Auto Trends Magazine

Car reviews, industry news, & advice.

car wash

What Everyone Ought to Know About Selling a Car

by 1 Comment

Supply photos from every angle when marketing your car.

Selling a car is a slam dunk, right? Once you put your car on the market, the buyers will line up from all over. After a few test drives and perhaps competition between buyers, you’ll close the deal and reap a handsome profit. Keep dreaming.

On the surface, selling a car privately sounds likes a terrific idea. But it often comes with all sorts of hassles, including shoppers without a desire to make an offer or the funds available to finalize the purchase. And then there is the matter of your time, which explains in part why many people prefer to sell to their dealer or make a trade, even when they know they could get a better deal through a private sale. If you insist on trying a private sale, we’ll examine what everyone ought to know about selling a car.

1. Get your car ready to show.

Sell your car “as is” and your offers will reflect its condition. It always pays to spend some time making it look market-ready.

Wash and detail your car, adding a fresh coat of wax to restore it to its former luster. You can handle small scrapes and scratches, and quite possibly remove a few dings. Clean out the interior and trunk, vacuuming or wiping down seats, carpets and other surfaces. The same attention you paid to the exterior should apply to the interior. Replace burnt-out bulbs and fuses, and ensure the audio and navigations systems are in working order.

Handle all maintenance due items, most importantly the motor oil and filter. Ensure that the battery, hoses, belts, brakes, suspension, and other components are in top order. Provide copies of your repair invoices. Offer a CARFAX vehicle history report to demonstrate to buyers that your car is in the best condition.

Prep your vehicle to make it more appealing to shoppers.

2. Survey the market.

So, how is the car market where you live? Specifically, what kind of demand do you see for your type of vehicle?

For example, if you live in a warm climate and own a convertible, demand should be strong. On the other hand, if you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle and live in Florida, chances are demand will be quite low. Review local ads, such as on Craigslist to gauge interest in your type of vehicle.

3. Know your price range.

There are online tools to help you determine the price for your vehicle. Typically, you’ll find two sets of prices — dealer and private party. Review both to understand the spread between the two. Private party prices are always higher than dealer prices.

The more details you supply about a car, the better. This means entering not just the make, model and model year of the vehicle, but its mileage, trim level, and special features or options. Features such as navigation and driver-assist technologies mean you can fetch more for your car.

First impressions are everything when marketing a car.

4. Market your car.

Now that you know prices, you need to determine your bottom number for selling your car. This isn’t a number you’ll display or share with shoppers — it is the price you’re willing to accept.

Pricing can be tricky, but the 5 to 10 percent added to your bottom price gives you some wiggle room when negotiating. Further, when you set your price, avoid a round number such as $10,000. Choose $9,995 instead as it sounds better to shoppers. You’ve noticed that retailers use a similar pricing strategy. The reason? Because it works!

As for advertising, newspapers are a thing of the past. Online services, such as Craigslist and eBay are popular places to market a vehicle. It is important to understand the terms of use for any online site, including whatever fees or commissions may be charged. Be thorough with your ad, offering complete details about the car along with numerous interior, exterior, under the hood and trunk or storage area shots. Review other ads for ideas on how to set yours.

5. Show your vehicle.

Now for the hard part: show your vehicle. But somewhere between running your ad and showing your vehicle, place at least one “for sale” sign inside the car. At a minimum, supply a contact number, but be forewarned: you’ll get your share of spam calls. Perhaps securing a temporary phone number would be the best approach here.

Strategically place your vehicle so people will see it. Unless, of course, you don’t want people knocking on your door at all hours if it is sitting on your front lawn.

When an individual inquires about the car, engage them in a conversation to determine what they’re looking for. If you’re not comfortable with this individual, go no further. Always meet in a public place and when it comes to test driving the vehicle ask for a valid driver’s license and ride with them. Explain the features and answer their questions. Never give your keys to a stranger as this may be the last time you see your car.

When all is said and done, you’re ready to conclude your deal.

6. Let’s make a deal.

Only negotiate with buyers who show genuine interest in the vehicle. Explain your terms upfront — cash or a certified check. Ask them if they have the means to close the deal TODAY. Not tomorrow or some other time, but today. Let them know that the first buyer who meets your price gets the car.

You can expect negotiating to commence at once with potential buyers presenting their offer, which may be far lower than your asking price. If you feel that you’re being lowballed, say so. If their offer is within an acceptable range, counter with your own price. If both parties give a little, then a deal should be reached. The idea here is to provide a win for both — you’ll get at least your bottom dollar amount and the buyer saved money off the sticker price.

If the buyer insists on having his mechanic inspect the vehicle as a condition of the sale and you’re okay with that, be careful: the mechanic may discover a problem and the buyer may counter with a lower price, costing you money if you agree. If you’re not okay with the inspection, show copies of the repair records and the CARFAX report. Explain that the vehicle is being sold “as is” without room for further negotiation.

Accept cash or a certified check, ensuring the latter clears before signing and handing over the title to the buyer. Clean out the car (including DMV and insurance paperwork), remove the tags and hand the keys to the new owner. Cancel your ads.

7. Wrapping up.

The cash is good or the check has cleared and everything is done, right? No, not quite.

You may need to take care of certain Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) business, depending on where you live. If you have the vehicle’s tags (license plates), return these to the DMV. Make sure the registration is canceled and all taxes and fees settled. Get a receipt and keep it for your records.

Lastly, contact your insurance company to ensure coverage is discontinued. This is also an ideal time to review your policy to ensure it meets your current needs.

