If you’re in the market for selling your car, it’s essential to know precisely what needs to be done before listing it online or in person. As tempting as it may be to sell your car right away when you get an offer, taking care of these things will set you up for success and ensure that all people buying the car are satisfied with every aspect of its condition.
When you’re ready to sell your car, there are a few things you need to do to make the process go as smoothly as possible. You want to make sure the vehicle is in good condition and that you’ve gotten the best price for it.
Here are eight things to do before selling your car:
1. Clean Your Car Well
Make sure your car is clean on the outside and inside before you take photos of it to market the vehicle online.
After, make sure that any trash is taken out and that there’s nothing left behind in your car—things like old receipts or candy wrappers might deter customers from making an offer on your vehicle if they think it isn’t well-maintained.
2. Remove Personal Items From the Car
After cleaning the car, remove any belongings and anything else you don’t want a buyer seeing when they come to test drive it or look at it.
Things like old CDs, sunglasses, and other trash or belongings can be placed in crates or bags and then hidden in your trunk until the car has been sold.
3. Touch Up Scratches
Even if you can’t see them, there are probably some scratches on your car. If they aren’t visible to the human eye but can be picked up on camera, they will appear in the photos.
Make sure to check your car over and get rid of any scratches or scuffs with touch-up paint or by taking it to a car paint booth.
4. Take Your Car to a Reputable Mechanic for Inspection
When looking to sell your car, it’s essential that the buyer is confident in its quality and reliability.
You can increase their trust by having a mechanic look over your vehicle and give you an inspection report before accepting any offers made on the car. This way, you know who you’re dealing with and whether they’re willing to put money into maintaining the vehicle further down the line.
5. Check the Market Value of Your Car
If you don’t know what kind of money your car is worth, call up a few dealerships and inquire about buying your car directly from them, just how much it would be worth.
This will give you a good idea of what’s going on in the market right now and where your car lies among other vehicles.
6. Update the Oil and Filter
It wouldn’t hurt to check the oil and change the filter of your vehicle if need be before you put it up for sale on one of the many online platforms available today.
Not only will this make your car more desirable to potential buyers, but it’s also good for the health of the engine itself.
7. Get a Vehicle History Report
Get a report that shows the history of your vehicle—especially if you’re selling a used car to someone who is not an auto expert.
The report should be able to show you everything about your car, including any collisions it has been in and any repairs that have been made with documentation supplied by previous owners and dealerships.
8. Get Your Car Ready for the Market
After doing everything above, get your car ready for sale by using an online platform that allows you to sell your car without ever having to step foot outside!
You could choose how much it will cost you per mile if someone decided not to buy it from you directly on the website, meaning there are no hidden costs if the buyer wants to come and test it out.
Whether you’re selling your car because you love the freedom that comes with not having one or simply because of financial constraints, knowing what to do before putting it up for sale will make all the difference.
Use this checklist to remind what needs to be done before getting rid of your vehicle—and remember: don’t rush!
You want your car to make an excellent first impression on potential buyers, so take care of any issues before taking photos and letting people see how awesome it is. And who knows? Maybe soon you’ll be able to buy yourself another like-new car even better than the old one!