Everyone at one point will want to sell their car. There are few things you can't change about your worn car, like it's engine's condition, frame of the body and the cabin's wear and tear without putting in more cash than it should. However here are few things you can do to upgrade the impression that your car can give.
MAKE IT ATTRACTIVE
A bit of elbow grease pays dividends
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| Chamois |
- Wash your car thoroughly using car shampoo, a sponge and dry with a chamois
- Top up the oil and other fluid levels and make sure the tyres are the correct pressure – better yet, give it a full service
- Drive your car the day before viewing to remove rust from the brake discs and to identify any potential faults.
SET A PRICE
Price your car accurately to get a quick sale
- Research similar cars to get a feel of the market. The cars advertised in magazines and online are a good source.
- Get a used car valuation (this can be obtained from the AAM). You can get this by asking personally to few used car dealers in your area or you can directly contact us at https://www.facebook.com/salehudincartrade or simply email us at salehudincartrade@yahoo.com, or call 0122504625
- Consider depreciation – some cars lose more value than others. In the industry there are 'hot' cars and there are 'cold' cars, 'hot' cars are usually cars that most people sought after and these cars depreciate less compared to 'cold' cars.
PLACE AN AD
Write great advert and increase your chances of selling
- Be concise – summarise key features and main selling points
- Lay down the price clearly – it’s frustrating to read an ad without a price
- Highlight the fact if the car has full service history and is maintained by official dealers and service centres
- Use a good photos to flatter your car – a picture communicates much more than words and is vital to make your ad stand out from the rest.
DEALING WITH BUYERS
Arrange meetings with buyers during office hours at convenient locations while banks are open for business
- Make buyers aware that they will need a valid driving license if they want to take a test drive – this is to protect yourself in case of an accident
- Suggest a good test route that will emphasise you car’s strengths. Eg: highway for good cruisers, twisty sections for good handling cars
- Never let the buyer test drive the car alone. Turn the engine off and keep the keys to yourself if you are swapping seats.
- Be prepared for buyers to test the performance with your car but make sure they do it safely and ask them to slow down if you feel uncomfortable or if they become too aggressive.
- Expect buyer to haggle – don’t be insulted by a low offer, instead counter with freebies like new tyres or a free tank of petrol.
adapted from: Malaysian Motor Trader, issue 567 pg 7
