DEALER KNOWS
I’ve been a car dealer for 23 years… you can make £100s more when selling your motor with my 5 ‘secret’ tips
Including how to advertise better online and attract buyers
A CAR dealer has revealed how you could make hundreds more selling your motor using 5 simple tips.
Mike Davenport, who has been in the trade for more than two decades, revealed how some creative writing and a bit of spring cleaning could see you pocket extra cash.
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In a video on his YouTube channel, Mike said: "I'm going to teach you something that no car dealer does and that's how to sell your car privately.
"Most people like to trade in or sell privately, but there are pros and cons to both of those things.
"With over 23 years in the car business, tens of thousands of customers...I don't know anyone more qualified to teach you how to get the most money for that old car you don't want."
Prepare your product
The first step is to give your motor a thorough clean and even a full detailing to get it in the best shape possible.
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Analysis by sales platform Motorpoint has shown that a dirty car could see its value drop by thousands as "first impressions count".
Overall, they estimated that a full valeting could boost your sale price by as much as £1,500.
That's not bad given that a professional clean is about a tenth of that price.
Likewise, people smoking or keeping pets regularly in their vehicle could face a 10% knock down in price thanks to bad smells.
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Set a sale price
Mike said: "You've got to set your price the correct way.
";If you set it too high, people will not contact you.
"This is not the '80s...where you can negotiate back and forth, people do not negotiate on car deals anymore."
He recommended using online valuation tools to get an accurate idea of what your vehicle might be worth.
Try and set your sale price just over what they are offering and if you don't get any offers, you can always fall back on that valuation.
Prioritise your pictures
Pictures are one of the most important aspects of selling your car as they are the first thing most buyers see when searching for a new motor.
Mike advised taking good-quality pictures of both the interior and exterior of the vehicle from multiple angles.
Don't upload and low-res images and make sure to give a decent virtual tour of the car without overloading the ad with endless snaps.
On some sites, you can even upload a little walkaround video showing potential buyers the car and telling them a little about it.
Dynamic Descriptions
Leading on from that, it's equally important to give a comprehensive description of the car.
Always include at least an overview of the service history and performance, while flagging up any issues, without over-emphasising them of course.
Anything like an MOT failure should be disclosed and it's always a good idea to give a brief summary of mileage, ownership history and tax status.
You can even use AI-powered systems like ChatGPT to do this for you, so long as everything is accurate.
Make it marketable
Finally, Mike urged drivers to list their motors on reputable sites.
Places like AutoTrader and Carwow have excellent reputations for private sales and are used regularly by dealers.
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Other options include Facebook Marketplace or social media sales groups to reach enthusiastic buyers.
Or you can "go old school" and park your car outside with a 'for sale' sign in the window with some contact details on it.
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