Karim D. Ghantous
Well-known member
Many people have no idea about selling their cars. They think their main task is to get as much as they can for it. But that's bullshit. The main task is to sell the car as quickly as possible, for a price that is reasonable, so that room can be made for the next car. That's the mission, and yet many people fail at this spectacularly.
I've been looking for another car for months. I'm not in a rush but I check what's out there every single day, almost without exception. Some cars have been listed for months - not joking. So, what are people doing wrong? Their prices are too high, they don't get their cars roadworthy, they sometimes don't communicate properly or at all, they write meaningless descriptions, they say one thing but do another, and they don't adjust their prices as time goes by. Basically, they make it hard for the buyer to just buy the damned car.
I'll give an example. There's a very nice BMW 3 Series that has been up for a long while. The price was a bit high but the car was certainly in EXC and with low mileage. The car eventually developed a minor problem which resulted in the price dropping, but not by enough. Further, the car's roadworthy certificate has lapsed, and the seller has stated that they are not going to get another one. No lessons learned here, at all.
So here's how to sell your car:
- Get it roadworthy
- If it needs repairs, price it less than the fair price minus repair costs - otherwise I can just buy a car that I can drive immediately
- Price it on the low side
- Give a comprehensive description - templates supplied by the website are fine as supplements but not as the main description
- Take enough photos, and make them decent
- If the cost of the roadworthy certificate is too high given the car's value, sell the fucking car to a wrecker or just sell it cheap
I've been looking for another car for months. I'm not in a rush but I check what's out there every single day, almost without exception. Some cars have been listed for months - not joking. So, what are people doing wrong? Their prices are too high, they don't get their cars roadworthy, they sometimes don't communicate properly or at all, they write meaningless descriptions, they say one thing but do another, and they don't adjust their prices as time goes by. Basically, they make it hard for the buyer to just buy the damned car.
I'll give an example. There's a very nice BMW 3 Series that has been up for a long while. The price was a bit high but the car was certainly in EXC and with low mileage. The car eventually developed a minor problem which resulted in the price dropping, but not by enough. Further, the car's roadworthy certificate has lapsed, and the seller has stated that they are not going to get another one. No lessons learned here, at all.
So here's how to sell your car:
- Get it roadworthy
- If it needs repairs, price it less than the fair price minus repair costs - otherwise I can just buy a car that I can drive immediately
- Price it on the low side
- Give a comprehensive description - templates supplied by the website are fine as supplements but not as the main description
- Take enough photos, and make them decent
- If the cost of the roadworthy certificate is too high given the car's value, sell the fucking car to a wrecker or just sell it cheap