Ready for a New Car: Preparing Your Old Car to Sell

Cars don’t last forever, and there are lots of reasons why you might want or need to get a new one. Whether your family is expanding, so you need a bigger car with more room for everybody, or you simply want a change to a more powerful vehicle or a car that is cheaper to run, then finding and buying the perfect car for you is the easy part. What might take some time, however, is selling your old car. Unless you are happy to take very little for it in a part-exchange deal or your car really is on its last legs and ready to be scrapped, then a private sale is usually the best way to get the most money for your old car. Get more interest in your car and prepare it for selling with these tips.

Remove Any Private Plates

You should contact the DVLA to transfer your private plate from your old car to your new car if you want to keep them. You will also need to put the old number plates back on your old car and make sure that it is now registered under them. That being said, personal number plates might sell well, so if you don’t want them anymore, you may want to consider listing them as a selling point of the car. You can get new personal number plates for your new car if you want them. Most personalised number plate sellers also provide a lot of information on transferring or selling your personal registration number.

Make Repairs

You will get more for your car if it is in a state of good repair. This means taking it to have any of those niggling issues fixed. Anything that a driver might notice if they were to test drive the car should be dealt with before selling. This could include changing out dim or broken light bulbs, changing the brake pads and discs, or simply topping up the washer fluid and oil. Make sure that there are no cracks in the windscreen and that the wipers work correctly; if they’re dragging along the glass or not cleaning it fully, then it’s worth getting new ones.

Book a Service

According to Car & Van Repairs Stockport, unless your car has been serviced very recently, then it’s worth booking it in for one before you put it up for sale. During the service, the mechanic will be able to sort out any small issues, like topping up the oil and changing filters. They will also check the various components of the car and point out anything that needs work, needs attention in the future, or is plain dangerous and should be fixed immediately. This will help you ensure that you are not only selling a car that has been recently checked by a mechanic but is also safe to drive.

Get a Fresh MOT

Getting a fresh MOT is a good idea if you are ready to put your car up for sale. Today, people are not very interested in buying cars that will need an MOT in a couple of months’ time and might end up failing, costing them a huge amount of money to fix. By getting the MOT done now, anybody who buys the car will be able to drive it for a year or at least the best part of a year before they will need to think about getting this test done. A fresh, long MOT certificate is a trust symbol for your car and will attract more buyers.

Clear Your Car Out

If you are like lots of drivers, there might be things in your car that you have completely forgotten about. Look in the boot and in the glove box for anything that you’ve put in the car and overlooked. People have bought cars with all kinds of stuff inside them that the owner has forgotten about, so it’s definitely worth checking to make sure that you are not going to inadvertently be giving something else away with the sale.

Check the Tyres

Before selling your car, it is a good idea to check the tires to ensure that they are legal, with a minimum tread depth of 1.3mm. If they are more worn or worn in different places, then this might be a sign that you should get the wheels aligned before selling. If you have noticed veering to the side while driving, this is a sure sign that the wheels need aligning. Thankfully, this is something that you can usually get done for a fairly low cost. Worn tyres should be replaced before you sell. Part-worn tyres are cheaper, can be of decent quality, and will make sure that your car is legal on the road. If your tyres aren’t worn, make sure that they are correctly inflated.

Clean the Interior and Exterior

Cleaning your car is an important job to do before selling. You can do this yourself or go to a car wash where you can pay a professional to do it for you. It’s a good idea to go for a more thorough clean where attention is paid to parts of the car that you might not have been cleaning a lot, such as the wheel trims and alloys. An engine clean might also be worth considering. A good valeting service might be worth investing in as they will not only make sure that your car is spotlessly clean inside and outside but also polish it and leave it shining.

Take Photos

Once your car has been prepared, it’s time to take photos for your ad. These don’t have to be professional photos, but you should take them in good light and make sure that your camera or phone is steady. You may also want to take a video of the car so that any prospective buyers can get a better look at it from all angles. If there are any defects, like scratches and dents on the car and other signs of wear and tear, then it’s a good idea to take close-ups of these to post. Having some signs of wear and tear will not usually put most buyers off, especially when buying an older used car, but it’s good for them to know what they are getting into, so always be honest about the car’s condition.

Write a Description

Whether you are going to be selling your car on social media, in local listings, or using a nationwide car selling site like Autotrader, writing a good description will help you get the attention of potential buyers and encourage your car to sell. You can use this section to write as much as possible about the car and make sure that all the features are included. Don’t forget to include the basics that everybody will want to know, such as whether it has a manual or automatic gearbox, when its next MOT is due, and how many miles are on the clock. Be clear about the type of fuel used and detail any interesting features like cruise control and Bluetooth. If you are not sure, you can find spec guides to your car online that you can use for information.

Last Words

Selling your car privately is the best way to get the best price for it. Keep these tips in mind when it comes to preparing any car for a private sale.