Do’s and Don’ts When Selling a Car
Do’s and Don’ts When Selling Your Car in Eugene, OR
It can initially be a daunting task to sell or trade-in your current ride. However, here at Volvo Cars Eugene, we make it easy to navigate the process when you bring your car into our dealership. However, we know you may want to sell the model on your own as well. In fact, we wanted to share a handful of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind when you decide to showcase your ride to prospective buyers. By taking the following preliminary steps, we’re sure that you’ll experience a seamless transaction between you and the buyer and secure the best possible price for your vehicle.
DO: Find Out Your Vehicle’s Value
It’s imperative that you go into the selling process with a comprehensive understanding of your car’s market value. Without this vital information, you may inaccurately price your vehicle and miss out on a significant financial benefit. Utilize reputable third-party websites such as Kelley Blue Book® or Edmunds to receive the most trustworthy estimates. Simply enter your vehicle’s year, make and model and receive an online appraisal in minutes.
When you get your first offer, make sure to compare it to the online appraisal you received. Sometimes the offer you’re given can be lower than what your ride is truly worth. If this is the case, don’t settle. Counter with a price that aligns with its market value and see if the buyer accepts the offer. Don’t sweat it if they try to talk you into an unfavorable deal — feel free to walk away at any time if it’s not going down a positive route.
Interested in conducting a trade instead? Visit a variety of dealerships to ensure that you get your choice within multiple different appraisals. It’s a great way to weigh your options and receive the best possible offer. Here at Volvo Cars Eugene, we provide a useful trade appraisal tool where you can discover the Blue Book® value of your car in minutes.
DO: Put Your Vehicle in the Spotlight
Don’t underestimate the power of giving your car some touch ups before you showcase it to potential buyers. Wash and detail your car thoroughly from the inside out to make it look its very best. As much fun as stickers and decals can be, make sure to remove them before your car rolls into the spotlight. If you decide to sell your ride online, ensure that the description is crystal clear to the viewer. No matter what, you want your car to look spick and span for its next owner.
DON’T: Overdo the Repairs
When it comes to car repairs, you want to strike a happy medium when you’re preparing to sell it. For instance, you want to ensure all routine maintenance is taken care of — complete any lingering oil changes, tire rotations and replacements and battery checks before you stick the price tag on it. For major repairs such as engine or transmission replacements, we highly recommend selling your car as is. Investing all your money into these major issues can cause you to potentially break-even at sale.
DON’T: Conceal Information from Potential Buyers
Never be secretive when it comes to the information about your vehicle when you’re planning on selling it to a new owner. It may seem initially appealing to omit details that could be detrimental to the overall price, but honesty is the best way to go. Make sure to mention details about the condition of your ride and what repairs still need to be done — your pricing must reflect these factors for a fair sale. Refrain from utilizing verbiage like “limited-time availability” if this fact is simply not the case. If this illusion is debunked, you’ll seem desperate to the buyer and negatively affect your future interactions with them.
DO: Provide Records
Providing service records reassures prospective buyers on the vehicle’s condition and maintenance history. It will also shed light on any extensive repairs that have been made. Attaining these documents is easier than ever when you pull the vehicle’s information from CARFAX®. Think of it this way, if you were the buyer, you wouldn’t want to be left in the dark about any lingering issues the model may have. When in doubt, full transparency is key in order to conduct a seamless transaction and transition for the next owner.
DO: Complete All of the Paperwork
Paperwork is an essential part of finalizing the sale of your car. These documents vary state to state, so make sure you double check with your local DMV on what forms are required in order to transfer title ownership and release your liability to the vehicle once the sale is complete. If this paperwork is not completed by you and the buyer, you could potentially be held responsible for any future repairs the buyer ends up needing. To make the process swift and simple, we recommend scheduling a time for both parties to complete the paperwork together. To eliminate this tedious process, feel free to bring your vehicle to our dealership and we’ll take care of the paperwork for you.
If you have any questions about what you need to do before selling or trading in a car, please feel free to contact us or stop by Volvo Cars Eugene at 89320 N Game Farm Road, Eugene, OR 97408. We look forward to serving our customers from Roseburg, Springfield, Coos Bay and Florence.