How to get the most from selling your car

The used car market is still alive and well in Australia. The latest used-car data from the Australian Automotive Dealer Association shows that there are 327,000 active used car listings in Australia, and half of those are for private vehicles.

For dealers, listing a car and converting it into a sale is easy; it's quite literally their job. However, if you're new to selling online or you're just an average punter, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.

This is everything you need to know before you list your car online.

You need to keep quite a few things in mind before listing your car, and if you want the most money, you need to put in some work.

While trading in or selling your vehicle to a 'cars for cash' place is the easiest way to offload your vehicle quickly, you also pay for the convenience by getting less money for your car.

No, car yards aren't trying to rip you off. The point is that they will need to make money on the vehicle, too, yet they must adhere to business laws such as statutory warranties and return policies and pay workers and rent.

By selling your car privately, you could potentially make more than you would from trading it in.

Spending an afternoon searching for your car on classified websites is a good way to get an indication of its worth. Some sites, like Redbook, can offer insight, but occasionally the resale values are not up to date, especially for older/rarer cars.

Dealerships may be marginally more expensive to sell through than doing so privately, but again, that is because the buying process is more secure and streamlined through a dealership.

When you have a value in mind, it's important to leave some wiggle room for negotiation in your price. Don't set your list price as the lowest you'd take for the vehicle. Usually, depending on the vehicle's price, $1000 to $2000 more than your lowest price is a good starting point.

You do not want to list your car for too much as you can do something called 'chasing the market'. You'll eventually continue to lower and lower your price after it hasn't sold, and this can turn potential buyers away even if you lower it below market value. They may believe something is wrong with the car and that's why it is not selling.

You also do not want to fire-sell your car by listing it too low, as this can have the same effect as above.

The best way to weed out 'lowballers' is by taking good photos with a clean car and uploading many of them.

Lowballers will waste your time by trying to pick up on any little imperfections they can see, but by including these imperfections, you might save yourself some time by having someone come out and offer you an outrageously low price.

By ensuring you get all angles of the car in a nice, clear light and that none of the photos are blurry, as well as interior photos of the dash, front seats, rear seats, boot, and even an engine bay photo, it minimises potential buyers' online interactions since they're not asking for more photos of the car only to send an offer online.

You're not the only one dealing with strangers; the buyer is too. Many buyers are worried about potentially being ripped off when purchasing a second-hand car, and the best way to ease that worry is by providing an up-to-date logbook.

Showing that the car has been serviced means that it has not only been looked after, but is also regularly checked over by a mechanic for potential faults or soon-to-be-worn-out parts.

Sometimes, buyers aren't looking for a specific car; they are looking within parameters. A good way to lure these buyers in is to provide information about the car.

Aside from the price, fuel economy, safety features, warranty, and other internal features are all important factors in what drives a buyer to make a purchase.

Keep it short and snappy. Include the number of airbags, ANCAP safety rating, claimed fuel usage per 100km, and any additional features such as a reversing camera, Apple CarPlay, and screen size.

It also pays to add what engine and transmission your car has. Some cars come in multiple variations, so again, providing that information cuts down on any online back-and-forth with people who aren't genuinely interested in buying.

Include information about any damage, any factory warranty, and proof of servicing in the advert.

By cutting down on online conversation, you bring people out to the car, which means that they will make a decision and offer in person. You'll find that people are less inclined to lowball you when they are not hiding behind a screen.

One of the biggest issues we've seen with used vehicle sales is that the car is not ready to drive away, whether that be people with old cars saying, "It needs to be towed, but it's an easy fix" or just not having registration on the vehicle.

The best thing you can do is invest the money into renewing the registration before listing the vehicle to ensure that a potential buyer can drive away.

For Queensland and Victoria, you should supply a roadworthy certificate to ensure the buyer does not need to organise one after the sale.

Having legal tread on your tyres also falls into this category, as some people will be turned off a sale if the car needs new tyres.

It seems so obvious, yet everyone has at least one story about turning up to a vehicle inspection and finding the car filthy.

Washing your car is a sign that it's well looked after. It also shows off the condition of the car much better when it's not covered in junk on the inside and dirt on the outside.

Spending just a few hours putting some elbow grease into your car can make you a few extra hundred dollars.

Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.

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