Top 10 tips when your car doesn’t sell

Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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, updated on June 9th, 2023       

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You have found your dream car, but now you need to sell your old one. To make it an appealing deal and raise the odds of making a successful sale, you should take into account some basic practical tips. Selling a car is certainly not that easy, but nor is it impossible. Therefore, without further ado, let’s see what you should do.

Gather important information on the car

Gathering all the important information on the car is the first thing you ought to do. Not knowing to answer a potential buyer a question might be utterly awkward and might prevent you from making a successful sale. In this view, the internet abounds with information on almost every car model, so that shouldn’t be an impossible mission.

Work on the appearance of the car

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. A potential buyer might not even look at a car that isn’t clean, for example. If you don’t feel like you’re up for the task, then you might consider a car detailer to take care of this aspect. Presentation carries a lot of weight in creating the first impression of the car.

Come up with a realistic price

You should consider doing your research before establishing a price. Get acquainted with the appreciative price range, and make sure yours is realistic. Nothing turns a customer away than an overpriced vehicle.

Provide the buyer with the history of the vehicle

Providing the potential buyer with the history of the car will undoubtedly increase your credibility, thus raise your chances of making the sell. The history of the vehicle will indicate that it is worth the price you’re asking. Thus, the buyer will be willing to offer you a fair market price.

Provide the buyer with the service history of the vehicle

If you took proper care of your car, the service history of the vehicle would pinpoint that. This aspect might count as a major turning point when it comes to the asking price. A potential buyer will acknowledge that and won’t feel suspicious about buying your car.

Advertising online

Advertising online is the cheapest and most comfortable way to sell a car nowadays. Nonetheless, you have to make sure your car looks appealing for the potential buyer. It doesn’t have to be a luxurious car for you to take a couple of attractive pictures. Just make sure they’re high-qualitative ones. Nothing is more disturbing than browsing through car-selling sites and noticing numerous blurry images, which are most of the times taken with the cell phone.

Be accurate

The description you create for your car is also utterly significant. You need to be accurate about your car’s pros and cons. This will also increase your credibility. If you don’t pinpoint your car’s possible problems, they will certainly not go unnoticed, and you’ll be regarded as an unreliable seller.

Make sure the buyer can reach you by phone

There’s nothing more disturbing than finally having found a car you like and not being able to reach the seller by phone. In this regard, make sure your potential buyer might reach you by phone.

The test drive

When this moment comes, before allowing someone else to drive your car, make sure that person has a driving license. This might sound weird, but you’ll be surprised at how many people out there go test driving without owning a driving license. Also, Answer all the questions concerning the car as calmly and friendly as possible.

Don’t overlook haggling

When it comes to selling used cars, haggling is always in order. In this regard, you should previously establish the lowest price range, and simply be prepared to bargain. You shouldn’t accept an offer that is increasingly less than the worth of the car. A trick is increasing your price by 10 percent on your advertising page, and when the moment of haggling arrives, you’ll lower the price and it’ll be a win-win situation.

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