Car Selling Mistakes you can Easily Avoid in Brantford

Car Selling Mistakes you can Easily Avoid in Brantford

Posted on September 7, 2021

Selling your old car is now easier than ever thanks to changes in the industry. You no longer have to sell it privately or take a hit with a trade in. You can now sell your old car direct to the dealership for much more than ever before. That being said, you may accidentally experience some car selling mistakes if you're new to this whole thing no matter where you sell.

Dealerships were known for offering less than market value in return for the convenience of an easy sale.

That has all changed.

Dealerships now offer more cash than ever before and now hit much closer to market value. If you have a car you no longer need, you could get more than you might think if you sell your car to a dealership!

With car sales in mind, we asked our sales team to put together a few easy tips to avoid making any car selling mistakes.

Know it’s value

The most common advice we hear within the industry is to know the value of the car you’re dealing with. As a seller, that means having a full appreciation of its value so you don’t get ripped off.

We tend to recommend checking several places, Carfax, Kelley Blue Book, Auto Trader, eBay and Craigslist. Check like for like, the same make, model, trim, year and mileage to get the best idea of its value.

Letting emotion impact its value

Some people get very emotionally attached to their car. There are lots of memories, lots of history and perhaps important life moments associated with the car.

But those are your emotions and have no place in a car sale. It may sound harsh but the dealer and the new buyer don’t have the same emotional attachment to the car and never will.

Don’t let memories and emotion cloud your judgement when it comes to value. A car is worth what people will pay. Nothing more, nothing less.

Selling the car as it is

Dirty cars are not attractive. They don’t look good on the street or on the road and they certainly don’t sell well. If you want someone to pay good money for your car, you need to make an effort.

No appraiser wants to inspect a filthy car or have to move trash around to check carpets or bodywork.

We won’t refuse to buy a dirty car but you won’t get top money for it.

Give the car a thorough clean inside and out. If you have the time, clean the wheels, tires and engine bay too. It all helps make a good impression.

Not clearing navigation data from your car

If you sell your car to a dealership like us, we’ll perform a factory reset on all electronics anyway, but not everyone will do that.

If you don’t want a new buyer or owner to see where you live, where you go and where your parents live, wipe the navigation data from your car before you sell it.

All navigation systems will have a factory reset option somewhere so make sure you use it. We will do it as part of reconditioning but you really shouldn’t trust data like that to others!

When you’re ready for a car lease or loan, get in touch with the auto loan experts at Northway Ford for great deals on auto finance.

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