What’s the best way to sell an old car? Honestly, it depends on how old your car is, how much it’s worth and how much time you have on your hands. Most people will go down one of three different roads when selling their cars. Each option has pros and cons that might seem more important to you than others.
It’s worth noting that all of the options are great ways to sell your car, but here’s a more detailed explanation of each one to help you work out which one aligns with your needs the most:
Sell To A Car Buying Service
You’re thinking to yourself, it’s time to sell my car, but I don’t have enough time on my hands to wait around. Effectively, you’re searching for the quickest method possible while ensuring you get a decent valuation for your vehicle.
Car-buying services will be the best approach for you. These services are set up to streamline the car-selling processes in three simple steps:
- Enter your registration
- Get a quote for your car
- Sell your car
Most of these companies will arrange for your vehicle to be collected as well, so it further solidifies the convenience aspect. The only downside is that you don’t always get the maximum value for your vehicle, but this is a trade-off when you consider the other benefits. If you want to get rid of a car as quickly as possible without spending months listing it on websites or dealing with annoying buyers, then it’s well worth missing out on a few hundred pounds.
List Your Car For Sale Online
Countless websites let you list your car for sale online. This is the “classic” way of doing things - you list your car, other people may enquire about it, and you finally agree on a price. It’s how most people buy used cars, yet it comes with a few downsides:
- You have to wait around for people to enquire about your car
- Buyers will want to visit your house and test-drive your car
- Some buyers may go for a test drive and then decide they don’t want the car
- Some buyers will low-ball you with hardly any money
- Negotiations can be frustrating
It’s the least convenient method of selling a car, yet you could argue it’s the only way to get the maximum value. Regardless, you might list your car for months before someone buys it, which may not fit with your schedule.
Part-Exchange Your Vehicle
Part-exchanging your vehicle means you trade it in when buying a new car. As such, it is convenient when you want to upgrade your vehicle, though it’s rarely evaluated fairly during the trade-in. Most people make this choice when buying new cars to get money off the sale price.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: what if you’re not buying a new car and are trying to sell an old one that’s been lying around for ages? Part-exchanging won’t work, so you’ll have to look at one of the other options instead.
These are the three most-used ways of selling a car in the UK, but which one do you like the sound of the most? You’ll have to compromise something one way or another, so weigh up the pros and cons to figure out the ideal approach.