Car Selling Tips: Sell Successfully & Achieve a High Price

Your beloved car is getting on in years. Time to get a new vehicle with all the extras. If you want to sell your current car, you naturally want to get a good price for it. After all, the proceeds should go towards the purchase of your new dream car. We at CARIFY have summarized the best tips for selling a car for you. Here's how to get the best price.

The Best Time to Sell Your Car

If you think that the time to sell your car doesn't matter, you're wrong. Used cars are particularly popular at certain times. Other factors also play a role, such as the mileage. A mileage of 100,000 represents a psychological limit, and you will get significantly more for a car with less than 100,000 kilometers.

Take Seasonality Into Account

Somehow logical: when the weather turns bad, it's the best time to sell your car. Many people put their bikes or motorcycles in the garage for the fall/winter season and look around for a weatherproof ride. Seasonal drivers are then on the lookout for second-hand cars. The high demand causes prices to rise.

Summer, especially during the summer vacations, is the worst time of year to sell a car. On the other hand, you have the best chance of finding a bargain among used cars in the summer.

The situation is different if you want to sell a convertible. The best time for this is spring when the first rays of sunshine awaken a longing for driving without a soft top. The following rule of thumb applies to every vehicle: it is best to sell cyclically, while as a buyer you should look for bargains anti-cyclically.

New Models on the Market

When new models come onto the market, it's a bad time to sell a car - often at the end of fall and the beginning of winter. This is when many car owners want to switch to the newer model and sell their old vehicle. At this time, you will get less for your car because the used car market is overflowing with vehicles.

Preparation for the Car Sale

With the right preparation, selling your car will go smoothly. We'll tell you what's important.

Cleaning and Care

To ensure that your vehicle attracts many potential buyers and achieves the best possible price, it should be clean and well-maintained. Both dirty paintwork and a dirty interior have a sales-inhibiting effect and depress the price. With small investments and a little time, you can prepare your car for sale:

• Treat the vehicle to an all-around package at the car wash with polish, underbody wash, and sealant to make the paint shine and the color glow.

  • An engine wash increases the selling price because buyers always look under the hood. If there is dirt and oil residue there, there will be doubts about the condition of the engine.

  • If the rims are very dirty, you can use the high-pressure cleaner at a self-service station. Keep at least 30 cm away from the paintwork to avoid damaging it. If the rims are battered, it is worth investing in stylish rim covers.

  • Clean and polish the headlights. If they are scratched, a headlight clear set will help.

• Check the windshield wiper blades and replace them if necessary.

• Top up the windshield wiper fluid. If selling in the fall, choose one with antifreeze.

• You can repair minor scratches that do not reach the metal of the bodywork yourself (Smart Repair). They can be smoothed with a commercially available car polish to make them invisible.

• Larger scratches can be concealed with a paint pen in a matching color. Pay attention to the three-digit color code and choose the right pen for your vehicle's paintwork. Which one it is can be found on a metal plate or sticker. You can find it on the narrow side of the driver's door, under the hood, or on the trunk lid. If necessary, the owner's manual will help you.

• After the repair, smooth the area with a polishing cloth and car polish before applying a sealant.

• Now it's the interior's turn. You can have the preparation done by a professional or do it yourself. This includes a thorough vacuuming of the upholstery, footwell, and trunk. The carpets and mats are also knocked out and cleaned.

  • Remove all personal items and garbage from the car.

  • Clean stains on the upholstery with soapy water or upholstery cleaner. For leather seats, you should call in a professional.

  • Remove dust and dirt from the fittings with a damp cloth and polish with a dry cloth. Cockpit care products protect against re-soiling and give the plastic elements a matt finish.

  • Don't forget to clean the inside of the rear-view mirror, windows, doors and interior flanks.

  • Take a look at the headliner and sunroof, if present. If they are dirty, you should also clean them with upholstery cleaner or soap and water.

  • Does the car smell of dog or cigarette smoke? Cleaning with vinegar water can help. Maintaining and disinfecting the air conditioning system is also helpful.

Have Important Documents Ready

With the sale, you must hand over all important vehicle documents to the buyer. These are not always readily available, so gather them together before you create the advertisement. You will need these documents for the sale:

• Vehicle registration document

• Emission document

• Report of the last MFK

• Proof of repairs and maintenance work

• Any expert opinion on the technical condition

• Operating manuals

• Service booklet

• Pictures and reports if the car has been involved in an accident

• Keys or code cards

Tip: A complete service booklet is a big plus when reselling a car. This is also worthwhile for older vehicles. A fresh motor vehicle and emissions check also increase the value.

Pricing and Advertising for Car Sales

The days of cheap used cars are over - good for you if you want to sell your used car. Nevertheless, you should find out in advance what price you can ask for your car and how you can market it most effectively.

Determine Market Value

You shouldn't advertise your used car on instinct. Find out how much it's really worth.

• You can find out in advance on online car sales platforms how much comparable cars cost. Unfortunately, you will rarely find exactly the same car with the same equipment/color and the same age/speedometer reading etc.. Comparability is therefore only possible to a limited extent.

• Various online platforms offer tools to determine the market value of used vehicles. Here you can enter the characteristics of your car to get the most accurate market value possible.

Use Effective Advertising Strategies

Photos that present your car in the best light are the be-all and end-all when selling via online platforms. If the car shines in fresh splendor after reconditioning, you should wait for a sunny day to take high-resolution pictures from all sides and inside. Make any defects visible, as this promotes confidence.

Furthermore, you should formulate the ad in such a way that you list many sales-promoting arguments (first-hand, low mileage, service booklet, pet-free, non-smoking vehicle) without embellishing the facts. It's best to look at advertisements from used car dealers in advance and try to describe your vehicle in a similar way.

In addition to online sales, you can also advertise in newspapers, put a notice in the supermarket or on the notice board and put a for-sale sign in the car.

Negotiating Tips for Selling a Car

As people like to haggle over used cars, you should think about your minimum price before you advertise your car. In order to have some leeway, you can set your selling price a few hundred francs higher than your desired final price. In order to have a good basis for negotiation, you should know all the selling arguments and perhaps keep a little extra in the back of your mind.

Offer the buyer a test drive in your presence, then you can point out further plus points during the drive. Daytime hours outside of rush hour traffic are ideal for this. Before you let the prospective buyer take the wheel, ask them to show you their driver's license and ID card. Make a note of their name and ID number. Allow about 1 hour for the inspection and test drive.

Secure Conclusion of the Sale

The purchase contract signed by both parties must contain all important vehicle data such as chassis number, mileage, year of manufacture and any defects. Only after you have received the full purchase price do you hand over the vehicle including the papers. Then deregister the vehicle by canceling the vehicle registration at the road traffic office. This will ensure that you are not charged with any traffic violations by the new car owner. Notify your car insurance company of the sale.

Conclusion

Selling a car has its pitfalls, but it's worth it. Used cars are currently in high demand. At CARIFY, we enable you to offer your used car at a car auction free of charge via our platform. Your advantage: you get the best price via the auction and have a wide reach through our network of over 400 dealers in Switzerland. You can complete the sale online and save a lot of time. You will receive your money from us, reliably and securely.

FAQs

Where is the best place to sell your car?

You can reach most customers via online portals. Posting the ad is convenient and you can compare. With CARIFY's free car auction, you can choose from a large number of non-binding offers and get the best price.

Which car sales platform is the best?

If you offer your car for sale online, you will reach many interested parties. However, it takes a lot of time to sift through the offers and attend viewing appointments. Unfortunately, there are also black sheep among the customers. With CARIFY's car auction, you can get the best price from reputable dealers without any sales pitches.