Preparing Your Car For Sale
The Age
Wednesday May 31, 1995
FEW people when buying a car new or used realise how much money they could save on the deal if they fully realised the potential value of the car they are replacing. You should look at the car you currently own as cash in your hand rather than simply an item you are going to update.
It goes without saying that how a car is presented will play a big part on how much you sell it for a simple rule that not everyone follows. How many times have you been put off buying when the car for sale looks shabby and badly cared for?
But there is more to optimising the value of your car than just a quick wash and polish. Your attitude towards the potential buyer, the method you choose to sell the car privately or through a dealer as a trade-in and how much you spend bringing the car up to scratch will influence the amount of money that ends up in your pocket.
Firstly, let us assume that you are replacing your car and are buying the new one through the dealer. Obviously a well-trained valuator will be able to see through a car wash and tyre blackener to assess the true worth of the vehicle.
The amount a dealer offers for the car may depend on several things, including the price of the car you are buying, the type of dealership (for example, if you are trading in a van at a dealer that specialises in prestige cars, then it will be harder for that dealer to off-load the trade-in) and how willing the dealer is to bargain.
Often a dealer will add value to your trade-in rather than discount the price of the car you are buying.
For example, a dealer is asking $30,000 for a new Falcon, and is offering $12,000 as a trade-in on your car. The dealer down the road may offer a better price on the new car, say $29,000, but only $11,500 for your car. However, you are still $500 better off.
Put simply, if you are buying a new car, shop around for the best new car price and best trade-in price.
Bargain hard for a good trade-in price and have a fair idea what the car is really worth. Keep an eye on other dealers and in the classifieds for similar cars and check those prices. A dealer is in business to make money, so of course you will not be offered a trade- in price comparable to the sticker that will be slapped on the windscreen in the yard. But don't undersell yourself.
If selling privately, presentation will be the key. It sounds harsh, but the average punter will be more impressed if the car is clean and the carpets do not smell like a damp dish cloth. But when it comes to repairs, you would be wise to weigh up how much the damage will cost to fix against what you think it will add to the value of the car.
Small damage such as cracked tail lights, chipped windscreen, scratches, worn carpet and so on are relatively cheap to fix, and improve the car's appearance. For example, if the carpet in the driver's footwell is worn, buy a car mat. Small scratches can often by polished out, and new lens fittings won't put too big a hole in your budget.
Many of these small bits and pieces are roadworthy items and should be taken care of anyway. But when it comes to accident damage, large or negligible, it may be better to leave the car as is and concentrate on other areas, rather than spending a lot of money that you are unlikely to get back when you sell it.
A half smart buyer will notice things such as a backyard respray. If the duco is not great, have a professional respray, although it is often not necessary. Overspray in the engine bay will put doubts in the buyer's mind about the true condition of the vehicle.
Selling the car with a roadworthy certificate will also add value to the car, unless of course it needs a lot of work to make it legal.
Other things to remember before selling include making sure all four wheels have wheel covers that match, cleaning the upholstery and carpet, having an inflated and useable spare tyre and removing any stickers on the back window (not everyone wants to put Ross Oakley into orbit).
Another important factor is the ad you place in the classifieds. Be honest. Think how angry you would be if the ad read, ``Corolla, 1980, original condition, pearl blue, genuine kms, lady owner", and you arrived to find a light blue Corolla with its original tyres, a genuine 60,000 kilometres second time around the clock, and a female owner whose 18-year-old son learnt to drive in the car.
If the car needs work, say so. If you neglect to mention body damage, or a bad duco, then chances are the people who come and see it won't be interested. You will waste your time and theirs.
© 1995 The Age
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