Why won't my car sell? Help needed!

colino

With that model, age and colour I think your ad is so indirect as to read as a driveway dealer who doesn't really know the car. You have to talk about its ease of driving, economy and parking, not waste words on the ipod connection. Rave about the comfort and durability of the cloth interior to prevent questions about it not having leather.
Your target range, after amending the ad about its comfort, economy, driveability and practicality is middle-age plus. Change that and bump the price to £4000 and wait for the phone to ring.

bigjl

That type of car is very popular in London, but less so with 3 doors.

I think it may just be the right buyer hasn't come along or it may be a little overpriced.

An eight yr old three door car at that price is going to be compared by prospective buyers will lots of newer cars.

Sometimes it isn't just a case of comparing prices, you need to see what is selling.

A lot of sellers price Corollas high and never sell them for months on end.

I wouldn't pay that kind of money for a 3dr if I can get a 5dr for the same or less.

Try looking at eBay, but not just what is advertised, look at the completed sales, that will give an indication of what they are really selling for.

I think the price for a quick sale, which going by the thread title is what you would like, is nearer the £2500 mark.

If I was selling it to make a profit and had no calls for that length of time I would be dropping the price.

You could try, as suggested, dropping below £3000 first.

Have you tried to trade it in?

Did you get a price from WeBuyAnyCar?

Not saying use them, but if they came up with a price of £2500 you know your price isn't far wrong, if they come back with £1000 you know you are a bit high, WBAC buy to sell the tat at auction (CC Trade Sales) and the nice stuff at Car Craft, they bid bottom book, but at least you have an idea what bottom book is for your car.

motorguy

bigjl wrote: »

Did you get a price from WeBuyAnyCar?

I tried them and they came in at £2245.

Malky

Could be the road tax. IMO it's high for a 1.6 petrol but you do pay a premium for an automatic (higher emissions). I wouldn't want to be shelling out £260 per year for a car and engine of that size.

DUTR

JoeyEmma wrote: »

Thanks! I know what you mean about people not wanting 3 door autos. We did start off looking for a five door manual. That being said its been an AWESOME car, the most reliable thing I've ever driven. Flies through its mot and service every year. We are only getting rid because we bought ourselves an estate.

My next car will be a 3 door auto, but as said, it depends if the buyer specifically has something in mind that suits your offering.

JoeyEmma

DUTR wrote: »

My next car will be a 3 door auto, but as said, it depends if the buyer specifically has something in mind that suits your offering.

Do you want mine?

DUTR

JoeyEmma wrote: »

Do you want mine?

It's a nice car, my current car is 8 years old and done 70k, so yours is a good mileage, but it's one of these for me next

gilbert_and_sullivan

Might try another ebay classified, putting in a sub heading of NOT civic astra focus etc so it comes up on searches for other comparable cars.

You don't mention tyre make/condition in the ad and the pic of the wheel shows an unreadable worn sidewall presumably run against the kerb many times...not saying thats the case as it might be the pic just isn't clear enough.

If the car is shod with 4 good make tyres with decent tread left then many buyers including me take that as a sign rightly or wrongly of a car who's owner hasn't gone for the cheapest option with maintenance, so if its the former say so.

Conversely if it has a set of Lingsport Chinese cheapies then it would have to be seriously cheap to be worth bringing up to scratch....not saying i'm right by the way just saying how some people are, and non sporting Corolla and Civics sell to a certain type IMO, those sometimes prepared to pay more for a good product...in the back of ones mind for example would be the question if the tyres are rubbish what sort of brake materials and oil have been used.

Might help to break down the service history more (more room on ebay for ponitificating..;) ) and state whether main dealer or kwik fit stamps.

forgotmyname

3 doors and auto limits its appeal.. £260 a year tax is a downer also.

Autotrader Ad. Will sell quickly.. I hate that bit..

Biggest put off for me.. A telesafe number. 37.5p a minute??

No matter what the car was and how much of a bargain i would NEVER phone one of those.

Alexwild

motorguy wrote: »

I tried them and they came in at £2245.

That's probably about right for a car that would typically be advertised at £3500 in private ads. It may be £1000 less than you want but as long as the car's on your drive not selling it is costing you money so you could consider their offer, but beware they might reduce it when you take it to them. You could try other sites such as wewantanycar.com for comparison.

A last alternative would be using BCA (British Car Auctions) Sure Sell service. Honest John is always recommending it as a good way to get a fair price for your car, though again it'll likely be less than the £3300 you hope for.