How to prepare your car for sale

The time has come - you need to finally get off your backside and sell the car. It might be a car you want to sell, or a motor you desperately don’t want to get rid of but have to for financial or personal reasons. Whatever your position, you need to follow our no-nonsense guide to preparing your car for sale:

1. Get it fully inspected (mechanically and aesthetically)

The last thing you want to do is tiptoe around any issues you’re aware of but which haven’t been fixed when people come to view the car. Equally, you won’t want them to call you three days later with a blown head gasket. To avoid this, call on a friendly mechanic to check the entire vehicle for any issues and ask them to do so from both a technical and aesthetic point of view.

2. Get any faults fixed

Mechanic report in hand, make sure you get every fault fixed by someone you trust. If funds are an issue and you simply can’t afford to get everything ship-shape, make a note of what’s wrong and be honest with buyers (just bear in mind that you’ll more than likely have to drop your price as a result).

3. Give it the clean of its life

Even if you’re an avid car detailer, this has to be the best clean you’ve ever treated your car to. Spend several hours cleaning both the inside and exterior as thoroughly as possible, finishing it up with a nice, deep wax or polish to really make the car look showroom-ready.

4. Check tyre pressure and fluid levels

Even if you’ve had all of the mechanical issues fixed, you need to make sure the car is also sufficiently topped up with oil, coolant and screen wash. Make sure the tyre pressures are as they should be, too. Beyond the safety elements inherent within this step, you’ll come across the occasional buyer who will check every nook and cranny. Don’t let them discover something you really should be on top of.

5. Remove personal items

It’s always a laugh when you find the last owner’s power ballads mix in the CD drawer, but do you want to be the previous owner who left a bunch of personal stuff in their car at the time of sale? We’re guessing you won’t want to leave any crucial personal documentation, keepsakes or confidential data behind, so make sure you remove everything from the car before placing it on the market.

6. Gather the paperwork

You won’t get far without your service book, V5 document and MOT certificate, so make sure you have it all together and close to hand before you welcome the first potential buyer.

7. Start to research pricing

Once you’re happy the car is ready for the market, it’s time to start researching prices and preparing the all-important description. Scour websites like AutoTrader and Gumtree to see what similar cars are priced at and make yours as competitive and as compelling a purchase as possible. Have fun selling your car. If you follow our tips above, you’ll stand far more chance of meeting the type of buyer who won’t mess you around and achieving the price you have in mind. Image credit