Want to sell your car? There are many ways you can go about the process these days, but before you go ahead there are a number of things you should do to make sure you're prepared and will be able to get the best possible price.
Below are our recommendations for what to do before selling your car.
Make sure it's clean
The most obvious thing perhaps, but very important. Give your car a thorough clean - wash the outside, and consider applying wax to give the car a great shine. Clean the wheels and apply a 'tyre black' product to make the tyres look fresh rather than tired and grey. On the inside, remove any rubbish from storage areas, stones and leaves from the floor, and vacuum the carpets and seats to remove dust. You can also use dedicated products or wipes to clean and freshen up leather seats and dashboard areas.
If you'd rather not do all this yourself, or if you want the job done professionally to get the best possible result, why not get in touch with a valeting service on TrustAGarage?
Find the important bits and pieces
Make sure you have all sets of keys for the car, the spare wheel (if your car came with one), and the tool for removing any locking wheel nuts. Also check any included tools such as a jack are returned to the boot if necessary, and make sure things like the parcel shelf are in place. If you have modified the car in any way, you may want to refit standard parts again if this is possible, unless you're happy to sell the car with these items.
Documentation
Find the V5C document (logbook) for your car, as this holds important information about the vehicle and allows the ownership to be transferred once you have sold it. You should also have the manual, Service book showing stamps/details, MOT certificates, and invoices for any significant work done (cam belt change, etc.). It may be worth waiting to sell your car after it has had its MOT, as this can give extra peace of mind for any prospective purchaser.
Delete any stored data!
If your car has built in sat-nav or has been linked to your phone via Bluetooth, be sure to check that you have cleared your home and work addresses from the settings and phone numbers have been deleted, along with any other sensitive information that you don't want to share. There may be a 'clear all settings/reset to default' option that can help you perform this task more easily.
Know what to expect
When you're ready to sell, go online and have a look at cars similar to yours - model, age, mileage, options, condition, etc. See how much they are being advertised for, to get a good idea of how much you can expect to receive for your car if you choose to sell via a similar method.
We hope this helps you get your car into the best possible shape to sell, allowing you to get the best price. Have we missed anything? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.