6 top tips when you’re ready to sell your car

Are you looking to sell your car? Car dealership Big Wants Your Car has provided their top 10 tips you should definitely follow when you’re ready to sell your vehicle.

Understanding the value of your car

Quite often, people develop a very special relationship with their car, which could lead them to believe their car is actually a lot more valuable than it is. The reality is, car values are set by the car market and not by dealerships, or by their owners (unless you’re privately selling). It’s crucial to understand this before you head into a dealership and become disheartened if they say your car is valued at a lot less than what you believe it should be.

Your car is valued by specific and particular features, such as its age, mileage, general condition inside and out, and its service history. However, the overarching value is driven by your vehicle’s current market price.

Where to value your car

Getting an understanding of the value of your car is one thing, but you’ll need to know where you can get your estimated value before you go ahead with your selling process. To get an estimated valuation, it is advised to pay a visit to a professional dealer, such as Big Wants Your Car, as it can be valued against an entire market, alongside cars of a similar make, model, age, and appearance.

If you want to take a deep dive for information on the value of your car as a private seller, useful automotive websites such as AutoTrader are great for a general guide.

Decide what is important to you as a seller

It is important to remember that selling your car could be a time-consuming process if you’re particular about specific things.

The speed of the sale can be held up on reservations about a final selling price, specifically, if you, as the seller, do not agree with the valuation. If you’re looking to sell your car for a set price and have time and patience, selling on auction sites like eBay may be the best move for you.

You also need to be made aware of selling to garages. If you’re selling to a business that does not have a garage local to you or does not have the resources to come and pick up your car from your home, this could be inconvenient for a seller. Big Wants Your Car works nationwide, so there will be options to deliver your car at your convenience.

Check the deals online

If you’re looking to sell your car online, make sure you’re well-equipped with information, and consider your options before making any decision.

There is so much information on the internet regarding the sale of cars, some of which conflicts with others. It’s important to conduct your own research and comparisons against other big car-selling specialists, such as Motorway and WeBuyAnyCar before making your decision, as there are differences between all businesses of this type. Once you compare these sites against businesses like BigWantsYourCar, you should have enough information to sway your decision.

Preparing your car

Once you’ve made your decision on where your car is going, you need to prepare it. Preparing it adequately ensures that the buyer cannot chip away at any little issues that may have come since the valuation. It’s not necessary to clean your car inside and out, however, it’s always greatly appreciated - you mainly need to ensure that you have all documentation that is required for selling your car, such as your V5 documentation (the ‘new owner’ part), service history and your MOT history, along with your car keys and any copies you have. If you’re missing any of these, the buyer will have a strong hand to drop the finalised price that you’ve agreed to. This will all be discussed with you by the buyer.

Check all finances, get paid, and get money back

Once all of the above has been accomplished, it is time to sell your beloved vehicle. Remember, do NOT hand over your keys until you have received payment for your car. If you’re selling privately, do not accept any form of cheque or IOU – ensure it’s either a bank transfer or cash. Once evidence of payment is shown, you can hand over your keys.

You can then send off the remaining part of your V5 form to DVLA, and make sure to either cancel your car insurance or transfer your policy onto a new vehicle if you’re getting one. You can also reclaim your road tax.