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Buying and Selling Cars

Best Way to Sell a Car for the Most Money Possible

Cars are an awful investment.

Simply, they depreciate in value quite quickly. In fact, you can expect the value of your new car to drop 20% in the first year of ownership. It’ll drop a further 10% every year after that for 4 years.

Never expect to sell a car for the same price you paid for it.

However, that’s not to say you shouldn’t give it a shot! Indeed, almost 40 million cars were sold in the US in 2017. That’s a lot of people losing money if they didn’t try to sell their car for top dollar.

Thankfully, there are ways to do it. Intrigued?

Keep reading to discover the best way to sell a car for the most money.

The Best Way to Sell a Car for Top Dollar

Selling your car? Keep these tips in mind.

Go the Private Route

Dealers offer the easiest way to sell your car.

You could walk in and out the same day, with some extra cash in your pocket. But that convenience comes at a cost. You’ll only ever get a fraction of your car’s true value. After all, the dealer needs to make a profit.

Selling your car privately is the first step to getting top dollar. It will probably take longer. But if you aren’t in a rush, then not to worry.

Give it a Clean

This one should go without saying.

However, you’d be surprised at how many people don’t do it. You’d be surprised at how much value gets placed in a clean interior and exterior. No-one wants to buy a dirty car! It’s a recipe for losing money.

Get your car detailed before advertising and trying to sell privately. Likewise, do any necessary maintenance! No-one wants to buy a dodgy vehicle. Thankfully, you can often save money and do it yourself.

Take Great Photos

Humans are visual creatures.

That’s why a picture paints a thousand words, right? Keep that in mind when you’re placing car ads online. You’ll be sure to get more interest if you’ve taken quality photographs.

Remember, clean the car first! Next, include pictures from all angles of the interior and exterior. Solicit the help of someone with a decent camera. You could even edit the pics in some photography software too.

Learn How to Negotiate

Never accept the first price that’s offered for your car.

Always negotiate. People will try and get as much money off the price as possible. That’s especially true if you’ve gone the dealership route. Be prepared- they’re professional hagglers!

Similarly, be prepared to refuse someone’s offer. Settle on your minimum acceptable price, and stick to your guns. That’s harder when you’ve been trying to sell a car for some time. It can get to a point where you say ‘I just want to sell my car for cash’.

However, you owe it to yourself (and your car) to get as much as you can for it.

Time to Get Selling

There you have it: the best way to sell a car for the most money possible.

Selling a car can be a long and arduous process. And, frustratingly, you’re unlikely to ever get back the money you paid for it. However, there are definite tricks to ensuring you sell it for top dollar.

Hopefully, the tips here have shown how it’s possible!

Want to sell your car, but need to get it repaired first? Click here for all of our articles on DIY auto repair.