Navigating the Tricky Car Sales Landscape
So, you’re trying to sell your car and you live in the UK? Well, as you likely know, this is no easy task. The car sales process is a long and arduous one, especially because the process can vary from person to person and sale to sale. Selling your car privately will often get you the best price, but it’s a huge hassle and takes considerable effort and time. It’s easy to get frustrated.
With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at the challenges UK car sellers face and how they can overcome these challenges and find a buyer that’s willing to pay a respectable price.
The Different Challenges Facing Sellers
We chatted with the team at Motorway, a leader in car comparisons and car sales, to get a closer look at the challenges that car sellers face in the UK and how they can address these challenges. Here’s what we were told.
Car Values
According to Motorway, many sellers overprice their car at the outset. This leads to few people being interested in their car and that means it can take a long time for them to find a seller if they do at all. “Most people simply do not know how to value their car correctly and therefore how much to sell it for,” a spokesperson told us.
Where Should You List Your Car?
There are many places to list your car for sale in the UK. There are many sites that offer eBay-like listings and this means buyers and sellers have several options. This can make finding the right place to list your car troublesome. You have to deal with shady buyers, work around other people’s schedules, and list your car and your personal contact information.
There are also, a large number of scams out there that target people selling cars. According to Motorway, you need to take the time to vet the website you decide to work with. Find out what other sellers’ experiences were like. Would they do it again if given the chance? How smoothly did the process go? These are all things you need to find out ahead of time.
Should You List Privately?
Listing privately can yield the best deal in some cases, but it’s also time-consuming and a hassle. According to Motorway, many sellers find that going through a service like the one the company provides is a much better experience and often just as much money as they would get selling their car privately.
Are You Ready to Deal with the Buyers?
If you do want to sell privately, you’re going to find it more difficult. You have to list the car, take photos, prep it for the sale, etc. This is only half the battle. The other side of things is dealing with potential buyers. You’ll have to work with people you don’t know, find a place or a way for them to look at the car if you don’t want them coming to your home, and then you need to be sure you get your money.
If you’re meeting in person, this is easy. If you’re not, then there’s always the question of if the money will come through, and it’s important to only sell a car through a reputable service of some kind. Never take someone at their word when dealing with a car sale. Double-check things and do your best to avoid any issues. This is why it makes sense to work with a dealer or a company that will connect you to the right buyer.
The Solution to Selling Your Car in the UK
What’s the solution? First off, research your car ahead of time to see what the true value is. From there, you should give your car a deep clean inside and out and prep it for the sale. You also need to find any and all documentation for the vehicle. Finally, you need to choose a good service that will give you the best options and deals. This is where things get tricky and where many people turn to websites that will offer to purchase or help them with the sale. If you’re at this stage, Motorway is a smart choice.
Once you provide your car’s information, the website will provide you with deals to choose from. There’s no meeting with potentially shady buyers or finding a way to make sure you get your money. Motorway will collect all the information on your car and then give you some quotes that you can choose from. From there, it’s a matter of setting an appointment for the car to be picked up or dropped off, and then you collect your money. It’s quick and simple.
