Best way to sell a car

[dgjlee]

I am not advertising here!!!!

Can anyone recommend a good method to sell a car quickly and not get ripped off? I have tried advertising in my local newspaper and through their website... I have also tried eBay but no luck so far.... I know you maybe thinking it listed for too much money but I know this is not the case....

Because I have had it listed in the paper I have been approached by a company that sells financed cars to people... In essence they ask you to pay a sum upfront and they guarantee to sell your car at the value you want (they pay you) and I suppose they then get the finanace from the person who wants it... I am sceptical about this.. has anyone used such a service?????

[brodev]

You can put it into a public auction. As it is mainly trade buyers at these you will probably be surprised at how little you get. To sell quickly and at the price you want needs a lot of good fortune.

[poppy_f1]

Because I have had it listed in the paper I have been approached by a company that sells financed cars to people... In essence they ask you to pay a sum upfront and they guarantee to sell your car at the value you want (they pay you) and I suppose they then get the finanace from the person who wants it... I am sceptical about this.. has anyone used such a service?????

it sounds like a con to me - i was stung on a deal like this and theres been plenty of companies on watchdog who for a fee will have a buyer for your car which of course never happens

[travel_freak]

Hi dgjlee,

I'm looking for a car myself at the moment. Someone suggested autotrader to me and I've looked at their website several times and there are lots of ads there - private ones as well as trade.

I have no knowledge of the type of arrangement you've seen but as a general rule I would say you'd do better to sell it yourself and would get more than you would selling it through an intermediary. It seems to me that if you sell through an agent they will need it to be extremely worth their while or they won't be interested and this inevitably means a lower deal for you.

I use freeads for other things and they also have a car section (freeads.co.uk) though I've never tried to see a car there so don't know what the response would be like.

There's Loot too but I find I just get a lot of scammers and strange people replying to any ads I've ever placed there.

Anyway, best of luck with the sale.
Regards,

[mrtg0525]

I am not advertising here!!!!

Can anyone recommend a good method to sell a car quickly and not get ripped off? I have tried advertising in my local newspaper and through their website... I have also tried eBay but no luck so far.... I know you maybe thinking it listed for too much money but I know this is not the case....

That depends on your definition of "too much money" - I haven't seen that many cars (unless they're very desirable) getting anywhere near book/price guide prices on ebay. Ebay with a low reserve is usually a good way to sell something quick.

The usual rule of thumb is that you either advertise for a higher price and bide your time or you're sticking your car into bargain territory and hope that it sells quicker. High price and quick sale doesn't exist usually so it's a matter of deciding what's more important to you.


Because I have had it listed in the paper I have been approached by a company that sells financed cars to people... In essence they ask you to pay a sum upfront and they guarantee to sell your car at the value you want (they pay you) and I suppose they then get the finanace from the person who wants it... I am sceptical about this.. has anyone used such a service?????

I assume they also told you that they've already got a buyer, right?

That one's as old as the hills, the way I understand their business, they make money in two ways:


You pay them a fee. Surprise surprise, the buyer bought something else, mainly because it never existed in the first place.
They "need" your address details, and of course they are confirmed address details (as you had to pay them) and thus worth money to direct marketing companies. Especially if you're not in the edited version of the elector's register that is made available to them. One of the telephone weasels from one of these companies actually confirmed that this is what they were after as she was getting a bit desperate and let slip that they get paid per address they provide...

[iluvmylexus]

autotrader have 80% of the market, try them and be reasonable about price and you have a chance.#
what model are you trying to sell?

[zappahey]

... I have been approached by a company that sells financed cars to people... In essence they ask you to pay a sum upfront and they guarantee to sell your car at the value you want (they pay you) and I suppose they then get the finanace from the person who wants it... I am sceptical about this.. has anyone used such a service?????

It's a complete scam. When they called me, I suggested that, if they were so confident, rather than pay upfront I would pay them double after they had found the buyer and the deal had gone through. Needless to say they weren't keen.

As for your lack of selling success, unfortunately the simple answer is if it doesn't sell, it's too expensive. It doesn't matter what any of the price guides say as they are simply that - guides.

[VickyHurn]

Just beware with autotrader and exchange & mart, websites, I put my car on both of them last week,

I got an offer from a guy, after plenty of back and forth emails and asking for photos, he said he wanted the car, and would pay to have it shipped to dublin,

said he would deposit funds in my bank, gave him the details,. Next day there was a £7000 cheque paid into my bank, (Car was £4000)!!

He emailed and said that once the cheque cleared send a £3000 Western Union Payment to a (Nigerian) Sounding name in London, and they would arrange to collect the car


Total Scam

Called my bank and they said the payment was a Paper Cheque from a Major national Company, so now have to wait for it all to be sorted out

Loads of hassle

SO beware, It all sounded genuine with no mention of advance fees that would have alerted me till after the payment was deposited!

[gardnt1]

Try

wewillbuyyourcar.com

I used them a few weeks back after ebay and autotrader failed to give me the quick sale i needed and my only option was part ex with dealer.....these guys paid me £500 more than dealer so i was happy, but obviously you wont get what a private buyer might pay...........all in all a very easy and uncomplcated way of doing things........the people who run it are apparently the founder members of the original jamjar

[dgjlee]

autotrader have 80% of the market, try them and be reasonable about price and you have a chance.#
what model are you trying to sell?

Ford Fiesta Freestyle 5Dr 1.25 with only 17050 on the clock... Had a guy come from Birmingham to Bristol today and wasted my time completely!!!!

Thanks to all who have offered advice... Will keep persevering

[zappahey]

Ford Fiesta Freestyle 5Dr 1.25 with only 17050 on the clock... Had a guy come from Birmingham to Bristol today and wasted my time completely!!!!



Really? I doubt he travelled that far with the intention of wasting your time. Why didn't he buy it?

[jolly77]

Auto trader is prob best bet, 2 weeks online for 17.99 i think, i use it for part exchanges with good results. If you want quick sale then check to see what similar vehicles are on sale for and price yours in the bottom 25%. bear in mind that dealer prices are more because they are expected to offer more in service.
Make sure the car is presentable and clean and cleared of personnal effects so if they like it and have the money they can take it with them, a few quid spent in halfords on cleaning products can make a great difference on the final price you get. autotrader offer 9 photos free i think and make sure you use them all. if the photos and description are good then they will have bought the car in their mind before they even see it in the flesh

good luck

[dgjlee]

Really? I doubt he travelled that far with the intention of wasting your time. Why didn't he buy it?

He said "its not what im looking for" :rolleyes:

4 large pictures obviously was not enough

[anewman]

I wonder if pointing out the car's lowish tax and insurance groups will help make a sale happen? It will probably attract the sort of people who are most likely to buy a car like the one you want to sell.