer to the rest of the vehicle. A happy buyer is one that thinks they have got a good deal.

It is important to know how much you should set pricewise when selling your car. If I want someone to buy my car I look for as much information as I can on what the car is worth. Starting with a blue book to see what your car is worth is a good first step. Although car prices fluctuate greatly during the year they are valid and they are not the best way to accurately gauge how much it is worth. Taking it to a car dealer to get an estimate is also not the best idea. They will typically tell you a figure lower than what it is actually worth in the hope that you will sell it to them then and there. That is where online valuation services step in.

Getting an impartial estimate of what your car is worth is a great way to set the price reasonably. Nobody would buy my car if I set the price too high and the likelihood of someone buying it if I set it too low is also reduced because people will assume there is something wrong with it. A fair price is one that adequately reflects the value of what the car is actually worth. Setting it a little higher is acceptable as long as you don’t go crazy it is normally considered acceptable to go ten percent over your asking price to give people opportunity to negotiate with you. If someone wanted to buy my car and offered me the extra ten percent I would take it immediately. If you go much over that ten percent it might scare potential buyers away. It is generally safe to assume that haggling is going to take place when selling something privately.

A valuation service can also save you a lot of time. Rather than scouring the Internet or classifieds looking for what others are asking you can just shoot off an email or fill in an online form and get the information almost immediately. It can also save you the hassle of constantly repricing your car in order to find the sweet spot (proverbially) which is the price that actually does end up triggering an interested buyer. Never assume what your car is worth, get it appraised or valuated by a professional who knows the product. Make sure you know all of the details about the vehicle before you approach them for an appraisal as well.

It is too easy to take a guess at what the vehicle is worth. Go too high and you scare people away, go too low and you might be shooting yourself in the foot. If someone were to buy my car and I saw the same car advertised for a few thousand dollars more I would be livid. The potential to misjudge the value of the vehicle is massive. Always seek help before you set your price. Get the vehicle valuated or at the very least look up the blue book value before putting it on the market.