Car Selling Tips

1. Determine Your Vehicle's Condition

First, start by being honest. It can be tough sometimes to evaluate your own car. But, take a few minutes set your emotion aside and look at it closely. Rate your car based on the following criteria ranging from Above Average, Average, and Below Average:

a. Exterior: What kind of condition is the exterior in? Are there any visible dents and if so how many? Are there any visible pings and if so how many? Are there any visible scratches and if so how many? What condition are the tires?

b. Interior: What kind of condition is the interior in? Are there any major rips or holes? Does the dashboard have tears or cracks in it?

c. Mechanical: How well does your car run? How well does the transmission shift? How smooth does it drive (any noticeable vibrations)? Does the engine sound smooth or does it make loud knocks and other noise? Are there any visible oil leaks? Does the car pull to one side of the road when you drive it on a flat surface?

2. Determine your vehicle's value

The best way to start is to research a few resources like Kelly Blue Book, Edmund's, NADA. All of these sites will have areas that describe how to find out what your car is worth. You can find a link to Edmund's website on SmarterCarDeals.com's Research page. Also, call your banker. Most bankers will use an NADA value to determine loan value and retail value. If you have a lot of time you may be able to get retail. However, if you want to sell your vehicle in a shorter time you may want to consider finding a point between loan value and retail. The closer to loan value the faster you will sell your vehicle.

3. Take the time to detail your vehicle

At minimum you should have the car either professionally detailed or do it yourself. This includes: Vacuuming the carpets, cleaning the windows, waxing the car, armor-alling the seats and dash, etc...You want your car to feel refreshing and new to the potential buyer. Just because it's not a brand new car, does not mean it shouldn't feel new to the potential buyer.

4. Talk to banks and local credit unions

If the vehicle is not a cash purchase then financing for the new buyer will be necessary. Make it easy for them, just like most car dealers do for purchasers. Talk to your local banks and credit unions. Find out what kind of money an average person, with good credit will have to put down. Inquire about the maximum number of months the institution will finance the car for your potential buyers. What is the interest rate? More importantly, how much will the payment be.

5. Listing on the Internet…This one is a no-brainer!

In most cases, on-line classifieds help you sell your car much more quickly and cost-effectively than traditional mediums. Online Auto Classifieds can do this by reaching a wider geographical area of buyers whom are interested in purchasing your vehicle.

Unlike newspaper and magazine listings, your ads go live within minutes of posting an Ad on the internet and as more households than ever are going online, more people see your Ad. You are also able to include more details of your vehicle including colored photos for a fraction of the cost compared to traditional classifieds advertising. If your advertisement enables you to have an image of your vehicle, be sure to include one so that you can see results as soon as possible.

A car ad with a photo will sell 10 times quicker than one without a picture. In addition, car advertisements with photos tend to sell vehicles at a higher price than car advertisements without photos. This is why all Ads on SmarterCarDeals.com include photos.

6. Tips for preparing your online ad

Most people selling a car or anything else for that matter, skip the valued attention that is required for the most important part of the selling process, "Writing the Ad". In some ads you have 70 - 125 characters to put your information while others can be an endless sea of information.

Create a list of 5-10 top reasons why you like or had liked your car. Next, discuss it with another person to see if they can suggest anything that you may have missed. Then ask yourself what top reason is unique about this car only, and capitalize on that feature for the purpose of the advertisement.

Develop a valid description of the vehicle including make, model, color, engine, tires, interior features, condition, mileage, and popular options if applicable. Just as important as the description is, the seller need also subtlety inform the buyer how soon they need to soon he or she needs to sell. Using words like Must Sell, OBO, Asking Price, or Firm one can communicate how quickly he needs to sell the vehicle, whether he is allotting a specified period for the sale, and/or if he is or is not willing to negotiate. Potential buyers are also interested in how well your car was cared for, how many owners it had, and if it was in any accidents. If you have the maintenance records available, if you are the original owner, and/or if you were not in any accidents then you should include some or all of the positive information about the vehicle in the ad.

After this these steps have been done, you ad writing has been completed. Now all you need to do is submit it.

7. For Sale signs

FOR SALE signs are a must. Be sure to include the appropriate information (vehicle details, contact name/number, etc...). Place them in your vehicle's windows when you are at work or out shopping. You never know when the right person will be driving by and want to purchase your vehicle. Visit www.SmarterCarDeals.com and print a FREE "For Sale" sign. We recommend that you do not drive with the signs in your windows as they may obstruct your view.

8. Bulletin board postings

Many workplaces, merchants, gymnasiums, etc...offer bulletin boards where people can post flyers. You never know, a coworker or someone at the gym may walk by and see your listing and be in the market for your vehicle.

9. Parking Lots

When you go to the mall (or any store for that matter) park your vehicle in a highly visible area where the traffic that frequents the merchant will see your FOR SALE signs.

