Selling to a Dealer

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When selling to a dealer there are a few things to be aware of that can save you trouble and money. Dealers can be a notorious type at times, so sorting the honest from the rest can be a little tricky. Here’s some information to help you decide who to sell to or how to get the best deal.

Firstly call some dealers and ask for a quotation on a vehicle such as yours, as if you were wanting to buy one, then drive to a few and get a sale evaluation. This will give you an idea of their markup on your vehicle. Do be aware though those salespersons have their overheads and still need to eat, so they may not offer you close to what they will eventually sell it for. Besides, not many vehicles sell instantly once they arrive on a garage forecourt and may take time, money and effort to sell.

Get your vehicle cleaned up basically before you take it for evaluation, but don’t spend much money on painting it up as the dealer will most likely do all that anyway and will cost it into their evaluation. They will most likely see through any basic bodywork repairs too, and aren’t too likely to be fooled by touch up paint alone, so don’t try and bluff it too much. A dealer may spend a few thousand NT on a simple re-spray before reselling, just to give you an idea.

During times of high fuel prices don’t be surprised if a dealer offers you far less for your big SUV or large engine car than you were expecting, as they can take a long, long time to sell on due to falling demand for gas guzzlers.

Also don’t be too surprised if a dealer offers less for certain import vehicles. Many of the parts can be very expensive should they need replacing, and some imports can be difficult to find customers for. Having said that, vehicles of Japanese build generally maintain their value for longer than Taiwan built equivalents, so can usually sell for more.

Look for dealers specifically dealing with the type or brand of vehicle, such as yours. They may have trouble at times locating another addition to their forecourt, and you may have just the car they are looking for. They will most likely have a better chance at selling that type than other non-specific dealers, so they may be willing to offer a better price.

Around Chinese New Year may be a good time to sell to some dealers as they may fall short of stock and may be willing to pay more to replenish it before their hot sales period is over. Chinese New Year of course is when many more traditional drivers sell their old and buy their new, even used cars. You will however be just into the beginning of a new year which will count your vehicle as one year older, thus usually reducing the price, so you may otherwise decide to begin to sell towards the end of a year.