Final Thoughts

What if you’re not able to find a buyer for your car or are tired of dealing with customers? If you already struck a deal for a new car with your dealer, they may be interested in purchasing it. If not, there are other car buying services that may be interested, allowing you to quickly put this experience behind you.

See Also — Used Cars: Where the Bargains Are

The second, third, and fourth photos are courtesy of Pixabay.

How to Detail Your Car Like a Professional

by 2 Comments

If you want to get your car to look “showroom new” you can either pay handsomely to have a professional detail it or do the job yourself. Choose an overcast day or find a shady area to undertake a project that will take two to three hours to complete.

A thick, over-sized sponge is ideal for washing surfaces.

1. Assemble Your Tools – Interior

Start off by assembling the tools needed to detail your car. For the inside of your car, a vacuum cleaner with attachments or a shop vacuum will do. A floor brush, a crevice tool, and an upholstery tool are sufficient. Separately, a stiff brush can loosen packed down dirt that your vacuum cleaner cannot reach. Carpet cleaner and upholstery should be available for soiled carpets and seats.

2. Assemble Your Tools – Exterior

For the outside of your car you will need two five-gallon buckets, a garden hose with an adjustable nozzle attachment, an oversized sponge, a chamois mitt, microfiber towels, a rubber-blade squeegee, a stiff brush, cotton swabs, a soft bristle toothbrush, car wash cleanser, window cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, paper towels, tire and wheel cleaner, and polish. Keep a trash bag handy and another bag for gathering up reusable rags for washing.

3. Vacuum the Interior

Plug in your vacuum cleaner and work from the top of the seats down to the floor. Use the upholstery tool for the seats, replacing it with the crevice tool to get to difficult-to-reach areas. Remove the floor mats and clean them separately; use the floor brush and crevice tool to lift dirt from the carpeting. Bring out the stiff brush for packed down dirt and then vacuum. Move each seat forward to clean out the tracks and to reach hard to get areas. Sprinkle carpet cleaner powder across floor surfaces as needed and then vacuum same.

A vacuum with attachments ensures every nook and cranny gets cleaned.

Take your cotton swabs and begin to work on tight or delicate crevices such as the air vents. Spray all-purpose cleaner on a rag and wipe down soft-touch surfaces such as the dashboard, doors and the center stack. For leather surfaces, use only a leather-approved product. The same precautions should be taken when cleaning real wood trim, chrome or aluminum. Complete your interior work by using glass cleaner on all translucent surfaces, drying the same with a paper towel. Vacuum your floor mats and return them to the inside of your car.

4. Wash Your Car

Take your garden hose and put it on a moderate setting. Your car should be sitting in shade or the day should be overcast to avoid spots and streaking. Hose down your car from top to bottom, directing the hose across the roof and down the hood, back across the body to the trunk. Wash down the other side of your car before rinsing off the headlights, tail lights, tires, and wheels. Pay attention to nooks and crannies including the bottom of your windshield, ventiports, grille inserts and door openings.

Place the required amount of carwash cleaner in the bucket and fill with water. Fill the second bucket with clear water. Take your oversized sponge and dip it into the first bucket. Place the sponge on top of your car’s roof and begin to clean the surface in a back and forth motion. Avoid cleaning in a circular motion as that causes streaking. Move quickly to the other surfaces of your car to complete your cleaning before the soap dries. Replace the sponge with the mitt to clean the grille, lights, around wheel wells and across the rocker panels. Frequently clean off your sponge and mitt by dipping same in the second bucket. Reapply the cleaning agent in the first bucket.

Take your garden hose and repeat the earlier rinsing step by working from the top of the car down to the bottom. Thoroughly rinse away all soap and residue before putting the hose to the side.

With every tool at your disposal, your car can look showroom new.

5. Dry Your Car

Take the rubber squeegee and quickly move it across the car’s surface in a back and forth motion to remove excess water. Next, take one microfiber towel and wipe down the car. Use a highly absorbent towel, one that will soak up the remaining water. Take a second towel and wipe down the grille, chrome trim, the rear deck and around the wheel wells. Finish up by drying the tires. Take out a third towel to wipe down the wheels, clean the door jambs and to wipe off the area behind the fuel filler door.

Clean exterior windows and other glass surfaces by spraying glass cleaner directly on the paper towel and then wiping down the same. Avoid applying glass cleaner directly to the glass as overspray can land on your car’s surface.

6. Apply Wax

Choose your favorite car wax, paste or liquid and begin to apply same to the surface of your car. Apply the wax in a linear or front to back motion, creating overlapping straight lines. Go over each section at least three times to ensure that the entire car is covered.

Take a clean microfiber towel and wipe the surface in a “w” motion once the wax has settled or cured, applying pressure to the towel with the palm of your hand. Cover the entire surface once and then repeat the wiping off portion of this step again to ensure a spot-free look.

Using a dedicated wheel cleaner is best when detailing a car.

7. Finish Up

Spray wheel and tire cleaner liberally across both tire and wheel surfaces. Use a clean towel for wiping, the toothbrush to work on crevices and use a cotton swab for very tightest areas.

Apply chrome polish to a clean towel and wipe down all chrome and shiny surfaces not detailed earlier. Avoid coming in contact with the car’s surface.

Clean out the buckets, put away the hose and vacuum cleaner, throw out the trash, put away your cleaning supplies and place the bag of dirty rags in your laundry room.

Job Well Done

When carefully accomplished, your car will look as good as what the professionals do without the $150 to $250 charge incurred. If your vehicle is especially dirty you may need to invest in tar and adhesive remover to rid it of persistent blemishes.

See Also — 10 Father’s Day Gift Ideas for the Car Enthusiast

Photos supplied by Pixabay.com. Free for commercial use.