Selling Tips

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If you are thinking of selling your car at this time or the future, then you’ll probably be wondering how to get the most money for your dearest. We’ll cover some of the top tips and musts here for you to give you the edge over other sellers.

Make sure you get all the most important bits and bobs repaired before your vehicle goes up for sale. Squeaky and streaky old windscreen wipers don’t cost much to replace, and neither does a set of simple floor mats and these small things make a big impression to a buyer. Oil any rusty hinges or door locks, and make sure the oils and other fluids are all topped up and clean. Make sure the essential systems are all operable and safe too as even though your car is leaving you, you won’t want to feel responsible if your unsafe vehicle causes someone else harm, and you certainly don’t want to be lying in bed at night wondering if your old car is still in one piece or whether its going to come back and haunt you.

Make sure your car is clean and tidy. If there’s one thing that wins people over when viewing a used car, and especially an older one, it’s the level of cleanliness. “If your car is clean, then you have obviously taken better care of it than some” is what most people will be thinking when they’ll see it.

Don’t spend too much time and effort repairing the bodywork on older cars. It probably won’t return you the money you spend on a full re-spray and sometimes may even lead people to be suspicious of its originality. Fix major dents and heavy scratches, but don’t go overboard. The reason people go for older cars is that they are cheaper, and so are willing to accept a little rough here and there as long as it has good mechanics, is safe and all operates properly.

Impress a potential buyer with a service history if you can, even give them a photocopy to take away with them. Some garages in Taiwan now hold any service history through their centres on computer. At least most manufacturer service centres hold these on record, so ask them for a print out if possible, if you don’t already have receipts or a log book.

Do some homework before you even put an ad out by comparing your car with similar cars of the same year. You may even get an estimate of how much a used salesperson will pay for yours, or how much they would quote you if you wanted to purchase one from them. These numbers will offer you a sound idea of what to ask for and how much you should settle on when it comes to the inevitable bargaining session. Remember selling privately will return more money than if you sell to a dealer, but you’re at a disadvantage when it comes to advertising and it most likely will take longer.

Online advertising is extremely popular in Taiwan these days, perhaps even more than newspaper ads and certainly cheaper. There are several auction and ad sites. We say auctions are dodgy though and not all bidders ever pay up or hold their end of the bargain, so to save time and put out to a large audience go with a larger reputable website such as ocar.com. It’s always best to put your vehicle up for advertisement for a few weeks and not short sessions, as that one person who may give you the best price will have a greater chance of finding your car the longer its up there. Some sites offer discounts too for longer duration ads, making it better value for money.

If you are confident in your vehicle or even if you are willing to work with a potential customer in having any repair work done, then offer them an Auto Checkers independent inspection. The one thing that will win them over is a full vehicle report and the promise by you to pay for any reasonable repair work. Anyone feels extremely satisfied when driving away in a vehicle they KNOW to be safe and trouble free.

Impress people with how much you have loved and taken care of your vehicle over the years and how much it means to you or your family through all the memories it represents, but don’t be too pushy or say the wrong things. People aren’t generally impressed with how fast you say you have driven it, or how it performs flat out round corners. People are neither impressed by performance stickers or racing stripes, so take them off, unless you really wish everyone to wonder about how badly treated it may have been.

When it comes to bargaining, you must stick close to your original price, but don’t seem flat out resentful when someone offers far less than what you were expecting. Maintain a polite manner and explain that you can’t let it go for that price. Let them do the talking and only start to show compromise once they begin to offer something closer to your idea, then try to meet somewhere in the middle. Remember both parties should leave a deal feeling satisfied that they got a good one.

Offer a test drive of your vehicle to perspective buyers, but always make sure they have a valid driving license as well as ID, and always be present in the vehicle when they take it out. Some cars are stolen during road tests, so be aware.