10. Fielding the calls for you Ad

Now that you have done all of your homework preparing your car for sale this part is easy. Keep all the facts with you (near the phone) so you don't have to search for it when you get a call. Keep a copy at work if you will be taking calls there (just hide it out of the way from you boss).

Rule number #1: do not ever fail to tell everyone in your household that you are trying to sell your car. Nothing irritates a potential buyer more than when someone answers the phone and has no clue that a car is for sale at your household. Remember you are selling, not buying and therefore you must be professional and establish confidence in the buyer. Also, keep a pen and paper with basic instructions near the phone and inform all persons that answer your phone how to answer and what to say and most importantly what not to say. Some good questions to get a feel for the potential buyer and things to keep in mind are:

a. How long have you been looking for a vehicle?

b. What part of town do they live in?

c. Are they looking for just a car or specifically the make and model you have for sale?

d. Ask the magic question! Does this sound like a vehicle you would be interested in?

e. Before you schedule an appointment try to feel them out a little as it relates how they plan to pay for the vehicle (without being threatening or rude).

f. Try to schedule multiple buyers a few minutes apart as this creates a little overlap and if they are interested this creates the supply and demand!

g. Schedule the times that are convenient for you and them.

h. Do not be in a hurry during these appointments.

i. Always have someone else with you. Never ever go for a ride alone!

11. Test Drives

a. Have a planned route that will allow them to feel the car out in several different conditions.

b. Ask to see a valid driver's license just like the dealers do. Make a copy or write some of the information down if you feel you need to.

c. Always let them drive but you navigate!

d. Don't go on extremely long drives. It can be a waste of time and also dangerous.

e. Let them be in control of the vehicle. The potential buyer needs to feel like it's their new car!

12. Negotiations

When a person comes to look at your vehicle, be sure to establish trust with them. Trust is probably the most important element in selling anything! If the buyer cannot trust the seller, then chances are that the buyer will never buy from him. Sellers use many methods to earn the buyers trust and some sellers take a lifetime mastering this skill.

One of the more effective sales approaches is something that we all do and sometimes do not even realize it. We call it humanization. Basically you let the buyer subtly know that you are much like buyer; that your time is valuable, that you do have family and other responsibilities, much like they do, and this needs to be conveyed to the buyer. Conversation is the only way to accomplish this. Start by greeting them, shaking their hand firmly, and asking them why they are looking at your car, what made them call you to schedule this appointment. Once you know their motivation for purchasing your car, you can highlight those features about your vehicle.

Trying to make initial conversation with a buyer can be difficult. Try to make the conversation less about buying the car and more about friendliness. Begin to point out some of the great many features of the car while finding out why your car is the ideal choice for them. If you are selling a Wrangler Jeep for example, you may want to mention the great joys and fun this vehicle provided while driving with your friends on summer nights with the top down. Perhaps you and your friends enjoyed taking the vehicle down the shore and gathered attention from on-lookers. Try to establish some type of connection to help add more value to the vehicle. Perhaps the buyer is more interested in the 4 wheel-drive capabilities for outdoor events. In this case you may want to mention a memory of an outing where the excellent 4 wheel-drive was a great asset. If your buyer is a family man or woman buying a sedan or wagon, you want to gear your conversation to the comfort, roominess and spaciousness seating of the interior, the great gas mileage, child-door locks, as well as the fold-down rear seats that enable the vehicle to carry large objects. Go over the details and highlights of the vehicle and discuss the extra-care that you may have put into the vehicle (oil change every 2800 miles and other maintenance history). If the car has low-mileage, make it a point and mention it more than once. If the car has new tires, then that should be another selling feature as well.

In conclusion, to help sell a car or any other product for greater value, you'll have to find the need of the buyer, and fill that need with your product. If you can establish trust between you and the buyer on your vehicle, you'll make more money when you negotiate with the buyer and you'll have a happier buyer that feels like they got a great deal.

13. Bill of Sale

Always have a bill of sale ready. These vary from state to state so you may want to either check out the department of motor vehicles or check with a local car dealer. Some office supplies stores have generic ones you can use or modify to meet your needs.

Conclusion

Although internet auto classifieds have a much larger audience than newspapers, the fact is many buyers shop for vehicles online and in the newspaper. You never know where your used car buyer is looking at any given time! That's why you need to market your vehicle in as many locations as you can afford. By purchasing an inexpensive online auto classified listing on SmarterCarDeals.com you can also afford to place a small cheap classified listing in your local newspaper and then point them to your Ad on SmarterCarDeals.com where you can list all of your vehicle options, make, model, engine size, color of interior/exterior, mileage; add a photo, and even details about how you have taken care of your used vehicle. You're not going to get all of that detail in an automotive newspaper classified listing or with any other auto classified web site. Make the newspaper only an extension of your marketing efforts to sell your used car. Good luck selling your car!