Before selling your car it pays to consider what condition it is in. We have some tips to improve your selling chances
Time takes its toll on cars and everything from salt, grit, rain, snow to people and pets leave an indelible mark on your once pristine vehicle.
When it comes to selling your car, restoring it to its former glory will not only reap the best price but it will have buyers falling over each other to get their hands on the registration cert.
Before you do anything consider what condition your car is currently in. Car dealers generally tend to categorise cars into one of 5 grades.
1 The car has been excellently looked after and is near perfect condition.
2. This car may require a small out of repair for minor chips, scratches or dents in panels
3. There is evidence of wear and tear in this car, e.g. scratches or parts missing or broken
4. Similar to category 3 but requiring more serious attention
5. Car is showing signs of severe wear and tear or may have collision damage
Understanding the grade of your car can determine what it is worth and more importantly whether spending some money on it would be money lost or gained.
Some tips to improve the condition of your car
1) Clean the inside – To get the best price it is vital to make sure that the interior is as spotless as the paintwork on the outside. Clean the seats, vacuum the carpet and polish the dashboard.
2) Wash the outside – Give the car a through wash and if you know how, a quick polish and wax will make a huge difference to your paintwork. Depending on the value of your car it may be worthwhile getting this done professionally when you decide to sell.
3) Like the rest of your car, the wheels can present some cleaning challenges. Take the wheel trims off the car and scrub them clean and when replacing them use some new cable ties to lock them in place. If you have alloy wheels you will need a specialist wheel cleaner and wheel brush to remove any brake dust residues.
4) If the tyres need replacing do not replace them with budget tyres you are better leaving them as they are rather than wasting money on budget ones. Also any performance car needs performance tyres with the very minimum standard is a recognisable branded tyre, in step with power output.
There are some things you can unfortunately do nothing about and the absence of a full service history is one of them.
And also remember some repairs are not worth doing. So don’t spend money getting body damage repaired
Geraldine Herbert
5th September, 2017
