Take time to make your car sparkle!

As obvious as it may seem, the most important thing you can do to get the best price for your car is to clean it thoroughly, inside and out. You may also want to consider doing the following, none of which will cost you that much and you should get back more than what you spent.

• Repair stone chips with touch up paint. Stone chips can rust if not repaired and may put buyers off
• If you have hub caps that have been kerbed, replace them
• Replace any trim or badges that are missing
• Replace any non standard parts with standard parts, i.e. custom gear knobs. You don't want to give the impression that your car has been thrashed
• Repair any damage to dashboards including cracks, holes made by fitting a non standard stereo or mobile phone holder
• Remove or replace tired floor mats and seat covers. What is underneath will ordinarily look much better

• Give the car a service, clean oil always looks best, and the car will also be running better
• Fill water and coolant levels up
• Make sure all wiring is connected properly, that all lights (including interior lights) and indicators work

Advertising your car

Advertise exact details of your car and get the price right. Placing an advertisement with Tassie Cars will make sure that you state everything that you need to.

If you wish to add extra descriptions of your car, avoid saying things that don't help the buyer for example "One Lady Owner", really, it doesn't mean a thing! Don't bother with good or excellent condition unless it is like new, "first to see will buy" as people may assume that it has already sold and "no time wasters" doesn't help either. By all means, if your car genuinely has a Full Service History or a very low odometer reading for its age, then say so.

When deciding what your car is worth, look at similar cars advertised and price guides. Don't look at Car Yard prices and expect to get what they are asking. You aren't offering a warranty or any guarantee and thus should be asking a lot less. Once you have found what your car is worth and decided what the minimum you are willing to accept is, advertise it for a little higher so you have room to haggle.

Closing the sale

You have cleaned the car, advertised it, the phone is hopefully ringing....so now what?

Make yourself available and always be there when you have arranged for a buyer to come and see your car. Expect that a buyer will want to test drive the car, and if so, go with them. Never let a buyer go out on their own, there is a risk that they may not come back If you are serious about selling your car, you will have no objection to a buyer taking your car for an inspection. If you get calls in the mean time, let them know that you think you have a buyer, get their name and phone number and contact them if the sale falls through Make sure you know the lowest price that you will accept for your car and, when buyers haggle with you, keep that price in mind. You shouldn't refuse to take offers, if they make you an offer within $100 of the price you decided you should take it. You could end up paying that much in re-advertising the car Once you have sold your car the best payment to accept is either cash or Bank Draft. If the buyer wants to pay by cheque, wait until the cheque has cleared before letting them take the car. If they are a genuine buyer they will understand or come back with cash